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[Rattlebattle]

You might like to browse spark plug-cross reference.com. It does what it says on the tin. The NGK BPR6ES was a common car one, which explains why I had an unused set of 4, but years ago at Halfrauds for £5.99. There are Champion equivalents and a few others too, including Brisk, which like iridium ones seem to be largely (expensive) snake oil in my experience.

[ric]

Sorry nigelphoto, the last time I saw the tip on my NGK BRP6ES was when it was fitted over 5,000 miles ago along with a resistorless plug cap.
It hasn't given me any reason to check it since then.

Perhaps the amount of soot is proportional to the TPS setting (just to liven things up a bit )

and here's (hopefully) the correct HTML link for Fuelly...

[PeteF]

Brian, mine never gives me any grief and has never let me down in almost 18,000.
2008 350 Bullet.

[Dennis C]

Having read through these posts I rather agree with Bryan, it looks to me that these bikes are being sent out very badly set up, and I think changing to ever hotter plugs is rather like covering the true problem over and masking it when it should be addressed and cured not hidden. Not to mention the engine damage which it may cause. The soot is a symptom of another fault, don't just hide it.

[PeteF]

"The soot is a symptom of another fault, don't just hide it."
I certainly agree with you there Dennis.

[Beezabryan]

I rather think Peter that your 350 is one of the last real Bullets before all the halfarsed attempts to get a 1940s motor to conform to current greenery save the world led requirements. Therefore it is to be expected that you have a decent running machine that can be enjoyed trouble free, just as it should be
Were I a solo rider I most certainly would have considered a 350, as I usually have my minder on pillion plus now and then a bit of baggage for a longer ride the 500 was/is my choice.

[Dennis C]

Time for an apology, sorry Enfield India, reading back over other threads it is more likely this fault is self inflicted, free flow exhaust, K&N filter, power commander, removed O2 sensor, etcetera, fix it till it break comes to mind,can't blame the makers for that.

[ric]

Have to agree with you on that one. Apart from an NGK plug, plug cap and a brighter pilot light bulb mine is stock and starts and runs very well without problem.
I've had a few niggles from new such as a loose connector block,a misaligned rear wheel and getting the rear brake working correctly, but otherwise it's just petrol in the tank, press the button and ride. I'm not missing the tappet adjustment either!

[PeteF]

Yes Bryan, that's why I went for a 350 ( I have other bikes to go fast) There's also the point that the 500 Bullets were just "overbored" 350s and that may well be one the reasons that so many of them seem to blow up. The main reason though, IMO, is people tend to use them like modern bikes; you can't do that unless you do a lot of work on them.

[nigelphoto]

Doing a plug chop requires a lot of skill and accurately reading the results only comes after many years experience; its only a small piece of the total information one can get from an engine as to how its performing. Out of interest I have looked at both the NGK BPR6ES and Iridium equivalent BPR6EIX I replaced it with after removing them from 1/4 mile of 3/4 throttle running on a hot engine and they both have correct, light tan coloured insulator and central electrode colour; however, the exposed threads were slightly sooty. All other indicators are that the engine is running absolutely fine, as Eicher intended (and by the way, a company that produces 100,000 more motorcycles than Harley Davidson does indeed know what its doing so lets have no more silliness about Indian made Bullets shall we chaps?). The engine starts on both plugs first press of the starter (my 2011 C5 doesn't have a kickstart and besides at my age I have no kick left in me!), it picks up cleanly and revs out to the limiter in all gears except top (but I have a 20T g'box sprocket) and the first 12" of the exhaust pipe is straw coloured. So there's nothing wrong and I'm not going to bother with mucking about changing plugs all the time and certainly won't be putting any Redex or other money wasting 'upper cylinder lubricant' in. Like Beezabryan says, I just get on and ride it - but do keep the discussion going as its great fun reading the 'science' behind all this and we've nothing better to do while the weather is so awful . . .