860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

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Tinkerbell
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860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by Tinkerbell »

Hi all
I am trying to school up on plugs for 1975 860. Looks like soot resistance would be a plus. I found champions worked well in my commando. Does anybody use champions in ducati world ?
Cheers
Kara
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Craig in France
Paso 906
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by Craig in France »

No need, Kara, altho' your choice ... :). Most people find that NGK B6HS do the job admirably.

(L88A in Champion, btw).
Tinkerbell
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by Tinkerbell »

Hi Craig
What do you think of the projected tip versions of the same plug ? Some amongst us make great testimonial claims...like the bp6hs
Cheers
Kara
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Craig in France
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by Craig in France »

Tinkerbell wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:44 am Hi Craig
What do you think of the projected tip versions of the same plug ? Some amongst us make great testimonial claims...like the bp6hs
Cheers
Kara
"Solution looking for a problem"? Dunno - sorry. Others will have to respond. (I don't even know if there's enuf piston clearance ...)
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BevHevSteve
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by BevHevSteve »

thats all I sell is BP6HS, BP7HS etc
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Craig in France
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by Craig in France »

BevHevSteve wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2020 3:59 pm thats all I sell is BP6HS, BP7HS etc
Thanks, Steve. I guess you find there's some advantage? Please say more ... :)

Ciao

Craig
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BevHevSteve
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by BevHevSteve »

only what I have been told by a few different engine builders through the years as what I should put in my bevel drives so thats what I sell.
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doug s.
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Re: 860gt (and darmah sd?) best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by doug s. »

hi all!

i found this thread because i was looking to update my '78 darmah sd's spark plugs, and i was wondering if there was any thoughts as to "the best", now that my darmah is up and running again. (the noise i posted about earlier has somehow managed to disappear - i do suspect the clutch may be at play, as i did notice, before it went away completely, that it did quiet when i engaged the clutch.)

so, i was investigating different plugs type, heat range, etc. i noticed that steve's last post mentioned the bp6sh/bp7sh. but it seems that bevelheaven also now has available the iridium ngk's as well as bosch's. i was going to order iridiums, because it seems they must be better, right? when looking up the ngk iridiums, i discovered "ruthenium", which is supposed to be even better. but ngk doesn't know when this plug will be available in the 0.500" reach needed for our bikes ("hopefully soon; the pandemic has pushed our schedule back...")

so, now, i'm pretty much settled on the iridiums, unless ngk can give me a better estimate of what "soon" means, for the rutheniums.

the next issue is heat range - 6 or 7? i understand that 7 is good, unless you have fouling issues, then go to 6? if the bike will run on either, is there a preference, why you'd want one over the other? if a bp6sh works where a bp7sh works, but is marginal, would a 7 be fine in the iridiums? enquiring minds want to know! ;)

and, here's an interesting wrinkle on my bike - i pulled the plugs to see what was in there; both plugs looked fine, re: color, wear, etc. but the forward cylinder had a bp6sh and the rear cylinder had a bp7sh - wazzup w/that? the only visual difference was the rear plug had just the tiniest bit of oil residue on the threads, where the front had none.

any reason as to why one might wanna use different heat range for front and rear cylinders? should i keep both the same on replacement, and if so, which? or replace w/different heat ranges?

thanks!

doug s.
fab
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by fab »

the rear cylinder gets hotter so you can use a colder plug
doug s.
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by doug s. »

fab - that's what i was thinking, but my bike has the hotter plug in the front. and, unlike my buell s2, whose front cylinder is in the way of the rear, on the ducati, w/the front cylinder close to being parallel to the ground, and nothing in front of the rear cylinder, i suspect the rear cylinder's temp is pretty close to the front.

doug s.
(and my prior post was in error; the plugs are b6sh/b7sh, not the projected tip plugs)
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by BevHevSteve »

I'd stuck with the normal heat range (the 7) and see how she goes and only put a step hotter if you have a fouling issue and can't solve it from it's source. Ethanol makes motors run hotter anyways so... not a great idea to keep it going hotter. The iridiums are outstanding, long lasting, big fatty spark making plugs and I recommend them.
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doug s.
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Re: 860gt best spark plug? Champions anyone?

Post by doug s. »

hi steve,

i'm going w/the 7 heat range. but the plug listed in the ducati service manual - the bosch w7b - is actually equivalent to the ngk 7 heat range.

thanks,

doug s.
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