Do Iridium plugs last longer, etc..

[nors]

I'm willing to pay the cost for Iridium plugs, but do they last longer than regular plugs?  Do they need to be regapped as often as regular plugs?  Do they give better gas mileage?  Anyother benefits?

With an Interstate model it is a pain to pull off the fog light covers to get to the plugs just to regap and clean.  

[Valker]

My stock plugs were in for 50,000 miles. When I pulled them, they were all still gapped properly and looked almost new. I replaced them with the iridium plugs. I now have 70,000 on the iridium plugs. They also look new. I think I'll change back to the first set at 150,000 just to even things out.
I saw absolutely zero difference when changing to the iridium plugs except my wallet was considerably lighter.

[valkyriemc]

I think my Hayabusa benifits from them (original equipment) but I wouldnt bother on my Interstate.

[Patrick]

Isn't iridium that stuff with a half-life of about a bizillion years?? 

[9Ball]

you're probably thinking of plutonium....with one of the more important plutonium isotopes (fissile Pu-239) having about 24,000 year half life.  Takes about 10 half lives to be considered gone..therefore 240,000 years.

[nors]

No, your both wrong Iridium is the $11 spark plug.  It helps my Kaw 750 Vulcan start faster, but
no one here has anything good to say about the expensive rascals. 

[daytona]

There are places to get em a bit cheaper, I got a set for my Busa from here. fast shiping. They seem to start and run a bit better than reg NGK's but that maybe cause their new. They have been known to last when the bike sits alot! Otherwise no diff!
 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-Yamaha-suzuki-NGK-iridium-plug-DPR7EIX-9-7803-/280517120494?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item41501f91ee

[flcjr]

iridium plugs do last a long time they are stock on most new cars and trucks and i have pulled several at 100,000-150,000 miles and they look new and the gap is correct as far as performance i don't think there is enough difference that you would notice much.

[F7daved]

I have them in my 99 tourer with 10,000 miles and they look like new when i checked last week.

[Larry]

The cool picture on the box and explanation say a hotter spark for better ignition, so who really knows? Just put a set in and also synced the carbs. Will check plugs and see what they look like, maybe they will burn up the gas better? My old ones looked pretty good though but they were two or three years old and I had these laying around.

[fuzzy2bucks]

On my other bike a KAW Vulcan 750 Iridium plugs are used by quite a few riders because they help the bike start faster. 

[junior]

yea leave them steel plugs in for a long long time in them aluminum heads why dont you........lol
 i pull mine every spring and fall to relube the threads just so they dont get stuck 

[gordonv]

Consensus is that the Valks don't need them.

However, if you have other bikes that you do need them for, then sparkplugs.com ($8 ea) is where you look them up, and the best price I've found yet is advanceautoparts.com for $6 ea, orders over $75 is free shipping. They won't deal with Canadians, which is a bummer, so I got a US Bank account with VISA debit card, and ship to the local border town, and cross the border and pick up myself.

[dago mooserider]

I agree that most valks don't need them and you will never be able to tell. You may notice the lighter wallet. An exception may be with the supercharged guys. When the cylinder pressures increase via supercharging or nitrous, the stock ignition and plugs are more prone to misfire (especially at high rpm: this is bad). The iridium plugs require less voltage to fire and generally have a smaller electrode, thus promoting better flame travel. I am planning to run some sauce on my valk at the track and will be throwing down for the iridium plugs, every little bit of insurance helps.