Fed her the better stuff. Waste of $$$?

[zackod]

Prepping for long ride trip.  Installed the following:
Honda HP4S Synthetic oil.  $11 per quart
Yuasa YTX20HL-BS Battery  $140
NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs Part #5464

Oil and plugs more than double price of OEM.   Battery $40 more - has 310 cold cranking amps vs OEM's 250.  OEM battery never gave me one problem.   After 5+ years in Florida heat, figured proactive replace w/b smart..

Wasting $$ on upgrades / OEM all needed?

Shipping bike/flying to Billings, MT.   Down to Yellowstone, then up to Glacier National Park, then up to Banff, Canada onto Rt 93 (Icefields Parkway) to Jasper, Canada.   s/b epic.  If you've never ridden Rt 93, I suggest putting it on your bucket list.

[hubcapsc]

I ran too far on my oil when I went to InZane this year... glad it was good synthetic...

I never thought "special" plugs did anything...

-Mike

[dans2014]

Love that ride. Did it in 1972. What you spent is cheaper than an engine or tranny or no start in the boonies. Never prove it either way. Peace of mind and trouble free. Tires are the single, most important item on a bike. I spend big on the best tires and often

[woofred1832]

                             If you have not ridden a bike through Glassier National park you will love it! when I did it last year there was more bikes in the park than cars. Did Yellow Stone before so did not go through that again. stopped at Little Big horn, that was neat to see. Then went south back into Colorado for some time in the mountains where I used to ride when I lives there. Still some of the best riding I have ever done. In a week my brother and I leave to go up to Buffalo and the falls before cruseing around western Penn. heard there is a scenic historic ride through the western hills. going to look it up on google. have a great trip! 30,000+ on my bike, only fresh synthetic oil, no plugs,battery is fine,did change front breaks, and of course on my 3rd set of tires. Running Mets now. 4000+ and they look great. Ride on life is good!

[bscrive]

It is never a waste to have those things done before you leave on a trip. I am also considering changing my battery because it's been in the bike for 5 years now. Better to spend a few extra bucks now then three times as much when you're on the road and you end up having to get the bike towed.

[Robert]

Good job, exactly what I would have done.  

I never consider using above MFG spec a waste of money since, we tend to hold onto our machines longer than the usual. Seen so many problems that the engineers overlooked and guys out in the field had to deal with, so to me its a safety factor.

While the Iridium plugs may not provide a real seat of your pants major difference they do provide the longest service life and are easier on the coils. It has to do with the voltage to fire, which is usually lower and when wearing down does not stress the coils for extra voltage they were not designed for.

I have found quick fire ups and smoother idle with these plugs.