smokinzx14
Needs a life
Posts: 10197
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posted September 05, 2008 09:26 AM
Dead hole .....&$$#@@#!!!............................................
Last weds night at test and tune on my third pass my bike started missing on the return road ...It ran fine going down the track and ran good numbers or normal numbers for the summer heat ... I had no clue what had gone wrong so i loaded it up and went home .. The next day i pulled all the body work to have a look around .. I found nothing out of place and everything looked good .. So i pulled the plugs and ran a compression check and all was good .... The plugs looked fine but they are the plugs that came in the bike new .. I didn't know what to think , broken valve spring , bad injector ? Bad coil ? After checking the compression i ruled out the valve springs so maybe a stopped up injector or bad coil ?
Jesse gave me a new set of plugs awhile back but i never installed them , so i said to myself i might as well put them in since i have the old ones out for the compression test ... While i was at it i added some injector cleaner just in case that was a problem ..
Well i guess 800 1/4 mile passes and 3500 miles on the speedo is to much for a set of plugs because the bike runs better than ever with the new plugs !!! My idle went from 1000 RPMs to 1300 RPMs and the bike runs so smooth i just could not believe the difference ..
As i said the old plugs looked fine but i guess you can't go by looks ...
Smokin ..
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Smokin Performance Cycles..
Tampa Bay , FL .. Brocks Performance Dealer ..
Gen 2 ZX14R Best ET 8.43 , Best MPH 164.95
  
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kawasaki_rick
Zone Head
Posts: 512
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posted September 05, 2008 09:46 AM
Good deal. I was thinking i was about to read something else.
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dubious
Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
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posted September 05, 2008 09:55 AM
I found the same thing with mine at about 6000 miles of street ridingand some racing...
they don't last too long for a platnum plug eh?
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natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
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Superman T
Pro
Posts: 1831
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posted September 05, 2008 10:16 AM
Smokin-was this on the ZX14 or ZX10? What were your numbers when you last passed thru after you installed the new plugs? What brand/type of plugs did you install? Even though I have 4000 pampered miles w/zero passes at a track, I'm wondering what the proactive threshold should be in my bike for replacement? I will be trying out drag racing this fall and I would like to have all my bases covered....Good info bythe way
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mokaw
Expert Class
Posts: 153
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posted September 05, 2008 10:20 AM
It kind of scared me when I first started reading this. Glad it was something simple!
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Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
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street racer
Expert Class
Posts: 141
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posted September 05, 2008 10:32 AM
In 1994 I bought a 1985 Yamaha Vmax with 3,000 miles on the speedo and all original including the plugs. I sold it in 2006 with 19,000 miles on it and it still had the original plugs. Sometimes they last a longgggggg time !
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smokinzx14
Needs a life
Posts: 10197
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posted September 05, 2008 12:58 PM
quote:
Smokin-was this on the ZX14 or ZX10? What were your numbers when you last passed thru after you installed the new plugs? What brand/type of plugs did you install? Even though I have 4000 pampered miles w/zero passes at a track, I'm wondering what the proactive threshold should be in my bike for replacement? I will be trying out drag racing this fall and I would like to have all my bases covered....Good info bythe way
My zx14 , I replace them with stock plugs whatever that numbers is ..
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Smokin Performance Cycles..
Tampa Bay , FL .. Brocks Performance Dealer ..
Gen 2 ZX14R Best ET 8.43 , Best MPH 164.95
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gms118
Expert Class
Posts: 258
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posted September 05, 2008 01:14 PM
thats funny cause i bought plugs today, and im putting them in after work
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Sticks_n_Stones
Needs a job
Posts: 3930
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posted September 05, 2008 01:25 PM
quote:
thats funny cause i bought plugs today, and im putting them in after work
+1 I, too was at the store and talked myself out of them. I always assumed guys were just wasting money by doing stuff like that at low miles but I guess I was wrong... How much is this gonna cost me now? lol
I would guesstimate that I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 minutes of WOT at high RPM's on my 14, with just over 6K miles so its about time for them. Would explain why its been riding rough lately, not to mention the first ever knocking I encountered yesterday (running 87 octane Shell/Texaco gas).
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'06 zx14
Muzzy M10/M14
PCIII w/ Muzzy map
Flies out K&N in!
bits n pieces...
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bigdtd
Needs a job
Interceptors
Posts: 4209
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posted September 06, 2008 09:59 AM
glad your hole is OK!
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2006 Black ZX-14,6 inches over,16/42, flies out,BMC Street Filter,Brock's Street Meg,Brock's Radial Mount Strap,PClll with Race map,Dynojet LCD w/Techmount, ZX-14 fender eliminator,Pilot Power2CTs,Speedohealer,Pazzo Levers,Cox Radiator Guard, Garmin Nuvi 265WT
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obba
Expert Class
Posts: 455
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posted September 06, 2008 12:56 PM
On our race days, we used to fit Platinuim plugs. The standard NGK ones just didn't handle the high revs and the Platinuim plugs lasted longer as well.
But mucho money!!!
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WRECKSHOP
Expert Class
Posts: 359
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posted September 06, 2008 01:31 PM
CR-10EK'S (NGK) PLUGS ARE THE BEST FOR THE KAWASAKI ZX-14......
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CrotchRocket
Moderator
Bracket Racing with Betsy
Posts: 8038
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posted September 06, 2008 02:38 PM
For some reason the 12s and 14s are sensitive to the plugs condition!!!
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Jason Miller StreetBike Seminars
*****DragRacers do it better, because they dont cut Corners*****
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bawls
Needs a job
re-learning to ride
Posts: 2701
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posted September 06, 2008 07:48 PM
while i was on deployment, my dad said that my bike started running like shit so he swapped the plugs. It had a few runs on it and only about 2500 miles or so when mine shit the bed. After changing them, he couldn't believe how much faster it was.
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Best 60ft: 1.42
Best 1/8th: 5.97
Best 1/8th MPH: 119
Brockland Police Badge # 001
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dubious
Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
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posted September 06, 2008 08:24 PM
totally dependant on the map you have.
The maxton map was extremely rich on my bike with pump fuel and a filter, smeg.
Stix, the big fuel companies add butane to the fuels for winter, or will dilute it early in the year when hurricane season causes them to slow down production.( helps keep volumes and revenue up)
In any event I found I could run regular from June, to Aug, but outside of these months the bike would ping in regular...
This probably occurs in the Northern States as well, but unlikely in lower ones.
____________
natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
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BrooklynNYZX12
Zone Head
Posts: 520
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posted September 07, 2008 09:49 AM
Same thing happened on my 12 .Bike started missing right after I changed the oil,after checking compression,swapping coils,TB Sync Rick (CrotchRocket) says to me,try changin the plugs...long story short problem solved! Go figure.
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Orient Express Top Street Bike Winner 8-4-07
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johnnyrocketzx14
Expert Class
Posts: 207
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posted September 19, 2008 02:01 PM
took your advise and changed my plugs, had 4k miles...... the bike is actually smoother better low end transition ..They really didnt look that great kinda like it was a little rich, maybe from running brackets all night on the nitrous map and not spraying...... it was a much easier task than i expected maybe 45min to 1hr tops. Thanks for the tip smokin
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07 ZX14
Brocks Sidewinder, Stretched, lowered, strapped,Drag seat, PCIII W/Hub, No flies, BMC, Speedo Healer, Muzzy NOS/Shifter,
1.41 60, 5.77 1/8th 8.89 1/4
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smokinzx14
Needs a life
Posts: 10197
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posted September 19, 2008 03:09 PM
 Edited By: smokinzx14 on 19 Sep 2008 23:09
quote:
took your advise and changed my plugs, had 4k miles...... the bike is actually smoother better low end transition ..They really didnt look that great kinda like it was a little rich, maybe from running brackets all night on the nitrous map and not spraying...... it was a much easier task than i expected maybe 45min to 1hr tops. Thanks for the tip smokin
You are very welcome ... 
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Smokin Performance Cycles..
Tampa Bay , FL .. Brocks Performance Dealer ..
Gen 2 ZX14R Best ET 8.43 , Best MPH 164.95
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jarhead
Expert Class
Posts: 418
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posted September 19, 2008 06:17 PM
I am approaching 8k on the odometer and have 2.5 seasons of track time on mine. I guess its time for a set as well, I do the same as Johnnyrocket, if the track won't hold the nitrous I just unplug the solenoid but I am usually too lazy to flip the map. To be honest if my bike were running rough and someone told me to change the plugs I would probably laugh but it just goes to show sometimes technology does not replace maintenance.
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JohnnyRocketZX14
Expert Class
Posts: 207
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posted September 28, 2008 07:48 AM
Edited By: JohnnyRocketZX14 on 28 Sep 2008 16:53
well i knew the bike was smoother but didnt expect the numbers to change. last night i ran for the first time after changing plugs and set a couple personal best times. My first ever 5 sec 1/8th's and a 9.29 1/4mi all motor and 87 pump gas. whats crazy is neither pass was anything special, not my best 60' or anything...... it just runs better!!!!
it now appears that with MRX01 and a true 40hp NOS shot i can squeak into 8's FINALLY!!!!!
by the way i gained over 1/10th in the 1/4 with plugs
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07 ZX14
Brocks Sidewinder, Stretched, lowered, strapped,Drag seat, PCIII W/Hub, No flies, BMC, Speedo Healer, Muzzy NOS/Shifter,
1.41 60, 5.77 1/8th 8.89 1/4
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NINJA12
Needs a job
Posts: 3310
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posted October 03, 2008 01:16 PM
O'riley auto parts carry the factory plugs. 6.99 each.
I don't know what the dealer charges, but I was in there for oil , and they had them in stock.
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