Sparking plug choices

Madnorton said:

I'm with our friends across the pond on this one, I'm sure all Commandos were made to run unleaded as this was what was availalble in the states at the time - they did away with leaded fuel a long long time before us, and I may be wrong but California did away with it even longer than the rest of the country. I just run on the higher octane stuff from the pumps and have had nil probs of tappet gaps closing up, and I'm sure we would have heard of it being a problem by now if was ever going to happen.

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Actually I believe here in the US leaded gas only went away in the late 70s or early 80s. That's when BMW went through its ill-fated efforts to deal with unleaded and came up with a couple series of bad valve seats.

Correction - per the King of Airhead information, Snowbum, it was 1989!

maylar said:

Which is where I'm at right now. Hard starting after the Winter. I can deal with once a year replacement, but I'd like to try something more reliable.

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Maylar, are you still here? 2 pages later and you still have questions unanswered.
I have to ask, why are your plugs going bad? Fouled from too rich or burned up from too lean.

I run NGK BP7ES in my 750 cc combat motor. 1400 miles later they are a nice tan collar.
No choke needed to ride in Penna weather. Tickle a pair of 932's and second kick it catches.
I run stock points and have had a dependable and enjoyable riding experience so far.
It likes the BP7ES plugs.
When it has had problems running on one cylinder or one cylinder cutting in and out it has been
determined to be the idle circuitry fuel pilot orifice. It gets blocked and I run good quality fuel from
Sunoco in her. In fact cleaned fuel bowls last week. They were suprisingly clean along w/ petcock and
bowl filters. However the drivers side carb idle fuel cicuit was partially clogged.
Some guitar string and carb cleaner for verifying clearing and I'm back to a nice idle again.
I threw out the idle circuitry blurb because sometimes we change everything only to find a clogged
orifice is the culprit. They are very small and tempermental.
I just refuse to remove my Amal's It just wouldn't be a Norton
Marshal