TOPIC:

Pilots are in and the slides don't stick.
Steve

Got them back on.
Steve

Took it up the road and back. Exhaust note is different and it seems to rev crisper. I'll take a ride tomorrow, check the plugs and post a clip of it taking off. Idle seems more stable too.
Steve

New plugs but too soon to tell. I know they're real close finally.
Steve

Look'n good Steve. Ride the peace out of it brother!

With a little help from my friends.
Steve

Gotta dial in the pilots again this morning. Looks like rain this evening, off and on the rest of the week. At least I'll be able to test ride it today.
Steve

Could the soot on the spark plug base rings be oil residue?
My plugs have that too, and the insulator and electrodes look nearly as good as yours.

Last check I'm adding oil more often than I like, which may indicate the source of the base-ring carbon on my plugs. I have about 20K miles on this set of OEM Kaw rings installed in 2015.
I usually ride in the upper safe RPM range, which in my mind may account for additional piston ring wear if compared to a similar engine run consistently at lower engine revs.
Installed new Viton valve seals in 2015, but I wonder if they may not work as effectively since the cams were changed from standard to ZX at that time, but the 8K mile original valves were just checked and reused.

I guess it could be but I'm thinking more it's rich up to 3/4000 RPM's. My rings were reused so I suspect they are leaking as well as I know the Viton seals are leaking. I got oil on my finger tip when I had the intake boots off. Not long ago the bases were cleaning up so that's where I'm trying to go by weaning it out little by little.
Steve

Riding as I do, I'm having to add a qt. of oil every 350 miles or so. Changed brand to Shell Rotella T4 last year after running Brad Penn V2 10w-40 prior when the oil was staying in the engine longer.

Yeah, using the power is good for the soul.
Steve

Need to lean them out even more.
Steve