Unbelievably, the Clymer manual has no mention of spark plugs in the contents or the index.

I've searched for any help, but this will be my first time replacing them and I want to do it right.

What is the proper way to remove and replace the spark plugs?

Thanks to all who reply.

Check page 94... almost to the end of chapter 3, Lubrication, Maintenance and Tune-up

The Clymer isn't always the best about listing everything in the index, so sometimes you have to flip through the chapters to find the info you're looking for.  Mine is full of notes and papers bookmarking pages that I've used or looked at

The GS500 Wiki is a great place to start, if you want to do anything yourself. It's a super easy job to do btw...

http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/SparkPlugs

I like NGK spark plugs, the two kinds you can get are below.

Plug Type | Part number
Standard Plug: DPR8EA-9 #
Iridium Plug: DPR8EIX-9

Iridium is basically a higher performance plug with claimed toleration for higher heats and less fouling.

Cheers,
J

NGK Iridium all the way!

Thanks guys, I found it. Too late for NGK but Honda will probably suffice.

Okay, Honda = NGK.

For other noobs who follow in my underachieving footsteps:

1) Before you change them you need a 3/4 inch spark plug socket and an adapter to fit it to your wrench. An adjustable wrench wont really hack it. Other than that, its easy. Take the fairings off if you have them, pull plug covers off, clean area around plug, unscrew plug, wipe hole, gap new plugs from .7-.8mm, add some antiseize compound (whoops. Is that the same as threadlock? I hope so. Thats what I put on em) and screw in until flush, then another 1/4 or 1/2 turn.

2) After at least 9k miles on these plugs the performance difference is core and noticeable. I would say 10%-15% more power, picks up much faster out of turns, much more solid revs, the bike lifts into higher RPMs easily, engine sounds fuller, more packed, and richer, with less hesitation.

Yay.

Also ripped the fairing decals off the other side of my bike, scrubbed the glue off with bike cleaner until I couldnt see straight or feel my forearms anymore, and now its a nude, rude armor-bearing animal. 

i had 20k on my old plugs and all i had to do was regap them. they should be cleaned and gap checked every 6-8k imo plugs rarly fail

T4

Quote from: nightrider on May 14, 2007, 10:23:38 PM...gap new plugs from .7-.8mm, add some antiseize compound (whoops. Is that the same as threadlock? I hope so. Thats what I put on em) ...

Nope, sorry they are different.  Anti-seize keeps the plugs from corroding and getting stuck in the cylinder head.  It will stand up to the high heat of the cylinder head and generally won't let the spark plug unthread itself.   Threadlock does the opposite: locks the threads together.  You may want to pull the plugs out and clean off the threads, then apply some anti-seize before you're plugs get really stuck.


Disclaimer: I rarely if ever use anti-seize, but I should.  I guess I like to think that I take my plugs out often enough that the threads don't have time to corrode and seize to the head

IF you have trouble getting the Plugs out heat the Plugs with a Torch.The Heat will break the Thread locker Down.Wait until Everything Cools before you try to back the Plugs out though youcould Strip the Threads out of the Head And Use Antisieze.

[4

Copper paste or copper slip is a copper based grease that is heat resistant, I use it on anything I want to take apart again, regularly on that rev counter drive thread on the head, perfect for spark plugs too.

reinstalled plugs with copper antiseize: $4.49.

Seems like they would have probably been okay, but good to know I did it right this time. The heat from the engine had turned the threadlock into a dark residue which came off with a plastic bristle brush. My engine loves me.