Impact of service/freshening up on performance?

[BruinFJRguy]

Getting ready to do a freshening up on my 2015 fjr1300 here in a little bit.

I'm at 21k miles. Do you all think that fresh plugs and air filter will make a noticeable difference in power delivery after this many miles?

[ionbeam]

Absolutely -- no. Nothing you would notice in normal riding. Dirty air filters would only be noticed at higher speeds, or the inability to achieve higher speeds at the top end of the tach. In a modern electronic ignition, fuel injected motorcycle, spark plugs will never make a power difference. Really whipped plugs may cause the engine to make one more rotation before it fires (insert hyperbole emoticon here) but other than that it won't matter.

That said, do either change the air filter, or rotate the air filter 180° and reinstall. The way the air box works, only one end of the air filter actually gets dirty. And, do change the plugs for a number of non engine power related reasons. At this point, just wait for the valve adjustment time to replace the plugs.

[raYzerman]

21k... what Alan says... plugs aren't quite done yet, but cheap enough to replace, you can use iridiums if you like. You won't find the 'projected tip' iridium technically specified for Gen3 coil on plug.... the usual ones are fine IMHO, otherwise stick with stock. Blow the air cleaner inside out before flipping it around... good to go.

[bill lumberg]

My air filter and plugs were pristine at 24 and 48,000 miles. The air filter never got dirty, though I eventually had the plugs replaced at the second valve check/adjustment (shop didn’t have that plug when I rushed them to schedule me for service, I looked at them and said put ‘em back in). I replaced the filter because I couldn’t help it, around 65,000 miles. It was very clean. I couldn’t get a puff out of it with an air compressor. Dirt roads or sandy/dusty conditions would change your experience for sure.

Plus tax, tags, title, and delivery. All mileages subject to memory gilding and selective recall.

[BruinFJRguy]

Cool. Thanks guys!

[danh600]

Getting ready to do a freshening up on my 2015 fjr1300 here in a little bit.

I'm at 21k miles. Do you all think that fresh plugs and air filter will make a noticeable difference in power delivery after this many miles?

Bruin

Wondering why you asked this question? Have you noticed a decline in performance over the 21k miles you have ridden?

[D-Eagle]

I replaced my plugs at 23,000 miles. I'd heard from many people that is way too early based on their personal experiences. But I'm anal and it's a cheap item I can mostly do myself. Did I notice a difference? Absolutely. I noticed my head pounded and my brain was foggy. Although that's because I changed them at Andy's Tech Day and drove home the next day after too many laughs and cocktails.

Oh, there was no difference in how the bike ran.
Don.

[ionbeam]

A side note about the plugs. Up until 2013 the FJRs used a 'wasted spark' ignition system. Plugs 1 & 3 would both fire at the same time and plugs 2 & 4 would fire at the same time. One plug would fire a cylinder on the power stroke and the other would fire a cylinder on exhaust stroke. And weirdly, one plug would fire from the center electrode to the side ground electrode and the other plug would fire from the side ground electrode to the center electrode!!! Really. Thusly the plugs in the Gen 1 and Gen 2 fired twice as often as the coil-over plugs in the Gen 3 and up. In spite of this, the owners manual for my '15ES calls out the same 8k mile change interval as my '04ABS.

The only downside to the coil-over plugs is the coil-over when you change the plugs. Use care to not break the coil assembly which can be a problem because the coil assembly can stick in the valve cover and require some finessing to get it off the first time. Since you shoot the coil boot with some silicon spray it isn't a problem in the future

[Hppants]

Good advice from Alan. I change the plugs during every valve check. You are already there, and it's easy. But at 28K, the factory plugs didn't look a bit worn.

[raYzerman]

Silicon spray, I had not done that, but the first time I remove the plug boots or coil-overs, I rub a little silicon dielectric grease where it seats to the valve cover, just enough to know it's there. Same on the headlight rubber boots..... amazing how easy it is next time.

[BruinFJRguy]

Getting ready to do a freshening up on my 2015 fjr1300 here in a little bit.

I'm at 21k miles. Do you all think that fresh plugs and air filter will make a noticeable difference in power delivery after this many miles?

Bruin

Wondering why you asked this question? Have you noticed a decline in performance over the 21k miles you have ridden?

No. I don't notice a difference. But I don't know that I would notice, which is why I ask.

I had a Shadow 750 years ago. At about 18k miles I did plugs and cleaned the K&N air filter that was in it when I bought it at about 8k miles.

I DID notice a large difference on that bike. But the difference was that before the service the bike would struggle to go 90 m, and after it would go 95 relatively easily. Different bike. Power is much more regularly utilized in thatbone, whereas the FJR has power to spare.

I've been thinking about supplementing or swapping bikes, either with a FZ-10 or a Tuono 1100. Of course, both these other bikes would have more power. My FJR is still fast, as you all know they are. But I was just wondering if the freshening might revive some power I didn't realize I had lost, lessening the utility gained by getting a faster bike.

[BruinFJRguy]

Thanks, guys. I will do the plugs while I'm in there for the valves. For kicks.

And ill do the flip and blow (sounds like a sexual term, heh) on the air filter.

[HotRodZilla]

Sox my 2007 HATES old plugs. If I tried to go 10k on them, I would get this weird vibration that I could not fix. As soon as new plugs were installed, the smoothness came back. I put in iridium plugs in a few changes ago and have never had an issue since. It's probably time to change them out. Still, never any noticable power difference, just the vibration going away.

I did an air box model a LONG time ago so my entire filter gets used. It still does not get very dirty. I have a new one on a box still waiting for me to install it. Maybe when I do the plugs...Maybe...