Reading spark plugs

[Red Hawk]

Are any of you guys good at reading spark plugs? I know this could devolve into a whole bunch of theories but as a never ending quest to squeeze an extra 1/8 Hp from this Red beast I second guess myself to death. PZ30 115 main 25 pilot 2nd down on the needle clip. Ported & decked head no cat machined out the weld in the header and made a larger end cap on the muffler. I’m not to in love with this K&N filter either. Usually ride solo so no dust but I’m thinking the old one actually flows better.

[herbie]

I'm no expert when it comes to plug reading, I've done my share of research as I'm sure you have but here is what mine looks like for comparison sake. My mods are in my signature line. I would think with all you have done to it your jetting is lean for both pilot and main. I would think you would be somewhere around 40-42 pilot and 120 or so on the main jet. I am not sure what K&N filter you are using but In the past I had a heck of a time with getting my bike to run right with the K&N filter. My problem stemmed from over oiling the filter causing a rich condition. After a lot of trial and error I found the best for me was the spray on oil and a very light coat of it, after that all was good.

[OneLeggedRider]

Looking at the electrode and insulator in the center it does look a little lean, but not terrible. I bet alot of folks in here would be happy to see there plug looking like that. With that being said you might wanna try some WOT plug reading runs to see where you're actually at. This means bringing the bike up to operating temperature, dropping in a new plug on a straight stretch of road, bang through all the gears at wide open throttle and when it's topped out in 5th grab the clutch and hit the kill switch as you close the throttle. Let it coast to a stop and yank the new plug to see what it looks like (and snap a pic). This will let you know if you're main jet is properly sized.

Once you get it right you can read a new plug after a normal ride at all throttle positions to see if it's generally running good. Dan has pretty much covered what you should be listening for (popping on deceleration, hesitation off idle, etc) to get the rest of it figured out. I prefer mine a little on the rich side just to keep things cool.

[Red Hawk]

Update Sunday afternoon project.
Swapped out the air filter for a Home Depot Honda mower filter #17211-Z8B-901R $9 cause it’s local. It’s way better on flow rate. Looks just like the OEM too. Settled at 120/27.5 2nd down on the needle. Plug looks exactly the same so no pic, It pulls hard all the way to the rev limiter. Deeper exhaust note.

NOT a fan of the K&N. And for what it’s worth the Honda filter is nicer then the B&S that’ll fit also. More folds and thicker gasket foam. Just thought I’d post this for the hive to read some day.