Hi, I know I can't be the first owner wondering how to get the centre plug out of a Thunderbird 900. I have done my homework and cannot find a post or link that points me in the right direction. If you know of a tool that can access the centre spark plug Id be grateful for a link. This is where i have got to... I need an 18mm inner diameter spark plug tool. Thin walled or wont fit. Has to be shorter than the height of the head to be able to turn the corner to get it past the frame. Official Triumph tool kit has, I think, a pressed metal plug tool that fits into a 12mm allen key. Part number T2300107 Available in the US but I could not find a UK source. https://www.adeptpowersports.com/oe...rbird-tool-kit-assembly.html?partnum=T2300107 I did buy one of these but it is not quite long enough to fit a screwdriver through cross ways it to rotate it. Also, it is too long to fit into the centre plug hole as it fouls the frame. This tool does have the 18mm inner diameter needed to fit the plug. At 125mm long it just pokes out of the top. I could possibly bodge a way to grip and turn it, but it cannot access the centre plug so no point. I am now buying one of these in the hope it will allow me to replace the centre plug. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Removal-No...07JQ7614W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 If you have any suggestions Im all ears. Thanks S
That part number is available at Fowlers or www.bike-parts-triumph.com Bloody expensive tho at £16.61 Not sure about your bike but I believe a Draper 13155 socket works on Speed Triples which are also awkward.
Oh take me back to the 70's and my Suzuki 250 2 stroke. Plugs out and head off in less than ten minutes. De-coke and back together in another twenty.
Yep, easy peasy. Did it on a mate's GT250 and he was off to Silverstone the next day for the racing. Great days.
A trick I have used for years. Once you have found a socket and extension that will break it loose, I just break it loose and take those tools out of the way. I then use a piece of rubber fuel hose to push down over the top of the spark plug. Then I unscrew it by turning the hose [if it is not too tight]. I start the plug threads using the same piece of hose. I turn it down as far as I can before putting the socket back on to finish tightening it so I make sure I have not cross threaded it. ...J.D.
Plus..... Using the rubber pipe to lower the plug into the thread, especially on deeply recessed items, avoids the possibility of altering the plug gap and inadvertently creating a misfire situation. Back in the day, GSXR 1100 sidecar outfits were where this often showed up under load and so wasted a session; lesson learnt.
Thanks for the tips. The Amazon part was to bulky to get down into the engine. Ill use Fowlers as suggested. Using a hose to start threading is a good idea, not least because the case is aluminium. Bike running fine (touch wood) but plugs have not been changed since I got the bike (18 months, 10k miles) so I am keen to have a look at those plugs.
Also, I always use a bit of anti-sieze paste on the threads before I put it down in the hole. Makes the plugs come out easier next time, but be careful to not use too much. It makes a mess. ...J.D.
Old threat but I cannot be the first to have this issue. In fact, the factory plug wrench did the job perfectly.
