🛠️ Don’t Be a Damn Fool — Change Your Spark Plugs ⚡

🚦 That time I almost called my bike a lawnmower

Back in ‘09, somewhere between the Arizona dust and a half-warm can of Pabst, my bike started coughing like a two-pack-a-day smoker. I thought the carb was choking. Thought maybe my timing was off. Hell, I even checked for voodoo. Turns out? Spark plugs. Fried. Shot to hell. Looked like they'd been pulled from a barbecue pit.

If I’d handled it sooner, I wouldn’t have had to hitchhike with a guy who called himself “Rabbit” and smelled like cheese. Learn from my pain.

🔥What happens when you ignore spark plugs

If your bike’s running rough, guzzling gas, or just sounds like it’s gargling nails, it ain’t just "character" — it’s a cry for help. Spark plugs are the unsung heroes of combustion, and if they’re cooked, your ride turns into a wheezing, stalling, temperamental beast.

Here’s what crusty plugs can cost you:

• ❌ Weak starts that make you wanna dropkick the tank

• ❌ Crappy throttle response (aka “Is this thing on?” syndrome)

• ❌ Mileage that makes gas stations your new hangout

• ❌ Full-on misfires that’ll shake your fillings loose

It’s not a matter of if — it’s when your engine gives you the finger.

🛠️ How to replace ‘em without crying into your toolkit

Don’t overthink it. You don’t need a PhD in combustion — just a little grit and the right tools.

Here’s the Iron Sage method:

1. 🔎 Locate your plugs. Usually top or side of the cylinder head. You ain’t digging for treasure.

2. 🧼 Clean the area. You don’t want road crap falling into your engine. Blow it out or use a rag.

3. 🔧 Pull the plug wires gently. Don’t yank like a gorilla. Wiggle them off with purpose.

4. 🛠 Use a socket wrench + spark plug socket. Lefty loosey, cowboy.

5. 🧪 Inspect the plug. If it’s black and crusty, congrats — you’ve neglected your bike.

6. ⚖️ Check the gap. Use a feeler gauge. Most plugs for bikes run .028 to .032, but check your manual (or Google it like the rest of us).

7. 🔩 Thread in the new plug by hand. Finish with a wrench. Snug, not Hulk-tight.

8. 🔌 Reattach wires. They should click in like a satisfying beer tab.

Done. Smell that? That’s the scent of redemption and combustion, baby.

🧠 Pro Tip (that your mechanic won’t tell you) 🏍️

When you swap plugs, swap the attitude. If you treat maintenance like a chore, your bike will treat you like one. Make it a ritual. Cold beer. Good tunes. Maybe a little metal under the fingernails. That’s the religion right there.

Want your bike to stop coughing like a 90-year-old smoker?😳

Quit waiting. Go pop the hood (or whatever you call that damn thing on your ride) and check your spark plugs today.

Stay dirty, stay dialed-in,
Blake "Iron Sage" Rivers

P.S. If you’ve never changed your spark plugs and you’re more than 3,000 miles in… you’re riding a ticking time bomb. You’ve been warned. 💣