Spark Plug Change on 2022 Rocket GT

Old man winter has appeared in my part of Colorado putting a stop to riding until Spring. The coup de grace was the highway department
throwing down mounds of a deadly combination of sand, gravel and Mag Chloride onto my favorite roads. The magnificent beast is in the heated garage
demanding attention since it's 4k miles beyond the 20k service. I've changed all the fluids, air filter and just completed changing the spark plugs.
I won't do the valve adjust for now. More than I want to tackle at this point. I'll probably pay the dealer to do it at some point in the future.

Some general comments about the plug change from a person that has never done it before:
* I called my local Triumph dealer and asked how much to only change the plugs. Was told ~$360 including labor, plugs and tax.
* I would recommend doing this on the side stand. I know a lot of you have lifts, but lifting the gas tank, balancing and disconnecting
a difficult connector at a high position would be difficult. Also, the downward pressure required to properly seat the rubber plug caps would
be difficult at shoulder height. I had to use all my body weight to get them to seat. More about this later.
* Take lots of pictures once tank is off for use at reassembly.
* I would allow 4 hours to the job. Hopefully your reading this would make it shorter.
* I went with the NGK Iridium plugs (LMAR8BI-9 $18.49ea) for longevity reasons. I don't want to do this again. Stock plugs are NGK - LMAR8A-9 $7.99ea).
* There's been some irritation from other riders about the boots being loose. All six of mine were NOT properly seated. They were just sitting loose
on the valve cover and no effort was required to pull the boots out. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to have any effect on the bike. It never
missed or mis-behaved. All was normal. See pic of plugs I pulled out with 24k miles. Even the plug terminals were fine. The only indication of arcing(?)
is a dark discoloration. The spark ends of all but one, were perfect with correct gap. One plug was a little "crusty" suggesting fuel delivery issue? It was
suggested running some injector cleaner on next fill up. I started out placing the plugs by position on the floor to match plug to cylinder. Studying each
plug would give me an idea if the cylinder was running rich or lean. However, as I was wrestling with the plug change I unknowingly kicked the pile
scattering the plugs. I have no idea which cylinder the 'crusty' plug came out of.
* Have access to the tech manual (not the owners manual) for removing tank, etc.

What you'll need (see pic) to do this job
* 14mm articulated plug socket. This is a MUST have with magnetic hold and getting past all the stuff that's in the way.
Here's the Amazon link -> Amazon.com
Many thanks to journeyman for finding and sharing
* Torque wrench for plug
* Six Iridium spark plugs At ~$20 ea
* Two 90 deg picks to remove the fuel connector from fuel rail. Cursing will be required. Note that tech manual tells you to slid latch to
to outside and press sides while pulling up. The "latch" is NOT a mechanical release. It's only a cover for the release
buttons on both sides. You'll have to use the 90deg picks to press in at the same time while pulling up.
* Wood board to jam under tank when disconnecting fuel line. Before removing tank, release pressure by cracking open gas cap.
Once you get the fuel line removed, only a tablespoon of gas will be released.
* 4mm and 5mm allen wrenches.
* 12mm socket for removing forward charcoal canister bracket
* 11mm right angle box end wrench that is modified (cut) to allow ignition lead to slip through. This will be used to press down
on the spark plug boot. See attached picture
* Dielectric grease applied to boot top. Found useful to allow the boot to more easily be pushed into the valve cover hole.
* Anti-Seize for plug threads. Understand NGK doesn't recommend, but being old school, I feel better about using it. If you do use it, apply sparingly
and be sure to reduce the torque value by 25%. This would take it from 12nm to ~9nm. Your preference.

Now to the steps.....
1) Disconnect battery. Don't be lazy about this. You'll be disconnecting coil wires and brackets not knowing where the wires will end up.
2) When removing the tank, understand there are 3 things that need to be removed. Charcoal canister hose on right/forward side, electrical
connector under tank and fuel rail connector behind master switch. The electrical connector will require cursing to get it apart. Also, the
connector is clipped to the top of frame via a tab/slot. DON'T try to separate the connector while attached to the frame because there's
not enough wire length when tank is resting in seat location. You'll break the plastic frame tab like I did. You need to first slide connector
assembly to the rear to detach from frame. Once the connector is removed from the frame, there are 3 points to press to get it to separate.
This is where the cursing is used to separate three tabs with two hands. Be patient.
3) Unbolt top coil pack pair bracket and move aside.
4) Unbolt the coil and bracket on right side.
5) Remove the charcoal canister which requires unbolting a bracket. Move aside
Note: Brake distribution block does not have to be touched.
6) Remove/replace one plug at a time moving from rear --> forward. The rear plug is most accessible allowing you to get a "feel" for what to expect as
you move forward. This will also insure you don't mix up the ignition wire positions. Also, before removing the plug, blow out any debris that might
be hiding at the bottom.
7) Apply anti-seize (optional) and insert plug and tighten to 9nm. Reduced torque because of anti-seize. 12nm for "dry" plug.
8) Before putting rubber boot in the hole, take the removed plug and push it into the boot to make sure it goes in and out OK. I found one of mine could
not be inserted because the spring connector inside the boot was out of alignment. Maybe this is why the line workers didn't get them seated properly?
Anyway, make sure the boot will accept the plug terminal.
9) Drop the boot into the hole. Now take the 11mm modified box end and position against the top of the rubber cover (see pic). Now use your weight to press down until you hear a "crunching" sound. This is the threaded terminal end moving through the spring. When you hear the crunch stop, you've got it. Remove the wrench and notice the rubber cover in the hole. It should NOT be flat, but pushed down somewhat into the hole (see pic 'Seated vs Not'). In the pic, properly seated is on left, not seated on right.
10) Repeat 5 more times....
11) Reassemble using pictures as necessary. I took the time to make sure the routing of the leads were not under stress or against sharp bracket edges.
12) Start the bike and give it time to charge the fuel rail before firing.
13) While it's running, you'll notice the service light (wrench symbol) will be showing in the display. This is caused by disconnecting and reconnecting the
battery. Clear by going into the home screen and resetting the clock & calendar.

Have a beer and pat yourself on the back.......

All good stuff- thanks! Here's more for when you want to save a lot of $$$ on the valves and more...

Good write up, can you post a picture looking at the grounding straps on plugs. Plugs look like it runs lean, pictures dont look brown, look more gray ish. Hard to tell looking at pictures, but those straps should have a noticeable line on them that tell a timing story.

Hmm.....I think you're talking about the ground lead that wraps over the electrode. I looked at all the plugs with a magnifying
glass and saw no fractures or abnormal coloration. They are clean except for one that was a little 'crusty'.
I measured the gap to see if there was wear, but found all of them to be correct at .035"

Update: I had a friend look at the "crusty" one and he thought it was caused by a fuel delivery issue. Suggested using injector cleaner on the
next fill-up. I will do that.

Good Job but here are few points in my opinion why we should not use Anti Sieze on Spark plugs at all.

Using anti-seize compound on spark plugs is a topic of debate among mechanics and automotive enthusiasts. While it might seem like a good idea to prevent the spark plugs from seizing in the cylinder head, there are several reasons why you should not use anti-seize on spark plugs in most cases.

Most Spark Plug Manufacturers Advise Against It: Companies like NGK, Denso, and Bosch explicitly recommend not using anti-seize on their spark plugs. Modern spark plugs often have special coatings (e.g., zinc, nickel, or chrome plating) on the threads to prevent corrosion and galling.

Our Rocket Aluminum Cylinder Heads: Aluminum is more prone to thread galling than steel. If you're installing spark plugs in an aluminum head, a tiny amount of anti-seize specifically designed for spark plugs (e.g., nickel-based anti-seize) can be used. However, you must adjust the torque specification to account for the reduced friction (typically reduce torque by 20-30%).

Modern spark plugs are designed with coatings and materials that prevent seizing, and using anti-seize can lead to over-tightening, electrical issues, and other problems.

Thanks sunny...... Admit to being old school on this issue. I hadn't factored in the reduction of torque setting by 25%. Agree I should have.
I'll change my submission to reduce torque by 25% IF anti-seize is used.

So, what is the difference between the two NGK plugs? Why is one better for longevity. I am about to change the air filter and might as well do plugs

My main driver was I don't want to do this ever again on this bike. Although, after removing the standard plug after 24K miles, they visually
looked new with gaps where they should be (.035"). However, just because it looks fine, that doesn't mean they're fine. There could be a
breakdown in insulating materials. Since Triumph recommends changing at 20K miles using standard plugs, there must be a good reason,
other than being a revenue generator for the dealers. Although, I am suspicious at times.

Price Difference?
Iridium - LMAR8BI-9 = $18.49 ( O'Rielly)

Standard - LMAR8-9 = $ 7.99 (O'Rielly)

Why? Way more expensive so it's got to be better!

Why? According to marketing material.....
Positive benefits of investing in iridium spark plugs?

• Better electrical resistance – iridium spark plugs don’t burn out as quickly as copper spark plugs, giving them a longer working lifespan and greater efficiency.
• Iridium is a harder metal than copper, so can take more punishment before it starts to deteriorate. This contributes to a longer service life and reduces the risk of premature failure.
• Iridium spark plugs are capable of working at higher temperatures, as iridium has an impressive melting point of 2,426°C, as opposed to 1,085°C for copper.
• Better ignition quality – iridium spark plugs concentrate the electric spark, making it quicker to generate combustion with less expenditure of energy. Each ignition from an iridium spark plug is more efficient than a normal spark plug, and places less wear and tear on the component.

Great writeup. I also struggled with the electrical connector when I pulled my tank recently. It would be great if someone did a really thorough documentation of this with good pictures showing how it latches because I'm amazed I got mine off (twice) without breaking it. Not sure I could replicate that feat again.

Thank you for the info, I'll be getting the Iridium plugs for sure. Only $12.99 at my local Autozone