Looks like I am running too lean, right? This is after one tank of fuel after the open air cleaner and pipes.

I went ahead and turned up the ViED's to a richer mixture. I was 14.1-14.0 and now probalby about 13.9.

 

I can't tell by the picture,,,
Is there a white chalky residue on the ground tip and Insulator ??
Did you clean em good when the resistor went on ??

If the bike Is running good,smooth,quick to respond maybe you need to run It
longer.
I cleaned my white chalky plugs when I added the X14ieD and they didn't
get any tan color for about 2 tanks.
My Plugs do not have and never did have that black sooty look I see round
the thread end..Does that rub off like soot??
a rich condition ??
I'm pretty shure you'd have to go below a fat 13.0 or 13.5 AFR to reach a too rich condition.

Read the Nightrider FAQ's ,,,You should not be too lean.

 

Plug color in todays engine and todays fuel is a shot in the dark old tricks do not do much now days

13.8:1 is a good goal start hitting 12.5:1 getting a bit rich for a street ride nothing wrong with anything up to 14.7:1.
problem with vied's,xieds are they effect fuel across the full range not just were you need it like a good tune or a piggy back system. they work just may not be the best choice.

 

They do not affect the entire range. Only for cells set to 14.6. I have never seen a stock map, but I highly doubt that all the AFR cells are set to closed loop.

Clean your plugs. Forget about them for about a month, and then check. You really do not get a good reading until you do a chop test at the speed your running, but ideally you will be running a little lean in cruise for fuel economy. i.e. 14.x:1

You also want to look at the bent part that goes over the ceramic, and you want the burn mark to stop in the curve. That is your timing mark on the plug. Keep in mind that unless you have a scope, and can see the ring down into the plug. It is hard to tell these days what the reading is with the newer detergent gas.

I don't think it looks to be running too lean. I see no melting on the plug, and it doesn't look blistering white. There doesn't appear to be any detonation going on. Zero broken parts, and the plugs do not have blistering marks on them either.

I do not like the soot if that what it is on the threads. It looks like you idle the bike a lot. Could be why you have the back soot on the threads. Sitting in traffice, etc. Seems to be too rich.
I would gap them at .040 (for my Dyna), but your Sporty might be different. Gap them in the middle of spec, and clean the plugs. Put them back in with a torque of about 14 ft lbs. Just tighten them, and give them a small nudge. Put the wires on, and drive them for a month without checking. Then give them a look. Try to buy gas at the same store during this time as well. Also put some anti-seize on your plug threads.

 

Maybe I missed something here and yes, I have them installed on my wifes XL1200L, but how is a resistor inline with the O2 sensor only limited to some "cells" or conditions if you will?

These are not brain surgery here, they resist the signal (across all conditions) to face the computer into thinking the mixture is leaner than it is so that it will add fuel.

I'm sure I'm not smart enough to understand this but that is my understanding.

 

It is my understanding, and I am probably not smart enough to understand, but my O2 sensors only adjust fuel for areas of the map that are set to run in closed loop. If you're not running in closed loop your O2 sensors aren't doing anything.

If it is just a resistor inline wouldn't it have to have a signal to resist? If you're running out of an area that the O2 sensors are set to run, let's say 80% throttle or more, then what are you resisting? How can you bias voltage when there isn't any? I would say they really only work at 50% throttle or less.
I would also add that you really can't tell what AFR your bike is running because you do not know what the CLB voltage is set to expect to make it run at 14.6(7) in the stock map. Without really knowing your just band-aiding the issues, and it is a guessing game. I not really here to debate the XIED/VIED/IED whatever. I will just say that they only work when they get voltage from the O2 sensors, which only work in partial throttle. It is a guessing game at best. Will they help? I am sure they will help some. To check AFR you need a WB exhaust sniffer and software.

More easily put; they do not work across the "entire range".

 

From my research awhile back,,
Lemme see IF I get the open closed thing In the right order,,
If I have this backwards please correct me........

The XieD's only work In closed loop, where we ride most often.
Thats lower to mid power, on the throttle say from above Idle to
mid throttle,,1500 to 4,000 RPM.

When we go "Open Loop", thats WOT or any hard acceleration
The change In the O2's voltage makes Us go rich,,say 12.5,,,13.0 AFR
with or without the XieD's.

The slight drop In Voltage DUE to the XieD's means nothing when the fuel
table goes rich.

Thats how I came to understand these things.

So,, All they do Is protect us from the EPA compliant lean cruise
AFR of 14.7.....
When and only when we are riding along in the middle range of the
powerband. THAT Is where we are most of the time.

Did any of this make sense ??
The Nightrider page has a FAQ section and some technical info that
debunks the AFR myth and answers this far more clearly.

As for a plugs color telling Us whats going on In an engine..
I believe this still applies.
Fuel still goes in the engine with air,
Still burns the same EFI or carb...

I do believe It takes time for a plug to change and all the other factors
can really affect this,
Factors like,,,
A dirty Air breather,,
An over oiled gause filter,,
an old, worn plug,,
a plug that was not maintained,,
Vacume or compression leaks,,
Old or too low octane fuel,,Ethanol fuel starts to go bad In as Little as
two weeks..
A jumpy throttle hand,,,

And lastly,,,
An XieD or X14ieD or VieD equipped bike,,running the claimed AFR for that device
Stay with me now,,,
Ok so we add better air flow IN and OR OUT of the engine,,,

Now,,where is that AFR running at,,,,,

Contemplate this on the "Tree of Woe"

Just sayin,,,,,,

 

It is the change in throttle position and MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) that sends the ECM into open loop.


They do change, but the actual fuel ring is better seen down into the plug. I do not have a tool to see it, but I will try to take a pic of what mine look like next time I do maintenance on the Dyna. Don't like to mess with them threads to much on the heads.


Lost me. LOL.

But I can say from experience this; when I messed with my stock mufflers, and added Cycle Shack baffles, my bike started to run rich. Why? Because I was pushing more air. I know it was running rich because I smelled fuel, and I also lost some MPG.

I have a SEPST, so I checked, and my voltage had changed significantly. Probably more than the computer could actually understand accurately. So it was dumping fuel. Once I tuned the VE Tables the MPG came back, and the fuel smell went away.

Ponder that for the "if you change pipes your bike runs leaner threads."

 

Osco has it right, across the board. With today's fuels, you can't tell anything by the color of the plug.

He also correctly describes how X14iEDs work (except the part about what happens during open-loop mode), and why they work. If you have installed Nightrider's products, and done so correctly, and have not changed any internal components, then you are fine. Leave it alone and ride.

 

This is done by Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) or Crank Position Sensor and MAP readings. Not O2 voltage. At least that is how I read it. Your AFR Table in the ECM has to be set to closed loop to adjust for voltage from the O2.
Taken from Harley Davidson Basic Tuning PDF http://web.telia.com/~u05300292/Sto_HD_Tuning_Basics.pdf

"Closed-Loop mode is activated only under steady-state operating conditions like idle or cruising. This means that the ECU gets feedback from the O2 Lambda sensors analyzing the exhaust gases for O2, and correcting the gasoline mix accordingly. Under deceleration, acceleration, high load and Wide Open Throttle (WOT) the ECU runs in open-loop mode with the O2 Lambda sensors deactivated and the ECU is therefore "blind" getting no feedback from the output of the combustion process itself."

So I will ask again. How is the device going to bias anything when it isn't receiving any data?