Was wondering if a bike is pinging,wouldnt it show on the spark plugs ?

 

No sir it would not. Only in sound and eventually what it does to the engine down the line.....

 

Reading spark plugs is an art that very few excel at. I'm certainly no expert yet I have changed and looked at thousands of spark plugs in my life. Gross conditions such as an oil fouled plug are easy to diagnose. Detonation is not so easy. If your bike is pinging there's really no need to look at the spark plugs to make that determination. Your ears should let you know. If you're dead set on reading the plugs to determine detonation, look for grey or black specks on the insulator. In extreme cases you might even find a crack in the insulator, but you would certainly hear the detonation well before that ever happened.

 

How do you tell the difference between pinging and noise lifters? If the noise goes away when you pull the clutch in, does that tell you anything?

 

If you have heard them both they are very different.

Valve train noise has a very consistent mechanical cadence to it and that cadence is directly proportional to, or in synch with, the engine rpm.

Pinging is much more random and not as mechanical sounding. While pinging will cease if you pull the clutch in, disengaging the clutch is not a good diagnostic tool for pinging. Rolling on and off the throttle, even slightly, is a better diagnostic method for pinging. Pinging will be evident while rolling on the throttle and will decrease, or cease, as you roll off. Pinging is directly proportional to the load on the engine - that is why throttle fluctuations are a good diagnostic tool.

 

Rolling on throttle hard whilst lugging the motor should let you hear any pinging clearly. Hotter outdoor temps and crappy or low octane gas will cause it. If that's not the reason, you have bigger issues. Good luck.