2008 FZ6N Handling issues

alvin986

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Hi,

i bought a 2008 FZ6N 8 months ago and i'm very happy with it. Currently 67 700 kilometers on it, and still running strong. Around 2 weeks ago i had an strong emergency braking with front brake ( didn't crash ), but after that i had issues with headstock bearing and strange handling behaviour. I replaced the headstock bearing with tapered bearings, and after that i had some issues ( stiffer stearing ) but that was resolved by un-stiffening the bearing. To make things worse, in that same period i had a 8-10cm nail in my rear tire, so i had to replace the tire. After all that, bike tracks straight but sometimes leans to the left. Front tire is Michelin Pilot Road 5 with around 3200 km and rear is also Michelin Pilot Road 5 with around 20 km on it. I noticed ( maybe a coincidence ) that front forks are softer than they should be.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.



Alvin
 

Gary in NJ

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Alvin, it's possible that a fork seal is blown. It's also possible that there is cupping on the front tire.

Inspect the forks to see if there is any sign of an oil leak (check down by the axle and the caliper mounts). Also inspect the front tire for any uneven wear.

Finally, confirm that your front and rear tires are in alignment as that too will cause the bike to pull to one side.
 

alvin986

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Hi Gary,

i checked the front tire, it's fine. I also checked the front forks, there aren't any signs of oil leak.
I will check tire alignment after i get from work today and let you know.

I will let you know the results of rear tire alignment later this evening.
 

pmmcanon

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Hi Gary,

i checked the front tire, it's fine. I also checked the front forks, there aren't any signs of oil leak.
I will check tire alignment after i get from work today and let you know.

I will let you know the results of rear tire alignment later this evening.
Just for information, to obtain a "close to perfect" alignment of the front wheel itself before aligning the rear (2 persons needed):
Unscrew the axle a bit, just loose but don't get the nut out
Ask your attendant to push the front brake firmly and push the bike forward/down as much as he/she can
With the front axle pushed in this way tighten it to recommended torque
This will align horizontal and vertical the front axle. Tip coming from track days :cool: :)

Good luck
 

bigborer

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You might have the fork stanchions bent and/or twisted inside the triple trees.
 

TownsendsFJR1300

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As the bike is "new" to you, I'd change the fork oil at the very least and measure what comes out(to see if you lost any). Make sure their nice and clean inside, brake cleaner or multiple flushes..

Use at least a 10WT oil. Some have slightly overfilled the tube(s) to tighten up the sag(do a search here).


Just an FYI / cheap mod I did to mine was to add Schrader air valves to the stock forks.

Stock springs inside, just added about 17PSI to each leg (infinitly adjustable) so I can adjust excessive sag out of the ft end and tighten up the soft spring action to my liking..


Fork air cap.jpg
.
 
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alvin986

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Sorry for the late reply.

Thank you all for the comments,
I realigned the rear wheel and now it's near perfect. No more wobble, bike tracks straight, no more "dipping".

I just came back from a approx. 50 km test ride, and one more thing is that i have that "dipping" feeling to the right
side which is definitely indicative of some kind fork issue.

The strange thing is that this doesn't happen all the time but only every-now-and-then and started happen after "longer" ride period.
Mostly when breaking or accelerating from dead stop on uneven road.

I will expect the stanchions and forks as bigborrer suggested and definitely replace the fork oil as it was due anyway
but won't be able to do that before the weekend.

Keeping you guys up to date.
 
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alvin986

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Hi,

just to let you guys know i managed to fix the issue.
The problem was front wheel and fork alignment as you guys mentioned.

Managed to get it aligned using the method in video from Mr. Dave Moss found here :

Just did 125 km ride,bike behaves normal. No more dips, no more wobbles. Tracks straight.

Thank you for your help :)
 

alvin986

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Hi,

just wanted to do the update on the topic. Changed the fork oil yesterday with Motul 15W fork oil,

bike behaves like new. Cleaned everything and torqued everything to spec from the service manual.

Once again guys, thanks for the help :)
 
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