How tough are the FZ6 internals/engine?

[urca]

Just out of curiosity, I've always wondered when I hear(or read) about people dropping their bikes, are they 'getting lucky' when the bike starts back up again? Or is there really nothing that can go wrong as long as it was at 0mph and the engine cutoff worked via the tip-over sensor?

Like, what exactly would go wrong once the bike hits the ground or just from the tip-over impact? Anything? Or is it just normal to be able to tip their bikes over and just pick it up and have it be completely fine?

Maybe I'm used to a more fragile bike(non-plastic parts that stick out and could get broken off/cracked), I don't know, probably just paranoid(installed sliders the day after I brought her home from the dealership, knocking on wood as I type that I never need them - and even those I researched to make sure I was getting a set that would do it's job without damaging the frame or the part of the engine it's screwed into), but I've always been kind of amazed that people treat dropping their bikes onto cement/pavement from a standing position like it's no big deal - but then again, I am terribly obsessive, and dropping a bike to me would be less about the damage to the bike and more about the mental "FML".

still, I am curious about what that 'damage' might be, if anything other than "your pride"

 

[jazzpaintball]

I have never been down, but from the few times I have been with a group that a rider went down, the engine is usually the last of your worries.

Most of the time, I think people refer to "the bike started up and i rode it home" is in reference that it was in decent enough shape for it to limp home.

The most common things to break/go bad from a lay over is :
HANDLE BARS- almost every lay over destroys the handlebars
Fairings (cosmetic)
turn signals
the frame

The frame is an odd one for most people say that once there is a crack, it is toast. Electronics are usually in decent shape.

As far as the engine, with the exception of cables and covers, it survives in most lay overs. Most of the time if it does not start, it is not due to the engine, but due to a electrical issue arisen from the lay over.

If it is an "I did not put down my kickstand all the way and laid it down" kinda thing, I can not imagine how it can be worse than a full on FML as well as the look around to see if anyone was watching.

 

[CBRF3RIDER]

Nothing that I know of. That being said if you go around throwing your bike down instead of using your kickstand, maybe eventually you will hurt something. You always stand to flood the engine when your bike tips over which isnt good if your consistently doing it, and you will leak some oil or coolant which will obviously do damage if not checked on. The reason people treat it like its no big deal is because what else are they going to do? People have been dropping bikes since there have been bikes to drop, whether from inexperience or otherwise. It happens. There is a guy on here that beat the living hell out of his FZ at the track crashing numerous times and it is still running. It sucks but honestly if it happens it's better to think about what mistake you made and how to prevent it in the future rather than worry about internal damage from a garage mishap. You are not "getting lucky" when the bike starts again after a tip over, the bikes not going to explode in the future from haveing a fall two. You can have 50 years of experience under your belt and still have that one "oh ****" moment where you make some stupid miscalculation and see your baby on the garage floor or parking lot pavement. It's also almost guaranteed that an attractive girl/group of girls will be walking by at that exact second.

Edit: i am speaking only to tip overs, not full on crashes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChevyFazer]

In the old days when bikes didn't have tip over sensors the bike could stay running depending on how good the fuel delivery was, but the longer the bike stays on its side while running the greater the chances of it blowing the engine or seizing up. As long as it is not running you have nothing to worry about, if it ever does fall over, especially if its hot, its a good idea to let it sit up right for at least 10 min or so before you start it back up. That time standing upright gives any fluids that leaked into places that they shouldn't be time for gravity to do its job and send them home.

 

[greg]

the main problem is some bikes suffer oil starvation on their side (or during a wheelie...), which can make the engine seize

not sure what the fz6 is like in this regard. Mine's fallen over at 0mph to no ill effect, but i hit the kill switch pretty quickly

 

[Nelly]

Just out of curiosity, I've always wondered when I hear(or read) about people dropping their bikes, are they 'getting lucky' when the bike starts back up again? Or is there really nothing that can go wrong as long as it was at 0mph and the engine cutoff worked via the tip-over sensor?

Like, what exactly would go wrong once the bike hits the ground or just from the tip-over impact? Anything? Or is it just normal to be able to tip their bikes over and just pick it up and have it be completely fine?

Maybe I'm used to a more fragile bike(non-plastic parts that stick out and could get broken off/cracked), I don't know, probably just paranoid(installed sliders the day after I brought her home from the dealership, knocking on wood as I type that I never need them - and even those I researched to make sure I was getting a set that would do it's job without damaging the frame or the part of the engine it's screwed into), but I've always been kind of amazed that people treat dropping their bikes onto cement/pavement from a standing position like it's no big deal - but then again, I am terribly obsessive, and dropping a bike to me would be less about the damage to the bike and more about the mental "FML".

still, I am curious about what that 'damage' might be, if anything other than "your pride"

The engine cut of may not always work with frame sliders installed. It depends on how far they stick out from the frame.
They do minimize damage though, I fell off on a roundabout that was covered in gravel that had been dropped from a truck. I was going about 40mph and had just a slight graze to the corner of my fairing.

Nelly

 

[FinalImpact]

In the old days when bikes didn't have tip over sensors the bike could stay running depending on how good the fuel delivery was, but the longer the bike stays on its side while running the greater the chances of it blowing the engine or seizing up. As long as it is not running you have nothing to worry about, if it ever does fall over, especially if its hot, its a good idea to let it sit up right for at least 10 min or so before you start it back up. That time standing upright gives any fluids that leaked into places that they shouldn't be time for gravity to do its job and send them home.

True - this is when Rods get bent and pistons busted. A bike laying on its side or upside down for 20+ minutes allows crankcase oil to seep past the piston rings into the cylinder head. With high compression engines it leaves no room and oil does NOT compress.

Like said - sitting it upright for 30 minutes or pulling the plugs before starting it is wise.

Same is true of refrigerator compressors and portable AC units hung in the windows. In the case of my 2 stroke Jet ski, a good submarine can trash an engine when the water enters under power and forms a hydrostatic lock!

And true about engine sumps - Not all sumps can pick-up oil at extreme angles like wheelies and stoppies. . . This is when bearings get fried!

Who has pictures of an exposed sump? look at the P/U in relation to the oil level. Now place a 1/2 or more of that oil into circulation. What's left at the p/u?

Plus some heads are not designed to drain back at that angle. Examples are twins where the rear cylinder is right over the gear box. Oil stays trapped in the head and the pumps starves. Sorry Lone - its true and it happens!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

The bike will outlast you, unless you total it or sell it.

Mine is still going strong with almost 80k miles on the clock.

 

[urca]

Jeeze, did this entire thread get clipped or something? I was thankful for all the responses, but yeah, I guess this isn't an SV650 forum after all, huh guys?

Good to know that the engine is so stable, that seems foreign to me for some reason - like such a precision piece of machinery would need to be kept right-side up or risk damage.

Guess they NEED to be tough and able to stand up to abuse(in the form of sitting in the frame when it kisses the pavement), seeing as they're in a sportbike, and don't redline until 14,000rpm, so the vibrations alone would eventually hurt it if it was fragile.