RuskiMotorcycle
New Member
Hey All,
I just picked up a 2007 FZ6 about a month ago, and I'm looking for some guidance on how to be a responsible owner. Just as a heads up, this is my first time on a Yamaha or an FZ6, so I'm coming with relatively little prior knowledge of these machines.
My History-
I started riding in Spring of 2015, all the way through roughly November of 2015, after which I had to put my '06 Vulcan 500 away. I lived in New England at the time, but I've since moved to Texas, so the Vulcan stayed and is up for sale while I found the FZ6 down here. I'm licensed through the safety course up in MA, I've had two falls (both at slow speeds, one due to being on it for a month, the other due to wet leaves on a night ride), and this FZ6 is my first sports bike.
Bike's History-
I first looked at a blue FZ6, but it the kid who owned it clearly beat the living daylight out of it. He didn't have any paper trail, any previous information, or any confidence in it's ability to ride, so I took a hard pass. I then looked at the one I ended up buying, and I was amazed. Initially, the $3K price tag for an '07 with 22K miles seemed a bit much. But after going over his paperwork and looking at it, I was impressed. The guy bought it at a dealership sub 2K miles, with a $2K maintenance contract. Even though it was 22K miles old, he road it very gently, maintenanced it every ~4K miles, and claimed he has only been caught out in the rain maybe 5 times. He's always garage-kept it and he literally polishes/cleans it after every ride. He seemed to be very OCD, because everything in his house and garage was neat, organized, and filed. Best part was, he gave me his files with the entire paper trail of everything ever done to it. I got the bike, a new Bell Revolver helmet, and a disk lock for $3K flat. It seems to have all original major parts.
Now-
I'm loving the bike, though it seems to be almost too fast (probably compared to my Vulcan). I want to proceed cautiously to make sure I keep it near to what this guy kept it at. I have a significantly tighter budget and low motorcycle maintenance know-how, so any and all advice, pointers, or resources are appreciated. The first few things on the list-
-I'm about 5'6, and the FZ6 feels just a tad bit too tall, especially with a passenger. Both of my tippy-toes can reach, but I'm significantly more comfortable with flat feet, especially for stopping and backing-up purposes. Any suggestions on lowering links i.e. brands, shop vs. myself, things to keep in mind, etc.
-Back tire/brake is worrying me a little. I've locked up my rear twice now which is kinda scary. I feel like the rear tire slips slightly on aggressive cornering or tight turns, which is killing my confidence on aggressive riding. Tires are Pilot Road 2's with a healthy amount of tread, and no rot. Could this be an alignment issue, or something to do with the calipers?
-General maintenance. I just got it inspected, and it's good to go. Last logged work was a new battery at 17K, and oil, coolant, air filter, clean/lube/adjusted drive chain, everything market checked out in good shape (tires, brakes, rims) at 20.6K miles (less than 2K miles ago).
What should I keep my eyes out for on an older FZ6? What can I do myself?
I know this is a lot, but I'm really eager to learn, I just need some guidance in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
-Denis
I just picked up a 2007 FZ6 about a month ago, and I'm looking for some guidance on how to be a responsible owner. Just as a heads up, this is my first time on a Yamaha or an FZ6, so I'm coming with relatively little prior knowledge of these machines.
My History-
I started riding in Spring of 2015, all the way through roughly November of 2015, after which I had to put my '06 Vulcan 500 away. I lived in New England at the time, but I've since moved to Texas, so the Vulcan stayed and is up for sale while I found the FZ6 down here. I'm licensed through the safety course up in MA, I've had two falls (both at slow speeds, one due to being on it for a month, the other due to wet leaves on a night ride), and this FZ6 is my first sports bike.
Bike's History-
I first looked at a blue FZ6, but it the kid who owned it clearly beat the living daylight out of it. He didn't have any paper trail, any previous information, or any confidence in it's ability to ride, so I took a hard pass. I then looked at the one I ended up buying, and I was amazed. Initially, the $3K price tag for an '07 with 22K miles seemed a bit much. But after going over his paperwork and looking at it, I was impressed. The guy bought it at a dealership sub 2K miles, with a $2K maintenance contract. Even though it was 22K miles old, he road it very gently, maintenanced it every ~4K miles, and claimed he has only been caught out in the rain maybe 5 times. He's always garage-kept it and he literally polishes/cleans it after every ride. He seemed to be very OCD, because everything in his house and garage was neat, organized, and filed. Best part was, he gave me his files with the entire paper trail of everything ever done to it. I got the bike, a new Bell Revolver helmet, and a disk lock for $3K flat. It seems to have all original major parts.
Now-
I'm loving the bike, though it seems to be almost too fast (probably compared to my Vulcan). I want to proceed cautiously to make sure I keep it near to what this guy kept it at. I have a significantly tighter budget and low motorcycle maintenance know-how, so any and all advice, pointers, or resources are appreciated. The first few things on the list-
-I'm about 5'6, and the FZ6 feels just a tad bit too tall, especially with a passenger. Both of my tippy-toes can reach, but I'm significantly more comfortable with flat feet, especially for stopping and backing-up purposes. Any suggestions on lowering links i.e. brands, shop vs. myself, things to keep in mind, etc.
-Back tire/brake is worrying me a little. I've locked up my rear twice now which is kinda scary. I feel like the rear tire slips slightly on aggressive cornering or tight turns, which is killing my confidence on aggressive riding. Tires are Pilot Road 2's with a healthy amount of tread, and no rot. Could this be an alignment issue, or something to do with the calipers?
-General maintenance. I just got it inspected, and it's good to go. Last logged work was a new battery at 17K, and oil, coolant, air filter, clean/lube/adjusted drive chain, everything market checked out in good shape (tires, brakes, rims) at 20.6K miles (less than 2K miles ago).
What should I keep my eyes out for on an older FZ6? What can I do myself?
I know this is a lot, but I'm really eager to learn, I just need some guidance in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
-Denis