New Rider/FZ6 Owner - Seeking General Comments/Advice

[fiveboltmain09]

Hello Everyone,

I am the proud new owner of a 2009 FZ6, my first bike. I bought it about a week ago here in Jacksonvile, FL. It is stock save for Two Brothers exhaust. I could not be happier with it. All I want to do with my spare time is ride it.

My background: active duty military, first-time motorcycle owner, I have taken the MSF BRC course, signed up for the MSF sportbike course in April, and I'm a major proponent of riding gear.

I was just seeking some general advice from the folks who have been riding and/or owning MC's (particularly FZ6's) for a while, such as... things to be cautious of, fun/effective/easy mod ideas, interesting anecdotes, whatever.

I'm glad to be a part of the forum and wanted to say hello. I'm looking forward to hearing from the community.

 

[JoeSTL]

Welcome to the forum! Post up some pics of your bike! Even though most of us have the same model, we still love seeing every one else's new bike!

Some easy mods I did almost immediately was replacing the stock windscreen with a Puig racing screen, I added OES frame sliders, and did the BD43 dual head light mod. This mod is increases your light at night, and looks much better with both headlights on. Plus it's made by a forum member. You can also do the clutch slave levers, if you don't like the limited friction zone on the clutch. This is another add on made by a forum member. There are also many things you can do to make it more comfortable, if that's something you want/need, such as seats, grips, bars, pegs, rear sets, etc. Take a look around, read lots of posts, and ask any questions you have. After a year of having my FZ6, I still ask newb questions all the time!

 

[lytehouse]

:welcome: to the site! The search function here comes in quite handy when looking for how to's
Or just ask, that's what we're here for.

 

[fiveboltmain09]

Thanks for the reply, guys. I should have created this post in a more general forum rather than mods. I'm not sure how to move it. Anyway, thanks for the replies, and I'll get some photos up ASAP.

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome: to this great forum and thank you for serving!

You won't find a better group anywhere. This is a magical place on the big WWW! :BLAA:

I think I can move the thread for you once I get get the termites off this stick....

 

[fiveboltmain09]

Pics of the bike. The weather did not cooperate the day I got it, but I rode anyway, and it was awesome, even if a little wet.

 

[david323]

:welcome:

I'm glad to see you got the fastest color! :rockon:

 

[BamBam]

:welcome:

I'm glad to see you got the fastest color! :rockon:

Second that!

 

[Yasko]

:welcome: from Texas.:cheer:

You should spend a lot of time in a huge parking lot, getting your skills down. :rockon: Ride safe.

For first mods, Joe hit them, and the Fz1 bar is a cheap mod that's worth the time and money($40).:thumbup:

 

[Yasko]

Oh, and new tires if you're still on stock.:thumbup:

 

[fiveboltmain09]

Thanks everyone!!

I did spend the first weekend in slow, no-traffic roads to get a feel for the bike's nuances. I slowly worked my way up to bigger roads throughout the week until I finally took her on the freeway (the Buckman Bridge here in Jacksonville) last night. What a thrill! The bike has so much power on tap when you get to about 8k.

The bike had brand new tires on it when I picked it up from the dealer. Dunlops.

I've lubed the chain once already but I'm going to clean and lube it again today and check the tension. I rode quite a bit this week.

I'm also changing the oil and filter.

Thanks again for the replies, have a great weekend!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[FIZZER6]

congrats! I've had my FZ6 since it was brand new in January 2007!

Best bike ever! Insurance is cheap for a sport bike, maintenance is easy and this thing is super reliable!

Some tips I've learned over the years with the FZ6:

1. You don't need to use Yamaha oil and filters, get a Purolator Pure One PL14610 filter and use Shell Rotella T6 5W40 oil or another motorcycle rated oil of choice!

2. Change the brake fluid every 2 years. It makes a big difference in braking performance!

3. lubricate the clutch cable at least every 2,000 miles of riding...makes a huge difference.

4. If you do a lot of night riding you owe it to yourself to do a dual HID projector retrofit to the headlights! Best mod I have done by far. $250 in parts, 4X as much forward light at night!

5. Chances are your rear tire alignment is off if whoever installed it used the marks at the axle instead of aligning it with the front wheel. Even if you just get the gap between the swingarm and wheel edge on both sides the same it will be close enough. My axle marks are off by almost one full groove! I was cupping tires before I realized this!

Have fun, ride often, be safe! :thumbup:

 

[fiveboltmain09]

I serviced the oil today with Castrol GTX 20W-50 and cleaned/lubed the chain for the second time. Does anyone have a particular type of oil that they think does well? Or a particular chain cleaner/lube?

Also, I downloaded the 2007 factory service manual from Boneman's FZ6 sight. My bike is a 2009. If I understand correctly, the differences from 07-09 were mainly cosmetic (trivial), so all the mechanical service information (torque specs, fluid specs, wiring diagrams, etc) should be safe to go by. Am I correct in assuming this?

Thanks for the replies. It's really nice to see a forum where everyone is so friendly and welcoming.

Time to go ride!

Cheers, have a good weekend.

 

[iSteve]

If I were you I would dump out the Castrol GTX and buy some 5w30~40 motorcycle oil. Most oil for cars can cause your clutch to slip due to friction reducers.

I clean my chain with WD40 and use BelRay Super Clean Chain Lube but any chain lube that works with O-Ring chains is good.

 

[PhotoAl]

URGENT - hope I am wrong but;

Looked on Castrol's site and it appears that the GTX is a low friction oil which means that it has friction modifiers. The FZ6 (like many bikes) has a wet clutch and oils with low friction additives will cause the clutch to not work so well. I know it is painful but would recommend getting the oil out of the engine if that is true. Would flush with conventional (non synthetic) oil and run for a few minutes then replace with good motorcycle oil - there are lots of opinions about oil. The search function is your friend. I ran Castrol RS motorcycle oil in my FZ6 and it was happy.

When riding slowly, starting, stopping, parking lots, etc. remember the FZ6 is top heavy therefore needs to be kept upright. Be on guard for too much lean as it can get away pretty quickly. Almost dropped mine in a gas station parking lot after I hite the brakes quickly to avoit the punk zooming thru. As I was putting everything I had into keeping the bike from going down he says "sorry".

 

[fiveboltmain09]

This is what the owner's manual says regarding oil:

"In order to prevent clutch slippage (since the engine oil also lubricates the clutch), do not mix any chemical additives. Do not use oils with a diesel specification of "CD" or oils of a higher quality than specified. In addition, do not use oils labeled "ENERGY CONSERVING II" or higher. "

I felt that the oil I used did not violate any of those criteria. However, I'm feeling kind of paranoid now. I'm going to replace the oil today.

 

[fiveboltmain09]

So I'm running Valvoline 20W-50 (motorcycle-specific) oil in the bike now. The temperature outside is right in the gray area where the owner's manual suggests 10W-40 vice 20W-50. I chose 20W-50 because summer is coming soon and it's about to get HOT in Florida. The 20W-50 is pretty thick stuff. I'm not sure what grade was in the bike when I picked it up from the dealership, but since putting 20W-50 in it seems like there is SLIGHTLY more vibration from the motor around 3k-7k, and I hear SLIGHTLY more valve noise at idle. This may also all be my imagination because it's my baby and I'm hypersensitive about it. I will admit that when it comes to my machines, I am uber-sensitive to noises to the point of driving myself looney.

Does anyone have similar experience? Is it even anything to be concerned about?

 

[mxgolf]

:welcome: To the best forum and motorcycle out there. I am kind of prejudice however! FZ-1 bars are a must mod to the 6. Ride safe and enjoy the ride! :rockon:

 

[FIZZER6]

So I'm running Valvoline 20W-50 (motorcycle-specific) oil in the bike now. The temperature outside is right in the gray area where the owner's manual suggests 10W-40 vice 20W-50. I chose 20W-50 because summer is coming soon and it's about to get HOT in Florida. The 20W-50 is pretty thick stuff. I'm not sure what grade was in the bike when I picked it up from the dealership, but since putting 20W-50 in it seems like there is SLIGHTLY more vibration from the motor around 3k-7k, and I hear SLIGHTLY more valve noise at idle. This may also all be my imagination because it's my baby and I'm hypersensitive about it. I will admit that when it comes to my machines, I am uber-sensitive to noises to the point of driving myself looney.

Does anyone have similar experience? Is it even anything to be concerned about?

Just wanted to point something out.

FZ6 owners are familiar with the "FZ6-buzz" which usually happens around 6-7K rpms. You will get more vibrations at those RPMS than others for some reason...something to do with the balance of the engine. This can be greatly reduced by doing a throttle body sync. There is a lot of information on this forum about this and I even have a write-up on building your own manometer for throttle body sync! My FZ6 purrs like a tiger from 4K-13K! :thumbup:

 

[PhotoAl]

Yup there is more vibration in the 6-7K range, as for the valves making more noise I would not be too concerned about that. I would probably run 10W-40 oil, rode my FZ6 in very hot weather and never had any problems. By hot I mean 98 to 100 degree days. Went from Birmingham to Sarasota 4 times in mid July on my FZ6 and had no problems. I found that with some oils there was less valve noise and the bike shifted better - my favorite was Red Line 10W-40.