Rear shock (probably) leaking

TableOfPills

New Member
Joined
May 13, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Singapore
Visit site
Hi, I'm pretty new to this forum but have been reading stuff on here a while before got my '08 FZ6 last July. A while ago the bike started to have this clunking sound that can be felt through the left footpeg whenever I have a pillion, if I don't go as slow as possible on a hump. At first I thought it was the chain since I could feel the knocking through the left footpeg. However, some people asked me to take a look at the rear shock and I found what looked to be fluid leaking from the shock (it has dried so I guess it'd happened a long time ago). Is this able to be fixed? I'm thinking it would be better to upgrade the shock than to buy another stock shock since many of you guys here say that theres a huge difference between them and a good aftermarket shock. What are your thoughts?

1. I'm having trouble knowing what shocks are compatible with the bike and where to find them in stock for a reasonable price.

2. This bike had a mileage of around 130k kms when I got it, and I've maybe gone 30k kms on it since I bought it. The previous owner maintained it pretty well, keeping up with oil changes and valve clearance checks, so the engine still runs really smoothly. However, I don't think he has replaced any seals or bearings since he bought the bike in 2008, so if you guys have any info on where I can get good quality compatible seals and bearings for the steering, suspension, swingarm and wheels, that would be really helpful! Or do you guys think I should not meddle with any of those if there hadn't been any problems with them whatsoever?

3. How dangerous would it be if I just ignore the rear shock problem and just continue riding on it, albeit gently on the bumps and humps so as to not aggravate the problem too much? Because as of right now, I can't find any replacement for it and I'm sure any delivery would take a pretty long time to my country?

4. Any other problems that I should look out for on a bike that's well maintained on the basic stuff? I feel like there must be some things that should be replaced after such a high mileage, e.g. stuff that I'm planning to do such as replacing bearings and seals, coolant, brake fluid and and probably the brake and clutch cables (stuff to do with the front forks maybe a little later when I have a little more cash lying around hahah)

Photo of the current rear shock20220512_161921.jpg

I look forward to all your responses and thanks in advance for any help!
 

Gary in NJ

Junior Member
Site Supporter
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
1,964
Reaction score
1,908
Points
113
Location
Amoungst the Twisty Roads
Visit site
The shock on the FZ6 is not rebuildable. Once the oil escapes, the shock no longer has the ability to dampen the up and down movement, and the rear of the bike becomes a pogo-stick.

- The cheap solution is to replace the shock with a unit off ebay.

- The cost effective solution - but work intensive one - is to modify a shock from a different bike to work on the FZ. You can (should) reuse the spring from an FZ6 on your mod'ed shock, but I would choose a shock that came off a bike with direct linkage. I'm not a fan of modifying a shock from a linked suspension because the valving and stroke aren't suitable for a linkless suspension.

- The expensive solution - and the one with the best result (if that matters to you) - is a direct fit performance shock from Ohlins. It's about $600. I have "heard" that Hogan makes a direct fit shock but I'm not aware of any successful testimonials. The cost difference isn't significant, not enough to make me want to be the one to test it at my expense.

I have an Ohlins shock on my bike and think it works well. But I'm a bit of a suspension snob. If you are just looking to regain lost performance from the shock, you should be able to score a OEM shock for $25-$50 on ebay. Heck, I'm quite sure I gave mine to a forum member some years ago. You may find someone willing to part with theirs.
 

TableOfPills

New Member
Joined
May 13, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Singapore
Visit site
The shock on the FZ6 is not rebuildable. Once the oil escapes, the shock no longer has the ability to dampen the up and down movement, and the rear of the bike becomes a pogo-stick.

- The cheap solution is to replace the shock with a unit off ebay.

- The cost effective solution - but work intensive one - is to modify a shock from a different bike to work on the FZ. You can (should) reuse the spring from an FZ6 on your mod'ed shock, but I would choose a shock that came off a bike with direct linkage. I'm not a fan of modifying a shock from a linked suspension because the valving and stroke aren't suitable for a linkless suspension.

- The expensive solution - and the one with the best result (if that matters to you) - is a direct fit performance shock from Ohlins. It's about $600. I have "heard" that Hogan makes a direct fit shock but I'm not aware of any successful testimonials. The cost difference isn't significant, not enough to make me want to be the one to test it at my expense.

I have an Ohlins shock on my bike and think it works well. But I'm a bit of a suspension snob. If you are just looking to regain lost performance from the shock, you should be able to score a OEM shock for $25-$50 on ebay. Heck, I'm quite sure I gave mine to a forum member some years ago. You may find someone willing to part with theirs.
The Ohlins shock that is compatible with the FZ6 is the YA543 am I right? Are the different YA543s or all of them will fit on the bike? Also mine is an FZ6 S2, if that makes any difference. I'd like to make an upgrade to an Ohlins, or the Wilbers, if that is a similar upgrade in terms of performance.
 

TableOfPills

New Member
Joined
May 13, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Singapore
Visit site
Another shock that fits our bike is from Wilbers (Germany). They're expensive—$650 USD & up—but very high quality, and you can choose your spring color, which is nice.

View attachment 74992
Wow, that actually looks really good. Do they have new ones or do I have to look for 2nd hand ones. Also, what's the difference in performance compared to the ohlins?
 

Veloce

Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 8, 2020
Messages
34
Reaction score
35
Points
18
Location
Arizona, USA
Visit site
Wow, that actually looks really good. Do they have new ones or do I have to look for 2nd hand ones. Also, what's the difference in performance compared to the ohlins?

I bought mine new about 6 months ago from a California Wilbers distributor (Beemershop). I can't attest to the difference between the Wilbers and Ohlins, but I can tell you that the Wilbers is a major improvement over stock.
 

TableOfPills

New Member
Joined
May 13, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Singapore
Visit site
I bought mine new about 6 months ago from a California Wilbers distributor (Beemershop). I can't attest to the difference between the Wilbers and Ohlins, but I can tell you that the Wilbers is a major improvement over stock.
That's great! First I'll have to check if they ship to Singapore though
 

trepetti

It's all good!
Elite Member
Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
834
Points
113
Location
Northern New Joizey
Visit site
Hi, I'm pretty new to this forum but have been reading stuff on here a while before got my '08 FZ6 last July. A while ago the bike started to have this clunking sound that can be felt through the left footpeg whenever I have a pillion, if I don't go as slow as possible on a hump. At first I thought it was the chain since I could feel the knocking through the left footpeg. However, some people asked me to take a look at the rear shock and I found what looked to be fluid leaking from the shock (it has dried so I guess it'd happened a long time ago). Is this able to be fixed? I'm thinking it would be better to upgrade the shock than to buy another stock shock since many of you guys here say that theres a huge difference between them and a good aftermarket shock. What are your thoughts?

1. I'm having trouble knowing what shocks are compatible with the bike and where to find them in stock for a reasonable price.

2. This bike had a mileage of around 130k kms when I got it, and I've maybe gone 30k kms on it since I bought it. The previous owner maintained it pretty well, keeping up with oil changes and valve clearance checks, so the engine still runs really smoothly. However, I don't think he has replaced any seals or bearings since he bought the bike in 2008, so if you guys have any info on where I can get good quality compatible seals and bearings for the steering, suspension, swingarm and wheels, that would be really helpful! Or do you guys think I should not meddle with any of those if there hadn't been any problems with them whatsoever?

3. How dangerous would it be if I just ignore the rear shock problem and just continue riding on it, albeit gently on the bumps and humps so as to not aggravate the problem too much? Because as of right now, I can't find any replacement for it and I'm sure any delivery would take a pretty long time to my country?

4. Any other problems that I should look out for on a bike that's well maintained on the basic stuff? I feel like there must be some things that should be replaced after such a high mileage, e.g. stuff that I'm planning to do such as replacing bearings and seals, coolant, brake fluid and and probably the brake and clutch cables (stuff to do with the front forks maybe a little later when I have a little more cash lying around hahah)

Photo of the current rear shockView attachment 74991

I look forward to all your responses and thanks in advance for any help!
FYI you CANNOT ignore the problem. Loss of damping in the rear can lead to all sorts of instability and is dangerous. I put the Ohlins on my 05 S1 and it is marvelous and expensive. I agree with Gary, at minimum you should be able to find a used genuine Yamaha FZ6 rear shock on eBay. https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/1654884...NalYgr2JhXIfbA+x12iLO5tdeEmV|tkp:BFBM6M302Z1g

They aren't as cheap as I thought, so maybe you need to shop around. Either way, you need to do something to replace your leaky shock.
 

TableOfPills

New Member
Joined
May 13, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Singapore
Visit site
FYI you CANNOT ignore the problem. Loss of damping in the rear can lead to all sorts of instability and is dangerous. I put the Ohlins on my 05 S1 and it is marvelous and expensive. I agree with Gary, at minimum you should be able to find a used genuine Yamaha FZ6 rear shock on eBay. https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/165488460109?hash=item2687e1814d:g:Ke8AAOSw5eBcZemV&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA4GOYUDQ1MweXJtWXQS2mhoBZO49res3kC/tJbZgMkMcpbsVpcSJC+qvECxaXxs7b9Ylhn+cVZQa6R8yopR3wpGkthq947DeoaH34B0TidVmaKBgpRrPxiSqG2QAVYe4y1GgCsrokkbaAAlICCt4pgKr8kKV9hKMCxaBVNX6rvrk8XtTG4j80I+cfdtmx4w13tJc/GkcAOq+F1S438V2vjaPJZpd9ZRsXBt8RuNnTlw1uvMTE/WwKbQ2JutH9lJXQFfbPFb0xhn/6C/r4NalYgr2JhXIfbA+x12iLO5tdeEmV|tkp:BFBM6M302Z1g

They aren't as cheap as I thought, so maybe you need to shop around. Either way, you need to do something to replace your leaky shock.
Yeah, I do agree that it'll be dangerous. I'm trying to find a used Ohlins or similar upgrade, since buying a used genuine fz6 rear shock would cost me around 300 (I don't know if the shipping cost is normal for purchases like this, I've never really used ebay, but it's around 175 and then 125 for shipping) so I'd rather spend a little more to get an upgrade since I'm already going to be spending quite a lot.
 
Top