abraxas
Biker
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
- Messages
- 652
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 0
- Location
- South Africa
I bought my fazer 4 years ago this month, 2nd hand with just over 30 000km on, still very neat. Looking around the showroom she just caught my eye, and i still rate her the most beautifully designed bike of the last few years ... it's the eyes i tell you!
The price was R48 000, and worked out to about R2000pm for repayments and insurance and fuel. Because i've done some mechanic work before, and thanks to the forum supplying the manual :thumbup: i decided to maintain the bike myself. That's what this thread is about, sort of.
My first problem was the charging system, replaced battery, rectifier, stator, in that order, although not without a lot of confusion on the way. Eventually it was fixed, and i didn't have to bump start every morning, and afternoon, and in between.
The next problem was more serious. I had stripped a spark plug thread on #3, and i quickly decided that any fix was above my humble abilities, and got referred to a guy in my area who had a workshop, and was highly recommended. He removed the engine, and had a helicoil fitted with the cylinder head still on the motor. After costing a small fortune, the bike was left with a horrible stutter on pulloff, something i found to be caused by a plug cap which someone had kindly stood on, and i managed to repair (at R350 per plug cap, R1400 plus VAT to replace plug caps wasn't an option)
What also happened, was that the mechy hadn't tightened the engine-frame mount bolt correctly, that is why my frame cracked. After finding an airplane engineer who could weld the alloy, we first tried to weld with the engine in place. This didn't last long, so the next was stripping the frame. I didn't clear out everything, just engine, swingarm, plastics etc. The weld is still strong, and i must still spray it, to make pretty, but it's holding. (i discovered that they had also "lost" the bolt that fits into the cyl head through the frame, and used another similar bolt. Similar, they used a 1.5mm pitch when they should have used the 1mm thread. I found out when i realised the frame was loose against the head and investigated).
Service time came around again, and i stripped another spark plug thread, #2. Aside from feeling like a complete retard, i was convinced that no other workshop was going to touch my bike (see above). However, there was nobody that i could find to insert a helicoil as before, and the best option seemed to be to remove the head, which i did.
Eventually i found an engineer who could help, and for almost no money inserted the special 10x1 thread helicoil. they also ran a tap through the remaining 2 plug threads, to ensure they were clear, and i mounted the head with the plugs in place. I torqued the plugs into place on the workbench, visually inspected and everything seemed fine. The valves and been found to be leaky, so new valve stem seals, re-seated valves, and everything looked to be 100% ok.
Imagine my surprise about 2 months later, when a spark plug climbed out ... this time #1. I have now stopped believing that i messed up the first 2, and was desperately trying to find a reasonable explanation for the failure. The same engineer who had helped before was unwilling to work on it again, as the thread had gotten badly damaged, and there is NO space to work with, between the plug threads and the valve seats. I investigated helicoils, easy inserts, and about 5/6 other thread repair options. All were unworkable. The head had been irrepairably damaged. Welding is not an option either, as it makes the alloy too soft in a crucial place in the engine, and the long plug stems make only 1 side (by the gasket) accessible. 5mm is as deep as anyone can weld, and if you look at your plus, they're just over double that length.
I found 3 replacement heads:
1x R4500 on exchange
1x R4500 straight
1x R7500 straight
Guess which i got. Very cool place though, they split the head from the engine in front of me, i got given all extras like tappet cover, cam chain tensioners, etc. Went home and mounted. Had some troubles, but i've already done the head removal /replace so many times i'm getting embarrasingly good at it.
Since i'm now paying off the loan i had to take, i won't be celebrating paying off my bike with lots and lots of mods until i pay of the loan ... patience in a virtue i keep getting told
I don't know for sure, but i think i've unwittingly become the most experienced fazer rider/mechanic around. Not best ... most experienced, not exactly a good thing but hey
Bike is now 114455km (last night) and going like a rocket, still stock standard, albeit with a history. I had also dropped my bike while stationary, and have just fitted some replacement plastics.
I love my bike. When i was considering getting another commuter, there wasn't any worth looking at, none are remotely as all rounded as the fazer, and frankly if mine breaks, i'll get another just like it.
That's my little story. I've decided that the cause was metal to metal corrosion, exacerbated by the extremely small plugs that the fazer uses, and the solution as given me by several mechanics is copperslip. The head i collected had been treated with something similar, and the threads were squeaky clean, plugs too.
Moral of the story?
1. Be super careful with replacing spark plugs
2. Check and recheck and check again that all bolts are torqued to spec.
3. Love your fazer, it's the best out there.
Thanks for listening
peace
The price was R48 000, and worked out to about R2000pm for repayments and insurance and fuel. Because i've done some mechanic work before, and thanks to the forum supplying the manual :thumbup: i decided to maintain the bike myself. That's what this thread is about, sort of.
My first problem was the charging system, replaced battery, rectifier, stator, in that order, although not without a lot of confusion on the way. Eventually it was fixed, and i didn't have to bump start every morning, and afternoon, and in between.
The next problem was more serious. I had stripped a spark plug thread on #3, and i quickly decided that any fix was above my humble abilities, and got referred to a guy in my area who had a workshop, and was highly recommended. He removed the engine, and had a helicoil fitted with the cylinder head still on the motor. After costing a small fortune, the bike was left with a horrible stutter on pulloff, something i found to be caused by a plug cap which someone had kindly stood on, and i managed to repair (at R350 per plug cap, R1400 plus VAT to replace plug caps wasn't an option)
What also happened, was that the mechy hadn't tightened the engine-frame mount bolt correctly, that is why my frame cracked. After finding an airplane engineer who could weld the alloy, we first tried to weld with the engine in place. This didn't last long, so the next was stripping the frame. I didn't clear out everything, just engine, swingarm, plastics etc. The weld is still strong, and i must still spray it, to make pretty, but it's holding. (i discovered that they had also "lost" the bolt that fits into the cyl head through the frame, and used another similar bolt. Similar, they used a 1.5mm pitch when they should have used the 1mm thread. I found out when i realised the frame was loose against the head and investigated).
Service time came around again, and i stripped another spark plug thread, #2. Aside from feeling like a complete retard, i was convinced that no other workshop was going to touch my bike (see above). However, there was nobody that i could find to insert a helicoil as before, and the best option seemed to be to remove the head, which i did.
Eventually i found an engineer who could help, and for almost no money inserted the special 10x1 thread helicoil. they also ran a tap through the remaining 2 plug threads, to ensure they were clear, and i mounted the head with the plugs in place. I torqued the plugs into place on the workbench, visually inspected and everything seemed fine. The valves and been found to be leaky, so new valve stem seals, re-seated valves, and everything looked to be 100% ok.
Imagine my surprise about 2 months later, when a spark plug climbed out ... this time #1. I have now stopped believing that i messed up the first 2, and was desperately trying to find a reasonable explanation for the failure. The same engineer who had helped before was unwilling to work on it again, as the thread had gotten badly damaged, and there is NO space to work with, between the plug threads and the valve seats. I investigated helicoils, easy inserts, and about 5/6 other thread repair options. All were unworkable. The head had been irrepairably damaged. Welding is not an option either, as it makes the alloy too soft in a crucial place in the engine, and the long plug stems make only 1 side (by the gasket) accessible. 5mm is as deep as anyone can weld, and if you look at your plus, they're just over double that length.
I found 3 replacement heads:
1x R4500 on exchange
1x R4500 straight
1x R7500 straight
Guess which i got. Very cool place though, they split the head from the engine in front of me, i got given all extras like tappet cover, cam chain tensioners, etc. Went home and mounted. Had some troubles, but i've already done the head removal /replace so many times i'm getting embarrasingly good at it.
Since i'm now paying off the loan i had to take, i won't be celebrating paying off my bike with lots and lots of mods until i pay of the loan ... patience in a virtue i keep getting told
I don't know for sure, but i think i've unwittingly become the most experienced fazer rider/mechanic around. Not best ... most experienced, not exactly a good thing but hey
Bike is now 114455km (last night) and going like a rocket, still stock standard, albeit with a history. I had also dropped my bike while stationary, and have just fitted some replacement plastics.
I love my bike. When i was considering getting another commuter, there wasn't any worth looking at, none are remotely as all rounded as the fazer, and frankly if mine breaks, i'll get another just like it.
That's my little story. I've decided that the cause was metal to metal corrosion, exacerbated by the extremely small plugs that the fazer uses, and the solution as given me by several mechanics is copperslip. The head i collected had been treated with something similar, and the threads were squeaky clean, plugs too.
Moral of the story?
1. Be super careful with replacing spark plugs
2. Check and recheck and check again that all bolts are torqued to spec.
3. Love your fazer, it's the best out there.
Thanks for listening
peace
