The R6 Fork

[FinalImpact]

Did you notice that yamaha used the same bearing and spacer on like most every bike they made from 1995 to 2011? A bit of an exaggeration but it would be a lot of bikes. That leaves the collar to be the variable in the mix which is unique to FZ6 and FZ1.

Without having the R6 collars and actual fork spacing it seems you must rely on the static values while free hanging which could lead to considerable error.
Perhaps take the springs out and compress the forks completely may reduce some error but that's still a stretch.

JM2C but when mine is assembled it is pretty much gapless and does not bind with springs out. All fasteners do their intended function and the calipers are centered over the rotor. IMO there is not much to improve on that a street bike rider will benefit from.

Good luck!

 

[fz6-Dan]

Does anyone know which fork oil I should be using? There are a couple of options and I'm just not sure. Any help is appreciated!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fz6-Dan]

I used 7.5 motul oil when I did the rebuild. The forks are now stiff. I know there are many possibilities but I'm thinking it may be that the oil level is too high. Does anyone have any experience taking out some oil? Did it work/help? Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zixaq]

I used 7.5 motul oil when I did the rebuild. The forks are now stiff. I know there are many possibilities but I'm thinking it may be that the oil level is too high. Does anyone have any experience taking out some oil? Did it work/help? Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You should be using a light 5 wt oil with the R6 forks. They recommend Yamaha 01. If you check viscosity curves, you want something pretty close. For Motul, you actually want their "Very Light", which I think they market as 2.5.

there's an easy list of viscosity at 40°C here: https://transmoto.com.au/comparative-oil-weights-table/

Heavier oil is sometimes used to compensate for bad/light suspension with damping rod forks, but it's a bad idea in cartridge forks.

For oil level, I went halfway between the service manual recommendation and racetech's recommendation, but I must have forgotten to write it down. The R6 manual I have says it should be 106 mm, and I wouldn't leave any less air than that.

 

[fz6-Dan]

You should be using a light 5 wt oil with the R6 forks. They recommend Yamaha 01. If you check viscosity curves, you want something pretty close. For Motul, you actually want their "Very Light", which I think they market as 2.5.

there's an easy list of viscosity at 40°C here: https://transmoto.com.au/comparative-oil-weights-table/

Heavier oil is sometimes used to compensate for bad/light suspension with damping rod forks, but it's a bad idea in cartridge forks.

For oil level, I went halfway between the service manual recommendation and racetech's recommendation, but I must have forgotten to write it down. The R6 manual I have says it should be 106 mm, and I wouldn't leave any less air than that.

Thanks for that!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fz6-Dan]

You should be using a light 5 wt oil with the R6 forks. They recommend Yamaha 01. If you check viscosity curves, you want something pretty close. For Motul, you actually want their "Very Light", which I think they market as 2.5.

there's an easy list of viscosity at 40°C here: https://transmoto.com.au/comparative-oil-weights-table/

Heavier oil is sometimes used to compensate for bad/light suspension with damping rod forks, but it's a bad idea in cartridge forks.

For oil level, I went halfway between the service manual recommendation and racetech's recommendation, but I must have forgotten to write it down. The R6 manual I have says it should be 106 mm, and I wouldn't leave any less air than that.

There's a screw that i didn't notice at the bottom. I think it deals with rebound. I unscrewed it all the way and it compresses much better. My only concern is im not sure how much it's suppose to compress to begin with. I tried looking it up but couldn't find it. Do you know by chance?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[darius]

An R6S user manual should have the info on fork adjustments

 

[fz6-Dan]

An R6S user manual should have the info on fork adjustments

I checked the Manuel just now, good information on asjusting the dampening, rebound, and such. There was no information on how far it can literally pushed down. It's not on the bike yet so I'm pushing by hand. Im probably just making a bigger deal than it is and should wait to put them on. Or maybe not? [emoji28]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[darius]

Suspension travel should be 4.7" with the R6 forks vs 5.1" FZ6 stock

 

[fz6-Dan]

Suspension travel should be 4.7" with the R6 forks vs 5.1" FZ6 stock

Thanks for your help! Pushing it free hand with everything loose (the soft setting) I'm getting about 2.25". When I tighten it to the specs in the r6s manuel, I'm getting about 1.75".

Edit: also to note, they are not on the bike yet so that may be why I'm losing about 3" of play?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[darius]

You're not going to be able to muscle the fork through it's entire travel range. Having the correct weight springs and preload adjustment to dial in your sag should be your primary concern. Check out Dave Moss' youtube vids on sag.

Rebound and compression can be set to Yamaha's recommended starting point if one is given in the R6 manual. There are tons of existing threads on suspension setup.

 

[zixaq]

The default setup in the R6 manual is pretty soft, so unless you're very light, expect it to feel mushy. Get the springs and sag right first, then monkey with the damping if you feel compelled to. You can't adjust any of this until they're on the bike, though.

The screw on the bottom you found is for compression damping. The one on top (inside the blue preload adjusters) is for rebound damping.

 

[fz6-Dan]

The default setup in the R6 manual is pretty soft, so unless you're very light, expect it to feel mushy. Get the springs and sag right first, then monkey with the damping if you feel compelled to. You can't adjust any of this until they're on the bike, though.

The screw on the bottom you found is for compression damping. The one on top (inside the blue preload adjusters) is for rebound damping.

Thanks for the tips. The shop should start the repairs today!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk