Epsigraham
New Member
Hello,
After lurking your forums for a couple weeks I figured I'd go ahead and make an account.
Where to begin...
It all started with a tire change. I decided to take it to a mechanic I'd never used upon referral from a fellow at work. Whilst there picking up the rim I was waived into the back where all the work gets done. And there it was, a mangled FZ6 missing its front forks. When I asked about it the employee's first words about it were "you want it? it's just been taking up space for years."
Whoa. Hell, why not? Asked the shop owner about its particular circumstances and how it came to rest there. He said it was owned by the daughter of an acquaintance of his. She had recently joined the air force and I can only guess that she paid cash for it with her enlistment bonus. After a week of riding it she took it up to a mountain pass and landed it into a guardrail. He says she was okay, but the bike wasn't. And so it came to rest at this mechanic's shop. He tore down what was completely broken and started tallying up what it would cost to repair. Alot. With no insurance on it, it was pretty much a total loss. Shortly thereafter she was moved to a base in Texas. And so it sat. Not sure exactly how long, maybe all of this went down in 2008 or 09, a bike that sat at the dealer for a couple years. Long enough that the mechanic can't remember how many years it's been, and enough for it to seem more a nuisance taking up space than something worth fixing. But I needed a tire change, and ended up with an FZ6.
The real kicker? Guess how many miles it has?
443
It just so happens that I had bought a a first gen R1 front end last fall. I was going to swap it into my 99VFR but had gotten cold feet over the endeavour. Strange coincidence eh? Almost as if it was meant to be. Here's how it sits now:
Sorry for the photo quality- my moto X appears to have a horrendous camera.
Here's a pic from when I first wheeled it into the garage:
I wish it had really been that easy, but I've encountered a few hiccups and niggles along the way.
Firstly, the sparkplugs are a nightmare to get to. This isn't my first inline four, but it's definitely the hardest. My best guess why they're so hard to reach is because of the emissions plumbing directly above the valve cover- I found it almost impossible to even get the plug boots off because of running into what was directly above them. I'm curious what ills might follow from removing all of it. As I understand from a brief reading here it injects air into the exhaust to burn any uncombusted fuel. Can I just use some aluminium to block off the source at the valve cover or is it easier to buy something prefabricated?
Probably wondering why I was fiddling with the spark plugs to begin with? I'm having difficulty with cylinder #1 not firing upon startup. After it warms up it seems to work alright. Impedance on condenser was in spec, but I'm dreading pulling the plugs and boots again for further trouble shooting. To solve this I was wondering if anyone has sprung for a coil on plug retrofit? If I move the battery and rip out the emissions tubing then there'd be more than enough room to wriggle my baseball mitts for hands inside that confined space. Since this is a retuned/budget R6 engine I'd just have to nab the right year with a harness for smooth sailing yeah? Something to consider at least. If it isn't spark then it would have to be fuel. The tank was drained but I doubt they purged the fuel rail and pump. Maybe the intermittent firing is just a clogged injector? Maybe a few tanks of gas with injector cleaner might sort it all out.
Damage to the engine looked sparse. Its stator cover got trashed and wouldn't hold oil, but that's been replaced. Before starting it under its own power I overfilled the crankcase and hand cranked it awhile to hopefully lubricate everything and coat the cylinder walls. The first turn was a little tough, but after sitting for six or seven years that's to be expected. It took three starting attempts before it turned over, I'm guessing that was thanks to the remnant fuel in the lines.
I think it will make a great daily driver. Its upright seating position is a welcome improvement over the haunched over stance the GSX-R demands, and besides, the thing only has 443 miles! A few more kinks to work out and some cosmetic changes will net another money pit into the stable.
If you've made it this far into the wall of text congratulations, and thanks for reading.
After lurking your forums for a couple weeks I figured I'd go ahead and make an account.
Where to begin...
It all started with a tire change. I decided to take it to a mechanic I'd never used upon referral from a fellow at work. Whilst there picking up the rim I was waived into the back where all the work gets done. And there it was, a mangled FZ6 missing its front forks. When I asked about it the employee's first words about it were "you want it? it's just been taking up space for years."
Whoa. Hell, why not? Asked the shop owner about its particular circumstances and how it came to rest there. He said it was owned by the daughter of an acquaintance of his. She had recently joined the air force and I can only guess that she paid cash for it with her enlistment bonus. After a week of riding it she took it up to a mountain pass and landed it into a guardrail. He says she was okay, but the bike wasn't. And so it came to rest at this mechanic's shop. He tore down what was completely broken and started tallying up what it would cost to repair. Alot. With no insurance on it, it was pretty much a total loss. Shortly thereafter she was moved to a base in Texas. And so it sat. Not sure exactly how long, maybe all of this went down in 2008 or 09, a bike that sat at the dealer for a couple years. Long enough that the mechanic can't remember how many years it's been, and enough for it to seem more a nuisance taking up space than something worth fixing. But I needed a tire change, and ended up with an FZ6.
The real kicker? Guess how many miles it has?
443
It just so happens that I had bought a a first gen R1 front end last fall. I was going to swap it into my 99VFR but had gotten cold feet over the endeavour. Strange coincidence eh? Almost as if it was meant to be. Here's how it sits now:
Sorry for the photo quality- my moto X appears to have a horrendous camera.
Here's a pic from when I first wheeled it into the garage:
I wish it had really been that easy, but I've encountered a few hiccups and niggles along the way.
Firstly, the sparkplugs are a nightmare to get to. This isn't my first inline four, but it's definitely the hardest. My best guess why they're so hard to reach is because of the emissions plumbing directly above the valve cover- I found it almost impossible to even get the plug boots off because of running into what was directly above them. I'm curious what ills might follow from removing all of it. As I understand from a brief reading here it injects air into the exhaust to burn any uncombusted fuel. Can I just use some aluminium to block off the source at the valve cover or is it easier to buy something prefabricated?
Probably wondering why I was fiddling with the spark plugs to begin with? I'm having difficulty with cylinder #1 not firing upon startup. After it warms up it seems to work alright. Impedance on condenser was in spec, but I'm dreading pulling the plugs and boots again for further trouble shooting. To solve this I was wondering if anyone has sprung for a coil on plug retrofit? If I move the battery and rip out the emissions tubing then there'd be more than enough room to wriggle my baseball mitts for hands inside that confined space. Since this is a retuned/budget R6 engine I'd just have to nab the right year with a harness for smooth sailing yeah? Something to consider at least. If it isn't spark then it would have to be fuel. The tank was drained but I doubt they purged the fuel rail and pump. Maybe the intermittent firing is just a clogged injector? Maybe a few tanks of gas with injector cleaner might sort it all out.
Damage to the engine looked sparse. Its stator cover got trashed and wouldn't hold oil, but that's been replaced. Before starting it under its own power I overfilled the crankcase and hand cranked it awhile to hopefully lubricate everything and coat the cylinder walls. The first turn was a little tough, but after sitting for six or seven years that's to be expected. It took three starting attempts before it turned over, I'm guessing that was thanks to the remnant fuel in the lines.
I think it will make a great daily driver. Its upright seating position is a welcome improvement over the haunched over stance the GSX-R demands, and besides, the thing only has 443 miles! A few more kinks to work out and some cosmetic changes will net another money pit into the stable.
If you've made it this far into the wall of text congratulations, and thanks for reading.
