Good performance mods?

Hey guys I just bought my first street bike, an 07 fz6. Its stock and im lookin to get some more power out of it. I know very little about street bikes, but i feel like it could use some more power in the lower rpm range. It feels pretty weak up until about 8k. Any suggestions?

Welcome!!! First off most inline 4 600cc bikes are going to be like that, not having much power below somewhere at the middle of the rpm range. There is really only one thing that will help that changing gearing. A popular mod is going from a 16tooh front sprocket to a 15tooth. It will give it a good bit more tq. Almost all other performance mods will give more power on the top end of the rpm band, if you get a custom tune along with a exhaust, air filter, and the airbox mod it will help a little on the bottom end but not as much as a sprocket change will.

Thanks man! Im looking in to the sprocket, do you think it would have any effect on top speed of gas mileage?

PKguy said:

Thanks man! Im looking in to the sprocket, do you think it would have any effect on top speed of gas mileage?

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Yes, it is going to reduce the speed and gas mileage. Effectively you are removing the 6th gear and putting in a new first gear. all the other gears are now effectively one gear down.

I know by this, it sounds like stupid change, but it does help.

I dont know about other people, but I can still get up to 143 MPH, which is plenty fast still. It is nice having the gear change due to me motor being in its best area (7k - 10k) a lot more of the time.

Yea, gas mileage goes down due to you not having a 6th gear, but I am not a heavy highway rider. still getting 33-43, mostly 33 because I can keep my damn hand from twisting....:rockon:

Waffles

jazzpaintball said:

Yes, it is going to reduce the speed and gas mileage. Effectively you are removing the 6th gear and putting in a new first gear. all the other gears are now effectively one gear down.

I know by this, it sounds like stupid change, but it does help.

I dont know about other people, but I can still get up to 143 MPH, which is plenty fast still. It is nice having the gear change due to me motor being in its best area (7k - 10k) a lot more of the time.

Yea, gas mileage goes down due to you not having a 6th gear, but I am not a heavy highway rider. still getting 33-43, mostly 33 because I can keep my damn hand from twisting....:rockon:

Waffles

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That seems like a pretty good description of the change. Based on that, in town I should simply be able to ride in a gear higher than usual to maintain mpg, ya? I haven't driven on a highway yet and in town I haven't hit 6th gear.

PKguy said:

Hey guys I just bought my first street bike, an 07 fz6. Its stock and im lookin to get some more power out of it. I know very little about street bikes, but i feel like it could use some more power in the lower rpm range. It feels pretty weak up until about 8k. Any suggestions?

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Welcome! What bikes are you used to,,, Dirt bikes? Cruisers?

I'm also kinda new to the modern 4cyl street bikes. I rode 4 cyl bikes back in the 70's-80's,,, they were monsters for that era. Since then I've either had no bike or I've been on cruisers until I bought the FZ1 in 2010. I was surprised how little power my 09 FZ1 had down low, then I bought the 07 FZ6 for my wife and I hear what you're say'n. The problem with increasing it's power is that from what I've seen, there is a lot less experimentation and development done on the FZ6 then other supersport type bikes. For example, I've not seen anyone trimming or removing the flies (secondary throttle plates), or some of the other "Usual" mods that are successful on other bikes. Unless you're willing to foot the bill and do a lot of development on your own, I think these guys are pointing you in the right direction for what can be done for a reasonable cost.

get nitrous

PKguy,

I would recommend riding it for a while stock to get used to it. I find that the FZ6 runs very well in the lower RPM range and has enough power for general riding.

It sure has more power that the R6 down low. due to the tuning of the engine.

Then when you really want the power to come on up the RPM's over 8K and have a blast.

That is the thing I really like about the FZ is the way the power bank is setup for good daily commuting and still having a good top end hit.

Enjoy the new bike. :thumbup:

Marc

If I had an fz6 and wanted more power I'd probably start writing a craigslist ad....

Seriously tho "weak up till 8k" is kinda how these motors work, and trying to get more out of the bottom just hurts you one the top end. It's an alright motor but I find it to be very unsmooth at city speeds (less than 8k) and it rarely sees above 8k, even on the backroads. I'm like the OP in wanting more smoothness and low end power, and I'll do that buy getting another bike with a different kind of motor.

I4s are fun and the power hit you get is good for making me smile, but for a street bike they're just the complete wrong motor.

Inline 4 do not have to be peaky the FZ6 is basically a worked over race motor. If you ever try a Honda hornet 600 or a FZ6R you will see a 600cc I4 can have a good usable low end great mid power and still get you in trouble at the top.

Of course after you get a few miles on the FZ6 it will be easier to ride in city traffic. But it's never going to be a torque monster. Most mods are to increase top end and many will even sacrifice the low end some.

Its things like this that make me like older bikes in some ways.
You could do so many things to increase your hp and torque.
Cam swaps, head porting, boring, lightened cranks. The list goes on. And all you had to do was really get a few different jet sizes and spend some time tuning.
I suppose that could be done with a power commander but I am sure there is a limit to how much the injectors will push out. It becomes a much more expensive game with modern bikes.

An FZ1, my '06 is for sale.

vinmansbrew said:

Its things like this that make me like older bikes in some ways.
You could do so many things to increase your hp and torque.
Cam swaps, head porting, boring, lightened cranks. The list goes on. And all you had to do was really get a few different jet sizes and spend some time tuning.
I suppose that could be done with a power commander but I am sure there is a limit to how much the injectors will push out. It becomes a much more expensive game with modern bikes.

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hmm - how many carbed sport bikes make 2.6hp per c.i. or 0.16hp cc. from the factory. I think Yamaha beat ya too it on this one (think R6, detuned).

It is not all about the hp though. And besides, for less than the cost of an fz6, I can port and bore, drop in a cam and a few other bits and top my cb at 100 hp and have more torque. The point is that modern bikes are poor tuning platforms unless you are willing to sacrifice your bike to try things. I can't just go and choose from a selection of different cam profiles to fit what I want.
I am betting pistons are not overly easy to find either if you want to bore the motor. Is there a vast array of injectors to choose from? Things like THIS is what I am talking about. There are very few motor mods available, everything is minor, even a power commander is minor really.
Everyone talks about lack of torque on these motors, a simple boring job could add a fair amount.
You just have to have grown up around older, more flexible machines to understand I guess.

vinmansbrew said:

It is not all about the hp though. And besides, for less than the cost of an fz6, I can port and bore, drop in a cam and a few other bits and top my cb at 100 hp and have more torque. The point is that modern bikes are poor tuning platforms unless you are willing to sacrifice your bike to try things. I can't just go and choose from a selection of different cam profiles to fit what I want.
I am betting pistons are not overly easy to find either if you want to bore the motor. Is there a vast array of injectors to choose from? Things like THIS is what I am talking about. There are very few motor mods available, everything is minor, even a power commander is minor really.
Everyone talks about lack of torque on these motors, a simple boring job could add a fair amount.
You just have to have grown up around older, more flexible machines to understand I guess.

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Actually they make all kinds of stuff for our motors, it will be advertised as r6 parts but we have a r6 engine, you can get a big bore kit, all kinds of different cams, the possibilities are endless unfortunately funds are not

Maybe I am used to wide array of parts available then as I find the choices pretty lacking, comparatively speaking. It also doesn't seem like many here do much more than change the exhaust and mod the air box. Of course, there are a few that do more than just that.

Then again, it could just be me. I came from sites where the ratio was about 50/50 for those who leave their bike stock and those who can't leave anything alone. I guess I grew up that way too. So it is very possible that this is all in my head. Sad thing is, I am not even middle aged yet. So, maybe I just shut up and read more.:Lurking:

vinmansbrew said:

Maybe I am used to wide array of parts available then as I find the choices pretty lacking, comparatively speaking. It also doesn't seem like many here do much more than change the exhaust and mod the air box. Of course, there are a few that do more than just that.

Then again, it could just be me. I came from sites where the ratio was about 50/50 for those who leave their bike stock and those who can't leave anything alone. I guess I grew up that way too. So it is very possible that this is all in my head. Sad thing is, I am not even middle aged yet. So, maybe I just shut up and read more.:Lurking:

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Your right in the fact that a lot of people haven't done much to their bikes here other than exhaust and tune, but you have to remember the fz6 is considered a "standard bike" that most people use for either commuting or light sports touring so most fz6 owners are not interested in heavily modding the engine compared to r6 owners, but it can be done if you know where to look. Also the general train of thought here is if you wanted a R6 buy a R6, and don't try to make the fz into something it's not. I'm on the other side where I would like the performance of the R6 with the riding position comfort of the fz.

I am like you, I do not want the hunched over position of the r6. I do not feel there is anything wrong with making a bike how you want it though. I mean, if that were the case, then people should be saying "if you wanted a naked bike, then you should buy one." I think it is fun taking a bike and making it into what YOU want. Even if it does not make sense to some.
Wouldn't it be fun to take an fz, and mod it so that it performs like an r6. I am sure you are familiar with the term "sleeper".

Oh yeah same here, if I had the time and money I would have already done a big bore kit, cams, head job etc etc etc

Read my sig, I think there is more to be had by corner speed than engine pull as the stock suspension is severely lacking.

biggest mod for me was the R6 forks and that is SOOOOooooooo worth it! It transforms this bike into something it should have been all along.

I've done all that to my 125's, 250s and even a 500 -> 650 with a big bore kit. The 250 and 500 were both XR R's and had good suspension. But lacked power.

My stand up Jet ski a 650 kawa, was bored, ported, polished, reeds, cages, carb, head, prop, grate, blah blah blah, I've been there and done it. Money is the factor these days. So making the FZ handle was my big ticket item and I'll pick away at the little stuff latter. I'm not drag racer so the corners and brakes are what matter at this moment!