Losing Weight

So I love my Fz6, but after having ridden my friend's bike (ninja 650), it's starting to become more apparent that the fz6 is a pretty top-heavy bike. I understand that it is a sport-tourer and that it isn't a SS, but have any of you done any mods to make it a bit lighter and flickable.

Some thoughts:

Lower the bike 2" (will lower the amount of cornering clearance though)

Smaller tank, stock one is pretty big

Sort out the front suspension (stock one is a bit spongy, would stiffening it up with 10w oil help the bike be a bit more flickable and help with the vague front end feel in corners)

Any thoughts

I wouldn't lower the bike if you don't have issues reaching the ground with your feet.

Smaller tank won't weigh much less and will likely not look all that good.

1. Simplest solution: pretend you have a smaller tank and don't fill up all the way. 1 gallon weighs roughly 6 pounds.

2: battery sits way up high right under the tank. Replace it with Shorai. That's another ~7 pounds off the top.

3. Exhaust. Almost any aftermarket pipe will weigh at least 8 pounds less than stock and most of that weight will be shaved from the top.

Suspension work will definitely help with flickability. Many options there.. racetech springs, emulators, R6 fork... etc.

Another free thing you can try: slide the fork legs up in the trees about 10mm (make sure it's even on both sides.. 10mm is a good starting point). That will immediately give the bike a more flickable feel, at the cost of slightly lower stability.

Erci has good recommendations. Especially the exhaust - the stock exhaust is quite massive.

I also hate to be the guy, buuuut ... don't sleep on the idea of a pilot diet?

Get an R6 and raise up the handlebars (honestly this'll be the best tactic, not trying to be a jerk)

iviyth0s said:

Get an R6 and raise up the handlebars (honestly this'll be the best tactic, not trying to be a jerk)

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Feet will be way up and tucked back though. Certainly doable though.

You must have it set up wrong....my bike is super flickable, the R6 forks have something to do with it but its also how they are setup, mine are dropped 10mm thru the trees.

check your front tire pressure, whenever mine feels off its always the front tire thats low, it is starting to get cooler so that will affect it.

Erci said:

Feet will be way up and tucked back though. Certainly doable though.

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Can that be adjusted though, I feel like there'd be less to do to get it FZ-esque but having many of the much harder FZ->R6 conversions "done"

You can convert to a naked FZ6.

iviyth0s said:

Can that be adjusted though, I feel like there'd be less to do to get it FZ-esque but having many of the much harder FZ->R6 conversions "done"

Click to expand...

You'd need different rear-sets. I doubt there's anything for R6 that will put the pegs as low and as far forward as they are on FZ6.

FZ6 overlayed with R6.. take a look at the pegs (of course the seat on R6 is much higher, so the distance from seat to peg isn't really shorter)

Get a real set of tires, Q3s, lower your forks 15mm, go ride.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys. I really like the idea of lowering the front forks a bit, maybe the change in rake for the bike will help with the front end feel

Yeah, I don't really want to lower the bike, as there are too many issues with doing that and I like the stock ride height.
As far as the suspension goes, I know that the front suspension is a bit too soft (going to be ordering some race tech springs and different oil next week when I get paid). I don't think that will help with making the bike more flickable, but it might help a bit more with giving it a slightly sportier feel)
I think I'll try sliding up the front forks 10mm this weekend and giving it a shot at the canyons.

I'm not trying to make my bike into a supersport or anything. I love my bike the way it is and understand it's limitations and strengths. It just feels like it's a bit slow to flick in the corner.

Why would I go on a diet, when I can just make my bike do it instead

Another stupid question:

Do I need fork spacers to drop the forks down 10mm, or can I just lower the forks and tighten the clamps up that way?

Thanks for all the info

jsalman93 said:

Another stupid question:

Do I need fork spacers to drop the forks down 10mm, or can I just lower the forks and tighten the clamps up that way?

Thanks for all the info

Click to expand...

Just loosen the bolts of the triple trees, slide the legs up in the trees and re-tighten bolts. Nothing else is needed.

Besides the air and type of tires, check the shape of your current tires. I mostly commute and get a nasty flat spot down the middle of my rear when it gets worn. The bike gets really sluggish and heavy in turns when this happens. It always surprises the heck out of me how much easier the bike is to turn when I get a new rear tire. Feels like it just wants to fall into a turn.

jsalman93 said:

So I love my Fz6, but after having ridden my friend's bike (ninja 650), it's starting to become more apparent that the fz6 is a pretty top-heavy bike. I understand that it is a sport-tourer and that it isn't a SS, but have any of you done any mods to make it a bit lighter and flickable.

Some thoughts:

Lower the bike 2" (will lower the amount of cornering clearance though)

Smaller tank, stock one is pretty big

Sort out the front suspension (stock one is a bit spongy, would stiffening it up with 10w oil help the bike be a bit more flickable and help with the vague front end feel in corners)

Any thoughts

Click to expand...

learn to countersteer effectively, and throw your body into the turn when initiating the flick. i find the FZ to be a very flickable bike, obviously not compared to a SS.

I already have pretty good technique with countersteering and body positioning (of course, it could always use improvement). I do have a slight flat spot in the middle or my rear tire from commuting, but it's very small and doesn't seem to do too much.
I'm starting to take a harder look at the front suspension on my bike. the rear is set just fine, but no matter what, the front forks just seem really bouncy. Would changing springs or at least oil help the front end feel a bit more planted? I would imagnie this would also help the bike be a bit more responsive when flicking it into corners

jsalman93 said:

Would changing springs or at least oil help the front end feel a bit more planted? I would imagnie this would also help the bike be a bit more responsive when flicking it into corners

Click to expand...

Changing oil can help reduce the bouncy feel. However, you need to keep in mind that the internals on this fork are very basic. Same oil is used for rebound and compression. So if you go with thicker oil, it'll be less bouncy, but at the same time it may fee a bit harsh.

More response when flicking? Oil won't help with that. The tip in is a combination of motorcycle geometry (trail, wheelbase, etc), tires (general shape/profile and available grip) and technique. Great suspension is more about keeping as much contact with the tarmac as possible at all times, allowing you to keep your intended line once turned in, and reducing possibility of losing grip.

Hellgate said:

Get a real set of tires, Q3s, lower your forks 15mm, go ride.

Click to expand...

Erci said:

I wouldn't lower the bike if you don't have issues reaching the ground with your feet.

Smaller tank won't weigh much less and will likely not look all that good.

1. Simplest solution: pretend you have a smaller tank and don't fill up all the way. 1 gallon weighs roughly 6 pounds.

2: battery sits way up high right under the tank. Replace it with Shorai. That's another ~7 pounds off the top.

3. Exhaust. Almost any aftermarket pipe will weigh at least 8 pounds less than stock and most of that weight will be shaved from the top.

Suspension work will definitely help with flickability. Many options there.. racetech springs, emulators, R6 fork... etc.

Another free thing you can try: slide the fork legs up in the trees about 10mm (make sure it's even on both sides.. 10mm is a good starting point). That will immediately give the bike a more flickable feel, at the cost of slightly lower stability.

Click to expand...

1. Tires: whether you get Q3's or Pilot Power 3's or S20's they are all hypersport tires and will have awesome lean in for the first 1-2,000 miles. Then they will flatten out as was mentioned, especially if you commute. As soon as you start to get the flat spot started turn in will require more and more effort till you get a new set.

2. Adjust the forks height to increase the rake of the bike will make turn in sharper. Having your suspension properly set will make a huge difference. When I first had my Fz1 the suspension was set up terribly. I took it into a local race shop and they set everything up ($30) perfectly and made turn in a lot easier (flickable). The stock fork springs are set up for a 150-160 pound rider, any heavier an you could get even better set up with new fork springs ($110 springs plus $150-200 is for fork rebuild by shop). Then a rear shock/spring ($800-1500) with appropriate weight and preload/rebound set up will be amazing ($80-120 for install).

3. Battery: Shorai ($150) I think saves 7 pounds like ERCI said.

4. Exhaust: Save 8-10 pounds there.

5. Rider Mod: lose some weight, get more flexible, strengthen your lower half. Being able to stay on the balls of your feet and hover your body off to the side of bike during transitions to lean in make it easier to flick the bike.

6. Go naked/streetfighter: The fairing stay, headlight housing, plastics, windshield all add weight. However, you lose your wind protection from high speeds.

I'm no longer on an Fz6 but on the Fz1 now. I can say that the Fz6 is very flickable by comparison. I've ridden an R6 and Zx6R and will say that the Fz6 is not a supersport but it is pretty dang close on the spectrum of motorcycles. I've done all the mods listed above on my Fz1 (except the suspension upgrades) and it's a very stable, flickable and easy bike to ride. I already push the limit on the street and any more it should be on a track anyway.

Ssky0078 said:

1. Tires: whether you get Q3's or Pilot Power 3's or S20's they are all hypersport tires and will have awesome lean in for the first 1-2,000 miles. Then they will flatten out as was mentioned, especially if you commute. As soon as you start to get the flat spot started turn in will require more and more effort till you get a new set.

2. Adjust the forks height to increase the rake of the bike will make turn in sharper. Having your suspension properly set will make a huge difference. When I first had my Fz1 the suspension was set up terribly. I took it into a local race shop and they set everything up ($30) perfectly and made turn in a lot easier (flickable). The stock fork springs are set up for a 150-160 pound rider, any heavier an you could get even better set up with new fork springs ($110 springs plus $150-200 is for fork rebuild by shop). Then a rear shock/spring ($800-1500) with appropriate weight and preload/rebound set up will be amazing ($80-120 for install).

3. Battery: Shorai ($150) I think saves 7 pounds like ERCI said.

4. Exhaust: Save 8-10 pounds there.

5. Rider Mod: lose some weight, get more flexible, strengthen your lower half. Being able to stay on the balls of your feet and hover your body off to the side of bike during transitions to lean in make it easier to flick the bike.

6. Go naked/streetfighter: The fairing stay, headlight housing, plastics, windshield all add weight. However, you lose your wind protection from high speeds.

I'm no longer on an Fz6 but on the Fz1 now. I can say that the Fz6 is very flickable by comparison. I've ridden an R6 and Zx6R and will say that the Fz6 is not a supersport but it is pretty dang close on the spectrum of motorcycles. I've done all the mods listed above on my Fz1 (except the suspension upgrades) and it's a very stable, flickable and easy bike to ride. I already push the limit on the street and any more it should be on a track anyway.

Click to expand...

Excellent advice. I'm going to do oil and adjusting the height tomorrow (only day off), and then possibily go with new springs or taking it to a race shop if it's not too much. I don't mind the ride quality of the bike, even on long rides, I could sacrifice a bit of ride comfort for a bit more sporting ability.

Will report back tomorrow afternoon