Uber Maintenance

[Heywood]

Yesterday was a boat load of maintenance on the front of the FZ6. Having recently acquired the bike and having looked it over it was going to need some maintenance and upgrades to get it to my spec. For some reason the person that serviced the front brakes thought that if a little grease on the caliper bolts was ok, then a lot all over the caliper would be better. Thanks to some posts here and the FSM the following work was performed.
New Bridgestone S21 front tire & 1oz balance beads
Degreased front brake calipers
New EBC FA199HH front brake pads
Drained / flushed shocks, refilled w/ Maxim 7 wt. (springs installed upside down from factory, & fluid was murky brown)
Flushed front brake Master cylinder - DOT 4
Installed new Goodridge Stainless Shadow Brake Line Kit YA1171-2FCBK (Personal feeling is that these are 1.5" too long)
Installed T-Rex Racing front axle slider

It took about 9 hours, I'm slow and old. I wrangled with the front tire dismount / mount for a couple hours (1st time trying that myself) and couldn't get it mounted so I had to take it to a shop. I'm pretty sore today and I still need to replace the rear tire, flush the rear brake line and replace with stainless, not sure my back will let me do that today

 

[TKBone]

Respect! Coolant is worth a look too

 

[Heywood]

Respect! Coolant is worth a look too

Yep that's on my list. The PO mentioned it was flushed about a year and a half ago (probably that really means 5...) First time I've seen a radiator cap with a screw in it to keep it locked on.

I mustered up enough gumption today to finish the maintenance. I did get the rear tire dismounted (easy part) and mounted. Looked like someone used "Slime" in the past as there was still bits of it stuck to the inside of the rim and bead areas. I'll be watching tire pressure on the rear to ensure it's not leaking around the bead. Coming from my Versys where chain slack is 1.25" max to the FZ6 where 2" is still in spec is odd and seem like a lot.
Probably the best and most noticeable mod was the change of fork oil to 7wt. Yuuuge difference for the better! Oh and it's nice to stop now too!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Yep, 2" total up and down play (after clean and lube) at the tightest point is CRITICAL...

Also, lube that clutch cable, makes a big difference in the pull...

Tires are the ONLY thing that goes to the shop for. I won't wrestle with them (and don't want to tear up the black painted rims), well worth the $, IMO.. (I remove the wheels, no one else wrenches on my bike but myself).


What year bike? S1 or S2? Mileage?

If over 26,600 miles, a valve check should be performed too..

 

[Gary in NJ]

Drained / flushed shocks, refilled w/ Maxim 7 wt. (springs installed upside down from factory, & fluid was murky brown)

Springs don't have an orientation. They work the same either way...but our OCD demands otherwise.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Springs don't have an orientation. They work the same either way...but our OCD demands otherwise.

I suspect Yamaha wants the spacer at the top so all spring movement, is in oil (or at least closer to it).

Spacers don't need oil, thus, put it up top.

One LESS thing for the spring to support and another part moving inside the fork (minimal as it is)..

 

[Gary in NJ]

Yes, the spacer should be at the top of the fork. But the OP stated that the "spring" was installed upside-down. There is no "upside" of a fork spring.

 

[Heywood]

Yep, 2" total up and down play (after clean and lube) at the tightest point is CRITICAL...

Also, lube that clutch cable, makes a big difference in the pull...

Tires are the ONLY thing that goes to the shop for. I won't wrestle with them (and don't want to tear up the black painted rims), well worth the $, IMO.. (I remove the wheels, no one else wrenches on my bike but myself).


What year bike? S1 or S2? Mileage?

If over 26,600 miles, a valve check should be performed too..

It's an S1 - 2006 with 11k miles. Clutch cable lubed a week ago. I'm with you on doing my own work, I've had to redo / repair too many "professionals" work.

 

[Heywood]

Yes, the spacer should be at the top of the fork. But the OP stated that the "spring" was installed upside-down. There is no "upside" of a fork spring.

Upside down as to what is called out in the FSM. It will still compress at the same rate regardless of orientation. But yes, OCD

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Yes, the spacer should be at the top of the fork. But the OP stated that the "spring" was installed upside-down. There is no "upside" of a fork spring.

Actually there is an up and a down to this spring. This applies to both the S1 bike and S2 bike

The "TOP" of the spring is wound tighter than the bottom (see below).

I suspect as the bottom of the lower fork leg is actually moving, Yamaha wants the "wider" end of the spring at the bottom where initial (soft bumps especially) will be absorbed slightly better.

I'm not an engineer, however if Yamaha wants it installed that way, why wouldn't you???







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[Gary in NJ]

Of course the CORRECT answer is to replace the progressive wound spring with a straight-rate spring. And then bypass the hole in the damping rod with a proper rate-based valve such as a Gold Valve Emulator. Then the spring can go in any way you prefer...and the suspension will no longer be spooky. It's the single best investment you can make on an FZ or any bike with damping rod forks.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well, the op just posted about changing the fork oil and spring orientation. This is another subject altogether but just to add...


Actually, a much cheaper, works extremely well, looses the "sagging spring issue" is AIR.

In the older days (and still in some newer bikes), air was used for suspension. As it compresses, it's like a progressive spring.

I installed Schrader air valves to my stock fork caps about 3 years ago and couldn't be happier..

About 17 PSI in each leg is good for me. Not too stiff, eliminates the excessive sag, ride is MUCH better..

Air also keeps the fork seals tight (no oil seepage what so ever). I might loose 3 PSI in a year and have to top them off.

Plus I can adjust them tighter or looser easily. No fork tear downs, no valves, etc.. Nice and simple and very effective:


(If you do a search, I posted stock fork sag, sag with x lbs PSI in the forks, etc, about 3 years ago)..