bike stored for 3 years

[macem29]

ok, putting an '07 FZ6 into service after almost no use, 1,300 kms on the clock,

have changed the oil and installed a new K/N filter
adjusted/cleaned/lubed the chain
checked tires and adjusted pressures
fresh gas
charged, topped-up battery

I think I'm good-to-go to put it in service, it was stored indoors the whole
time, appears in new condition, and it runs great, any other recommendations?

 

[FZ6-ZN]

Now ride it...

FZ6-ZN

 

[macem29]

Now ride it...

FZ6-ZN

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/30543-first-ride-impressions.html

 

[Fz6Sa]

ok, putting an '07 FZ6 into service after almost no use, 1,300 kms on the clock,

have changed the oil and installed a new K/N filter
adjusted/cleaned/lubed the chain
checked tires and adjusted pressures
fresh gas
charged, topped-up battery

I think I'm good-to-go to put it in service, it was stored indoors the whole
time, appears in new condition, and it runs great, any other recommendations?

Change brake & coolant fluids? as I remember it, both have a 2 years life span.

 

[RJ2112]

ok, putting an '07 FZ6 into service after almost no use, 1,300 kms on the clock,

have changed the oil and installed a new K/N filter
adjusted/cleaned/lubed the chain
checked tires and adjusted pressures
fresh gas
charged, topped-up battery

I think I'm good-to-go to put it in service, it was stored indoors the whole
time, appears in new condition, and it runs great, any other recommendations?

The bike should be fine..... sounds like you did well with the storage. Fork oil and brake fluid should be done, as has been suggested.

The biggest risk factor at this point is going to be the rider...... if for whatever reason you've been off bikes for 3 years; it's pretty easy to hop back on and go for a spin, and it's really easy to lose the mental edge required to do it well.

Might be worth taking a refresher course of some sort, instead of sorting it out as you go down the road.

As your by line says Khandahar, please let me say thank you for going there and doing what you did.

I recall vividly, how much my perception of speed changed, after going on 6 months deployments on board ship, and being a pedestrian for that whole time. First couple of trips in a car were a rush, lemmee tell ya.

ATGATT, keep the boozing to a minimum, keep your head in the game, and it'll all come back without any trouble at all.

 

[macem29]

thanks for the advice RJ, was hoping you'd check-in this thread....
gotta change that location thingy, been back in Ontario for a month now,
and I've been off 2 wheels since about 1990...the refresher is also a good
idea, and they're ain't no boozin' goin on, put the plug in the jug for good,
hear you about the speed thing, lived at Kandahar Airfield for a year, speed
limit of 20MPH on base, I've had a really hard time adjusting to going anywhere
near the limit on the roads here

 

[RJ2112]

My only other concern with the tires would be whether they have developed flat spots, or dry rot where they contacted the pavement. I take it the bike was on the center stand?

Did you have a scrap of carpet, or cardboard between the front tire and the concrete, if in a garage?

I sold a bike when my son was born in 1989, and didn't touch another one until 2001. Fell right back into it. That was a 40 HP cruiser.... couldn't get in anywhere near as much trouble as you can with the Fizzer. Limited ground clearance kept the corner speeds low, and the lack of HP kept it under 90 or so.

When I replaced that with the '05 FZ6, I was a happy guy. Had sold the VZ800C about 2 years before I bought the FZ, so I had a break in riding similar to your current one.

The FZ surprised me with it's brakes..... stab hard at them, and you can lock the front wheel at any speed. The front end has soft enough springs that it has a lot of 'dive' on the brakes, and that tends to mask lock up.

The correct application to get maximum braking effort is to PROGRESSIVELY apply them. Gentle squeeze, until the front end settles.... then, when the weight transfer has occurred, you can add a LOT more front brakes without skidding the front. Spread that first touch over 1/2 a second, before grabbing all you can, and you'll be rewarded with strong braking power.

Yeah... I can't say there is ever enough training you can do for riding. Looking where you want to go, counter steering, threat assessment, inclement weather adjustments, blind spot avoidance...... it's a really good idea to revisit all of that. Head on a swivel, never trust the cars around you, keep your space bubble.... anticipate 'choke points' so you can take corrective action in advance.......

In my case, I also found out that my night vision went to sh*t in about 3 years. (between 35 and 40...) Don't discount physiological changes, too.

Getting old sucks. But compared to not getting old, it beats that one all to heck.

 

[macem29]

yeah, in my mid 40's and night vision has gone drastically downhill,
in the dark and rain? forget about it....noticed a new one since I
got home, tinnitus...constant ringing in the ears, I lived in a tent
500 yards from a runway for a year and wore my in-ear type headphones
for about 5 hours a day...never noticed the ringing there with the 24hr
background noise, now there's a rock concert going on inside my head...
been reading up on it and there's 2 major causes: high decibels and over
use of ipod type headphones...doh! wanna know the remedy? riding....
the wind noise perfectly cancels out the rock concert in my head

 

[RJ2112]

yeah, in my mid 40's and night vision has gone drastically downhill,
in the dark and rain? forget about it....noticed a new one since I
got home, tinnitus...constant ringing in the ears, I lived in a tent
500 yards from a runway for a year and wore my in-ear type headphones
for about 5 hours a day...never noticed the ringing there with the 24hr
background noise, now there's a rock concert going on inside my head...
been reading up on it and there's 2 major causes: high decibels and over
use of ipod type headphones...doh! wanna know the remedy? riding....
the wind noise perfectly cancels out the rock concert in my head

I believe you'd notice a significant reduction in the tinnitus if you eliminate all the noise sources for a while. I know I used to really, really like loud head banging music.... best way for me to concentrate, is to drown out all the other noises. Used to love rock concerts.

10 years of shipboard life? On an aircraft carrier or three? That's living inside a factory. Lots of ventilation noise, and a cacophony of hard violent noises from launch and recovery ops.

My hearing is sensitive to loud stuff now... I get fatigued hearing pretty easily. The rumble and pop of the air coming off that '05's fairing was pretty brutal to my ears. HAD to wear ear plugs, if I wanted to hear anything else that day. Couldn't take cranking up ear buds, to be able to hear them over the wind noise. 90-95% of my time, I don't listen to anything except the peace and quiet of living in the country..... it's helped my hearing a lot.

 

[GConn]

As far as I know, tires start to deteriorate after 2.5-3 years. Check the manufacturing date on the side wall and add a new set to your shopping list. Doesn't mean your current ones are dangerous or something, but a fresh set of rubber always stops better and grips better. Just my 2c

 

[tomari]

As far as I know, tires start to deteriorate after 2.5-3 years. Check the manufacturing date on the side wall and add a new set to your shopping list. Doesn't mean your current ones are dangerous or something, but a fresh set of rubber always stops better and grips better. Just my 2c

my old tires was 4 years old, they had plenty of tire left on them but they where so dry, like a plastic! i couldn't get them warm even after hard braking accelerating cornering stoping/starting skidding donnuting they where cold and just parts of them started popping away. be vary carefull with old tires i remember cornering 30km slower than with my car in the same corners and still understeer like hell

the comparison with a new set was like " am i on rails or smth?" now im 30km faster than my car and there is some potential for more