Bought a 2nd FZ6!!! Header pipe blueing question...

[tasop7]

So I just bought my 2nd FZ6, a Blue 2007 FZ6 to be exact. I love the changes they made from the older ones (I also have a blue '06). I can actually see what the RPMs are in the sunlight now lol. I initially bought it as an upgrade and I was going to sell the '06, but since my wife has her class M I will probably keep them both for a while. I can't wait to see the heads turn as my wife and I ride together with 2 almost identical looking FZ6's. Here is a picture of it... and yes, frame sliders are on order. I also just put the stock turn signals back on because I prefer to be SEEN over how the bike looks. It has/had integrated led turn signals in the taillight that were just not too visible for me.

One thing I did notice from the start is the blueing towards the top of the header pipes. I have seen a few pictures of other FZ6's with the same thing, but my '06 doesn't have any blueing. I've read that an improper fuel mixture can cause this. What do you guys thing? If it's something I should be concerned about, how do I correct this problem? Another thing I noticed is that the blueing is just on 2 pipes and not all 4.

Here are a few pics...

Also, in regards to the spots towards the bottom of the pipes, what would you guess that's from (maybe some kind of other cleaning solution overspray)? Would a header pipe cleaner take care of that?

Thanks guys! :thumbup:

 

[brian-oki]

my 06 did that also, you can buy MOTHERS POLISH, I have heard that,and some fine steel wool can take out the gold,and blue in the pipes. Please double check me before you do it.

 

[LERecords]

cool looking bike.. now you need pictures with both of them together

 

[tasop7]

cool looking bike.. now you need pictures with both of them together

Yeah, I'll post some pics when I clean the 06 to look as shiny as the 07 :thumbup:

 

[Boneman]

cool looking bike.. now you need pictures with both of them together

Don't get em too close together or you'll end up with little baby FZ6s!!

 

[tasop7]

Don't get em too close together or you'll end up with little baby FZ6s!!

:rof: I can just see it now... a couple 50cc mini FZ6's

 

[FZ1inNH]

Congrats! Nice bike! and two of them!?!? Lucky! Make one a track bike.

As for the blue pipes... those are SHINY compared to mine. Mine have zero luster to them at this point. It's not because it is tuned improperly, at least in my case. It's how hard I run the bike. Apparently I put the bike to the test. Maybe I'll get motivated and try the Mother's Polish on them, see what they look like? But it took me ALL this time to get them to match the frame! :thumbup:

 

[FZ1inNH]

:rof: I can just see it now... a couple 50cc mini FZ6's

How about some FZ.6 pocket bikes?

 

[tasop7]

I appreciate the responses so far, but I would really like to hear from more members on this site (we have how many people online at any given time!?). Anyone else have any blueing? Anyone else know if it's something I should worry about or is it normal? I guess I'm just more concerned because only half the pipes have it... does that mean something is not running evenly? Upon doing a Google search, the people that have the same blueing have it on all 4 pipes. I have read about some of the causes... bike is mis-timed, running lean, more air than gas, etc. All of which cause too much heat.

Anyone, anyone??

 

[Wildcard]

Its going to turn color. Its stainless steel pipe. As it heats up, it starts turning color (blue). The specks and what not are dirt, grime, bugs, whatever else that has hit the pipe and burned up. You can't really clean it off with just polish. Easiest is to take the pipes off and sand them a bit to get that shine back. I have polished mine from time to time, but can't be bothered too much anymore. With the amount of use I put on the bike, I don't really care about the pipes anymore haha. I'm just going to get the lower cowling soon.

 

[squirly]

I also have this same spotting and huband wants me to show the dealer because he feels it's coating that wasn't applied right at the factory and the heat is burning it off or though. I'm with you and would love some answers we have tried polish and it doesn't seem to remove the spots I like the blue effect just not the spots

 

[tuningfork]

The bluing can be removed with "simichrome" polish. it is from heat, yes.

The 2007 has closed loop fueling which means it uses the O2 sensor for feedback to constantly adjust the mixture. This may result is a leaner mixture than your 2006, it is trying to maintain 14.7:1 AFR at idle and cruise/part-throttle which will burn hot (and clean).

Because there is only 1 sensor shared by all 4 cylinders, what the sensor "sees" is a mixture of gasses from all 4 cylinders, it will then come up with a "correction" +/- that results in this average gas mixture being within specs.

This is all good and well if all of the cylinders are balanced. By balanced I mean the injectors are identical ,the airflow is identical, the ignition is identical, compression is identical, etc. If anything is out of whack then you WILL get cylinders that are a bit lean and cylinders that are a bit rich...the computer is only smart enough to know what the average result is from all 4.

So, what I am saying is I would check the bike for imbalances...#1 do a TB sync and check the TPS voltage this will ensure balanced airflow...#2 check the condition of the spark plugs to ensure balanced firing. #3 if you are anal get the injectors balanced/blueprinted to ensure they provide identical fuel for a given pulse width. A dyno shop can assist with a power balance test perhaps.

You can use an infrared thermometer to measure each header pipe (they should be pretty close in temp) to help diagnose a "hot" cylinder. Then after you check the things I mention above, re-measure the temps to see how you've improved it.

 

[Wildcard]

The spots are just crap from the road that hits the pipes. People, most pipes are hidden behind fairings, or in terms of a car, in an engine bay and are not normally subjected to the harsh conditions of the road. The pipes on the FZ are out in the open, subject to all the elements. This is not an issue with coating or anything like that. High temps + bugs/dirt/grime = spots on pipes. It is something you will have to deal with. The pipes on bikes even with fairings will lose its luster over time.

 

[tasop7]

The bluing can be removed with "simichrome" polish. it is from heat, yes.

The 2007 has closed loop fueling which means it uses the O2 sensor for feedback to constantly adjust the mixture. This may result is a leaner mixture than your 2006, it is trying to maintain 14.7:1 AFR at idle and cruise/part-throttle which will burn hot (and clean).

Because there is only 1 sensor shared by all 4 cylinders, what the sensor "sees" is a mixture of gasses from all 4 cylinders, it will then come up with a "correction" +/- that results in this average gas mixture being within specs.

This is all good and well if all of the cylinders are balanced. By balanced I mean the injectors are identical ,the airflow is identical, the ignition is identical, compression is identical, etc. If anything is out of whack then you WILL get cylinders that are a bit lean and cylinders that are a bit rich...the computer is only smart enough to know what the average result is from all 4.

So, what I am saying is I would check the bike for imbalances...#1 do a TB sync and check the TPS voltage this will ensure balanced airflow...#2 check the condition of the spark plugs to ensure balanced firing. #3 if you are anal get the injectors balanced/blueprinted to ensure they provide identical fuel for a given pulse width. A dyno shop can assist with a power balance test perhaps.

You can use an infrared thermometer to measure each header pipe (they should be pretty close in temp) to help diagnose a "hot" cylinder. Then after you check the things I mention above, re-measure the temps to see how you've improved it.

Now this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Thanks for the very helpful and informative post! I haven't done a whole lot of mechanical work on bikes so I will definitely need some help or be pointed in the right direction as far as checking some of the stuff you mentioned. For now, however, I can go out and buy an infrared thermometer to check the temps of each pipe.

If it is indeed unbalanced, I just don't want to keep running it that way. Out of curiosity, what will be the worst thing that can happen if it is unbalanced and continues to run that way? Can this cause permanent damage to parts of the bike?

Thanks again! :thumbup:

 

[tuningfork]

depends how far off. if the bike seems to run smoothly then it is probably safe to ride. I think you would notice if one cylinder was way off..weak idle, jumpy cruise, etc.. Most likely it might just need a TB sync checkup. Any bluing you get should be pretty consistent in color from tube to tube.

Anything you can do to balance things out will make it run better so would be worth doing anyway IMO.

I agree with Wildcard on the spots though (A good reason to get the cowl!) :thumbup: