Carlos840
Junior Member
Well, last week end was a long week end...
As some of you know, i had started to modifie my FZ6 pretty heavily, my last update had been the addition of new fork springs and new fork oil, and although the result was great, i was always curious how much a good quality shock and some Gold Valves Emulators could do to the bike.
I know have the answer!
So, i got started with the Gold Valves Emulators, the instal is pretty straight forward, if you have done the oil change it's pretty much the exact same thing once again, apart from the fact that you have to remove actual damper rods to drill them. Simple enough. Although i was happy with 10w oil with just the springs, i decided to go with 15w with the emulators. I also used the yellow valve springs with 3 turns of pre-load
Then i attacked the rear, replacing the stock shock with a Shock Factory M-shock, they are handmade in France, buy Mike Capon, Ex from the EMC brand, after talking to him for a while we decided to upgrade the spring to a 13,4 kg/mm. The shock is adjustable for compression and rebound with a single knob adjusting both parameters.
The reason i went with this pretty unknown shock was mostly the price, they are a pretty new business, one man operation, have a 2 year warranty, can be serviced for cheap, and cost half of what a more famous band goes for.
There was no way i was going to spend a fortune on a Ohlin or something fancy, and this shock was to good a deal not to take the risk.
I also had a few calls with Mike, and he sounded like a very knowledgeable guy, in love with his work, and ready to take the time to get things right.
Now, the result.
I weight around 185lbs without gear and my stats are as follow:
Front static sag: 20mm
Front rider sag: 32mm
Rear static sag: 6mm
Rear rider sag: 28mm
To keep things short, it feels like i have a new bike!
What impressed me straight away isn't so much the comfort, to be perfectly honest, the bike is not that much more comfortable, suspension is pretty hard, and you will still feel very large bumps and pot holes.
It's the way the bike deals with things and how much better it tracks through the turns. Everything is so much more controlled and subtle, it's incredible.
Right now, it feels like nothing can upset the bike in turns any more.
Before, any small road imperfection in a turn would affect the line and get some sort of wobble in the bike, and try to make it fold on itself a little.
Now, nothing can unsettle it, it just keeps it's line, reacts amazingly to inputs, and completely absorbs any imperfection.
The most obvious way to judge it is the increase in entry speed in a few well known corners, i can enter the same corners 20mph faster and feel so much smoother doing so.
The last part of the upgrade was to change the brake lines to HEL performance dual lignes, front and rear. And to instal the new brake pads.
I went with Carbonne Lorraine carbone xbk5 (front only, kept stock in the rear), they really are great pads, for some reason not used much on our bike, but they have a good reputation on other forums, and they are well worth it.
The brakes are now pretty incredible, they are 1 finger for most things, two fingers and a smooth pull and the rear wheel is up in the air.
A lot more braking power, a great feel, and a very progressive bite.
I also installed some Techspec Gripster pads, and after riding with them for a day i can say they do what they say they do!
You don't really notice them that much, but they do offer a lot of grip, and make moving around the bike a lot easier. Definitely worth the money...
I think this is it for the mods, i will still be trying to go +2 in the rear soon, maybe do a 520 conversion on my next chain, and instal the setback plates.
I am also booked in to do a Dyno tuning with the co next week, will report back!
Apart from that i think i am done!
If any one is interested, here is the list of mods i have done, more or less in historical order:
-Simpson Detour belly pan
-PowerBronze seat cowl
-Evotech performance radiator cover
-R&G aero sliders + axle sliders
-Leo Vince exhaust + Evotech perfromance tail tidy
-Fz1 handlebars + Progrip 717 grip + mirrors
-Alumiunium footpegs
- -1 front sprocket + SpeedoHealer
-90mm/kg Racetech springs+ 10w oil
-Evotech Performance folding brake/clutch levers
-Racetech Gold Vavles Emulators + 15w oil
-Shoch Factory Mshock
-Hell Performance SS lines + CL xbk5
Just in case someone is interested, here are my top mods:
-1 in the front is top 1, it makes the bike so much more fun, it changes it's character and really makes it more fun to ride!
The FZ1 bars along with new grips and new footpegs. Top 2
The FZ1 bar gives you a lot more control, as do the grips and pegs, you wouldn't believe how much the stock ones slip around until you have used something else.
Fork springs in top 3, in a perfect world i would say replace the whole suspension, but the springs are the weakest link, and if you only have the budget to do one thing, do the springs.
If you can though, don't hesitate to do the whole suspension, it really is the weakest link of the FZ6 and you have no idea how much better it can be made without spending a stupid amount!
The FZ6 has now gone from a bike that i really loved to a bike i will never sell, it is that good...
Now, the best part:
As some of you know, i had started to modifie my FZ6 pretty heavily, my last update had been the addition of new fork springs and new fork oil, and although the result was great, i was always curious how much a good quality shock and some Gold Valves Emulators could do to the bike.
I know have the answer!
So, i got started with the Gold Valves Emulators, the instal is pretty straight forward, if you have done the oil change it's pretty much the exact same thing once again, apart from the fact that you have to remove actual damper rods to drill them. Simple enough. Although i was happy with 10w oil with just the springs, i decided to go with 15w with the emulators. I also used the yellow valve springs with 3 turns of pre-load
Then i attacked the rear, replacing the stock shock with a Shock Factory M-shock, they are handmade in France, buy Mike Capon, Ex from the EMC brand, after talking to him for a while we decided to upgrade the spring to a 13,4 kg/mm. The shock is adjustable for compression and rebound with a single knob adjusting both parameters.
The reason i went with this pretty unknown shock was mostly the price, they are a pretty new business, one man operation, have a 2 year warranty, can be serviced for cheap, and cost half of what a more famous band goes for.
There was no way i was going to spend a fortune on a Ohlin or something fancy, and this shock was to good a deal not to take the risk.
I also had a few calls with Mike, and he sounded like a very knowledgeable guy, in love with his work, and ready to take the time to get things right.
Now, the result.
I weight around 185lbs without gear and my stats are as follow:
Front static sag: 20mm
Front rider sag: 32mm
Rear static sag: 6mm
Rear rider sag: 28mm
To keep things short, it feels like i have a new bike!
What impressed me straight away isn't so much the comfort, to be perfectly honest, the bike is not that much more comfortable, suspension is pretty hard, and you will still feel very large bumps and pot holes.
It's the way the bike deals with things and how much better it tracks through the turns. Everything is so much more controlled and subtle, it's incredible.
Right now, it feels like nothing can upset the bike in turns any more.
Before, any small road imperfection in a turn would affect the line and get some sort of wobble in the bike, and try to make it fold on itself a little.
Now, nothing can unsettle it, it just keeps it's line, reacts amazingly to inputs, and completely absorbs any imperfection.
The most obvious way to judge it is the increase in entry speed in a few well known corners, i can enter the same corners 20mph faster and feel so much smoother doing so.
The last part of the upgrade was to change the brake lines to HEL performance dual lignes, front and rear. And to instal the new brake pads.
I went with Carbonne Lorraine carbone xbk5 (front only, kept stock in the rear), they really are great pads, for some reason not used much on our bike, but they have a good reputation on other forums, and they are well worth it.
The brakes are now pretty incredible, they are 1 finger for most things, two fingers and a smooth pull and the rear wheel is up in the air.
A lot more braking power, a great feel, and a very progressive bite.
I also installed some Techspec Gripster pads, and after riding with them for a day i can say they do what they say they do!
You don't really notice them that much, but they do offer a lot of grip, and make moving around the bike a lot easier. Definitely worth the money...
I think this is it for the mods, i will still be trying to go +2 in the rear soon, maybe do a 520 conversion on my next chain, and instal the setback plates.
I am also booked in to do a Dyno tuning with the co next week, will report back!
Apart from that i think i am done!
If any one is interested, here is the list of mods i have done, more or less in historical order:
-Simpson Detour belly pan
-PowerBronze seat cowl
-Evotech performance radiator cover
-R&G aero sliders + axle sliders
-Leo Vince exhaust + Evotech perfromance tail tidy
-Fz1 handlebars + Progrip 717 grip + mirrors
-Alumiunium footpegs
- -1 front sprocket + SpeedoHealer
-90mm/kg Racetech springs+ 10w oil
-Evotech Performance folding brake/clutch levers
-Racetech Gold Vavles Emulators + 15w oil
-Shoch Factory Mshock
-Hell Performance SS lines + CL xbk5
Just in case someone is interested, here are my top mods:
-1 in the front is top 1, it makes the bike so much more fun, it changes it's character and really makes it more fun to ride!
The FZ1 bars along with new grips and new footpegs. Top 2
The FZ1 bar gives you a lot more control, as do the grips and pegs, you wouldn't believe how much the stock ones slip around until you have used something else.
Fork springs in top 3, in a perfect world i would say replace the whole suspension, but the springs are the weakest link, and if you only have the budget to do one thing, do the springs.
If you can though, don't hesitate to do the whole suspension, it really is the weakest link of the FZ6 and you have no idea how much better it can be made without spending a stupid amount!
The FZ6 has now gone from a bike that i really loved to a bike i will never sell, it is that good...
Now, the best part:
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What are you running and what is the condition of most roads you ride?
