Help me diagnose a smoking fz6!!

[moo cow]

today when i left work i cranked up my 2005 fz6 (8k miles and very well maintained) and a co-worker said he noticed a some light puffs of smoke coming out of the exhaust. if let idling it would produce just barely enough white/grey smoke to be visible ONLY if you were really looking hard for it. with a few good twists of the throttle it produced a lot more.
so, i drove it home which takes 20 minutes and twisted it when i got home when the engine was warm. i couldn't produce the thick smoke like when it was cold but it definitely has a rich aroma to it.
should i be concerned?
is there an easy way to check to see if its a bad seal, rings, etc. or am i looking at taking it to a shop?
thanks

 

[champion221elite]

Any chance your crankcase is overfilled with oil? That might also have something to do with your diminished fuel mileage. Did your bike ever smoke before you ran the Honda oil?

 

[a_sick1]

mine does that all the time...is that not normal?

 

[reiobard]

how have the temperatures been in your area? as it gets colder you will notice more of the white condensation "smoke" come out of the bike. the air temperature combined with the bike being told to pump in more fuel with the colder denser air will make it smell rich as well...

 

[moo cow]

champion, the crankcase wasn't overfilled, it was just filled to the "max line" of the dipstick. but i drained some out anyway so now the oil comes the the middle of the dipstick ruler.
as for it smoking before, it would have a very, very light mist when warming up first thing in the morning not dependent on the temp. almost like the steam in your shower that rises straight up, not forcefully shooting out of the exhaust. i figured that was just condensation. it would do that in summer and winter. i have never really revved up the rpms when it is cold and just cranked up. always thought that wasn't so good for the motor. so when i did it today it was a bit alarming! it might have always done that if i had revved it up that much. so i'm not sure of that one.

reiobard, temp today was low/mid 60's. i'm sure the smoke will increase a bit in the cold but maybe 60's is cold enough?

 

[MarinaFazer]

sounds fine to me when it first starts and is cold. Take it to a dealer and ask about it for peace of mind if you want!

 

[Scab]

My bet is moisture in the exhaust system. It's gonna rain tonight/tomorrow. Lots of moisture in the air.


http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USGA0027?lswe=Athens,%20GA&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared&from=searchbox_typeahead

 

[reiobard]

champion, the crankcase wasn't overfilled, it was just filled to the \"max line\" of the dipstick. but i drained some out anyway so now the oil comes the the middle of the dipstick ruler.
as for it smoking before, it would have a very, very light mist when warming up first thing in the morning not dependent on the temp. almost like the steam in your shower that rises straight up, not forcefully shooting out of the exhaust. i figured that was just condensation. it would do that in summer and winter. i have never really revved up the rpms when it is cold and just cranked up. always thought that wasn't so good for the motor. so when i did it today it was a bit alarming! it might have always done that if i had revved it up that much. so i'm not sure of that one.

reiobard, temp today was low/mid 60's. i'm sure the smoke will increase a bit in the cold but maybe 60's is cold enough?

I doubt that 60 is cold enough, you running a PCIII or anything? these bikes do run rich from the factory (i am still running stock too...) and for the fun of it (and to test your theory) if i start mine up and then twist it i get a puff of smoke too. So to further test it i started Keira's SV650 (we can call this the control group if you choose) and when revved right off the start it also blew out a fuff of smoke, both clouds were a slightly darker grey as in a mix of rich with fuel and a little bit of carbon buildup.


Note: SV650 with an aftermarket pipe sounds way better than a FZ6 with stock exhaust...

 

[moo cow]

thanks for the test reiobard!

well, i'm starting to feel better. i'm going to check the air filter today to see if has any oil in it. time willing i'm going to change the plugs today also so i'll be able to look at their condition and hopefully gleen some more evidence.

oh yea, and i'm 100% stock front to back. and you are right, those sv650's do sound better!

so maybe it's a computer issue. maybe the bike needs to be slightly warmed up before the ratio gets corrected? this is my first injected bike so i'm new to idea of having a computer on my motorcycle.

 

[segue00]

It takes a while before the cat converter heats up enough to burn off exhaust gas/fumes.

 

[ozzieboy]

Smoke or steam? My guess is water vapor that steams off once hot. If it's oil you'll smell it. Put a drop of oil on the headers and you'll see what I mean.:thumbup:
Cheers
Mike

 

[Hollow]

how have the temperatures been in your area? as it gets colder you will notice more of the white condensation \"smoke\" come out of the bike. the air temperature combined with the bike being told to pump in more fuel with the colder denser air will make it smell rich as well...

I was going to ask the same. My FZ didn't smoke at all until the temps started dropping. But I guess it could be something else for him.

 

[reiobard]

It takes a while before the cat converter heats up enough to burn off exhaust gas/fumes.

that is a very good point, i smell another test for tomorrow

 

[moo cow]

i can't make the exhaust smell like burning oil. it just smells like exhaust.

i changed the plugs today and they were looking pretty toasted. the white ceramic part was still white but the 'trodes were pretty black and the threads had a hint of oil on them. what does this tell me? not sure. what do your plugs look like after 8k miles? they weren't soaked in oil which is good.

the air filter looked good and didn't smell of gas.

i cranked it up and watched the exhaust puff out smoke like an old man smoking a cigar. i put a clear helmet shield up to the exhaust and it immediately formed water droplets. tells me it's just condensation right?
no oil sputtered out on the shield which is good also.

it rained all day today so i'm sure condensation was at an all time high and i didn't ride it because i didn't feel like getting wet.

full ride report tomorrow

 

[Wolfram]

As a rule of thumb:-

white smoke: no drama, generally moisture or condensation especially in the morning, new bikes, or park outdoor. New bikes can have a rotten egg smell is well, due to new cat.conv.

brown/black smoke: engine running rich, or dirt injector(s)/jet(s).

blue smoke: burning oil....worn ring(s), valve stem(s), overfilled crank

From what you said, i don't think there is anything to worry about!:rockon: