Naked conversion tips.

[Triple]

New member here, just picked up a 2009 FZ6 with just 440 miles on the clock. I'm a little disappointed with the bike so far, but it's mine and paid for so I'm moving on with modifications. I want to replace the ugly factory fairing with a conventional, round 7-inch headlight.

Using the search function resulted in an overwhelming number of threads, so I'll throw out a few specific questions here.

1.) Most aftermarket headlight kits I find are overpriced. Are there lights/brackets from other bikes that are easily retrofitted to the FZ6?

2.) The FZ6 uses two separate bulbs for low and high beams. How is this addressed with a single light? Are wiring/fuse modifications necessary?

3.) I prefer bar-mounted mirrors on stalks over bar-end mirrors. Any common choices for this conversion, both aftermarket and from other bikes?

4.) I'm no fabricator; any custom speedo brackets available to pull the meters closer to the bars? Has anyone done away with the digital display altogether and mounted an analog speedo/tach set from another bike?

I want the bike to look as factory as possible post-conversion. The cleaner and simpler, the better. These are two good examples:

 

[H8 PVMT]

Good questions and timely for me as well, I'm hoping to go naked with in a month or so if I find what I want to do.

 

[Ben_H]

Well first off welcome. The most common conversion used here seams to be the vs-1 or vs-2 kit sold by a member here that's what I have it is all Oem Yamaha of India. If you want a single round I suggest eBay you can find the speedo bracket from another member lean69 I think. And for mirrors I have Oem fz8 mirrors on mine with a fz8 clutch perch and I drilled and tapped master cylinder for right side. I will post pics later

 

[red_rock_beetle]

signal 50 is selling a S2 speedo bracket HERE

 

[Kazza]

Disappointed - why?

Oh, and :welcome: to the forum

 

[ebster1085]

New member here, just picked up a 2009 FZ6 with just 440 miles on the clock. I'm a little disappointed with the bike so far, but it's mine and paid for so I'm moving on with modifications. I want to replace the ugly factory fairing with a conventional, round 7-inch headlight.

Using the search function resulted in an overwhelming number of threads, so I'll throw out a few specific questions here.

1.) Most aftermarket headlight kits I find are overpriced. Are there lights/brackets from other bikes that are easily retrofitted to the FZ6?

2.) The FZ6 uses two separate bulbs for low and high beams. How is this addressed with a single light? Are wiring/fuse modifications necessary?

3.) I prefer bar-mounted mirrors on stalks over bar-end mirrors. Any common choices for this conversion, both aftermarket and from other bikes?

4.) I'm no fabricator; any custom speedo brackets available to pull the meters closer to the bars? Has anyone done away with the digital display altogether and mounted an analog speedo/tach set from another bike?

I want the bike to look as factory as possible post-conversion. The cleaner and simpler, the better.

Welcome to the forum!

1. Contact Vishnu (dev_usc). He sells a naked conversion kit that comes with everything you need and it is all OEM Yamaha parts off of a Yami FZ16, a bike offered in India. I got the kit shipped to my front door in NY in less than 2 weeks and it costs me $325 total which is a steal.

2. Vishnus kit comes with a 35 watt H4 bulb that works with the stock wiring, no real mods required. Unfortunately with this setup, low beam setting illuminates the low beam filament, and high beam setting illuminates both. This is fine for a low 35 watt bulb, but if you want to up the anti with a 55/65 watt bulb, you will find yourself blowing out bulbs often due to overheating. What I did was contact Cliff (Motogiro) who has designed a custom relay to solve this problem. Easy installation, and affordable.

3. Vishnu's kit comes with a set of Yamaha bar mounted mirrors that look just fine. Personally, I like bar end better, so I went with a set of Rizoma knock offs from RideItMoto.com for around $80. A friend of mine also sells a great set of CRG knock offs for around $100. Both very nice choices.

4. Fabricating a bracket out of some sheet metal is fairly easy. In fact, a member just made a post recently about this. If you go with Vishnu's kit, though, he has one already made that works with both the old and new speedo.

Good luck and keep us posted with updates. I think you will find that you like this bike quite a bit once you start riding it more and doing some modifications.

 

[Triple]

Disappointed - why?

Here's my short review on another forum:

Two Wheel Fix - View Single Post - New bike.

Even after a week of commuting, the bike still feels awkward.

 

[ebster1085]

Here's my short review on another forum:

Two Wheel Fix - View Single Post - New bike.

Even after a week of commuting, the bike still feels awkward.

Just read your review..a few thoughts:

The motor in the FZ6, as far as I know, is identical to an R6 motor just with different cams designed for better low and mid range power. To these ends, the top end power is lacking a bit on the FZ compared to a supersport, but the increased low end torque makes for better low and mid range power as far as I can see. That being said, although its no supersport, the bike still has plenty of power and can romp along on the highway quite nicely. Throttle response is a bit "on/off" which is a common complaint on the FZ.

The issue you speak of with neutral misses, as far as Im concerned, is a universal problem with bikes. I think we can all agree no matter what you are riding, it is easy to miss here once in a while. I dont consider the FZ to be any worse than any other bike I have ever ridden, though. The clutch on our bike does have a very small friction zone and does take some getting used to. My bike is an 08, and it really felt rough, almost as if it was binding, but after purchasing a cable lubrication kit it has improved drastically. Its really like a whole new bike to be honest. Also, if the handle is too far for someone with smaller hands, you can always adjust it by adding slack so that it is closer to the bar, and requires less pull. Quick and easy fix.

The riding position to me feels very similar to any sport touring bike with raised bars. I have rode 650R's, SV650's, CB1000R and all seem to have similar ergonomics. And to be honest, the FZ was one of rhe more comfortable ones to ride due to the awesome seat.

I will agree that the FZ leaves a little to be desired when it comes to hitting the twisties hard on spirited rides, but you can still bang it around pretty good and it will hold up most thrashings you throw at it. Its a little soft all around and doesnt allow for much adjustability, but its certainly more agile than youre average touring bike and sits closer to a sport bike in the spectrum.

Brakes seem good to me, but maybe that is because the only other bike I have ever owned was a 650R which had a much less powerful braking system. So, no complaints here.

The smell coming from the exhaust is something I have heard before, but I have never experience myself. Maybe its because I switched over to a Two Bros CF system early on in owning the bike, or maybe its because I have never gone on long enough a ride to really get those resins burning. Not sure.

Either way, if I was you, I would go naked, get an exhaust, throw on a set of FZ1 bars, lube up the clutch cable and adjust accordingly, get a new set of tires, and if you want to be aggressive, start doing some suspension mods. I think you will be more than happy if you go this route.

Happy riding, and be safe.

 

[fazil]

2.) The FZ6 uses two separate bulbs for low and high beams. How is this addressed with a single light? Are wiring/fuse modifications necessary?

2. You can use High beam side lamp (H4) for both low and high beam.
But you'll need to do some little extra wiring for that.

Check this link:

http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/1666-bd43s-07-headlight-mod-part-2-a.html

 

[Triple]

1. Contact Vishnu (dev_usc). He sells a naked conversion kit that comes with everything you need and it is all OEM Yamaha parts off of a Yami FZ16, a bike offered in India.

I like this set-up better than the fairing, but I would still prefer a round 7-inch headlight. Is this OEM assembly stationary like the fairing, or does it move with the forks? I can't quite tell how it's mounted. Does it include the back cover for the gauge cluster?

The riding position to me feels very similar to any sport touring bike with raised bars.

The FZ6 is the most awkward motorcycle I've ever ridden. I've been riding for about 12 years and I've owned other standards, sportbikes, and dirtbikes, but none have felt as incohesive and unbalanced as this Yamaha.

Sometimes certain men and machines just don't mix. I used to fly on a bike most riders considered prehistoric (2003 Nighthawk 750) and my favorite sportbike (2002 Triumph Daytona 955i) was one nearly every magazine considered garbage. I'm giving the Baby Fazer more time, but it could be that its stars and mine just aren't aligned...

 

[lastlaugh]

Motorcycle Conversion Headlight Kits is where I purchased my 7" headlight kit. It uses a common hi/low beam bulb that I replaced with a Silverstar bulb for a brighter beam. The lighting is better than with the OE head light. I am also using Lean69's speedo bracket. Its a little flimsy but well made and looks stock.

 

[ebster1085]

I like this set-up better than the fairing, but I would still prefer a round 7-inch headlight. Is this OEM assembly stationary like the fairing, or does it move with the forks? I can't quite tell how it's mounted. Does it include the back cover for the gauge cluster?

Yes, the VS-01 and VS-02 kits offered by Vishnu move with the forks. It certainly doesnt have that "classic" look of a nice 7" round light, but its nice that its all OEM Yamaha parts that come with painted headlight fairings. You might want to look into retro fitting an SV650 headlight. Could be a cheap solution. The kit does not come with a back for the speedo, but it has that little smoked fly screen to nicely cover things up. Another option would be to forego the screen and pick up an FZ1 backing for your speedo if you prefer the look.

The FZ6 is the most awkward motorcycle I've ever ridden. I've been riding for about 12 years and I've owned other standards, sportbikes, and dirtbikes, but none have felt as incohesive and unbalanced as this Yamaha.

Sometimes certain men and machines just don't mix. I used to fly on a bike most riders considered prehistoric (2003 Nighthawk 750) and my favorite sportbike (2002 Triumph Daytona 955i) was one nearly every magazine considered garbage. I'm giving the Baby Fazer more time, but it could be that its stars and mine just aren't aligned...

Yea, could just be that you and the machine dont work well together, but youre experience on motorcycles definitely surpasses mine. I am of shorter stature, only 5'8" which may be a reason why the bike feels so comfortable to me. Who knows, to each his own I guess.

 

[monb]

Exactly the questions I needed answered

 

[ChevyFazer]

Here's my short review on another forum:

Two Wheel Fix - View Single Post - New bike.

Even after a week of commuting, the bike still feels awkward.

Wow that has got to be the first time I've seen so many negative comments on the fz6 by one person!!! What kind of bikes are you used to power wise because I know the power is all relative to the person riding it. And as far as the awkwardness about the bike, I hate to say it but yes I know what your talking about. I fixed that that feeling for one by putting some fz1 handle bars on the bike and also sliding my but all the way back when I ride. It puts me in more of a natural hunkered down ready to go type of position and is more comfortable for me being just over 6'.

 

[Triple]

Wow that has got to be the first time I've seen so many negative comments on the fz6 by one person!!! What kind of bikes are you used to power wise because I know the power is all relative to the person riding it. And as far as the awkwardness about the bike, I hate to say it but yes I know what your talking about. I fixed that that feeling for one by putting some fz1 handle bars on the bike and also sliding my but all the way back when I ride. It puts me in more of a natural hunkered down ready to go type of position and is more comfortable for me being just over 6'.

I actually bought this bike for touring and commuting, so I'm hesitant to go with lower bars. However, crouching further forward may feel more natural than the bizarre factory set-up.

I was originally looking for a Triumph Bonneville or low-mileage Honda 919, something already truly "naked." I thought I could modify this Yamaha to suit my needs, but fixing everything I mentioned in my review could get very pricey... and even then it's a gamble.

 

[ChevyFazer]

Well I Got my bike for the same purpose, primarily commuting. I got it in June with 10,000 and I'm just shy of 30,000 now and by far the best thing I've done to my bike has been the fz1 bars. The stock bars were just too awkward of a angle for me to ever truly get comfortable, plus I have long arms so the lower height along with less of a wrist pinching setup helped dramatically!

 

[Triple]

Well I Got my bike for the same purpose, primarily commuting. I got it in June with 10,000 and I'm just shy of 30,000 now and by far the best thing I've done to my bike has been the fz1 bars. The stock bars were just too awkward of a angle for me to ever truly get comfortable, plus I have long arms so the lower height along with less of a wrist pinching setup helped dramatically!

Which FZ1 parts are necessary for the swap? Will the FZ6 controls, grips, throttle tube, bar-ends, risers, etc all fit the FZ1 bar?

 

[ebster1085]

Which FZ1 parts are necessary for the swap? Will the FZ6 controls, grips, throttle tube, bar-ends, risers, etc all fit the FZ1 bar?

Yup, pretty much a straightforward direct swap. Do a quick search and you will find several threads on this swap as well as pics.

 

[ItsAllGood]

Hey Triple,
In your opening post you showed two examples of nice clean conversions. Just curious, where did you find the pic of that blue bike, and was there any info on the light as far as what it was or where it came from?

 

[Cameronhall]

i have the SV kit and love it. its worth every penny. i just installed the Dominator kit (dual 4.25 H4, brackets, fly screen) for a friend (2005 FZ6) just under $300 for everything at Fly-N-Cycle Motorsports - Sportbike & Motorcycle Parts and Sportbike & Motorcycle Gear but theres no bracket for your speedo. Again a good product. 7 inchs is a big light, maybe 5-3/4 imo. what ever you do get good brackets and research the light your going to buy (Google images, youtube before and after, members here with the light you want) there my even be some one fairly local with the set up you have in mind.

good luck all the the answers to those ? are here in the forum, grab a cup of coffee and search its worth you time.