new owner 2008 fz6 couple questions...

[hawaiifz6]

I just bought an 08 fz6 and put about 50 miles on it so far today... got a few Q's... Thank you very much in advance for any tips you have for me... new street bike rider former enduro rider.
*feel free to just answer one of these questions or more!

1) How long should I let the bike warm up for in the morning before riding it my 30 mile commute to work?
2) How do i engage the steering lock that comes on the bike? It seems when I turn it to the lock position i cant withraw the key so i feel like its not working?
3) What is the best rpm to let out first gear from a stop light to prevent clutch wear?
4) Any good tips you have for me this is my first sport type bike, I have only owned an xr600 previously and some dirtbikes when I was younger
5) The bike has about 2800 miles what types of servicing should I be doing?

Sorry I didnt get a owners manual when I bought the bike and I cant seem to download one properly without getting sent to a survey site having me answer pepsi vs. coke questions :Flash:

 

[ecca]

I just bought an 08 fz6 and put about 50 miles on it so far today... got a few Q's... Thank you very much in advance for any tips you have for me... new street bike rider former enduro rider.
*feel free to just answer one of these questions or more!

1) How long should I let the bike warm up for in the morning before riding it my 30 mile commute to work?
2) How do i engage the steering lock that comes on the bike? It seems when I turn it to the lock position i cant withraw the key so i feel like its not working?
3) What is the best rpm to let out first gear from a stop light to prevent clutch wear?
4) Any good tips you have for me this is my first sport type bike, I have only owned an xr600 previously and some dirtbikes when I was younger
5) The bike has about 2800 miles what types of servicing should I be doing?

Hey! I actually ride an '08 too.

1. You should let the engine warm up to about 130 degrees indicated on the gauge cluster.. this takes about 2-3 minutes depending on how hot or cold it is outside, but you want to look for 125+ degrees F

2. Assuming since you're a new rider you don't know - turn the handlebars all the way to the left, as far as they will go, and THEN turn the key to "Lock", then you should be able to take it out. Shouldn't be TOO hard to take the key out, but I do seem to remember when I first got my FZ6.. the key kind of stuck going in and coming out for a little while.

3. Clutch wear is not going to be an issue for you, these bikes have wet clutches and you can ride it all day(not literally, but you know), there is oil in the primary chain case that flows around the clutch plates and friction plates, cooling them and keeping them smooth - so unless you're going retarded with the revs with the clutch halfway out all the time - you will be fine for a long time.

3b. but the answer to that question is "personal preference" ..I don't even really know what the RPM is at when I release the clutch into first off a redlight.. it's all done by 'feeling'.. so probably around 1.5k is when I would pass the friction zone as I roll on the throttle? I don't really know, maybe less, maybe more and a slower release of the clutch. Not over 2k.

4. Yes, be very careful. The fz6 may not be a supersport bike, but it's still a machine that can take you up to about 140mph, the front breaks will kill you if you slam on them too hard too fast, etc. All the usual stuff.. don't know how much you know about street riding.. but if you lock up your rear tire, DON'T LET OFF THE REAR BRAKES. If you lock up the front? DO let off the front, immediately.

Check the air pressure in your tires before riding regardless of weather. I had an accident because my rear was almost deflated and I had gotten lazy about it.. didn't check the PSI and rode off with a huge wood staple through my tire .. and never felt it coming until I was falling off in a low speed turn.

Install frame sliders, also immediately. If you're new to riding on the street, even with all of your experience on 2 wheels in enduro .. you are probably going to drop your bike at least once in the first year .. it happens to the best of us, it's 450lbs of machine underneath you, and it's infinitely better to have sliders on. Preferable Woodcraft framesliders because they are small enough to not 'catch' on anything if you actually do slide your bike against the pavement, but still big enough to do the job required in a drop.

5. You're going to want to change the oil every 3,000mi or so - or IMMEDIATELY if you don't know when the last time it was changed was. If you got the bike from a previous owner who got it new.. and he "didn't know" or whatever, it's possible he broke the engine in but then didn't change the oil.. and that would be bad - not horrifyingly bad, but still bad.

Check the tires for tread depth and

 

[hawaiifz6]

thanks a lot for that informative reply. Much info that I did not know.
:thumbup: great reply on my first post, good looking out.

 

[hawaiifz6]

One more

one more question: Can these bikes be left in the rain overnight without causing problems? I plan to keep it covered but dont have a spot at the moment and the day I buy the bike it turns from sunny to rainy for first time in weeks.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I just bought an 08 fz6 and put about 50 miles on it so far today... got a few Q's... Thank you very much in advance for any tips you have for me... new street bike rider former enduro rider.
*feel free to just answer one of these questions or more!

1) How long should I let the bike warm up for in the morning before riding it my 30 mile commute to work?
2) How do i engage the steering lock that comes on the bike? It seems when I turn it to the lock position i cant withraw the key so i feel like its not working?
3) What is the best rpm to let out first gear from a stop light to prevent clutch wear?
4) Any good tips you have for me this is my first sport type bike, I have only owned an xr600 previously and some dirtbikes when I was younger
5) The bike has about 2800 miles what types of servicing should I be doing?

Hey! I actually ride an '08 too.

1. You should let the engine warm up to about 130 degrees indicated on the gauge cluster.. this takes about 2-3 minutes depending on how hot or cold it is outside, but you want to look for 125+ degrees F

2. Assuming since you're a new rider you don't know - turn the handlebars all the way to the left, as far as they will go, and THEN turn the key to "Lock", then you should be able to take it out. Shouldn't be TOO hard to take the key out, but I do seem to remember when I first got my FZ6.. the key kind of stuck going in and coming out for a little while.

3. Clutch wear is not going to be an issue for you, these bikes have wet clutches and you can ride it all day(not literally, but you know), there is oil in the primary chain case that flows around the clutch plates and friction plates, cooling them and keeping them smooth - so unless you're going retarded with the revs with the clutch halfway out all the time - you will be fine for a long time.

3b. but the answer to that question is "personal preference" ..I don't even really know what the RPM is at when I release the clutch into first off a redlight.. it's all done by 'feeling'.. so probably around 1.5k is when I would pass the friction zone as I roll on the throttle? I don't really know, maybe less, maybe more and a slower release of the clutch. Not over 2k.

4. Yes, be very careful. The fz6 may not be a supersport bike, but it's still a machine that can take you up to about 140mph, the front breaks will kill you if you slam on them too hard too fast, etc. All the usual stuff.. don't know how much you know about street riding.. but if you lock up your rear tire, DON'T LET OFF THE REAR BRAKES. If you lock up the front? DO let off the front, immediately.

Check the air pressure in your tires before riding regardless of weather. I had an accident because my rear was almost deflated and I had gotten lazy about it.. didn't check the PSI and rode off with a huge wood staple through my tire .. and never felt it coming until I was falling off in a low speed turn.

Install frame sliders, also immediately. If you're new to riding on the street, even with all of your experience on 2 wheels in enduro .. you are probably going to drop your bike at least once in the first year .. it happens to the best of us, it's 450lbs of machine underneath you, and it's infinitely better to have sliders on. Preferable Woodcraft framesliders because they are small enough to not 'catch' on anything if you actually do slide your bike against the pavement, but still big enough to do the job required in a drop.

5. You're going to want to change the oil every 3,000mi or so - or IMMEDIATELY if you don't know when the last time it was changed was. If you got the bike from a previous owner who got it new.. and he "didn't know" or whatever, it's possible he broke the engine in but then didn't change the oil.. and that would be bad - not horrifyingly bad, but still bad.

Check the tires for tread depth and

Congrates and welcome to the forum!

+1 on everything posted above however IMHO, I'd pass on the frame sliders. Most of the time they help, on occassion, they cause frame/engine breakage. Do a search and decide for yourself..

Change the brake fluid too if it been over 2 years... As for sitting outside, its ok and really shouldn't hurt anything. Obviously, being garaged would be better...

Clean and lube the chain at least every 200 miles, more so if ridden in the rain. I find, keeping it adjusted on the loose side (at the taughest point in the chain). The clutch cable also likes an occassional lube and willl keep it working much easier...

 

[hawaiifz6]

Thank you very much. Great to know. Thanks for the lighting fast replies:thumbup:

 

[ChevyFazer]

I agree with MOST of what has already been said, only 2 things that I would disagree with.

The letting the bike warm up to 130* indicated. the temperature that the bike shows is of the engine coolant and that's not what your worried about when warming up a engine, the oil is. But either way it's not necessary on modern fuel injected engines unless it's fairly cold outside, like say below 40-45d, or you plan on giving it hell and redlining it once you take off. All you really need to do is make sure to give it a little time to build up oil pressure and get it circulating, normally less than a min. This is what I do 90% of the time, I walk up to my bike, put the key in and go ahead and fire it up. Right after I fire it up I'll put my helmet on and then my gloves, I've never timed how long that takes but it can't be anymore than 1 min, but that is plenty of time for the oil to get circulating and pressurized. However I will try to keep my rpms under 5-6k for the first few miles to give the oil time to heat up though vs just letting it sit idle.

The other thing that I would disagree with is changing your oil every 3000 miles. That is a old idea that was necessary on older engines when they were not being built with as tight of tolerances as they are today. Plus oil has come a long way over the past 15yrs, and if you are running a top quality JASO rated synthetic oil, or even a top quality JASO rated Dino oil there is no need to change it that soon. The good oils available today can easily last for double those miles on a abused engine, and can triple that 3000mile number on a pampered engine.

But anyways Welcome to the best forum on the interweb!!!

 

[ste]

I just bought an 08 fz6 and put about 50 miles on it so far today... got a few Q's... Thank you very much in advance for any tips you have for me... new street bike rider former enduro rider.
*feel free to just answer one of these questions or more!

1) How long should I let the bike warm up for in the morning before riding it my 30 mile commute to work?
2) How do i engage the steering lock that comes on the bike? It seems when I turn it to the lock position i cant withraw the key so i feel like its not working?
3) What is the best rpm to let out first gear from a stop light to prevent clutch wear?
4) Any good tips you have for me this is my first sport type bike, I have only owned an xr600 previously and some dirtbikes when I was younger
5) The bike has about 2800 miles what types of servicing should I be doing?

Sorry I didnt get a owners manual when I bought the bike and I cant seem to download one properly without getting sent to a survey site having me answer pepsi vs. coke questions :Flash:

hey my bit is for question 2 ive found that on my 04 fazer fz6 that if you tilt the key to the right side a little it turns first time for on and push in and tilt to right for the lock too, i think on my bike previous owner had the kitchen sink on his bunch of keys lol

 

[mxgolf]

Welcome to the forum. We need some pictures of your new ride! On warm up I usually wait until the temperature gauge is at 100+ degrees and then take off. +1 on the other suggestions. Ride Safe And Enjoy The Ride. :rockon:

 

[hawaiifz6]

thanks a lot everyone! I feel so welcome here ahah!
here she is...... dark dark blue.. love the color

 

[revapi]

as for warm up ,dont bother, start it, gear up and go ,just dont rag it till its warm.:welcome:

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Re warm up,

Living in Florida, its usually pretty warm..

Summertime, I'll start the bike, gear up, helmet/gloves, etc. The high idle (cold curcuit) usually drops by then. I then mount up and ride very conservativly until up to temp (at least 165F). I generally keep shifts under 3K until then

Winter time (50F and below), same as above but wait until I see a digital temp on the dash before moving. Again, no thrashing until at least 165F.

If its real cold outside and I'm going to get on a freeway right away, I'll let up warm up more..

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to our great forum!

Everyone's got you covered on your questions so I'll just say welcome to the forum! Many here have gotten different bikes but this forum has such great members that we stick around, and continue to do rides together etc.

The FZ6 is one of the greatest bikes ever made! Enjoy!