New Rider / Just bought 06 fz6

[LVNeptune]

I found a sweet deal on an FZ6 on craigslist recently and ended up picking it up. Paid $2650 for an 06 fazer with 18k miles on it.

Unfortunately I can't even ride it right now. No experience or anything, had to have my friend drive it to my house for me!

I am really excited to own a bike and will be taking a beginner's course shortly and start riding soon.

The only issue that has even been remotely found on it is left headlight cover was cracked and reglued, not sure why/how. The previous owner bought the bike from his Uncle. The bike was laid once over 8k miles ago but the bike has some pegs on the sides to prevent anything from getting smashed and it was while pulling out of a driveway. Not too concerned with that at all, maybe it broke at that point? Doubt it since it was the opposite side but yea.

What sort of fun stuff can I do to this for basic upgrades and whatnot? What is the name of that part I want to replace? Is it fairly cheap to get new ferrings? I would like to get new ferrings and have them powdercoated flat black.

Thanks so much and looking forward to hanging with the people on this forum and possibly riding with some locals soon.

 

[jnappier]

Congratulations, it's a great bike easy to learn, very stable at slow and fast speeds. It will serve you well for many years to come. My advice it to change the oil and learn about and take care of the chain. Always ride like no one can see you and always be prepared for the worse. ie; the car on my left may suddenly move into my lane and that car on the side street may pull out in front of me. Be safe and enjoy.

 

[IndyFZ6]

:welcome: First off, welcome to the forum and to the awesome world of the FZ6. Not to downplay your wanting to mod the bike, but I suggest not modding or fixing it just yet. Since you are a brand new rider, chances are you may drop it at some point, so if the bike is fully functional and the crack is only cosmetic, just let it go for a while until you get some experience. Most importantly, get in the MSF course ASAP. Buy a set of good gear and wear it. I will not debate whether the FZ6 was a smart choice as a first bike, just realize it has a lot of power for a beginner and can indeed be two different bikes (mild below about 8000 rpm, and then hold on). Remember to respect the bike or it can and will eat you up!

 

[mikw73]

Yeah, ride carefully at first. It's easy to enjoy riding so much that you don't notice the car ahead of you stopped to make a left turn.

Sign up for the MSF course right away. They shouldn't fill up this time of year, but if you put it off, you will not do it.

As far as mods to do right away go, there are a few. I'd suggest a Power Commander III if the bike doesn't already have one. If your bike is stock you can use the stock map -- no need to dyno. Maybe new tires. There's a thread here somewhere about how to string align the rear wheel, take a look at that.

Being a new rider, you may want to get frame sliders, swingarm and fork spools, and/or crash bars/engine guards. I think most people drop their first bike at least once.

Apart from that, there's a lot if cosmetic stuff you can do, whatever suits your taste.


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[mikw73]

Oh, and :welcome:

And post a pic! You'll enjoy seeing it here after you've had it a while.


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[Erci]

.. new tires.

+1! This is the number one thing we tell MSF graduates to replace on a used bike. Unless you know when the tires were last replaced, swap those suckers out. Even if the tread looks good, they could be dry and won't grip well.. which can easily cause you to go down.
At the very least, look for date stamp on sidewalls. 4 digit number like 0908 which would stand for 9th week of 2008.
If your stamp shows that they're over 3 years old, most definitely swap them out now.

 

[GTPAddict]

Welcome to the forum, you've chosen the right place to find out information on your bike and you'll meet a great bunch of people while learning a lot!

As was said above...

:needpics:

 

[LVNeptune]

Definately going to do the MSF course soon, the local college offers it but it is full for almost 2 months. Apparently the Harley dealership does but I might be nervous if they are all harley drivers =/

"frame sliders, swingarm and fork spools, and/or crash bars/engine guards"

Where can I get these?

What is recommended for alarms and such? I usually just blow money on whatever looks cool, there's some tracking system for $500 but I am not sure I really need that. My bike is openly parked, we don't have covered parking or a garage at my townhome complex.

I have one picture I took: http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...35267654_1375497463_32176511_1286993754_n.jpg

 

[famous556]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on buying a great bike. There's a great group of people here from all over the world. Lots of good information here.

 

[mikw73]

Sweet ride! That's the same year and color as mine.

I got my sliders from OESaccessories.com, and I like 'em pretty well. I'm not positive that they're best for the bike in every kind of fall but I like how they look. I think in terms of function the ones with metal caps and a metal insert are probably best. But I'm not the most knowledgeable person here. If you like the OES ones, let me know. I should have ordered a long one and a short one, but I got two short ones. So I'm lookin' to sell a short one once I order a long one for the left side. Pick the sliders you like though. Don't let me pressure you.

Sliders can be found on eBay of course, and a lot of online shops. I think Shogun is the brand Yamaha sells at the dealerships. Engine guards/crashbars are at twistedthrottle.com. I think only Givi and SW-Motech make 'Em for the FZ6. Fork and swingarm sliders I haven't figured out yet. I'd look on eBay and look here for ideas and suggestions.

As far as training goes, I wish I had done a track day years ago. I'm trying to get one scheduled now. I plan to rent the bike and the suit. I like my bike and my suit too much to risk them. But you can get a lot more feel for riding from a track day than dim street riding, so I hear. I'd consider one after a couple of months on the road if I were you. And take the above tire advice seriously. Tires mean a lot on a bike. Not knowing the full history of a tire is an iffy situation, and only new tires have the manufacturer's intended profile, which is a big part of what controls the bike's behavior in turns. Sadly, they are not cheap. For regular riding most people seem to like the Michelin Pilot Road series.

if you get new tires, you may want to consider some 90 degree valve stems to make checking tire pressure easier.

As for places to get mods from, there are a lot. Sites like bikebandit.com and ronayers.com can order OEM parts fast, and sites like motorcyclesuperstore.com and cyclegear.com have more selection if gear and accessories.

Lastly, though it should have been first, budget for good safety gear. I finally have good warm weather and cold weather jacket and pants and I'm a lot happier for it.


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[LVNeptune]

Thanks, very informative. I was going to also ask about possibly getting a lower fairing since it doesn't seem to come stock with one but it looks like since you actually have one it is possible. I will check out all those sites. Thanks!

 

[Cloggy]

Definately going to do the MSF course soon, the local college offers it but it is full for almost 2 months. Apparently the Harley dealership does but I might be nervous if they are all harley drivers =/

"frame sliders, swingarm and fork spools, and/or crash bars/engine guards"

Where can I get these?

What is recommended for alarms and such? I usually just blow money on whatever looks cool, there's some tracking system for $500 but I am not sure I really need that. My bike is openly parked, we don't have covered parking or a garage at my townhome complex.

I have one picture I took:

:welcome: to this great forum LVNeptune.

Thanks for the pic :thumbup:

I think an MSF course is the way to go (in the states). Maybe Vegasrider can point you in the right direction.

 

[zg fazer600]

Hi,

good luck with the ride.
My first bike is also FZ6 2005, you'll have a lot of fun with him. Only thing I would like to suggest you is to prepare yourself and your neighbour that you will fall eventually. It doesn't have to be your fault but that will happen. After that you will love it even harder.

ps. read most common mistakes that begginers do, that helped me a lot

good luck! :welcome:

 

[ChevyFazer]

First and foremost welcome to the best forum around! Obviously you are super excited about your bike and the mod bug has already bitten you wich is completely understandable i think we were all that way but, you have been warned, this.is your first bike, 80% sure it will get droped or wrecked. Not saying anything bad or wishing it upon you but sh!t happens. Give it a couple of months or at least 3000miles before you go investing any money into it, especially performance parts, imo the bike has too much power for a beginer but i wont get into that. Also gear atgat (all the gear all the time) get some good riding gear before you buy anything even gas. And be safe and most importantly have fun

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[2006_FZ6]

:welcome: This is a great forum. I also have OES sliders and they did their job well. See this link for details: http://www.600riders.com/forum/hall-shame/41258-new-frame-sliders-tested.html

Take the MSF course, best thing you can do for yourself.

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to the best forum on the big WWW!

Others have already pretty much covered the basics and I can't express enough to get good gear to protect the body. The best is to wear armored gear.
If you have to wear work clothing and you commute get an over pant for your commute.
Some one on our forum had comparison charts that rated different materials that were tested and I was very surprised at how fast and little distance in feet denim was demolished and you were on bare skin. Don't count all the times you ride without incident as the reasoning to not wear protective gear but instead count the one time you may need the gear.

Take your MSF course. Take your time. Hook up with some experienced riders. There are a lot of great experienced riders on our forum. Ride your own ride! Do not ride beyond you skill!

Have fun on your FZ6. It is one of the greatest bikes ever made!

 

[SweaterDude]

^1 for new tires. go for the michelin road pilots. as for anything to fix your bike, bikebandit.com has it all they have every stock part for your bike and usually free shipping.:thumbup:

 

[mikw73]

Thanks, very informative. I was going to also ask about possibly getting a lower fairing since it doesn't seem to come stock with one but it looks like since you actually have one it is possible. I will check out all those sites. Thanks!

Yeah, I've been considering nekkid-izing the bike, which would mean selling the fairing. It could make me a little money, I think. That fairing is a TCP Aerodynamics, and was was originally purchased through Canada, I believe. New I think it was 600-700 dollars. Pretty steep. I'm curious to know what I could get for it. It has a few scratches. I'll put a feeler thread on the for sale section and PM you a link. Honestly, though, you should probably ride for at least 6 months before you buy plastics. Bikes are really easy to drop. Parking in a leaf-strewn lot can be a dangerous thing for a fairing.


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[lazerfazer]

first thing you wanna do is roll on the throttle until about 7k, then completely let off the gas, then whack that bitch wide open, and get a good view of the sky...hahaha

just kidding, when your learning to ride dont get this bike revv'd up over 6/7k. once you get your bearing then go wind out a few gears (just watch out fo the 5/zero)

as far as gear goes- only buy items from the previous model year that you find on closeout/clearance, you will save money for other gear/mods/gas

 

[LVNeptune]

Picked up everything at Cycle Gear, not the "best" brand but I bought a helmet, gloves, backpack, jacket, and a bluetooth headset as well. Everything was "Bilt" brand which I guess only Cycle Gear sells. The guy there was super helpful and kept stressing about safety and whatnot.