Spark plugs and air filter

[Daniel_Aus]

Hi all,

I bought my FZ6 about 2.5 months ago. It's an '08 naked with approx. 22000kms on the dial. The dealer said they serviced it before I bought it but my guess is they just did the basics (oil, filter, chain etc).

Edit: One of the main reasons for doing this is that I'm getting crappy mileage around town (30 MPG / 13KM/L) and want to try to improve it.

I'm thinking of replacing the spark plugs and air filter. I've done this once before on my old bike, SV650 but just wanted some advice before I rush into it. So a couple of questions:

1. Can these jobs be done with the bike on the side stand? I don't have a paddock stand or centre stand.

2. Can the tank be lifted without draining the fuel or disconnecting anything?

3. Should it be done with low fuel in the tank? I.e. is there any risk of fuel leakage when lifting the tank?

4. Is there anything I need to be aware of in particular before attempting this?

Thanks!!

 

[agf]

Hi Dan,
I havn't replaced plugs and I have a naked too, but I will happily pass on what I do know
My mechainc has said you wont notice the change to Iridium plugs unless you are going to the track. He reckons the standard plugs life span is pretty good so save the $.
From what I have read it does make it easier to get at the plugs if you lift the tank and take out the airbox.
To lift the tank it is easier if it is half to less than half full.
only because of the weight of 19 liters of juice sloshing about.
I have done it once with a near full tank and once with it near empty... guess which one I would go for now???
I didnt notice any leakage past seals or thru the overflow with the tank fullish.
When you lift the tank have an occy strap and a loop of heavy twine( like clothesline thickness)handy.
once you undo the two bolts near the steering head and pull off your seat, loop the twine around the two bolt flanges on the tank, hook the occy strap to it then gently raise it and hook the other end of the strap to the grab rails. (Just make sure you have some cloth to use as padding as you go dont want any scratches on the tank)

You need to be careful when you lift all this tho, as the the fuel pump and guage wiring connectors get pretty strained if you lift too far and fast.
IF you need to, gently prise them off and the tank will go another ten-fifteen degrees, hinging on the bolt at the back of the tank. Unless you are taking the whole tank off this bolt doesnt even need to be loosened. When you lowwer the tank, obviously reconnect the wiring if you undid it but most importantly there are two breather pipes that feed from the tank down to the back of the motor and just in front of the swuingarm pivot point on the RH side of the bike. There is a small metal loop to keep them out of the way and the two rubber tubes should hang through by about 2-3 inches.When you drop the tank back into place you have to make sure thse two pipes dont kink or get pinched otherwise you will end of with a vacumm in the tank and starve the motor when you want some get up an go, it just wont respond.

From what I have read you can do all this on the side stand Its just a bit more fiddly on the LH side as you are working from "under" the bike a bit.

Now I posted in another thread about talking with the Yamaha people about my fuel/mileage being low and they said it depends very much on traffic conditions start/stop what sort of rev out you get to achieve.

Go for a decent200 km ride and you'll be blown away at how miserly the bike can be

I guess you just need to be careful with nuts/ bolts and screws when you take the air box off, you dont want anything falling in where it shouldn't.
While you have access to the battery it might be worth considering putting in some wiring for a battery tender/charger and so you have a live power source for any accessories you might want to add later through a relay
good luck with it

 

[Daniel_Aus]

Thanks for the great response agf!

I have posted in other threads that yes I get MUCH better mileage outside of the city - up around 48MPG (20km/L).

It's just that the mileage is soo much worse in the city, and I'm not really an agressive rider, I keep thinking something can't be right.

 

[Ssky0078]

Hi all,

I bought my FZ6 about 2.5 months ago. It's an '08 naked with approx. 22000kms on the dial. The dealer said they serviced it before I bought it but my guess is they just did the basics (oil, filter, chain etc).

Edit: One of the main reasons for doing this is that I'm getting crappy mileage around town (30 MPG / 13KM/L) and want to try to improve it.

I'm thinking of replacing the spark plugs and air filter. I've done this once before on my old bike, SV650 but just wanted some advice before I rush into it. So a couple of questions:

1. Can these jobs be done with the bike on the side stand? I don't have a paddock stand or centre stand.

2. Can the tank be lifted without draining the fuel or disconnecting anything?

3. Should it be done with low fuel in the tank? I.e. is there any risk of fuel leakage when lifting the tank?

4. Is there anything I need to be aware of in particular before attempting this?

Thanks!!

I just did this on my bike.

1. Can these jobs be done with the bike on the side stand? I don't have a paddock stand or centre stand.
Yes, easier on the center stand.


2. Can the tank be lifted without draining the fuel or disconnecting anything?
Yes, you can lift the tank and prop it up without disconnecting anything. You will need something firm yet soft to prop the tank up. Ruler/stick/giant nerf arrow just dont' scratch your tank or frame up underneath. When putting back down, make sure you have the same course for your fuel lines as you will not appreciate a kink in them

3. Should it be done with low fuel in the tank? I.e. is there any risk of fuel leakage when lifting the tank?
Yes, I ran it down to the reserve so the tank would be lighter, no fuel leakage when I did it. 5 gallons weights about 40 pounds and 1 gallon is only 8 pounds


4. Is there anything I need to be aware of in particular before attempting this?
Don't scratch your bike up. Make sure you have the right length tools. Example when removing the tank bolts I used an extension on my socket so as I wasn't hitting the tank with hanlde, or you can use a T-bar socket. I scratched one spot on the fairing when I was taking off the inner cowl plastics, I was so mad.
Be careful when pulling out the air filter. Mine was stuck in pretty tight and my friend helping me decided to push one side over well it kind of distorted the plastic housing so that when I put the new one in, I get a little bit of a whistle which was annoying. Try to pull the old filter straight up. If it is a OEM that will be thrown away I would just use pliers on it. If it is a reusable like mine was I would be gentler.
When you are doing the spark plugs use the tool that comes in your Yamaha tool kit, use an open end wrench on it or a ratchet socket, but again be careful with smacking anything. When you are putting the new Spark Plugs in be sure to not over tighten, just hand tighten to the 1/4 to 1/2 turn. I tried using a torque wrench to spec and I felt a give, I thought I broke the plug, took it out and it was in tact and did not look like any threads or porcelain broke, put it back in. After talking to the guys at the shop there is a compression ring on the spark plug that I just snugged down. Also check your spark plug caps and make sure they are snug. There is an awesome how to here:


How to: Replace your sparkplugs in 20 minutes - Sportbikes.net

Finally I would use 91 octane gas. The new ethanol crap gas may kill your mileage.

Good luck

 

[Ssky0078]

Also consider this for city driving.

Have you ever checked out something called hypermiling

Energy-efficient driving - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I prefer the burn and coast method when I go in town. Rapid acceleration and then coasting. A slow increase in speed is requiring the engine to increase it's fuel usage for a greater period of time to get up to the speed. If you burst it, then you are up to speed and can coast. On my motorcycle I would launch in first to about 45 then double or triple up the shift to 3rd or 4th.

The reason you are getting such a greater increase for a continuos ride is that you are at speed and requiring little effort to keep that speed. It is the start and stop that kills your mileage.

 

[foxbass]

Another term often used is 'short shifting'. Basically the technique of 'snap' acceleration and close together quick gear changes. This may sound like you are opening the throttle wide and using more gas but you will find you get up to cruising speed quicker. Its acommon practice in economic car driving too.

And as suggested, in town where you are not getting up much speed, double/treble shift the ratios.

Also try to avoid blipping the throttle on downshifts and at lights. I still see bikers doing it. Its a hang-over from the bad old days when plugs would oil up at lights and the engine would bog on take off.

Regular checks on tire pressure also help reduce rolling resistance.
Oh, and a clean air filter will relly help!

HTH

 

[Ssky0078]

Also something to consider. I talked to the customer service manager at Two Brothers Racing. I asked him about the exhaust, juicebox pro, and upgraded air filter. He said that if you do any modding to the airfilter or use something other than the OEM replacement to also do a juicebox/power commander. He said the ECU was set up specifically to get the restricted amount of airflow the OEM filter provides. When you get an air filter that delivers more air it ends up making the bike run lean (my guess is that it's because the fuel is able to be more completely burned each firing with the increased oxygen). Not only is this troubling for your bikes long term engine health but it may contribute to poor mileage and rough running engine problems.

The juicebox or some other fuel controller setup is designed to accomadate the change in air flow but at the expense of fuel mileage in some cases and actually fuel consumption improvement.

My guess is that if you are spending a lot of time idling this will kill your fuel mielage as well.

Where I live there is a sweet spot of going 4-5 mph over the speed limit and you manage to catch all the lights green. Don't know if you've consiered something like that there.

 

[Daniel_Aus]

Well I bought some spark plugs and an OEM air filter. Tried to do the spark plugs the other day but there was one bolt I couldn't get undone with the tools I have (the lower bolt on the bottom radiator mounting bracket). This job will be done another time when I get an extension for my socket set.

Just a question before I do the air filter though... I've read about oiling air filters before installing. Does this apply to stock OEM Yamaha filter or is it only for the washable filters (i.e. K&N) etc.

If I do need to oil the air filter prior to install, do I just use engine oil? And how much? Thank you.

 

[Ssky0078]

Well I bought some spark plugs and an OEM air filter. Tried to do the spark plugs the other day but there was one bolt I couldn't get undone with the tools I have (the lower bolt on the bottom radiator mounting bracket). This job will be done another time when I get an extension for my socket set.

Just a question before I do the air filter though... I've read about oiling air filters before installing. Does this apply to stock OEM Yamaha filter or is it only for the washable filters (i.e. K&N) etc.

If I do need to oil the air filter prior to install, do I just use engine oil? And how much? Thank you.

Oiling the air filter only applys to the aftermarket washable filters. Those filters have a larger micron holes in it and rely on the oil to catch dust and crap before it gets in your intake. The OEM filter has a much finer filtration and does not require oil.

All the tools you need should be in the tool kit that comes with the bike. I did end up using a 3' extension on the socket ratchet set to get to that bolt. Also consider that when you get in there to pull the plugs you may need someone with smaller hands than your own. I coulnd't reach cylinder 1 because of my meat hooks and had to have my friend do it for me.

Also be sure you clean the bike before opening up the plug caps. I had even cleaned my bike and as I was getting in cylinder 4 a toasted bee fell right next to the opening. I definitely held my breath until i brushed it safely away.

 

[Daniel_Aus]

So I changed the air filter today.

Tried to suspend the tank with a bungee but I found one cord was not enough to hold the tank back and two pulled the tank back too much. So a trusty length of wooden plank propped the tank up. I also got the bike almost upright by putting a bit of wood under the side stand (no centre stand on the naked Fizzer).

I attached a photo of the air filter that came out. I just hope I got the new filter in without any gaps around the edge. I pushed it nice and firm into the upper housing (the part of the air box that comes off) and slid it into the lower housing where you can't really see if it seals or not. I had to push down quite firmly and torque down the screws so hopefully that ensured the filter is sealed well.

The bike definitely feels more peppy with the new filter :rockon:

 

[Ssky0078]

So I changed the air filter today.

Tried to suspend the tank with a bungee but I found one cord was not enough to hold the tank back and two pulled the tank back too much. So a trusty length of wooden plank propped the tank up. I also got the bike almost upright by putting a bit of wood under the side stand (no centre stand on the naked Fizzer).

I attached a photo of the air filter that came out. I just hope I got the new filter in without any gaps around the edge. I pushed it nice and firm into the upper housing (the part of the air box that comes off) and slid it into the lower housing where you can't really see if it seals or not. I had to push down quite firmly and torque down the screws so hopefully that ensured the filter is sealed well.

The bike definitely feels more peppy with the new filter :rockon:

Looks good. You'll know if you have any air leaks right away because you'll get a whistling noise that increases with the throttle as the bike sucks air down.