PDX_Piggy
Junior Member
I'll start off by saying I love my FZ. I've had a 95' Ninja 250, an 07' R6, an 06' SV650, an 08' Street Triple and a plethora of other bikes. Each bike has its pros and cons. You can get most anywhere on any of those bikes. The level of comfort and customization is totally up to you...
That being said, I like to tweak my bikes. Every bike I ever owner has been changed in one way or another. A major peeve of mine is the lack of suspension adjustments on "mid-level" bikes. Compared to a brand new R1 or R6, the FZ is lacking in a few areas, namely suspension. I set out to tastefully modify my suspension to achieve the look and the adjustment that I wanted.
I started off with an 06' FZ6 with 331 miles. As many of you have the same generation as I do, this little write-up will be tailored towards our gen. Most of the ideas can be applied to other bikes, whether it be dirt or street.
Onward noble steed!
Let's start with basics. You'll need to figure out what type of suspension you'll want. I went with upside down forks (USD) for a few reasons:
1. They are generally more technologically advanced than the standard fork.
2. They have a ton of adjustment
3. They look badass!
Triple Trees...
I started with triples from an 06' ZX6R. The length was way too long and the top triple wasn't flush enough to mount risers. I ended up with triples from an 08' R6. I was able to keep the Yamaha logo on the triple and the clipon retainer hole thingy was in a good place to drill out for risers. It was symmetrical and conveniently placed. The stem length was roughly 1/2'' shorter than the stock FZ stem. The steering stops were able to be ground off flush as they were cast solid and not hollow. I just had to figure out how to mount them in the head...
2008 Yamaha R6 Triples (ignition mount and bottom planed by preference)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8137379990/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Head Bearings...
All Balls Racings makes some very nice tapered roller bearings. For those who don't know, tapered roller bearings are tapered in a conical shape. Instead of ball bearings, they use rollers. You can imagine them like small pieces of pipe laid next to each other. They have nearly every dimension imaginable and they are fairly inexpensive. For this particular application the part numbers are as follows:
99-3540-5 All Balls Racing
99-3538 All Balls Racing
Using tapered head bearings and new races allows a nearly machine-less install. The only modifications I had to make were the steering stops, but we'll get to that later.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/10212526013/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Forks...
Once you have the triples mounted in the head, your fork options are nearly endless. You have to remember that each manufacture uses different axle sizes/lengths so when you are choosing fork and wheels, the same manufacture is usually the best bet. I went with forks, wheel, axle and brakes from an 06' ZX6R. I chose this setup because:
1. It was cheap off CL
2. I like the look and function of the floating petal style rotors
3. The length was nearly the same
4. It was cheap off CL
I could've used most any supersport fork and wheel combo. If you stay in the same year range as your triples, most fork and axle combos are the same. R6 forks would've worked too, as would some GSXR forks. Just remember to stay with the same manufacture for forks, wheels, axle. The length needs to be roughly the same, as you don't want to mess with the geometry too much. If you stray too far from the road, you may have to machine some axle spacers or spacers on your brake mounts, etc. In all honesty, the best bet would be to get a complete front end from an 06'-13' R6. The rake and trail stayed the same for that year range.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8120123411/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Brakes...
I used the stock ZX6R Tokico brakes. I planned on using risers on the new triples so I needed new lines. I went with Venhill braided lines. They are fantastic! You can use whatever brand you want, but don't forget to specify the extra length needed. If I recall I went with an extra 4'' or so over stock ZX6R length. I also got a rear line because the package deal was considerably cheaper.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8120123183/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244067937/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Steering Stops...
Eventually I got everything mounted and in good working order. The steering stops on the 08' R6 triples DO NOT WORK. I ground them flat and drilled/tapped new holes for the stops. I used a simple bolt/spacer/nut combo. It was somewhere in the $3 range for everything and they are solid. If you really wanted to go overboard, you could run a bead around the stop and weld it directly to the triple. It's overkill, but hey, whatever.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244069139/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Controls...
I went with Protaper Contour Fatbars and Protaper Risers. I would've like to find risers with a larger rise, but I found a smoking deal on some universal ones. I had to space the risers above the triple to clear the fork adjusters. All the FZ6 standard controls bolt right up and work. The only problem I ran into was bar ends. I ended up using the supplied plugs and a bar end mirror. You can use whatever works for you. I've since added some Cycra CRM Handguards, so that issue has been resolved.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244070257/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/10211166634/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Headlight...
I went with the naked headlight kit from dev_usc. I had to drill/tap new upper and lower mounting holes and add some longer bolts and spacers, but it was surprisingly easy. With the stock fairing, you'd be okay too. The stock fairing mounts on the steering head, which remains unmodified throughout this whole process.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244080005/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Final Thoughts...
These are just the basic and in no way a definitive or final answer on how to do these types of swaps. This worked very well for me and was simple. It was fairly inexpensive (especially if you sell the stock front end) and 100% reversible. Feel free to ask any questions or add anything you deem pertinent to the thread. Thanks for looking!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8032923360/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8245144650/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
That being said, I like to tweak my bikes. Every bike I ever owner has been changed in one way or another. A major peeve of mine is the lack of suspension adjustments on "mid-level" bikes. Compared to a brand new R1 or R6, the FZ is lacking in a few areas, namely suspension. I set out to tastefully modify my suspension to achieve the look and the adjustment that I wanted.
I started off with an 06' FZ6 with 331 miles. As many of you have the same generation as I do, this little write-up will be tailored towards our gen. Most of the ideas can be applied to other bikes, whether it be dirt or street.
Onward noble steed!
Let's start with basics. You'll need to figure out what type of suspension you'll want. I went with upside down forks (USD) for a few reasons:
1. They are generally more technologically advanced than the standard fork.
2. They have a ton of adjustment
3. They look badass!
Triple Trees...
I started with triples from an 06' ZX6R. The length was way too long and the top triple wasn't flush enough to mount risers. I ended up with triples from an 08' R6. I was able to keep the Yamaha logo on the triple and the clipon retainer hole thingy was in a good place to drill out for risers. It was symmetrical and conveniently placed. The stem length was roughly 1/2'' shorter than the stock FZ stem. The steering stops were able to be ground off flush as they were cast solid and not hollow. I just had to figure out how to mount them in the head...
2008 Yamaha R6 Triples (ignition mount and bottom planed by preference)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8137379990/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Head Bearings...
All Balls Racings makes some very nice tapered roller bearings. For those who don't know, tapered roller bearings are tapered in a conical shape. Instead of ball bearings, they use rollers. You can imagine them like small pieces of pipe laid next to each other. They have nearly every dimension imaginable and they are fairly inexpensive. For this particular application the part numbers are as follows:
99-3540-5 All Balls Racing
99-3538 All Balls Racing
Using tapered head bearings and new races allows a nearly machine-less install. The only modifications I had to make were the steering stops, but we'll get to that later.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/10212526013/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Forks...
Once you have the triples mounted in the head, your fork options are nearly endless. You have to remember that each manufacture uses different axle sizes/lengths so when you are choosing fork and wheels, the same manufacture is usually the best bet. I went with forks, wheel, axle and brakes from an 06' ZX6R. I chose this setup because:
1. It was cheap off CL
2. I like the look and function of the floating petal style rotors
3. The length was nearly the same
4. It was cheap off CL
I could've used most any supersport fork and wheel combo. If you stay in the same year range as your triples, most fork and axle combos are the same. R6 forks would've worked too, as would some GSXR forks. Just remember to stay with the same manufacture for forks, wheels, axle. The length needs to be roughly the same, as you don't want to mess with the geometry too much. If you stray too far from the road, you may have to machine some axle spacers or spacers on your brake mounts, etc. In all honesty, the best bet would be to get a complete front end from an 06'-13' R6. The rake and trail stayed the same for that year range.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8120123411/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Brakes...
I used the stock ZX6R Tokico brakes. I planned on using risers on the new triples so I needed new lines. I went with Venhill braided lines. They are fantastic! You can use whatever brand you want, but don't forget to specify the extra length needed. If I recall I went with an extra 4'' or so over stock ZX6R length. I also got a rear line because the package deal was considerably cheaper.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8120123183/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244067937/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Steering Stops...
Eventually I got everything mounted and in good working order. The steering stops on the 08' R6 triples DO NOT WORK. I ground them flat and drilled/tapped new holes for the stops. I used a simple bolt/spacer/nut combo. It was somewhere in the $3 range for everything and they are solid. If you really wanted to go overboard, you could run a bead around the stop and weld it directly to the triple. It's overkill, but hey, whatever.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244069139/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Controls...
I went with Protaper Contour Fatbars and Protaper Risers. I would've like to find risers with a larger rise, but I found a smoking deal on some universal ones. I had to space the risers above the triple to clear the fork adjusters. All the FZ6 standard controls bolt right up and work. The only problem I ran into was bar ends. I ended up using the supplied plugs and a bar end mirror. You can use whatever works for you. I've since added some Cycra CRM Handguards, so that issue has been resolved.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244070257/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/10211166634/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Headlight...
I went with the naked headlight kit from dev_usc. I had to drill/tap new upper and lower mounting holes and add some longer bolts and spacers, but it was surprisingly easy. With the stock fairing, you'd be okay too. The stock fairing mounts on the steering head, which remains unmodified throughout this whole process.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8244080005/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
Final Thoughts...
These are just the basic and in no way a definitive or final answer on how to do these types of swaps. This worked very well for me and was simple. It was fairly inexpensive (especially if you sell the stock front end) and 100% reversible. Feel free to ask any questions or add anything you deem pertinent to the thread. Thanks for looking!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8032923360/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61272837@N03/8245144650/http://www.flickr.com/people/61272837@N03/
