True.... +1
Think of it as first harmonics vs those that propagate as the bar sections oscillate at different frequencies and amplitudes...
True.... +1
Think of it as first harmonics vs those that propagate as the bar sections oscillate at different frequencies and amplitudes...
Stephen ingham
Junior Member
Well last night I decided to fit new spark plugs and check the plug leads/ caps.
On removing the plugs I found that #3 plug was quite loose and all of the caps and leads were a poor fit, so I trimmed back about 10mm of lead and refitted.
I had a bit of a problem once I tightened the plugs in the head getting the plug socket back out of the hole, it was a very snug fit....
All fitted and back together, now to try it for a few days and see if there is any difference.
One thing I also noticed was in the back of the air box near the engine breather there was a tiny bit of oil, should I be concerned?
On removing the plugs I found that #3 plug was quite loose and all of the caps and leads were a poor fit, so I trimmed back about 10mm of lead and refitted.
I had a bit of a problem once I tightened the plugs in the head getting the plug socket back out of the hole, it was a very snug fit....
All fitted and back together, now to try it for a few days and see if there is any difference.
One thing I also noticed was in the back of the air box near the engine breather there was a tiny bit of oil, should I be concerned?
On the engine or in the air box?
The clutch cable if lubed regularly may form some drips.
And inside the air box at the crank case breather may have a film.
FWIW: I picked mine up w/4k on the clock and the air box by the CC breather was oil filmed. It could have been from break in at new or the guy lugging it around. But ever since I cleaned it 17,000 miles ago it has not returned.
You might add some detail about where this oil was found I'm not sure I answered your question.
As for getting the caps back in the block, they do contact the rubber heat shield and they are snug, but they do fit!
Of course if you take the air box out, its a free for all then. Quick access from the top. But its a lot of extra work and its not necessary.
Stephen ingham
Junior Member
I did it by taking the airbox and battery box off, as you say a fair bit more work but I think easier in the long run.
The little bit of oil was in the airbox near the engine breather, I didnt think it was anything to worry about.
I have been out on the motorway today and there is a noticeable difference, not only in performance but in the vibration issue too.
Many thanks for the help
The little bit of oil was in the airbox near the engine breather, I didnt think it was anything to worry about.
I have been out on the motorway today and there is a noticeable difference, not only in performance but in the vibration issue too.
Many thanks for the help
EXCELLENT!!! Perhaps another WIN for the Spark Plug Caps Fix!! I think many bikes were SOLD because of this vibration driving people nuts!
Can you detail your findings? Were the caps so loose they spun freely without resistance??
Amazing how it changes the tone, the sound, the feel and its so simple! GOOD JOB! Glad you dug in there! :thumbup::thumbup:
Stephen ingham
Junior Member
What i found when i got to the plug caps was that they were not instantly noticeably loose, but when i tried twisting them to ensure they were tight they just twisted and showed no signs they were going to tighten.
So i removed each plug cap in turn, snipped off about 10mm off the end and refitted the cap, being careful not to over tighten them.
Once all fitted back together i took it for a spin, bit of commuting and a bit of motorway and the difference is it appears to be much smoother, particularly at the higher rev range.
Although not the easiest of jobs to do i think most diy mechanics can undertake this as it only really involves having to take the battery box, battery and airbox off to get good access to the top of the head and the spark plugs its a job well worth doing.
My next job i think is to look at replacing the bars...just need to either find a set of FZ1 bars or something similar
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice
So i removed each plug cap in turn, snipped off about 10mm off the end and refitted the cap, being careful not to over tighten them.
Once all fitted back together i took it for a spin, bit of commuting and a bit of motorway and the difference is it appears to be much smoother, particularly at the higher rev range.
Although not the easiest of jobs to do i think most diy mechanics can undertake this as it only really involves having to take the battery box, battery and airbox off to get good access to the top of the head and the spark plugs its a job well worth doing.
My next job i think is to look at replacing the bars...just need to either find a set of FZ1 bars or something similar
Thanks to everyone for the help and advice
You might want to throw a zip tie around the boot to give it some stability. like so....
Oh and thanks for the details.... Rather night and day difference isn't it!
Oh and thanks for the details.... Rather night and day difference isn't it!
Stephen ingham
Junior Member
Thats a great idea...wish I had thought about that whilst I had it all in bits....
But yes the difference is like night and day.
But yes the difference is like night and day.
buzzbomb
Resident Lurker
I think many bikes were SOLD because of this vibration driving people nuts!
Hi, I've been lurking for a while and thought I'd get out of the shadows and say hello! I was a bit frustrated with the vibes and hard seat of my FZ6, and tried selling it at a bike shop in the city, but it didn't sell. So I'm thinking maybe I'm just meant to keep the bike.
The engine vibes have concerned me for a while now, and are noticeable more on hot days. Not sure if it's just the frame expanding, but I've torqued all the engine/frame bolts down to the correct torque. After spotting the spark plug cap thread I tried it, as well as a full service- oil/filter, coolant and brake fluid, and also I remoulded and added more foam to the seat.
I tried taking off #4 spark plug cap off the ht lead but found it a real pain. I checked the other leads and they all felt tight. I'm tempted to try again by taking out the battery and airbox. The new spark plugs have made a difference low down but it still vibey up high (7k upwards).
I still love the Fazer even though it's been 9 years since I bought it. It'd be nice to be able to nail the engine vibes. I'm pretty sure it's the leads and not the chain or wheel alignment. Has anyone modded the early model to have a coil over sparkplug design like the later r6s?
Anyway thanks to everyone esp FinalImpact, for all the informative threads! Cheers
Hi, I've been lurking for a while and thought I'd get out of the shadows and say hello! I was a bit frustrated with the vibes and hard seat of my FZ6, and tried selling it at a bike shop in the city, but it didn't sell. So I'm thinking maybe I'm just meant to keep the bike.
The engine vibes have concerned me for a while now, and are noticeable more on hot days. Not sure if it's just the frame expanding, but I've torqued all the engine/frame bolts down to the correct torque. After spotting the spark plug cap thread I tried it, as well as a full service- oil/filter, coolant and brake fluid, and also I remoulded and added more foam to the seat.
I tried taking off #4 spark plug cap off the ht lead but found it a real pain. I checked the other leads and they all felt tight. I'm tempted to try again by taking out the battery and airbox. The new spark plugs have made a difference low down but it still vibey up high (7k upwards).
I still love the Fazer even though it's been 9 years since I bought it. It'd be nice to be able to nail the engine vibes. I'm pretty sure it's the leads and not the chain or wheel alignment. Has anyone modded the early model to have a coil over sparkplug design like the later r6s?
Anyway thanks to everyone esp FinalImpact, for all the informative threads! Cheers
Just drop the radiator like in the thread and it offers enough access to do the job. Its two bolts on the left and it settles on the hoses. Nothing else is needs to be undone. IT SOUNDS LIKE it still has a cap loose. There CAN BE REPEAT OFFENDERS!! Ask me how I know!
That said, the following items have reduced the vibes in order of greatest change to least change. But ALL played a roll. As it is now, All I feel is the road below me and not the engine.
1) Spark plug caps, and even on my own bike I've had them go bad in 2000 miles. I've made the repair 3 times in 10,000 miles. Hence the zip tie...
2) Valve adjustment - get all the holes doing the same thing at the same time.
3) Adding fuel via CO adjust.
- - - Fuel quality. Run the best fuel you can afford to VERIFY its impact!!
4) Mine specifically, Good engine oil, +Quality chain lube, and rear wheel alignment.
5) Spark plug gap beyond spec. Ditch the OEM sidefire plugs, and confirm new ones are NOT beyond spec.
6) TB sync, because this only impacts idle to 2500 RPM, its pretty low on the food chain. All of the other fixes help in the RPMs where the bike is used.
7) Exhaust alignment. If the header, Mid-pipe, or tail pipe are bound against the mounts, it induces vibes into the chassis. Loosen the mid-pipe and rear muffler wiggle them enough to break their bond to each other. Loosen the header near the exit (under the transmission) and let it move into its own place, confirm the mid-pipe can be moved up and down.
- Tighten the header under the trans.
- Wiggle the mid-pipe. Get it to settle into its own place. Tighten it.
- With the muffler loose, jiggle it till it settles into its own place and then tighten it. With none of these components bound up, its less likely to induce vibes into the chassis.
buzzbomb
Resident Lurker
Looks like I'll give those caps another shot soon. Everything is sweet apart from those vibes, and I love how smooth the engine is down low, but I want to enjoy that top end rush without going numb!
Hopefully it's not valve clearances, I've been changing the oil and filter a bit earlier than normal to try and keep everything happy in the engine. Not sure if it makes much difference in the long run but I'm hoping it'll reduce valvetrain wear.
Thanks for your other suggestions too, I'll try the muffler trick next time I've got the spanners out in the shed.
Thanks for your help!
Looks like I'll give those caps another shot soon. Everything is sweet apart from those vibes, and I love how smooth the engine is down low, but I want to enjoy that top end rush without going numb!
Hopefully it's not valve clearances, I've been changing the oil and filter a bit earlier than normal to try and keep everything happy in the engine. Not sure if it makes much difference in the long run but I'm hoping it'll reduce valvetrain wear.
Thanks for your other suggestions too, I'll try the muffler trick next time I've got the spanners out in the shed.
Thanks for your help!
Also, although the R6 Valve cover (or R6S) will fit our bike, I'm not sure you can get the stick coils in and out of the head w/out dropping the engine so there is a mechanical form/fit issue. It will be close but maybe with the airbox out and the rubber heat shield out, they may drop in.
That said, now you need some electronics to take the existing signal from the ECM output (ground) and ensure its capable of running 2 coils instead of just the one. In short, its more complicated than simply throwing them in there. If it were that easy I would have done it already!
I just don't want to fry my ECM on an expirement that may not be as reliable as the OEM waste spart in spite of the caps issue. Know what i mean?!?!?
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Let me borrow yours while in you're in recovery!!! :sinister: :rof::rof:
Although it shouldn't get ^^ that bad.... maybe just a lil puff a smoke! Blah
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Let me borrow yours while in you're in recovery!!! :sinister: :rof::rof:
Although it shouldn't get ^^ that bad.... maybe just a lil puff a smoke! Blah
Ahh, Yea.... Electrical puffs of smoke (small or big) are NOT good!!
I do know that!!:spank:
Stephen ingham
Junior Member
Well I went to my local friendly bike shop today and bought a set of Renthal direct FZ1 replacement bars, they cost my a measly £31.00 so pretty cheap I thought.
Got them fitted tonight, just need to ride it tomorrow to see if any adjustments need to be made...
Got them fitted tonight, just need to ride it tomorrow to see if any adjustments need to be made...
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I just posted this thread, something you may want to look into re the higher RPM vib's;
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/54463-un-authorized-throttle-body-sync-cleaning.html
:thumbup:
Zealot
The Village Idiot
If I could chime in here for a moment: Where would I go about tweaking to adjust the position of my levers and controls? More specifically, what fasteners am I looking at touching? My wrist is bent slightly up at it stands and a couple degrees worth of adjustment could do wonders.
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Bar levers clamp via pinch bolt on the lever perch. I think 10mm socket cap on bottom or top.
Just look. You'll see.
Just look. You'll see.
