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.