What type of maintenance work do I need?

[cvalliere]

I've had my 06 FZ6 for a year and a half now and have put a considerable amount of miles on it. It is my first bike and I bought it with 18k and now it probably has around 28k. The only maintenance I have done to it are:

Regular Oil Changes
Clutch Cable Lube
Chain and Sprocket Replacement (regular lubes)
Tires Replaced


I've had this looming thought that something is going to go wrong and I need to just take it in for a full maintenance checkup. But I would rather do it myself if possible. Any suggestions on what I should be looking/listening for?

 

[Carlos840]

So many things are going wrong!

Bike wise, the things i would add to your maintenance are:

Brake fluid change, i think you are meant to do it every three years, but it is worth doing more often.

Fork oil change, definitely worth doing! Most people assume it never need changing, it does... If you want to cure the head diving a bit go for heavier oil (15w).

Lastly, on an 06 a coolant change is more than due if it was never done!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

So many things are going wrong!

Bike wise, the things i would add to your maintenance are:

Brake fluid change, i think you are meant to do it every three years, but it is worth doing more often.

Fork oil change, definitely worth doing! Most people assume it never need changing, it does... If you want to cure the head diving a bit go for heavier oil (15w).

Lastly, on an 06 a coolant change is more than due if it was never done!

What he said! :thumbup:

Just to add two things.

Just quickly check the "free spin" on your wheels (brakes) as with time, the rubber seals dry out and the pistons stick. This causes undue wear on the brake pads and rotors. The rotors will get hot (even if not used). You should have at least 1/2 to 3/4 of "free spin". You can also go for a ride, stop withe say the rear brake only and quickly, FEEL the FRONT ROTORS. They should be cool to cold to the touch. If thier hot, you have issues. Yamaha recommends seal replacement every TWO YEARS. I've found 5 years is about the limit.

Do a throttle body sync. It'll help smooth out the engine. IMO, I bought a Morgan Carbtune (no liguids, VERY HIGH QUALITY): www.carbtune.com . It'll pay for itself the first time you use it.

If you can change out sprockets, YOU can sync the throttle bodies, its not difficult... Others have made thier own sync tool with liquids

Good luck!!!:thumbup:

 

[FIZZER6]

I would do a thorough inspection of the brake hoses. Pull on them and bend them and look closely with a bright light for any sign of cracks. Some people change them every few years but I think that is overkill if you just check them often. I've had rubber brake lines on cars last 25 years without issue but on the bike it's a bit more important that they do not fail! the good thing about motorcycles is you have completely independent brakes front and rear so even if one fails completely you won't be without brakes!

Another thing to check that has not been mentioned is the steering head bearings.

You can just put the bike on the center stand and have someone push down on the rear seat to keep the front tire off the ground and then grab the forks and shake forward and backward. You should not feel play or hear knocking, if you do it's high time to replace the head bearings which tend to fail on these bikes.

 

[trepetti]

I bought an 05 in 2012 and over the last 2 seasons performed what I thought was maintenance that gave me peace of mind.

New brake pads
New brake lines (Stainless Steel)
Bled brakes
Changed oil
Changed coolant
Thoroughly cleaned and adjusted chain
Adjusted steering head bearings
Changed spark plugs
Changed air filter
Synced throttle bodies

I know that some of these tasks were unneeded at the time (brakes were fine), but I felt better doing it. It's my money and my butt on the line.

Now I regularly service the chain and change the oil while keeping an eye on the coolant and brake fluid.

This off-season I will be cleaning the sprockets, changing the fork oil, cleaning the air filter and changing the engine oil.

If you don't already have them, get the owners manual and the service manual and look at the recommended schedules.

My thinking is that you are better doing maintenance sooner than the recommended time. Its only money.

 

[Motogiro]

I believe the valve lash check is recommended at 26,600 miles although most FZ6 bikes I hear about are within spec.

 

[FinalImpact]

I'm sure these crossed your mine too -
New Spark plugs
Air Filter
Swing arm pivot
Throttle cable
Fuel treatment - i.e. injector cleaner

Pear through the owners manual as it lists all of the recommended intervals.

Personally when ever the climate takes a big swing in temperatures I throw in some Techron Fuel Treatment (available in the states, not sure about outside), as preventative maintenance to remove moisture and keep things clean. So, roughly twice to three times a year.

Just an observation: getting up close and personal with the bike you may just find things so taking it apart for a good cleaning - wax etc. Check all critical fasteners for proper tension. Handle bars, axle bolts, pivots, engine fasteners.... Tank off, hugger off, fairing off - gets you good access to asses conditions and clean.

 

[DeepBlueRider]

I believe the valve lash check is recommended at 26,600 miles although most FZ6 bikes I hear about are within spec.

Just did mine - 15 valves in the middle of the spec, 16th (last one I've checked - most right hand exhaust valve) 0.07mm too lose

 

[nosugar0carbs]

look up the MSI(manufacture service interval) for all the maintenance...

 

[cvalliere]

thanks so much guys!

You confirmed most of the things I would think about every now and then. Just needed a solid list to put together to get it all done.

Looks like I'll need a full weekend put aside to do all of this!

 

[FinalImpact]

Just did mine - 15 valves in the middle of the spec, 16th (last one I've checked - most right hand exhaust valve) 0.07mm too lose

Say what???? Unless you have a typo there "0.07mm too lose" - its WAY TOO TIGHT which is far worse than being an equal amount too loose!

Valve clearance (cold)
Intake 0.13–0.20 mm (0.0051–0.0079 in)
Exhaust 0.23–0.30 mm (0.0091–0.0118 in)

Too Loose - leads to excessive tapping although REAL loose and you pop the keeper off the valve and grenaaaaada to the engine when the valve drops in the hole.
The normal noise would be at half crank speed TAP TAP TAP.... but a solid sound. The loose or larger gap is set as a product of noise, wear, and risk of popping the keeper. This is a WAG but loose, loud and not dropping a valve would be something like 0.381 mm / 0.015". Beyond that I want it Fixed ASAP.

Too Tight - and the exhaust valve is off the seat too much and it burns (cam is holding it open when hot due to expansion). This is slow death and is better than dropping a valve but still requires repair. The exhaust valve needs to contact the heads seat to keep it cool and thus prevent it from burning up like the sun. If the exhaust valve is hung open too far (no lash, no clearance), the idle quality will be bad and TB sync near impossible.

[MENTION=22919]DeepBlueRide[/MENTION]I'd refrain from ridding and or double check this one as being too tight 0.07 mm is not good. If the decimal is point is off, please make an audio recording of your engine. Its gotta have loud TAP TAP TAP...

EDIT: I think I just saw the error of my ways; your stating its "ACTUALLY VALUE TO BE 0.30 mm + 0.07 mm" or total valve lash clearance = 0.37 mm. uhg - my bad. As you were. I took that value as the "as found lash value 0.07 mm".... please confirm. Tks​

 

[FinalImpact]

Just did mine - 15 valves in the middle of the spec, 16th (last one I've checked - most right hand exhaust valve) 0.07mm too lose

PM sent - hopefully its just a type of some kind.

 

[DeepBlueRider]

Say what???? Unless you have a typo there "0.07mm too lose" - its WAY TOO TIGHT which is far worse than being an equal amount too loose!

Valve clearance (cold)
Intake 0.13–0.20 mm (0.0051–0.0079 in)
Exhaust 0.23–0.30 mm (0.0091–0.0118 in)

I'm coming with explanations Measured clearance on exhaust side was 0.37mm. So as the was more clearance (0.07mm more than max tolerance) I've called it too loose, which might be not clear.

I've measured it 5 times in multiple ways. Put feeler from front, back rotate camshaft, remove camshaft and put it back with criss cross pattern to double check if reading it accurate. 0.37mm it was... I've already putted new shim.

 

[FinalImpact]

I'm coming with explanations Measured clearance on exhaust side was 0.37mm. So as the was more clearance (0.07mm more than max tolerance) I've called it too loose, which might

I've measured it 5 times in multiple ways. Put feeler from front, back rotate camshaft, remove camshaft and put it back with criss cross pattern to double check if reading it accurate. 0.37mm it was... I've already putted new shim.

See edit in post 11. And if you could make an audio when cold and hot that would be great. Sorry! Didn't mean to alarm! :spank::spank:

 

[DeepBlueRider]

See edit in post 11. And if you could make an audio when cold and hot that would be great. Sorry! Didn't mean to alarm! :spank::spank:

No worries As I've mentioned multiple times - english is my second language so I'm prone to spelling mistakes or strange words Anyway I'm glad you've bring attention to this. I would really like to know if I would do something stupid, so it's good that somebody rise questions and asks for explanations if something doesn't add up :rockon:

 

[bigdog9191999]

Just as a curiosity deep blue! What is your first language ?

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