Categories
Maintenance

FZ6 Charging System Failure, Rectifier & Stator Checks

There are few things more heart-sinking than being sat on your motorbike miles from home to find it no longer starts up. At first, you’re in denial and keep jabbing at the starter button, but it just generates more clicks as the starter motor refuses to kick in. You then have to consign yourself to the fact, you’re not going anywhere in a hurry.

The fatal selfie stop whence we discovered our dead battery…

This happened to me a few weeks ago on a cold ride up to Dunkeld. It was one of those beautiful winter days where it was bright and sunny, but cold with frost and snow surrounding the main roads. I had just stopped by the roadside to take some snaps of an ice-covered loch but found myself stuck on a bike that wouldn’t start. Thankfully, my daughter was with me pillion and was able to bump start the bike to get us moving again.

A few miles down the road I got an engine management light on the dash and a code 46. This indicated a low battery/charging system issue. After another bump start, we continued homeward bound. Close to home, the battery went completely flat, I lost the dash and lights, but the bike kept going so we persisted. But, eventually, it died as we came to a halt at a junction, though thankfully only a couple of miles from home and not too much hassle to get family out with some jump leads, charge the bike and get me home. Then began the multi-meter fun diagnosing the faults.

Categories
Hardware Maintenance

Yamaha FZ6 Suspension Upgrade: Nitron Shock/Race Tech Gold Valve Emulators

As with many budget bikes, the stock suspension on my Yamaha FZ6 S2 was pretty basic. Sure, it did the job on an average ride, but it didn’t inspire confidence when pushing on or when you hit a particular bumpy bit of road. With over 20k miles on the bike, it was also beginning to show its age too.

Nitron motorcycle shock in trademark Nitron blue
Nitron motorcycle shock in trademark Nitron blue

When evaluating FZ6 suspension upgrade options, it quickly becomes apparent one can easily spend a lot of money. When you have an old bike that’s only worth a couple of grand, it’s difficult to justify a big outlay upgrading it. After discussing suggestions from friends and other Fazer riders on various owner’s forums, two suggestions kept coming up:

So who was I to argue such tried and tested wisdom?

Race Tech Emulators and fork springs
Race Tech Emulators and fork springs

Nitron is a British firm, who has been designing and manufacturing quality suspension for various motorsports for the last 20 years. They have a solid reputation for producing great shocks for many budgets. Similarly, Race Tech is a Californian firm that has specialised in quality suspension upgrades and parts for all kinds of vehicles for the last 36 years.

Categories
Gear Reviews Maintenance

Tru-Tension Leather Cleaner & Protect Conditioner Review

Motorcycle leathers don’t half get mucky, invariable covered in flies, splashed up crud, dust, split ice cream and other grime. And that’s just after one ride! Yet, we infrequently clean and maintain our protective motorcycle gear. So when Tru-Tension asked if I’d like to test out some of their best motorcycle leather cleaner and conditioner products, I was like ‘hell yeah, I need some of that, my motorcycle leathers are filthy!’

Leather Motorcycle Jacket Maintenance Time!

Tru-Tension cleaner & protect for leather motorcycle jacket maintenanceThe Tru-Tension leather cleaner and conditioner products come as a two-step set; first the cleaner to remove dirt and grime, then second the protector/conditioner to keep your leather supple, strong and water-resistant. Both come in 400ml bottles and typically sell for £10 each. Not the cheapest but let’s see how they perform, but then if you want your leathers to protect your skin, you should protect your leathers well.

To really test these Tru-Tension products, I dug out my black and white Alpinestars GP-Pro motorbike jacket, the white panels of which were looking pretty grimey and not that white anymore!

Have you been putting off your leather motorcycle jacket maintenance? Read on to see how the Tru-Tension products perform.

Categories
Maintenance

No Riding Blues? Winter & Lockdown Biker Entertainment

Going Snow Where - Winter Motorcycle EntertainmentFor many, wintertime is when bikes are garaged away and in storage until the warmer spring weather. Even many who would normally ride year-round are facing the no riding blues from various lockdowns in place to tackle the covid pandemic. I’m personally in this category as I’m now working from home permanently. So, what can a die-hard biker do to while away the dark and miserable winter months? Read on for some suggestions on winter motorcycle entertainment.

→ Additionally, there’s a lot of stuff mentioned here that would make great biker gifts and motorcycle Christmas presents or stocking fillers. So, take note if you know a biker and are stuck for gift ideas.

Categories
Maintenance

Two Tyres – the New Garage for Motorcycle Tyres London

Motorcycle Tyres London
Two Tyres, Motorcycle Tyres London

Looking for Motorcycle tyres in London? A new garage has just opened up which should definitely be on your list of places to check out. Two Tyres recently opened in August 2020 selling motorcycle tyres online or fitted at their bricks’n’mortar shop near Oval in South London. Formed by Ben (original founder of the VisorDown website) along with Chris (one of the founders of FWR – another reputable shop for motorcycle tyres in London) and Deano (another ex-FWR mechanic). Between them, they have plenty of experience of the real-world mechanical, customer service and shop running side, in conjunction with the online and marketing side.

I visited Two Tyres a couple of weeks after it opened to fit a fresh pair of Metzeler RoadTec 01 SE tyres on my Yamaha FZ6, check out their new facilities and grab a quick interview with Ben.

Read on to find out more and blag yourself a discount code for Two Tyres.

Edit: Two Tyres have now grown and moved to larger premises at: Unit 1, Peterboat Close, Greenwich, SE10 0PX

Categories
Maintenance

Easy Motorcycle MOT Checklist to Avoid Failing

If you have a motorcycle or scooter over three years old, you will need to submit it for an annual motorbike MOT test to ensure it is still safe and road legal. No one wants an MOT failure and the prospect of a large repair bill. However, a large majority of test failures are simple things that can easily be identified and fixed yourself before you take your bike to the garage.

Motorcycle MOT Check
Pass your Motorcycle MOT first time!
Historic Motorcycle MOT Exemption

As of May 2018 historic motorcycles over 40 years old are exempt from MOT tests and vehicle tax. You will however need to apply for the ‘historic tax class’ – more details on the Gov.uk site. But note you can still be fined and get 3 points if your motorbike is not in a road worthy condition.

Covid19 Lockdown MOT Extension

Note there were MOT test date extensions brought in due to the Covid19 lockdown, don’t get caught out now this extension period is over:

  • MOT’s expiring on or after 30th March and before 1st August, get a six-month extension
  • MOT’s expiring on or after 1st August are due as normal
MOT Failure Statistics

Recently the Dept. for Transport (DfT) released MOT data for 2019, which provides for some interesting stats:

  1. 83% of motorcycles & scooters pass first time, compared to 67% of cars and light vehicles (up to 3,000 Kg)
  2. Across all vehicles types, 7% ‘Pass with Rectification’ – that is, after minor fixes at the test station within 1 hour
  3. 10% of motorcycles fail their MOT test, verses 25% of cars & light vehicles

Clearly, motorcycles are less likely to encounter an MOT test failure compared to other vehicles. In this article we will look at what the most common failure reasons are and if they could have been spotted before hand, thus compiling a motorcycle MOT checklist you can follow.

Categories
Hardware Maintenance

Fitting a Chinese Replica Instrument Speedo Clock Case – Honda CBF500/CB900F

Honda CBF500 replacement motorcycle clocksWhen we first picked up Mary’s Honda CBF500 it was clear it hadn’t always stayed rubber side down. It had various bits of cosmetic damage, which I have progressively fixed up as parts popped up cheap. One of the last items to address was the speedo tachometer case which had a few cracks and was taped up. Genuine Honda CBF clocks are expensive (£300+), second-hand Honda instrument clusters aren’t cheap (£100-150 odd) and are often missing mounting lugs. So, when I spotted a cheap Chinese replica speedo clocks casing for £25, I was of course intrigued and figured it had to be worth a punt.

Cheap eBay replica speedo clocks casing

Categories
Maintenance

FZ6 Mini Mod – Fixing The Heavy Clutch

My Yamaha FZ6 S2 has been a great weekday commuter workhorse, yet with enough beans for some weekend fun. However, it’s not without issue, in particular the clutch. Firstly, it’s very heavy on the hand, to the extent I was getting hand ache in the first few weeks of ownership and was convinced it needed a new clutch cable (which changed little!) Secondly, the clutch bite point is way out on the lever, with little distance before fully released, even when all correctly adjusted with free play to spec. This all adds up to clunky gear shifts that you can never quite smooth out, you just can’t get throttle blips timed nicely with the point of clutch engage.

Recently I stumbled across a simple mod that promised to improve the heavy FZ6 clutch, which entails swapping on the lower clutch push lever from an MT07. This is the lever at the lower end of the clutch cable protruding from the clutch case cover. The MT07 push lever is slightly longer and so affords greater leverage, and thus lightens the clutch action.

Clutch push levers
Push levers comparison – Top: original FZ6; Botton: MT07
Categories
Maintenance

FZ6 Brake Maintenance and Braided Hose

Brake goodies to fit

This weekends chore was brake maintenance on the FZ6. Having only acquired the bike in the Autumn, it was unclear when the brake fluid was last changed, and being 13 years old, the original rubber brake hose, although visually OK, were likely past their best. The rubber hoses can degrade over many years exposure to the elements, which can lead to slight bulging when pumping the brake lever and thus reducing the final pressure applied to the brake pistons and pads onto the discs. Whereas braided hoses being built around a stainless steel mesh braid are more study, will not bulge or degrade in the same way and have a longer lifespan.

Categories
Maintenance

Howto Repair Motorcycle Puncture at the Roadside

Totally gutted. Less than a month old pair of Michelin Pilot Road 5’s with a bloody screw stuck in the rear tyre. Very annoying, but it need not screw up your whole day, if you know how to temporarily plug a tyre, you can be on the move again with minimal delay. This how-to will step by step show you how to repair motorcycle puncture in your tyre with a temporary plug that will get you home or to a garage for a permanent repair.