Hi Uppo,

I had this investigated by the Yamaha dealer that I bought my bike from. They couldn't find anything wrong.

I've learned to live with it and now think that it is caused by a resonance at those revs.

I think the resonance just happens to be at that rev-range.

Think about when an old double-decker bus is shaking itself to pieces when idling at the traffic lights. That's because the engine idling frequency causes resonant vibration in the rest of the bus... when the revs go up it dies down.


I think this is the same for the Fazer.


Nothing bad has happened to my bike as a result of it. I've noticed that using Castrol racing oil and always keeping it at a good level helps so that it's not as easy to feel.

I've been riding mine for 6 years now and it's been solid.

Good luck.

Hi Fraser,


Sorry I didn't update this thread with the outcome.


I took the bike back to the Yamaha Center that sold it to me, and they kept it for a week and lent me an FZ-1N for the duration. So, they took it on 3 test rides, 1 was the owner of the shop, and 2 with the chief mechanic.


They couldn't find anything that they considered to be out of the ordinary with the bike, but they still checked everything that they could do:

- Tightened all the engine mounting bolts
- Checked the brake pads and discs
- Front wheel bearings
- Drivetrain


He told me that every bike has it's own special feeling and sounds, and to just live with it and get used to it. however, when it came back, it did feel a lot less pronounced to me. Perhaps something to do with the engine mounting bolts were a little loose or something. Anyway, it doesn't bother me anymore. I just try to stay on either side of that rev range.


I also read here: http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-used/used-review-yamaha-fazer-600/4313-2.html


Page 2 (under engine) says: "One of the few bug-bears is a vibration at anything between 6-8000 revs. They all do that, Sir."


So it seems that this is normal behaviour. The problem I had is that I've only ridden an XT600e which is only single cylinder and feels entirely different. I'd had no experience of a 4 cylinder bike until that point, so i didn't know what to expect. Anyway, i've got used to it now and it feels really sweet otherwise.


James

Yeah I would say so. It doesn't feel like no power, just less. But then the power band kicks in after that too.

At least I learnt something :-)

James

Hi again,

It is more of a feeling than a noise to be honest... Last time it happened, I tried to listen for it bit realised I could only hear wind noise in my helmet.

Also, I studied it more and can feel it in the handlebars like I already said, but also feel it in the pegs and the seat. It feels like the engine just starts making more friction at 6k rpm. Also, I definitely found that speed doesn't matter, it is only the revs, because I can feel it in several gears at those revs. 5.5k and down, 6.5k and up feel smooth all the way.

Also, if I am say at 7k and I lift off the throttle slightly so that the revs drop to 6k I think it can feel more pronounced than if I rise up to 6k. I found that very weird.

I'm an acoustic engineer and I had a weird thought that maybe it is something to do with the air intake. It is very possible that the engine draws air at such a speed (at 6k revs) that it corresponds to the resonant frequency of the intake pipe and makes a really weird sensation. Something like a Helmholtz resonance (like when you blow across a half empty bottle and it sounds like a lighthouse, then you can feel the bottle vibrate)... It feels like that sort of thing but because I can't hear anything for the wind noise in the helmet, I can't really confirm. An acoustic resonance would correspond to the gradual build up and tail off at lower and higher revs than 6k... And also the preciseness of the problem.

Also at lower speeds when I can hear more through the helmet, there is a strong sucking sound from the air intakes so I will check if perhaps something is obstructing it in some way, or just normal behavior.

I've checked everything mechanical I can on the bike:

-Wheel bearings (Front and back)
-Chain tension and alignment
-Engine oil level
-Brakes don't stick at all (as far as I can tell from checking the pads and moving the wheels while on the center stand)

There is a rattle in the fairing exactly as described by the headlight but that occurs at other revs and I just pressed the fairing as suggested by the left headlight and it went away... So I'm not worried about that.

I haven't noticed any lag in power because of this though... Just the feeling.. So I dont think that anything is being degraded or broken.

Maybe I'm just too particular, and I guess I could have written a book about these sorts of things with my old XT600E hahaha :-)

Once again I appreciate your help and suggestions guys! Many thanks :-)

James

Nah, I've got a Michelin Pilot something or other... I looked at that today.

The noise/feeling was much improved today on the way to work but still there. It might be my imagination but I feel that the longer I am on the bike the worse it gets so I wonder if it's related to how much front brake I use, or engine temperature. I don't know really... I have many theories but none with proof

James

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'll check the chain again and measure the slack properly.

The sensation is definitely related to engine rpm, as far as I can tell and doesn't seem to matter which gear I am in.

I also wondered if my brakes are dragging on the front, but I don't know why I would only feel that at certain rpm...

I'll keep an eye on it. It's still under dealer warranty (even though I bought it used - Sweden is good!) so if I can't figure it out I'll get them to take a look.

James

Wow dudeness!

That sounds like real dedication to the cause! I think that sounds like a good winter project :-)

James

Hi guys,


An update on the forks. I put just over 3 hours of elbow grease into these bad boys with a combination of:


-Wire dish scourer
-Scotchbrite pad
-Autosol

and ended up the the result below. It's not perfect, but good enough to get through this summer. I think better results can only be obtained with machine assistance and dismounting the forks to get access to all bits. As you can see I took the mudguard off in this photo. I did a little more after this to clean up more, but basically these are the finished item.

Hi guys,


I'm just introducing myself as I bought a Fazer last week and love it! I changed from an XT600E which was my first bike. I'm an English guy that has been living in Sweden for the last 5 years. I passed my bike test at the end of September last year (I don't have a driving licence for a car though), and rode the XT through the whole winter.


I got my fair share of crappy weather conditions over the winter- Freezing fog (couldn't see through the visor), hail storms, pea soup fog, icy roads, snowy roads (I fell off the XT on a gravel road in a forest that was snowy. I could have avoided this but in my naivety thought that I could tackle it and busted my knee up a bit). So that opened my eyes a bit, but I'm glad I did because I think a lot more when I ride.


Here is the Fazer after a polish and clean today:


Front



Left Side



Right side





Also, I have a question for you seasoned veterans about the forks... I have the oxidization on my front forks because of chipped lacquer. I want to remove the lacquer and polish them up because I want to make/keep the bike tidy. I have a new tube of Autosol, but what is the best way to remove the lacquer? I'd like to avoid using paint stripper if possible. Wire wool, sand paper? I think this question has probably been asked numerous times before so you'll have to forgive me. I just joined and wanted to introduce myself before I delve into the website for answers.


Here is a picture of the front fork ugliness:


Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my introduction! I look forward to chatting with you and learning a lot!
Oh... here is the XT:





Thanks!
James