Date: 28-03-24  Time: 14:51 pm

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Topics - John Silva

Pages: [1] 2
1
For Sale & Wanted / 600 Foxeye Wanted
« on: 09 February 2018, 07:54:13 pm »
Any decent ones up for sale and near to the south west area as I'm looking for one.

2
General / Drag racing a Mk1 Fazer
« on: 29 September 2014, 10:21:08 am »
Was anybody on here at the Shakespeare County Racetrack on Saturday 27th for the Public track weekend.
Cos I found this photo of a Mk1

http://peterdonaldson.zenfolio.com/p271176679/h3328a278#h3328a278

3
General / Fazer with a trailer?
« on: 24 September 2013, 10:12:09 am »

4
General / Went Drag racing
« on: 22 July 2013, 10:05:00 am »
A good run up to Shakespeare County Raceway yesterday.
I raced all day against a mate on a Hornet 600.
I beat him of the line every time, but he caught up and overtook me, his best time of beating me was only 0.34778 of a second.  :)

Here is my times
    Reaction     ET             MPH
1.  0.65316    13.41595   102.97
2.  0.70310    12.91673   103.37
3.  0.55211    12.74965   103.57
4.  0.29244    12.80878   104.75
5.  0.33907    12.82698   104.86

It was a damn good day to see what the bike and me could do.  :D

5
My local bike forum are planning a run down the strip.
So far we got a Kawi Z1000, Ktm 990, Suzi 600 Bandit, Honda 600 Hornet and my Fazer 600.
This is being posted on all forums that we belong to, so Im hoping to get a few more Fazers interested.

I cant do the 20th so nothing is confirmed yet.

http://www.shakespearecountyraceway.com/

6
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Hoggin the Bridge
« on: 28 September 2012, 06:52:29 pm »
For more info on this Charity ride go to http://hogginthebridge.co.uk/

7
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Sunday 15th April Charity ride
« on: 12 April 2012, 04:32:46 pm »
This is a charity ride starting and finishing in Glastonbury taking in some of the amazing biking roads on the Mendips, including Cheddar Gorge & Burrington Combe.
I done this ride out the last couple of years and it is a good un.  :)

8
FZS600 Fazer / Leaking oil from the Gearshift
« on: 12 March 2012, 07:33:47 pm »
After the first ride of the season my bike has started leaking oil quite badly from the gearshift oil seal.

Has anybody replaced theres? I wanna know how hard it will be without taking the engine out/apart.


9
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / The Barge Inn at Honeystreet
« on: 12 March 2012, 11:39:35 am »
Somewhere NOT to go  :( :'(

A guy on another forum I'm on set out on a rideout into Wiltshire. Went into The Barge Inn at Honeystreet where the manager was a rude, unfriendly anti biker tosspot. Nice pub, Just a shame about the ar**ehole that runs it. (his words as I never been there) 33 bikes was not an avalanche. They were forewarned a few hours before there arrival by one of the guys who got there earlier that there would be a group of bikers maybe 25-30 strong heading over ..It's a Lottery funded pub so they don't really give a f**k about making any money and treating customers with respect.
One miserable local even complained to one of our Road Marshals that "you bikers" are to noisy and spoiling the peace and that he was going home.
He said being scowled at when you enter the bar and then being told “you could have told us you were coming" is not the way to run a business and even more shocking is to then go to a table of people and apologise to them because "these bikers" are here, is a disgrace.. The Barge Inn. some nice reviews are now on their way to every bike forum in the UK and every Pub Guide in Britain


Somewhere TO to go  :)
20 of them returned to the Huntsman Inn at Falfield where Kay the Landlady promptly opened up for them and served them piping hot plates of Roast spuds in Onion gravy along with honey roasted parsnips. All free of charge.  :eek Now that's how to run a business. Top marks to The Huntsman Inn....

10
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Ride of Respect 2012
« on: 27 February 2012, 07:39:30 pm »
Last ride through Royal wootton Bassett to thank the good people who stood out in all weathers at the repatriations of our Fallen heroes.
For more info www.rideofrespect.co.uk/

11
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Hoggin' the Bridge
« on: 12 October 2011, 09:20:42 pm »
The ride will start at 11.00 a.m. from Severn View services, Aust, junction 1 M48 on the English side of the Old Severn Bridge near Bristol.
 
The parade ride will pass over the Severn Bridge following a route through several local towns and villages then culminate in the town of Chepstow.

The roads and car parks in Chepstow will be closed to other traffic and only open to participants of Hoggin' the Bridge.

This is a charity fundraising event and for you to take part in the ride, along with some 3 to 4 thousand other bikes, all we ask for is a donation.

http://hogginthebridge.co.uk/

12
FZS600 / Fazer Headlight Mod for mark 1 FZS600
« on: 06 July 2011, 06:44:09 pm »
Originally posted by Moffmeister on 31/03/01


For whatever reason the offside light on the Fazer only comes on when it’s on main beam (although it has a H4 dual filament bulb fitted).
This leaves only the nearside (single filament H1 bulb) for dipped beam.  Lighting levels are crap in dipped and it also looks weird with only one light on.
Whilst stopped at some traffic lights recently this bloke standing at the adjacent bus stop hollered over that only one of my lights was working - yeah, its supposed to be like that!

So lets have both lamps on in dipped and see and be seen better.

These instructions are basically those on the FOC-U (Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial) messageboard but with accompanying pictures and my own commentary.

First of all the mod is easy!

What is required:

Tools (ideally have the right tools but you could do it all with a pair of combination pliers at a push)

1 - 8mm and 10mm sockets and suitable driver (T handle ideal)
2 - Side cutters
3 - Long nose and combination pliers
4 - Crimping tool (type dependent upon desired method of joining wires)
5 - Hat pin or similar long thin pointed thing (not absolutely necessary)
6 - Piece of wood about 600mm - 2ft long (something like 50mm x 25mm - "2 x 1")

Materials (dependent on your chosen method - see text)

1 - 1 metre (4 ft) 1mm² PVC insulated copper wire - preferably Black
2 - 8mm female un-insulated crimp terminal (AMP Fastin/Faston Type) Right Angle if possible
3 - Suitable male and female connectors e.g. insulated bullet connectors, or insulated spades - not required if in-line fuse is used.
4 - In-line fuse (with 10 Amp fuse) if desired
5 - Insulation tape and/or small cable ties

Time

It took me about 20 minutes, although it will take longer if you are not familiar with wiring type stuff, or if you are a perfectionist and want it done "right".  I intend to redo it in the fashion which I consider "right" another time but the way I did in as follows is still functional and safe.

STEP 1 - DISCONNECT THE BATTERY


Remove the seat and disconnect the battery.  This will avoid any possible short circuits which at worst could ignite rogue petrol fumes, or at best blow a fuse (usually the one the size you haven't got).

STEP 2 - RAISE THE PETROL TANK


Remove the tank securing bolt, at the front of the tank (8mm socket) and slowly and carefully raise the tank sufficiently to clear the electrical connection box (taking care not to strain the breather tubes) - check for any leaks.  Prop up with a length of wood as shown.

STEP 3 - TURN OFF THE FUEL


For safety turn off the petrol tap at the rear of the tank.

STEP 4 - LOCATE THE BLUE CONNECTOR


This is the connector which has the dip feed from the left hand bar switch via a green wire into the male part of the multipole rectangular connector.  There is no corresponding connection on the female part of the connector. Note this connector may be black on Y2K Fazers.

It is this 'un-used' green wire which will provide the dip feed to the offside lamp which we need to extend to the lamp connector on the offside headlamp.  There are various ways of achieving this.

Although I didn't do it this time, my preferred way would be to obtain a female Fastin-Faston receptacle and use the spare way in the female connector.
And ultimately this is how I will do it (when I can be arsed).

STEP 5 - UNPLUG THE HEADLIGHT CONNECTOR



Unplug the connector from offside headlight.  I found it easier to push this down through the gap at the front of the fairing and bugger about with it there.  Unclip the back of the connector and you will see the two wires and 8mm receptacles (female spade connectors).  I got a pre-wired three pin connector from my local motor factors for a quid but it was not a right angled one and would have meant rewiring the existing wires to look half decent and not a complete bodge job.  So I settled on removing one of the receptacles and using that in the existing headlight connector.

You need to look at the connector to make sure you push in the receptacle (un-insulated female spade) in the right way up (which should be obvious if you look carefully and at the existing receptacles).  The receptacle is pushed in from the back - it may need the leading edge 'tweaking' a bit with the pliers to get in (pliers are useful to push it in).  Assuming you have used a straight receptacle, then you will need to bend it slightly to lead the wire out (it doesn't necessarily have to be bent 90º - just sufficiently to lead the wire out of the connector.  Clip the connector lid back on and plug back into the lamp.

STEP 6 - ROUTING THE WIRE

[/img]

[/img]

In keeping with my theory of doing it the "right" way I intended to route the wire together with the existing two wires as far as possible.  As this would have meant removing the fairing, basically I couldn't be arsed so did it what I would call the cheap and cheerful way.  Also by looking a bit shit it is more likely to prompt me to do it properly sooner rather than later.

Route the wire back along the main harness run which goes into the fairing using either insulation tape or tie wraps (I used the latter for ease and out of laziness).  Take care not to run the wire where it can be chafed (obvious?).
Route back into the electrical connection box and leave some slack.

STEP 7 - THE FINAL CONNECTION

[/img]

[/img]

Now for the other end.  It is quite easy to push the male spade (tab) out of the blue connector using something to push in the locking tab.  Look inside the connector and you will see the spade and the retaining tab.  I used a watchmakers screwdriver to push in the retaining tab whilst pulling on the green wire( ah so that's where the hat pin comes in!). The spade connector (tab) can the be cut off and replaced with your choice of mating connector (or in-line fuse holder).

You don't have to remove the green wire like this; you can simply cut if off!

I used insulated spade connectors to connect the two ends (yes I know they are two different wire sizes - smartarse), but my first choice would have been to use the correct Fastin-Faston receptacles and the blue connector intact (even using the same colour wire on the other side) together with an inline fuse (for the just in case MOT bit).

STEP 8 - PUT EVERYTHING BACK AND TRY IT!


Neatly put all the connectors into the back into the black box and refit the lid. Turn fuel back on!  This is in bold because this is one of the typical "put everything back and then have to remove it all again because you forgot to put something back etc" scenarios.  Put the tank back and secure with the bolt.  Re-connect the battery.  Fire her up and rejoice in the abundance of light.


MOT Time?
There seems to be some confusion/uncertainty as to whether the bike will subsequently pass an MOT test with the mod.  Basically I haven't got a clue but will update this page if my cluelessness becomes resolved.

Connectors?   
Where do you get them?  Well I got mine from a local motor factors, it was all he had.  Without doubt you will be able to get the "real McCoy" from somewhere like an auto electricians.  I will update this page if more info is forthcoming. 

Disclaimer   
Obviously there is little chance of you blowing yourself up etc but in these time of "where there's blame there's a claim" and shit like that, not forgetting the parasites that preach it, then just be reminded You do the mod as at your own risk.


2000 Fazer?
Apparently the connector plug in the 2K model is Black

Linking across the headlight connectors?
Yeah it works, but dip and main beam will be on at the same time on the offside lamp (when main beam is on) - apart from that shouldn't be a problem i.e. loading on the electrical circuit will normally be the same as if you did the mod "properly".   Obviously when on main beam you the lighting load will higher (only a potential problem if you live in the middle of nowhere).

Relay?
My arse.....the switch sees the same load when switching on two dipped beams as it does when switching on one dipped and one main beam on std wiring setup. Use a relay if you fancy wasting your time........ There is also a single fuse for the headlight (i.e. dipped and main) and again the load is no different if it is one dip and one full beam or two dipped. Except for a means of isolating the mod, there is no reason whatsoever to use any additional circuit protection end of fekkin story'

Brighter Bulbs?
What about these 30% brighter bulbs, blue vision, etc?
I bought Ring Xenon plus H1 and H4 , £14.24 (inc VAT) pair from JPR Motor Parts Leeds, 0113 2256161.


Finally Did It "Right" (ish)


I eventually (in the process of replacing the fairing) routed the wire with the existing loom as a proper job:

13
Your Suggestions and How you can help / Calendar
« on: 20 January 2011, 08:25:34 pm »
How come mothers day is on the 8th May  :eek

All the calendars in my house say 3rd April.

Are the mothers after 2 days of flowers this year.  :\

14
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Cardiff Motorcycle Show 8th May
« on: 20 January 2011, 08:21:09 pm »
Held at Whitchurch School

15
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Classic Bike Show 19th Feb
« on: 20 January 2011, 08:07:43 pm »
Shepton Mallet Show Ground

16
The Laboratory ! / Bastid Bold
« on: 07 January 2011, 05:26:54 pm »
Originally posted by Chalky on 08/05/2009


General Care
Motorcycle batteries like being used. They do not like being neglected, unused or uncharged.
If left for any length of time without being charged, even if they are not connected, all lead-acid batteries will go through a natural process of self-discharging. If the battery has reached the stage of being deeply discharged it is often impossible to recover, even if the battery itself is relatively new. If the battery is connected to the bike and the bike has an alarm or immobiliser fitted the time it takes a battery to reach a deeply discharged state can be short, often a matter of days.

Regular charging is the only way to ensure a long life from your battery and work against the natural process of self-discharge. Most intelligent motorcycle battery chargers come with leads which can be permanently fixed to your battery with the battery connector neatly hidden away in the bike. Charging is then a easy matter of plugging the connector in to the charger.

It's worth noting that weather and temperature can affect the rate of discharge and functionality of the battery. Hotter temperatures rapidly accelerate the self-discharging process. However you should be careful not to let the battery go too cold as a discharged battery is less resistant to freezing. A fully charged battery would freeze around -59°C whereas a severely discharged battery can freeze at -1°C.

Cleaning
Sulphation occurs when the lead sulphate (a white substance) is allowed to build up on the plates. It can eventually destroy your battery. To keep the battery from sulphating it's vital to check your bike is working properly, and to keep the battery terminals clean and disconnected when the bike is in storage or not being used for a long period of time. It is important that the battery is regularly charged when not in use.

Electrolyte
The fluid in the battery is called electrolyte. It is a mixture of water and sulphuric acid that causes the chemical reaction which produces electricity. Conventional and Yumicron type batteries need to have their electrolyte checked and topped up with distilled water at regular int

17
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Welch International Motorcycle Show
« on: 06 January 2011, 09:01:08 pm »
At the Royal Welsh Show Ground in Builth wells.

18
At the Royal Welsh Show Ground in Builth wells.
 
 

19
FZS600 / Lost your front sprocket and washer???
« on: 04 January 2011, 06:33:57 pm »
Originally posted by slidesvill on 27/06/04


This seems to be getting a common problem, and I'd like some info off the foccers that have lost your front sprocket nut. I consider this as a fault with the FAZER, and intend to email/speak to YAMAHA over this problem, I think they should look into this before something serious happens...

Could you please let me know the following
1, Year of the bike
2, Mileage
3, Was it the original chain and sprockets
4, Was it a warranty claim
5, Did you have an accident because of this fault or been put in a dangerous situation.

Please give me your input.

slidey



Reply posted by Alan Sherman 26/07/2005


This happened to me twice now. Basically the lock washer retains its splines and the bent over tabs so we can totally discount the nut actually unscrewing as a cause of failure. What fails is the thread on the nut (the threads on the shaft remain in cases where the damaged nut is found quickly).
 
Possible causes of nut error are:
 
User error: Too high a torque used in assembly for the nut.
I think this can be discounted due to the large number of people that have had the problem - a lot have never removed the nut since buying the bike. The torque value is well known in the manuals and it is easy to apply a torque wrench to the nut.

Manufacturing fault; perhaps there was a batch of faulty nuts or driveshafts - either physical or material tolerances out compared to the design spec.
I think this can be discounted as the nuts have failed on a number of bikes (including models) across the range of years of manufacture.

Poorly designed / specified nut / driveshaft interface. Basically the combination of very fine threads, the low number of threads that are actually used to take the load, the specified torque, perhaps the tolerances specified for the nut / driveshaft mating surfaces and the nut material is a poor combination for the designed use.
I really think this is the problem as the nuts have failed across Thundercat, Fazer (and did I hear R6 too?) models, and across the production years. It's be interesting to see what other bikes use the same nut part number and see if there are other problems. I'd hope Yamaha are looking at this.

So what happens now? Yamaha are very closed about it all - not surprising really when you think about the cost of a recall to fit new nuts to the thousands of bike on the road. But going further there is also the implied liability that goes with it which would require Yamaha to replace the driveshaft for people that have had the nut fail that has in turn damaged the driveshaft threads (this job involves taking the engine out, splitting the cases and stripping down the gearbox to replace. It is awfully expensive). All this for discontinued models.....

I am surprised that Yamaha have not changed the design of the nut yet (they hadn't when I ordered a couple in February). They did change the design of the speedo sender drive - the new one is much improved and doesn't break when refitting the wheel so easily.
A new longer nut with a larger number of threads to spread the load, perhaps a revised (lower) torque and maybe a material change would probably solve the problem. I believe someone was trying to get a nut made up at work along these lines.

If we were to gather the evidence in a structured way (bike model, year, vin code, mileage discovered, any replacement chain and sprockets fitted, who fitted etc) to build up the evidence then we could put a strong case to Yamaha (they have already been shown this thread however).

With no response from Yamaha to rectify the problem we could go to the media. We would need strong evidence though.



Reply posted by slidesvill 27/07/2005


The list I noted down of foccers that have lost their gearbox nut/sprocket are:

BOBW (X3)
PEPY27 (X2)
SNOOKY
ICE EAGLE X2
ALISTER X2
BLUE ONES ARE FASTEST
ZARNIWOOP (Loose)
GRIPPA.G
DON BROWNING
RUBBERMAT (X2)? (Plus Stripped Gearbox Shaft)
PETE 786
FUNKY UK
ZIGGY COL
ALPINE
SLAYER THE LAWNMOWER MAN
ALAN SHERMAN (X2)? (Plus Stripped Gearbox Shaft)
MOOK (Loose)
OLD SON
HAWRANEK
FASERJAY
BEN DIESEL
COOLRIFFS
RICOU
MIKE T
ROCKFAN
SLIDESVILL (Loose)

This problem also effects THUNDERCATS, I've been contacted by there owners club, well it's the same motor!

So far we've contacted Yamaha UK and they are aware of the problem, they have passed it onto Yamaha Japan but we've had nothing back.
I've done several emails to mags, such as Bike, Ride, MCN...but had nothing back, even tried BBC Watchdog nothing
Will compose another email next week but won't hold my breath........isn't there somewhere you can lodge mechanical problems that haven't been recalled, sure I remember someone posting about this??? any idea's....

slidey




Updated list 31 01 2005

Wascommuter (Loose)
Fazer Jett (Loose)
ZiggyCol (Loose)
MikoFZ1
Gordo (Loose)
Fazer Racer (Plus Stripped Gearbox Shaft)
Gnasher
Fieryblue
fazerboy01
pete786 (X2) (Plus Stripped Gearbox Shaft)
Duggy
Lum
Weedon (Plus Stripped Gearbox Shaft)
Fazfighter (Loose)

20
Articles / HOW TO: Remove your downpipes and re-paint them
« on: 03 January 2011, 06:38:55 pm »
Originally posted by NeoPanther on 26/10/2006


Right - I thought I'd have a bash at fleshing out this guide a bit.

The first point is preparation. A lot of people change/repaint their downpipes after several years, so the header nuts are going to be a pain to undo if you don't get some penetrating spray on them. A few members can contest to having to either remove the broken studs from the engine (not pretty) or taking it to garage to get them done.
The ideal solution would be Plusgas. This comes in an Aerosol can and can be bought from motor shops, but generally not the larger ones like Halfords. I used 3-in-1 Penetrating spray myself, which seems to do the job fine.
When I first was going to paint the downpipes I sprayed each of the header nuts liberally with WD40 once a day for a week before I changed them in the weekend, with a final spray of penetrating spray just in case.

Once this has been done you want to place your bike on the centre stand, and remove the exhaust. The bolt is a 14mm IIRC and mine is also held at the bottom from the link pipe to the header pipe.
The picture below shows it off:
pic 1

Next start to loosen the header nuts. Try to be gentle as you don't want to snap any studs or round off the bolt.
I used a 1/4" socket wrench and you'll also need deep sockets and extender bars to be able to get to the header bots from the front. Poor focus, but the picture gives you an idea what you want:
pic 2

I sat in front of the bike with my legs under the exhaust in advance of when they will fall off the bike when it's all undone.
Once you've undone all the bolts on the front, move to the side where the end of the header pipes are. Undo and take out the bolt that attaches the headers to the frame. You will need to make sure the headers don't drop and bend any of the studs at the front too.
Holding the headers steady, take the nuts off the front now, and store them in a safe place. You will now be able to pull the headers towards you to take them off the studs at the front, and move them to one side.
Behold - mucky pipes!
pic 3

pic 4

As you can see. They are in need of TLC!
You now need to thoroughly clean the headers in preparation for painting. If you are replacing them with nice shiny stainless steel headers, then ignore the next steps. However, you may want to spray some degreaser, or strong cleaner on the front of the engine and give it a bit of a scrub (making sure you tape off or block the headers to stop anything getting in there first). Careful where you're spraying the water too. I should have done it to mine...
pic 5

First you want to clean the crap off your pipes. A strong solution of shampoo/specific bike cleaner with a stiff brush is good. Then you'll need to degrease them (I'll advise wearing gloves when doing this too) so you can key the paint, or do what I did, where I took it down to bear metal with wet and dry paper. I used paraffin and a cloth to degrease the pipes, and left them to dry.
Looking a bit better here:
pic 6

Then you need to get the pipes prepared to take the layers of paint. This can be done in two main ways.
If you want to be thorough (or just are a masochist) you can do what I did, where I used wet and dry paper (wet) and scrub the headers until it's down to the bare metal. Or you can 'key' what paint is left with wire wool and paint over that. This allows the paint to stick.
After quite a bit of wet n drying I was making progress!
pic 7

It's hard work!
pic 8

I managed to get most of the paint off, bar some where it's hard to reach between the pipes. Although I think I took several layers of skin off my hands in the process! 
Then you need to ensure they are dried off and clean. Next is the painting process.
I used Sperex VHT black paint which is designed for exhausts and engines. Since this is aerosol based, you need to spray in layers and in long sweeping motions.

Don't keep spraying away either, as the paint will just run. Spray in thin layers to cover the entire pipes (with the backwards and forwards sweeping motion). Leave to dry for 10 minutes or so and continue to layer the paint until you've got at least 5 or so layers. This should provide adequate protection. I didn't do as many as that and it didn't last as well as hoped.
Here's what they should look like:
pic 9

pic 10

Once you've left the pipes to dry (or use some heat to help the process), they are ready to fit. Be careful not to chip your freshly painted pipes! (Lay down a sheet or something under the bike possibly)

Adopt the similar position to when you took them off. I held the pipes up under the bike with my feet/legs to slide them back onto the header studs. I'd like to note that when you're replacing your exhausts, even to repaint them, it's best to replace your header gaskets. They can be pulled out with a bit of determination and a screwdriver! You can hold the new gaskets in the header holes with a bit of copper slip or something similar, as you'll find they keep falling out!
As you push the pipes back onto the studs and the bits surrounding the header ends to screw them on, you might want to get someone to bolt on the end of the headers, to help you keep them steady when you tighten up all the header nuts.
Tighten up the two end headers to make it easier for yourself too.
So to finish, ensure you tighten all the nuts (including the end can bolt) at correct torque and if you're fitting new header pipes, check the header nuts after 100 miles or so to be of correct tightness as they generally loosen off as they settle.

Hope this helps!

21
Articles / Scottoilers "what's wrong with me oiler"
« on: 03 January 2011, 03:42:08 pm »
Originally posted by Gnasher on 19/12/2002


I'm getting lots of people asking me "what's wrong with me oiler"

Basically the weather, remember the temperature has dropped by 15* or so in the last month, we had temps of 15+ in Nov? The oil viscosity will start to drop at 10* and like a stone at anything under 5* so you need to turn them up to maintain the 2 drops per min.

You can't just fit and forget you need to work out 3 main settings

 1. Above 5* = 3 - 4
 2. Below 5* = 6 - 8
 3. Wet = 4 - 5

These are guides as all the units are slightly different and there will be a lot of over factors as well. So check yours daily to see if it's well oiling.

Contact Scottoil if you’re having problems and they will sort it, they also have a customer support page. http://www.scottoiler.com/uk/support/customer-support.html



Question asked by TCat2001 on 02/01/2003


Q. What’s different between blue and red oil or did scottoiler change over from red to blue?
 I got a Chaintec electronic oiler which comes with Scottoil blue with it but I have red left over from the Fazer?

A. Found this on their site

What’s the difference?
The two oils both have the same chemical make up although the High Temperature Oil is more viscous and therefore slightly thicker, meaning it will flow more slowly in higher temperatures than the traditional blue Scottoil.  Other than that, they’re the same and can even be mixed, so if you’re changing over from one oil to the other there’s no need to drain one out and start again, they’ll blend, saving you waste.

Which one do you need?
Your choice of oils is dependent on the general riding temperatures you usually experience.  Between 0–20 ºC (32-68 ºF) we would recommend Traditional Blue Scottoil.  For higher ambient temperatures, go for the red as it will be a much better lubricant on the chain at those temperatures and will be easy to regulate through the vacuum operated systems too.  The Red Oil has an operating range of 20-40 ºC (68-104 ºF).
In some cases we would recommend you use High Temperature Scottoil if your reservoir is located near to a constant heat source such as the engine as this will warm the oil in the reservoir to the operating range more suited to the red oil.


Bike specific installation guides can be found on there website
http://www.scottoiler.com/uk/installation-guides.html

22
Articles / HOW TO: Replace swingarm bearings.
« on: 02 January 2011, 06:39:54 pm »
Originally posted by pointer2null on 30/05/2009

 
This is a guide, if you choose to follow it you do so at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions.

Make sure you have all the tools you need before starting. A range of spanners and sockets are a must. You will also need a long metal drift (30cm), a hammer and the replacement bearings. This is important as the old bearings will be destroyed by the removal process. You will also need a torque wrench capable of torquing to 115NM.

Read these instructions first before starting!

The main swing arm pivot bolt is very tight (115NM) so you may want to loosen it before doing anything else. Make sure you have a good correct fitting socket! Unless you have hands of steel using just a socket and normal bar will be very difficult. I used a length of old scaffold bar to extend the socket bar.

Steel hands and superhuman strength?

Extending the bar makes things a lot easier.

CAUTION. If you just pull on the end of the bar then instead of undoing the nut you will simply lift the bike and probably end up toppling it over. When trying to undo a very tight bolt like this remember you are trying to apply a turning force to the bolt, so place one hand on the pivot and one on the lever. Push on the pivot while you pull on the lever:

By using two hands like this your effort is transforming into a rotational undoing movement and not a bike toppling lifting motion. Just loosen the bolt at this point - do not completely remiove it.


Start by removing the rear wheel, rear brake caliper and (optional but makes more space) the silencer.

Loosen the torque arm bolts, remove the hydraulic hose clamp and guide from the top of the swingarm then undo the rear brake calliper. Support the calliper or tie it up so you do not put strain on the hydraulic hose. Don't stand on the rear brake pedal!
Undo the rear axle nut. Release the chain tensioner lock nuts and tensioner nuts. You will need to slide the rear wheel forward to get the chain off. Withdraw the rear axle bolt - sometimes it needs a gentle tap with a hammer to start it moving. Be careful not to damage the end of the bolt or the thread. You can use the rear axel bolt nut to protect the thread by screwing back on a few turns and then using a piece of wood to protect the end while tapping it gentle with a hammer.

You should now be able remove the rear wheel by rolling it backward. Do not loose the two spacers that may drop off.


Put these, the washer and nut on the rear axle bolt and put it out the way.


Next withdraw the two chain tensioners.

[Limit reached]
At this point I tied the rear brake calliper to the frame to keep it out of the way.

[Limit reached]
You should now be able to gain access to the bolts that hold on the bottom of the rear shock.

[Limit reached]
Remove these and the top of the wishbone bolt.

[Limit reached]
Next remove the covers from the swing are bolt
[Limit reached]The Left side (as you are sat on the bike) of the bolt is semi captive so you only need a socket on the other side. This nut is very tight! Be careful not to topple the bike over when you are trying to undo it.

Remove the nut and withdraw the bolt. The swing are should now be free. You may have to pull the bottom the the shock forward in order to get it out.

[Limit reached]
The swing arm bearings are covered by two caps:

[Limit reached]Remove these.

The pivot shaft should slide out relatively easily.

[Limit reached]You can also inspect/clean/replace the linkage components at this time - whether you do or don't make sure they don't fall out and get lost.

[Limit reached]All the bits we have removed so far: 
[Limit reached]
Now to remove the bearing. Hold the swingarm in such a way that you can use the metal drift to tap out the old bearing. Insert the drift from one side and tap around the edge of the bearing on the opposite side of the swing arm.

[Limit reached]
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The bearing may well disintegrate during this process. Keep rotating the drift around the circumference of the bearing so it comes out straight.

[Limit reached]The green piece of wood is behind the bearing and not under it.

[Limit reached]
The old, and destroyed bearing!

If the bearing breaks up completely during removal and leaves only the outer part in the swingarm you can use a chisel to carefully cut it and then 'peel' it out.

Next you need to fit the new bearings. These should be pressed into place using a special tool. I haven't got one so I carefully tapped them in. Before fitting them cool them in the freezer for an hour. This causes them to shrink fractionally which makes fitting a little easier. You can also warm the swingarm causing it to expand slightly.

Hold the bearing in place and gentle tap it with a piece of wood, so that it starts to go in. Make sure it stays straight or it will jam. Using the wood to prevent damage to the bearing gently tap in it. You can also use a socket of the same size as the bearing to tap it in the last few millimeters. Make sure you only tap the outer part of the bearing or you will damage it.

[Limit reached]When you do it, don't hold a camera, hold the socket!

When done the bearing should sit just below the level of the swingarm
[Limit reached]
Grease the bearing and pivot shaft with molybdenum disulphide grease (work this into the needle rollers).

Refitting is basically the reverse of removal.

Make sure you tighten and torque all bolts to the correct torque as specified in the manual.

Set the chain tension correctly.

Since you have disturbed the rear brake, pump the pedal a few times when it's all back together in order to re-seat the pads.

23
FZS600 / Kebab19's GOLD VALVE modification for FZS600 forks
« on: 02 January 2011, 02:17:41 pm »
Originally posted by kebab19 on 20/09/2008


Short Q&A

Q: What's this?

A: This is a front fork modification for Yamaha's FZS600 98-03. It improves the feel of the front forks, particularly over bumpy roads but pretty much everywhere else too.

Q: Can't you just add Hagon springs & different oil?

A: Yes, and that works to an extent, but it does not alter the internal damping properties of the fork mechanism. Damper rod forks are by nature a compromise; bumps are transmitted to you in a fairly harsh fashion. Fazers (and almost certainly all other budget bikes) employ damper rod fork design, whereas the more expensive cartridge forks have an internal mechanism design considered much superior.

Q: So what have you done?

A: Taken Fazer forks and fitted Race Tech's Gold Valve emulators (and suitable linear springs) to make the fork comparable to a cartridge-damped fork. It will now be adjustable for high-speed and low speed compression in addition to rebound, unlike the standard setup.

Q: How much?

A: Depends how much you replace and what tools you have - £120 minimum, about £250 maximum. Breakdown as follows: £120 for the Gold Valves, around £80 for a pair of suitable linear springs. £10 or so for fork oil. £25+ for drill cutting stones, drill bits & a centre punch, angle grinder, jigsaw, big hammer……

[Limit reached]Cutting stones

Q: Is there a catch?

A: The modification is permanent - as surgery is required you can't go back to the standard set-up unless you replace the fork's damper rods. You can get round this (as I did) by getting hold of a spare set of damper rods. You can of course modify the ones that are currently inside your fork legs, but if you mess them up you're in a world of poo. Someone on the site may have a pair for sale (thanks BrummyMax!) or Ebay 'Fazer breaking' ad may have the parts (bent legs). If you do this, you can convert forks back to standard if necessary.
Also, although a considerable amount of adjustment becomes possible, it requires changing oil level / thickness & fishing the emulators out of the forks to change their settings: however, this really is a minor inconvenience compared to the end result.

Q: How did you come up with this?

A: One of my previous bikes was a Yamaha TRX 850, another great bike that also suffered from a poor damping-rod fork design. After selling it on, I had a spare set of forks in my garage (pitted stanchions). I'd remembered reading that there were RaceTech products to improve the TRX's forks and that reviews of their Gold Valve kits had been very positive. I noticed that the TRX forks looked very similar to the FZS forks (apart from length), were also 41mm in diameter and both bikes apparently weighed the same. A bit of Haynes research using exploded diagrams showed that the internal front fork design also looked very similar, so I thought 'What if...?'

HOW TO DO IT

Disclaimer - offered for information only, if you have NO mechanical prowess then DO NOT attempt this mod! Either that or get a pro to help out…..

There are other threads on this site regarding how to remove forks/ change fork oil etc so I will assume anyone intending to do this already knows their stuff.

Order the necessary parts - I ordered mine from PDQ. You'll need a set of Race Tech Gold Valve Emulators part number FEGV S4101 for the Yamaha TRX850 at £119.99
I also ordered an optional pair of Race Tech linear springs with spacer material at £79.99, but you may be able to get by with Hagon springs or other makes. Race Tech advise against progressive springs for technical reasons I wont go into here, but IMO any aftermarket springs are better than standard! Might also be useful to get for preload caps off 2000 onward bikes (or remove them off TRX850 forks as I did).

[Limit reached]Race Tech goodies

Acquire a spare set of front fork damping rods. As far as I know the rods from 98-03 remained unchanged so this mod should be applicable to them all. By the way, mine is a 1999 bike.

1. Bike up on front & rear paddock stands

2. Remove front wheel & brake callipers / lines off fork legs. Remove mudguard.

3. Loosen the fork leg top caps off very slightly (for easier removal later).

4. Loosen yoke pinch bolts & remove fork legs.

5. Loosen the 8mm allen bolt at the bottom of the fork legs. I added extra washers in under the fork top caps to increase preload; this stopped the damper rotating round with the allen bolt. Remove lower allen bolt & let the fork oil drain out (potentially messy).

6. If it still won’t come off, turn the fork upside down and use an impact driver to jolt the allen bolt loose. It helps to compress the suspension while doing this. If this doesn't work take the fork top cap off, drain oil, remove spacer & spring and then jam a broom handle in place to stop the damper rotating.
Anyway, what we want is the lower damping mechanism to separate from the bolt and for it to slide out.

7. Allow remaining fork oil to drain out of legs, usually takes an hour or two.

8. The damper rods have now to be altered. This is the important part!

[Limit reached]Standard Damper

Remove (and keep safe) the plastic piston ring it will be refitted upon reassembly. Grinding with it in place might damage it. The Gold Valve emulators are meant to sit on top of the damper rods, but unfortunately they don't fit modification time!

[Limit reached]The Problem!

9. You'll need to bore the top of the damper out by about 1mm and about 4mm deep using a drill & the cutting stones. Or for an easy life take it to an engineering company.
The emulator must sit tight & level on top of the damper rod, effectively blanking it off. Even though the fork spring will be compressing it down in place, I feel that if you're going to all this trouble, it's best to get it right!

Next we need to radically alter the existing damping setup. Leave the tiny rebound pinhole at the top of the rod untouched; the compression holes require surgery. You need to drill out the two existing compression holes at the bottom of the damper enlarging them to 8mm. In addition, you need to drill another four 8mm holes, making SIX in total. The intention is to kill off the old damping oil routes - the emulators will control oil flow instead. A Centre punch is great for starting the holes off - make sure holes are staggered and MORE THAN 10mm APART - less could cause the rod to fracture, and remember these rods bear the full weight of the bike, particularly under heavy braking. Make sure you leave the holes smooth inside & out (cutting stones again and circular file). Finally, ensure parts are totally clean with no fragments of metal anywhere.

[Limit reached]Modded Damper

The complete setup should now fit together and look like this
[Limit reached]Modded Damper & Gold Valve

10. Next, either make up or alter your existing metal spacers that sit on top of the springs. The emulators add about 12.5mm so either cut the spacers down to size by that amount or wind off your preload caps if there's enough adjustment. As I used TRX fork springs I had to make custom length spacers.

11. Reassembly time. Insert damper with small spring back in fork, add spring, spacer, washers & fork cap to create tension so you can reattach the 8mm allen bolt at the bottom of the fork leg. Tighten and use thread sealant, especially if you're not renewing the crush washer!

[Limit reached]Ready to Reassemble


12. Remove top cap, washers, spacer & spring again. Now we insert the Gold Valve - it needs to be nut side down, allen bolt side up.

[Limit reached]Gold Valve emulator in place


13. Once in place, pour about 250-300ml of your fork oil in. What weight to go for? Racetech mention ether 15W or 20W for the TRX forks. I'm about 73kgs so went with the lighter 15W oil. Now pump fork up & down (slowly, about 15 times) and enjoy the gurgling noises.

14. Now add remaining oil. How much in total? Well, I have again gone with data similar to the TRX. Their forks use 483ml per leg (early Fazer 475ml). The emulators displace volume, but exactly how much is unknown. Most TRX owners use about 440ml per leg, so just over 40ml less than standard. For the Fazer, I have started with 430ml - 45 less than standard. I realise that Fazer fork oil height is usually a critical setup factor, but the introduction of the emulators changes all this. Besides with no one else having tried this I had to start somewhere……

15. Add spring, spacer, washers and fork caps.

16. Reattach everything in reverse order - forks, mudguard, wheel etc etc and you're ready for action.

17. From now on, fork adjustment is done as follows.

17a. PRELOAD - Either change internal spacer length or adjust preload fork caps

17b. REBOUND - changing the thickness of the oil alters rebound characteristics. You could switch to 10W, 20W or mix oil for in-between settings. A bit tedious I know but eventually it will end up perfect for you!

17c. COMPRESSION - The emulators are set with a certain amount of preload (they are 2 full turns in, suitable for 'street use') - changing this preload will affect the amount of oil flow through them. In addition, oil height / level obviously still plays a part. Too little oil & the fork action will bottom out too easily. Too much oil & spring action will become very harsh especially near full compression. Experimentation is essential.
That's enough for now! Needless to say, I have started the long process of gathering precise data for my preferred settings, but they will only apply to my weight range (11.5 stone) and as everyone's weight and preference is different, there is no single miracle setting for everyone. I will update this thread when I have more info.

For anyone out there who feels their Fazer deserves quality front suspension, this is the best cure!
Oh, and finally thanks to Yamaha's TRX850, which has unwittingly provided a cure for the FZS600's fork damping.


Useful links
Race Tech's Gold Valves - Emulators explained
Gostar's suspension setup - Suspension setup

24
Articles / HOW TO: fit heated grips.
« on: 02 January 2011, 11:12:37 am »
Originally posted by pointer2null on 13/11/2006

 
First this is only a guide so if you break it, burn it, snap it or set fire you yourself, garage, bike or cat that's entirely your own fault.

There isn't much to this HOW TO; fitting grips is a straightforward process. The only tricky bits is the writing.

If you plan to route the cable under the fuel tank you will need to remove this first, or if its almost empty you can just undo the top bold and then hinge it up out of the way. Personally I prefer to get the tank out of the way.

CAUTION: petrol and air are explosive in the right conditions and petrol vapour is heavier than air so can collect. Don't smoke, no naked flames and work in a well ventilated area.

First take one bike:

[Limit reached] 
 
You will need to remove the bar ends and then the old grips. Depending on how they were fitted (glued on or just pushed on) this can be a bit tricky.
 
One method is to wedge a small screwdriver etc between the bar and the grip (you don't have to go in too far, just enough to lift the grip a little)
 
Now spray a bit of brake/carb cleaner up there...
 
give it a wiggle and hey presto...glue is dissolved and the grip slides straight off.
 
 
On the three bikes I've done the left hand grip was easy to just pull of but the right hand grip had to be cut off.
 
You will need a sharp Stanley knife or similar. Carefully cut along the old grip so that it can be split and pulled on the throttle sleeve. Go careful as you only want to cut the grip and not the plastic sleeve.

[Limit reached] 
But here's a top tip..

to save cutting your grips off....wedge a small screwdriver etc between the bar and the grip (you don't have to go in too far, just enough to lift the grip a little)

Now spray a bit of brake/carb cleaner up there...

give it a wiggle and hey presto...glue is dissolved and the grip slides straight off 


Now fit the new heated grips. You will notice that the internal diameter is different between the two grips. The smaller diameter is the left hand grip and the larger is the right hand.
 
When you come to fit them they may be quite tight if this is the case then rotate them as you push them on this will make things a bit easier.
 
The right hand throttle grip should be glued on. BEFORE you apply the glue fit the grip and work out what position it is going to go in. You have to get the grip on so that the wire that powers it does not foul the front break lever and the throttle action is not affected.
 
This is how we arranged the right hand grip:

[Limit reached]

And on my bike:

[Limit reached] 
 
 
Some heated grips are of better design than others I personally think the oxford ones are a totally daft design. The cheap ones I had before were much better (the power wire came out the bottom of the grip. Sadly the build quality wasn't as good as the oxfords and they broke).
 
When you are happy with the positioning of the grip remove it. Clean the plastic throttle sleeve and the inside of the grip to remove and grease or muck. Using the super glue supplied refit the grip with glue.

READ THE MAKERS INSTRUCTIONS!
 
THE GRIPS MUST NOT INTERFERE WITH THE OPERATION OF THE FRONT BREAK OR CLUTCH.
 
The super glue sets very fast so you have to be quick hence fitting it first without glue so you can see where it has to go. On the last bike I did the grip was so tight fitting we didn't use the glue in the end as it would have set by the time we got the grip half on.
 
You have to make you own decision on this the last thing you want is for the grip to start sliding round on the throttle sleeve when you are driving!
 
When the two grips have been fitted refit the bar ends. You may need to trim a bit of rubber of the ends of the grips in order to do this. Be CAREFUL when you do this as if you cut through the heating wire in the grip is wont work anymore.
 
Using the cable ties supplied tie the power cables onto the throttle cables or clutch cable. Before you so this on the throttle side just hold the cable and make sure the throttle action is ok.
 
YOU MUST ALSO MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THE THROTTLE GRIP MOVES FREELY AND SNAPS SHUT WHEN YOU RELEASE IT.
Both the bar ends and how the power cables are tied can affect this.
 
Next mount the controller unit on the handle bars. Exactly how and where you do this is up to you. I personally think this is another area where Oxford is badly designed the cables are too short and the mounting bracket is useless. On my bike I made extension cables for the two grips and mounted the controller on the fairing. On Neos bike we cannibalized the control box mounting from my old grips.
 
 
When you have mounted the controller connect the two power leads from the grips.
 
The next stage is the interesting bit connecting the power cable to the bikes electrics.
 
Remove the seat. Remove or lift the tank to gain access to the wiring under the tank.
 
You need to connect the power lead supplied to a switched feed. The lead will need to be fused most come with an inline fuse fitted but if yours doesn't you will need to get one rated at 5amps (check with the manufacturers instructions).
 
There are two places you can easily connect to the switched 12V on the Fazer. One is in the junction box located under the tank.
 
 
[Limit reached] 
If you wish to connect to the feed via the junction box you will need to locate the main 12V feed wire. On Neos bike this is a brown wire with a blue strip that fits into a red connector block. Check you manual or use a circuit tester. You will need to securely connect you 12V supply wire to this.
 
 
[Limit reached] 
 
The other option (my preference and the way we did it this time) is the fuse box next to the battery. The fuse box is easier as you also have good access to a decent earth point the negative battery terminal.

[Limit reached] 
 
To connect to the fuse box, first remove all the fuses and put them somewhere safe. Then unclip the fuse box from the classis and gently pull it up to gain access to the underside.
 
[Limit reached] 
You will see that there are several wires going into the box. On one side of the box there are only two wires and one of them is thicker than all the others it has several empty connections points next to it. On Neos bike this was the brown with a blue stripe that also runs through the junction box under the tank.

[Limit reached] 
You need to connect the supply wire (red) for the grips to this wire.
 
 There are many different ways to do this. Don't go for the bare the wire and wrap it around with lots of botch tape. If this wire fails you loose all power to your bike (including the engine management unit) which wont be fun in the fast lane of the motorway. If this wire shorts to the frame lots of blue smoke will start to come out of the wiring. Blue smoke is very expensive and getting it put back into the wires will cost a lot of money. Not to mention you will loose power and the bike may even catch fire.
 
Use proper connectors, preferably crimps.
 
If you can get access to a soldering iron then the best method is describe below.
 
You will need to remove the bus bar that the large feed wire (The brown and blue one) connects to. This is fiddly but not hard.
 
If you look at the top of the fuse box down where the fuses plug in you can see down inside the plastic boxing you will see that the bus bar is held in place with 4 plastic clips. The bus bar with the feed wire has only 4 connectors on it the fifth connector is for the back up supply for the alarms.
 
 
[NEED A PICTURE OF THIS - ANY FOCCER WITH A GOOD CAM?]
 
Using a very small screw driver release these clips and remove the bus bar.

[Limit reached] 
 
Clean on of the bays and solder your feed wire to this.

[Limit reached] 
 
Refit the bus bar and fuse box and connect the negative power wire (black) to the negative battery terminal.
 
Route the power cable from wherever you connected it to the controller. I tend to follow the bikes main wiring loom since Yamaha chose to run all there wires that way so will I.
 
Plug the power wire into the control box.
 
Using the remaining cable ties secure any loose cables and connectors.
 
So now you should have connected the feed wire, fitted the grips and the control box.
 
Refit your fuel tank (remembering to switch on the fuel).
 
Test it. (Do not run the engine in a closed space.).
 
Hope this helps.

25
Events, Meets, Ride outs etc / Ride Of Respect
« on: 02 January 2011, 10:56:03 am »
A big Ride thru Wootton Bassett to say thank you to the people there who honour the fallen.

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