Date: 28-03-24  Time: 11:13 am

Author Topic: 100,000 mile report  (Read 2829 times)

Paul

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100,000 mile report
« on: 09 August 2019, 03:02:12 pm »
100,000 miles
Bought my Fazer new in Easter 2001. It’s now clocked over 100,000 miles.
So for the benefit of anyone who’s thinking of buying one, or has an interest on how they perform over 100,000 miles, this is my experience:

Things that went wrong or broke.

The  speedo drive
The speedo drive in the front wheel broke at around 20,000 miles.
It broke because I didn’t locate it correctly when putting the front wheel back in.
So yes it was my fault, but they could have made a more robust speedo

Front calliper oil seals
The front callipers (both of them) starting binding on the discs at around 30,000 miles.
I had to replace the piston seals, which is a pain of a job because there’s four in each calliper and you need a compressor to get the pistons out. Why did they fail?  Probably because I put DOT3 as opposed to DOT4 brake fluid in when I bled the brakes.  So yes, it was my fault.

Sprocket carrier bearing and drive side rear wheel bearing
They both collapsed at around 75,000 miles.  Oddly enough I didn’t know this until I changed the back tyre.  Why did they collapse?  No idea, perhaps it was me over-tightening the rear axle nut.

Offside spark plug
Had a problem with this at around 45,000 miles (2009).  I ended up putting Iridium tipped plugs in all four cylinders.  I’ve checked them twice over the last 55,000 miles and they’ve been fine.  But I’ve never attempted to check the offside cylinder, because I have a feeling I might not get a plug back in it.  According to my local garage, they only change Iridium tipped plugs every 60,000 miles.  In any event if you fit Iridium tipped plugs in a Fazer they should be good for over 55,000 miles.

Choke cable
The choke cable broke at around 20,000 miles.  It actually rusted through mid point in its length.  I’m guessing water must have been getting down it.  I never bothered replacing it, because it rarely needs choke to start, and you can simple push the choke slide bar across if you need to.


Clutch cable and clutch release arm
The clutch cable nipple pulled through the clutch release arm at around 90,000 miles.  I managed to get the bike home because, providing you don’t have to stop you can change gear at low revs without using the clutch.  I fixed it by putting the cable back in the clutch release arm and tapping the opening closed with a hammer.  Bit of a rough fix, but it’s still working.

Cam chain
The cam chain started rattling somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 miles.  I just ignored it.  Anyway at around 85,000 it suddenly decided to shut itself up, presumably the cam chain tensioner finally clicked out.

Exhaust system
In 2006 I was on my way to Knot End at 9.00 a.m. on a Sunday morning.  I was on a quiet country road and behind a couple of cars. Speed…. probably around 30mph.  Without warning a 1.5 metre diameter white mark appeared in front of me (I didn’t see it coming because there were two cars in front of me).  I just rode over it…. Didn’t give it a thought.

When I got to Knot End I noticed white marks on my jeans.  And then I noticed white paint all over the front of the engine and header pipes.  I’d just ridden through around 5 litres of freshly spilled white gloss paint.  The likelihood of being behind two cars at 9.00 a.m. on a Sunday morning on this road is remote.  The likelihood of there being 5 litres of freshly spilled white paint on the road, even more so.
By the time I got the bike home I’d ridden around 45 miles with a load of gloss paint quietly cooking on the engine and header pipes.  It took the rest of the day to get it off.  In any event I couldn’t effectively get it off the header pipes without removing some of the black paint.  Ultimately the header pipes rusted and I ended up replacing them.


Spark plug caps
One of these fell to bits when I pulled it off.  All the inside bits fell out.


Service intervals
Copper slipped exhaust header nuts/studs when I got the bike.  Why they don’t do this when they build them, God only knows.

Changed the oil every year and it’s been run on fully synthetic all its life.  I’ve used Asda’s finest because it’s usually the cheapest.


Changed the oil filter once every 10,000 miles.

Changed the air filter once every 20,000 miles, but give it a vacuum clean at 10,000 miles.

I use to change the plugs every ten thousand miles, but I put Iridium tipped plugs in the bike in 2009 (it had done about 45,000 miles at this point) and I’ve never changed them since.

It’s on its fourth chain and sprocket set, and it now needs a new set.  Yamaha’s own chain and sprocket sets last the longest, but I don’t know if you can still get them.  It’s a bit of fag putting a Yamaha set on the bike, because the chain is endless so you’ve got to get the swinging arm off.


I’ve balanced the carbs once every 20,000 miles.

Checked the valve clearances at 30,000 miles and 60,000 miles.  They were fine, so the valve clearances have never been adjusted in 100,000 miles.

Decided to put a 120 – 70 sports compound front tyre on the bike at around 40,000 miles.  The steering is quicker, but the grip you get is better than a standard 110 – 70 sports tourer tyre.  You do however lose a bit of clearance between the tyre and the mudguard.

Paint finish on the engine.... Before I bought the Fazer, I already new about the problems with painted aluminium engines. The paint coupled with the heat from the engine makes the paint micro-porous. Moisture gets through the pores, reacts with the aluminium and lifts the paint.  But there is a way of preventing this.  Basically spray the engine with silicon.  I use Carplan Original Black.  But any silicon spray should have the same effect.  The silicon seals the pores, moisture doesn’t get through, and the paint doesn’t lift. 

Changed the fork oil at 75,000 miles.  The oil was relatively clean so it was a bit of a waste of time.

I’ve never changed the fuel filter and never added any coolant or changed it.

However I didn’t like the fairing so I put a normal (LC350) headlamp on it instead.  I used Suzuki Bandit fork leg brackets to mount the headlamp.


Things that should have packed in but didn’t

The battery is original to the bike. Why it’s not packed in… I don’t know, but it hasn’t.  Apart from riding the bike, I only ever charge it up once a month when the bike’s not in use.  Last year I met a guy who was riding a Thunder Ace.  His bike was Y reg, same as mine.  He told me his battery was also original to the bike.  So we’ve both either been very lucky or Yamaha decided to fit good batteries in 2000 – 2001

The engine is a gem, anyone who’s ever ridden a Fazer, probably knows that.  In any event I’ve rev'd the nuts off it for 100,000 miles, and it still runs fine.  It’s probably down a bit on power from when it was new, but it still pulls well. It uses a bit of oil, but doesn’t seem to smoke.


Verdict

According to test reports I read at the time, the 600 Fazer was the best middleweight road bike on the market when it came out.  I’ve test ridden similar bikes over the last eighteen years, not enough to form a conclusive verdict, but I reckon it’s still one of the best middleweight road bikes of all time. The engine is wonderful, the front brake is superb, and you even get a centre stand and enough space under the seat for your water-proofs and butty box.


My old Fazer is now starting to show it's age because things have got worn.... they haven't failed, but are definitely worn.
I think the engine has probably got another 20,000 miles + in it, but I'm not sure about the rest of it.
 
« Last Edit: 09 August 2019, 06:01:46 pm by Paul »

gerkin

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #1 on: 09 August 2019, 04:20:55 pm »
Brilliant

Trebus

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #2 on: 09 August 2019, 04:46:51 pm »
Nice write up Paul. Just shows how long bikes can go on for if maintained properly and how we shouldn’t get hung up on supposed high mileage. 👍🏻

Anquetil

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #3 on: 09 August 2019, 05:03:30 pm »
What a great report this is. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, being the owner of two 600 Fazers. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to do this, Paul.  It certainly gives me some pointers as to what to look out for in the years to come.

Paul

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #4 on: 09 August 2019, 06:17:06 pm »
To Anqutiel


Thank you for the comment


Picture of the old bike attached

Arfa

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #5 on: 09 August 2019, 07:13:20 pm »
Nice report.


Interesting how it compares to my FZS600 2003 I had from Sept 2012 - Jan 2019, came with 13k, left me with 65k ish, averaging 8k odd a year. Many of which was low speed commuting into London, year round, whatever weather, but also several trips to Wales and few track days.


Speedo drive - mine fell to bits when changing front tyre once ~20k odd.
Sprocket carrier bearing - likewise, mine collapsed at ~30-40k odd. Front wheel bearing needing replacing ~55k.
No probs with plugs, just changed every 2-3 years with standard NGK ones.
One cap did crumble in 2017, replaced lot with NGK caps.
No probs with choke.
Got through few clutch cables, and had to swap all clutch plates at about 50k odd, due to slipping (but faffed about with EBC springs/plates which were totally off on spec and caused tonnes of sticking - avoid, go genuine).
Downpipes rusted through tonnes of holes in 4-into-1 at about 20k - went for a Motad stainless replacement.
Did refresh coolant couple of times. Had to replace water cap, as it failed to retain pressure, and I had an o-ring leak on thermostat.
Replaced battery once, after some starting troubles one winter.
Stock rear caliper seized up earlier on around 20k, replaced with FZS1000 blue spot one (and Hel lines all round). They were fine otherwise
Rear disc wore down and got lipped around 50-55k. Replaced with Brembo, but original would not come of rear wheel - ended up buying a second hand wheel!
Fork seals failed once around 35k ish, oil that came out was nasty...
My engine used almost no oil, barely one top up between services, always performed great.


TBH, everything else I had to fix on mine was repairs following numerous mishaps (several fairings, brackets, infills, one light cluster, one replacement clocks, one less bashed fuel tank, countless crash bars and mirrors... ;-)

red98

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #6 on: 09 August 2019, 07:14:59 pm »
great write up ,Paul , thanks for sharing  :thumbup .......not hit 50,000 yet on my 98 . good to know i have another 50,000 miles to enjoy  :)
One, is never going to be enough.....

Trebus

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #7 on: 09 August 2019, 07:19:43 pm »
To Anqutiel


Thank you for the comment


Picture of the old bike attached

Another blue spotted machine tucked up in the corner?

Paul

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #8 on: 09 August 2019, 08:02:30 pm »
To Anquitel


Yes, it's done 700 miles from new.  Its the same as the old one (Y reg). Maybe next year it will finally see some riding.
God knows why I bought it.
It's been sat in the garage for fifteen years... I had some spare money, so I bought it.
So here's the odd bit.
I've changed the battery on it twice and had the carbs off to clean them out twice, and it's on it's second set of spark plugs.
The old one (or rather the worn out one) has never had a problem, battery is original to the bike, I've never taken the carbs off, and the plugs have been in it for 55,000 miles.


Conclusion... they seem to work best when they're being used.








« Last Edit: 10 August 2019, 06:09:59 am by Paul »

mtread

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #9 on: 09 August 2019, 11:45:45 pm »
Quote
Conclusion... they seem to work best when they're being used.
Always thought that. Things need to go round and round, up and down etc. Moving parts tend not to seize up.
Mine goes out at least every couple of weeks, all year round, despite having 3 bikes.
On 48K with very few replacement bits. Glad to hear there's plenty left.
Great write up.

darrsi

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #10 on: 10 August 2019, 06:26:03 am »
Brilliant and noteworthy write up Paul, which will probably prove to be a popular read on here from now on.


Just the one sentence that puzzles me though......"I’ve never changed the fuel filter and never added any coolant or changed it."

Actually, maybe i'm more amazed that the bike hasn't furred up like a kettle and needed the Radflush treatment over all that time, or that you've not lost any coolant in very warm weather!
You must have some seriously good brand and mixture of coolant/antifreeze in the bike for it to not cause any issues over that length of time, but even still i reckon it's time for some new stuff.
And the fuel filter is only £8 and very easy to replace so may as well be changed too while you have the tank up.

I'm probably a bit over sensitive to the functioning of my bike than most people, and have a knack of instantly hearing and feeling things that are right or wrong, but i will say that having tried both before i really do believe that Iridium spark plugs make the bike run just a tad more efficiently than standard ones, a bit like 97 fuel versus 95 fuel does as well. I can't prove or disprove it, but that's the general feeling i got, and for a few extra quid each it hugely increases the lifespan of them, as you have proven, and the 97 fuel just makes the bike feel that noticeably bit more perkier to me.
« Last Edit: 10 August 2019, 08:26:07 am by darrsi »
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.

Paul

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #11 on: 10 August 2019, 11:41:44 am »
To Darrsi


I don't what type of coolant they put in a Fazer when it's new.  I only know it's never needed any adding to it during the course of its life.  I should really change the fuel filter, though.


It would be interesting to strip the engine and see what's worn out and what hasn't.   

darrsi

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #12 on: 10 August 2019, 12:54:13 pm »
To Darrsi


I don't what type of coolant they put in a Fazer when it's new.  I only know it's never needed any adding to it during the course of its life.  I should really change the fuel filter, though.


It would be interesting to strip the engine and see what's worn out and what hasn't.


Don't do that  :lol
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.

His Dudeness

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #13 on: 10 August 2019, 03:36:33 pm »
Did you ever replace the brake discs? Or the clutch lever?

Paul

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #14 on: 11 August 2019, 10:20:43 am »
To His Dudeness


No, I've never replaced the brake discs, or the clutch lever. 

Flak

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #15 on: 17 August 2019, 03:02:36 pm »
Good report. I also replaced the original lights with an RD350 headlamp, much improvement.
Mine is only on 53000 so just about run in.
Cheers
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bridgeman

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #16 on: 28 August 2019, 08:05:48 pm »
To Anqutiel
How did you fix the speedo to the bike  when fitting single headlight etc ???


Thank you for the comment


Picture of the old bike attached

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #17 on: 19 January 2020, 06:13:49 pm »
I've had in 150 plus bikes, that was some time ago a few are still going I'm told.  The Fazer 600 IMHO is the best street 600 ever made bar none, nothing since built comes close in matching it  :)
Later

redmandan

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Re: 100,000 mile report
« Reply #18 on: 20 January 2020, 08:37:59 pm »
Agreed, this is a great write up. We're all biased here of course but I think with good reason.


About the battery, I think mine is original as well as I've compared it to photos posted by others who have had their Fazers from new.


My battery is also bulletproof, runs fully flat if I don't run the bike for a month and leave it in the cold but it charges right back up and keeps giving. My riding buddies get a new one every couple of years.