This is one for all of the bored masochists out there. Last weekend I got my old down pipes off nice and easy. They have been blowing for some time so I bit the bullet and got some stainless motads but when they arrived for some reason I just wasn't really that impressed. So I set about refurbing my originals and have left the stainless in my room for now. I took the original pipes to a local garage to get the worst bit welded up which he has done a really good job of and it didn't cost much at all. I then today set about the task of prepping the down pipes for painting:

• First I washed them off thoroughly using a pressure washer. Not normally advised but fine as they weren't on the bike, was powerful enough to take a small amount of the paint off.
• Sprayed on some muc-off degreaser and let it set for a few minutes, then brushed it in with a stiff brush.
• Rinsed off the residue with the pressure washer and left to dry.
• Used 80 grit aluminium oxide paper that I got from Halfords and cut it into 8 A5 strips, then sanded like a furious ape for about 2-3 hours.
• Halfway through I flipped the pipes over and degreased and pressure washed them again.
• More sanding
• I then went over the worst bits with a wire brush drill attachment, this created a few more holes but I will take the pipes back down to the garage to be re welded in those areas. At least I exposed them now so that they can be reinforced before putting them on the bike as weak as they were and having them become holes in no time.

All in all it was quite an effort and took a fair few hours of hard work to complete but I feel like it was definitely worth it. I will put up some photos when they are completed after they have been welded and I've finished painting them.


Here is the aluminium oxide paper I used. It comes in 4 A4 sheets which I cut in half. I ended up using it all and just about had enough.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&productId=175468&catalogId=10151


Here are some pics, they look better in the flesh and you can't really see how smooth they are now but it is a huge improvement on what they were like before believe me.

I'm struggling to sell my Fazer and don't want to sell it for pennies, I like it too much and not riding it for 2 weeks has made me miss it alot. I'm now thinking I'm a daft foccer for even trying to sell it. I bought it after a lot of research thinking I would keep it for years as my main bike and then workhorse when I can afford one I really really want which would only come out in the dry (likely GSX1400 or XJR).


My main issue is my right knee in particular hurts when I ride the bike too long. I'm going to go to the doctor as a start, but the knee position of the bike isn't helping and I didn't test ride it when I bought it my dad did who is a couple of inches shorter (I was still on 33hp restriction for a month). It is comfy for 10 miles or less, so sitting on it in the showroom didn't point this out to me. What I'm asking is what can I do to the bike to help with this?


My ideas are :

• Pack out, raise up a few inches and re-cover the seat. The thing I worry about is will my legs go into the tank grooves properly after that?
• Raise the bike with 40mm dog bones.
• Bar risers and wider bars?
• Somehow lowering the foot pegs slightly although I already scrape them if I'm riding a bit OTT.

Also if I were to keep it, I would also need some stainless pipes or to re-weld and paint mine for the 2nd time in a year. There probably isn't much left for them to weld to to be honest but I can't find the Motad Venom stainless ones on ebay anymore? This is all quite a lot to think about and I still have 4 days of the advert left but I just wanted to know if anyone has done these mods or have had a similar problem to me. Thanks.

Unfortunately the time has come and I have made the decision that my knee cramp isn't improving, nor are the dreadful roads in the vicinity of my house. So, with a heavy heart it's time to sell my Fazer. I don't need to give the "amazing bike" spiel as we all know they're great. It's on auto trader but won't come online for a few hours, I'll put a link up when it does. For now, here are the facts.


2001 Yamaha FZS 600 Fazer "Box Eye" Model. £1449.

• 9 Months MOT
• 4 Months Tax
• Full Service History
• 24,500 Miles
• Very good standard condition (see pics)
• Improved Foxeye / fazer thou mirrors
• Recent Gold DID X ring chain and sprockets in fantastic condition
• Recent Metzeler Z8 Interact tyres also in great condition
• New front brake switch OEM
• Front fork rebuild including new stanchion, new OEM seals, bushes and damper rod seat. New 15w oil, handles brilliantly.
• Recent full service including new Iridium plugs, NGK plug caps, Castrol power semi-synth 10-40 oil, STP fuel cleaner, OEM fuel filter, Oil drain bolt and Oil filter.
• K & N air filter
• Carbs balanced last month and TPS adjusted, bike runs very sweet, pulls hard throughout the rev range and burns no oil.
• Brand new front fairing that I've only just fitted yesterday and never ridden with. Damaged fairings included too.

The downpipes are the originals and have been off, welded, painted with several coats of high temp paint and put back on with stainless nuts but unfortunately my ACF 50 treatment didn't last and new holes have appeared. They've been temporarily filled with Gun Gum but will need re welding or a stainless system fitting. I didn't want stainless pipes myself, but that's up to you. Front brake pads are almost at wear limit too.


I have looked after this bike religiously and it has been fantastic. I am honestly gutted to sell it but don't get out on proper rides on it enough and when I do my knee plays up. A supermoto will be more suited to my current needs. I wanted my dad to have the bike but he is too smitten with his SV unfortunately. I want this to go to a good home and preferably a fellow foccer who will look after it as I have.


If anybody is interested please email me @ kierm@talktalk.net or phone 01803 690876. Thank you.

Well I've been getting some nasty vibration through my right footpeg recently at cruising speeds which is getting really annoying and I've read here about people with loose engine bolts. I want to eliminate that theory but I dont know what bolts the manual is on about for the front as it gives 2 figures, 33nm and 55nm but doesnt actually show a pic of which one is which. Here's a pic in case anyone doesn't now what I'm on about. Cheers.

Hello again, another quick thing that's bugging me is since I have had the bike it has been a bit of a bugger when pulling away. It used to drop the revs a lot but cleaning out the air box and putting in a new air filter (k&n) has sorted that. It also does this thing where it sort of snatches a bit, but I'm not sure if it's the clutch or what? I have adjusted the cable several times and removed completely to lube and it feels great except for when I pull away. It actually feels like it's something to do with the chain / sprockets or near the front sprocket cover where the clutch cable goes .They're fairly new though and adjusted correctly. Is there something I'm missing or is it just a characteristic of the bike? If not I would really like to fix it as each little problem I sort is making it better and better and I'm almost there now. Cheers.

Rebuilt and refurbished my forks recently, they feel really nice and finally aren't leaking which I am really happy about. My adjustable caps are both stuck though and one of them is completely minced by a mix of a previous owner and myself trying to free it. By stuck I mean the adjustable bolt not the actual cap. New Yamaha ones are very expensive and there don't seem to be many 2nd hand ones about on ebay. Do you think these would be any good?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FZS600-FRONT-FORK-CAP-FOR-YAMAHA-FZS-600-1998-1999-ADJUSTABLE-FORK-CAP-/251209494839?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a7d40b137

Just doing my forks today and two of the mudguard bolts had been replaced with flat head screws, one of which was really difficult to remove. I got it out eventually but ideally would like to replace them with some bolts like they should be. Does anyone know what size they are so I can get some on ebay please? I have found them on AJ sutton really cheap but the problem then is the postage is £6.... Any help would be great thank you.

Today I removed the givi rack from my bike which I've been meaning to do for ages and fitted a new side panel in near perfect condition as the old one was damaged by someone. Everything was going fine, I noticed the rack had scratched the old panel that I was keeping on the other side pretty deeply so not sure what I'm going to do with that yet. Anyway stupidly I managed to get super glue on both the new and remaining panel just in front of where the grab rail mounts. 


I tried to quickly get it off before it dried with a cloth but that just stuck a load of fibres to it and made it worse. I then used wd-40, soapy water and loads of elbow grease, eventually it came off with a small amount of carb cleaner and nail varnish remover. I knew this would damage the lacquer but couldn't have the mess that was on there left there. It's a very tiny area on each side and not really visible unless the bike is in shadow but it will really bug me if I don't try and sort it. I may just paint or replace the old panel anyway as it has deep scratches from where the rack has rubbed it over the years, but are there any products that will reduce the scratches in the lacquer of the new panel I put on today?


I've seen this topic, but that was on metal tanks and this is the plastic rear side fairings so will I need different products. I can take some photos tomorrow and the area is very small either side but will annoy me.


http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,7073.msg67247.html#msg67247

I love the fazer, its awesome for everything I need ever but for some reason I have an insatiable urge to have a large capacity single cylinder bike. I was just wondering if any of you have one or have had experience of them. I love off road bikes, the look, sound, feel and ability to actually green lane etc which is great fun. They're comfortable for me too because I'm tall. The usability and low down torque seems like it would be so much more fun for my everyday riding style as I only commute 15 miles a day all on 30 - 40 mph nice twisty roads and town riding. If any of you have ridden any of the following, I was wondering if they are good for commuting, a good laugh, can handle sitting at 70mph if needs be and can take pillions in reasonable comfort.


Suzuki DR - 650
Kawasaki KLX - 650
Honda XR - 650
Yamaha XT - 660
MZ Baghira


The only thing holding me back is I love the fazer and am worried I would regret selling it, but at the same time I think I would love any of the above bikes and they would be such a laugh which I think is the most important aspect of biking. The fazer is such a swiss army knife as well although I guess the above bikes are too other than touring which would be possible just not as comfortable. Reaaallly stuck with what to do

My mate recently sold his bandit 600 for £1100 and bought a 1989 GSX R 750 slingshot for £1000. Personally, I'm not so sure it was a good idea because that seemed a lot to me for a bike that age, plus it has no MOT or tax and has been sat around for 5 years. He likes sport bikes and got a bit bored of his bandit even though it was a good runner and a lot newer on an 03 plate. Anyway allegedly the carbs have been sorted on the gsxr and it was stored without fuel etc so thats all fine, the main problems are the brakes and oil drain bolt.


The bike failed its mot last week for having excessively binding brakes. He's fitted a new master cylinder which then made the brake lines fail and leak a lot of fluid from the banjo bolts. So he's now fitted new braided brake hoses and said a mate has checked the calipers and cleaned them thoroughly etc. They arent leaking fluid anymore but are still binding quite badly, the discs aren't that worn but could possibly be warped? Not all the bobbins are as free as they could be. The wheel bearings seem okay, we're going to take the wheel off tomorrow and check / grease the spindle and give the calipers another clean to try and free them up.


Also today he tried to drain the oil but couldn't undo the drain plug on his own so asked if I would undo it whilst he held the bike. When I tried it was just spinning round and round, felt at times finger loose then quite tight, just spinning round in circles.    It definitely wasn't undoing anyway, and he isnt sure what to do now, is it an engine out job? I think personally he's rushed into this buy a bit and is having doubts. It looks nice and it runs, sounds impressive but needs a few expensive parts like chain and sprockets etc.


Anyway, any advice with the oil drain bolt and brakes would be appreciated. Thanks.

Went to see a mate of mine tonight to catch up and play some drums in a new studio he's started teaching in, come out after and my bike is leaning on the back of a Corsa and knocked over on its side  . Police were surprisingly already there and the area is very busy at that time so there were a lot of witnesses who think they may have got the guys number plate. Apparently somebody in a big black jeep parked on double yellows next to my bike ( I was right at the end of the legal parking) then reversed straight into my bike and knocked it over, then got out, looked at it, was confronted by people from across the road, shouted and swore at them then sped off leaving my bike and the car it landed on.


Really, really pissed off and gutted the bike is 13 years old and was in fantastic condition. I'm only 20 and at college with a part time job so not made of money and now run the risk of having to pay my insurance excess and lose my 4 years no claims or just pay for it myself to get it fixed when I've just paid out for chain and sprockets and some other stuff... It's ride able but needs a new mirror which I already upgraded brand new for foxeye ones when I bought the bike, new rear right fairing, front fairing is damaged, stock exhaust muffler slightly scuffed and dented. It's stuff I can live with for now but has really annoyed me... Anyone have any similar stories or advice?

I was a bit bored this evening after watching MOTD 2 and after the usual kicking about on the internet and chatting to mates on facebook etc I stumbled upon the SV.org forum (pretty similar to this site actually just full of dirty SV riders  ) and ended up finding this randomly! (Bear with me)


http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=183639


Started reading it through, looked quite interesting and was unsure of a few peoples clearly biased comments. Anyway, I get to the last post right at the bottom of the first page and someone has done a pretty comprehensive, unfair review of the FZS600 which to me of course is a cracking bike. So I'm reading it through and straight away think oh cool mine is a W reg...wait what...gutless...wheezy.... wow this guy sounds just like........ Wait a second!!!! I kid you not, that is my dad. Cheeky git I was absolutely stunned!


The story is completely true and legit and he is a member of the forum, he in fact was the one who suggested I search for a Fazer forum. We have swapped bikes a couple of times and yes his SV is actually a good laugh but I am not letting him get away with this! My side of the story, his SV for me honestly feels half as well made as the Fazer, could be the big weight difference and the V twin vibes. It is a good engine and was a laugh, but polar opposite of mine in that it is powerful up to a point then falls of the cliff completely, it is strangely quiet however when riding (he has the standard can), just rumbles with this strange whine like it has a supercharger. The brakes were absolutely shockingly poor in comparison, although the engine braking rips your face off before you need to pull any levers which was odd. He actually said to me he enjoyed riding mine however even when I told him he was riding it wrong after hearing his complaints, so this is why I was so stunned at his reaction when back on his home turf (the SV forum).


We do go out for rides every now and then together, I am often following him and out of respect if we are on the dual carriageway or some twisties or whatever I do not see any reason to overtake or make it into a race as we aren't usually hanging about anyway. But at no point when he pulls away or goes for an overtake am I struggling to keep up. One rare time I was actually leading and properly opened it right up for a test on a small stretch of dual carriageway near our house and all I could see was his headlight getting further and further away in my mirror, he later admitted to accidentally red lining his, obviously stunned at the "gutless" Fazers sudden turn of pace when taken out of 6th gear. 


I'm not annoyed that he doesn't prefer the Fazer of course, to each his own and he loves his SV I am just surprised that he would go as far as to not reccomend one to someone. I would always take my Fazer over his SV personally as an all rounder, however have reccomended the SV to some friends who are looking at getting their first "big" bikes as it was no doubt a great machine. Essentially, before I rumble him I just wanted to level the score a bit and see what some of you guys think on this site! Anyone tried an SV? All comments will of course be as unbiased as the guys on his forum I hope.....   Cheers