Time's catching up on my old rear tyre and I'm in the market for a replacement, now I'm not interested in brands here just wondering what sizes people run. I'm thinking of switching to a different brand through a pair deal seeing as I can swap both tyres for £20 extra in some cases.
Do you stick with the recommended 110/70ZR17 on the front and 160/60ZR17 on the rear or do you mix it up and why? Is there any real danger/advantages to fitting a slightly different profile?
Couple of questions to those who've already done these.
I've got a 2003 FZS600 'foxeye'. Great bike, had it since new, 34K so far and definitely a keeper forever.
The K&N air filter. Does it really make a lot of difference ? Do you need to rejet too ? Does it slot in without any mods ?
The Hagon variable compression fork springs. Do they make a lot of difference ? I've had the Hagon rear unit in for 10K now, and I think it is great, and super value for money. Made a world of difference to the saggy knackered standard unit. Front forks have had the 15w oil installed, and they feel fine, but just wondered if Hagon's variable springs are much better. A cheap upgrade or not worth doing ?
On thursday my bike (reasonably new to me) decided it wasn't going to start. After taking as much off and checking with the tools I could, I'm convinced it's the immobiliser doing it's job. It just won't 'mobilise.' I've tried bridging the starting relay and the starter motor will turn over, but there's no ignition.
I have no idea what the immobiliser is, all I can find is a Mitsubishi-like logo on the immobiliser box, which I've not yet been able to take off the bike. I've spent hours looking on the internet to try and find out what it is, so I can look to sorting it out, but have found nothing.
I was wondering if anyone here has any idea what the immobiliser is? I've attached a photo of the key fob, which looks like the cobra ones, but i've not been able to find the exact one; maybe it was discontinued, but I can't find any details. If anyone is able to help, I'd really appreciate it! I'm desperate to fix it to make getting to work that much easier.
Incase it helps, it's a 2000 FZS600, and I believe an aftermarket immobiliser
Had to abort my ride today. The bike developed a loud knocking sound coming from the bottom end of the engine. When I stopped and revved it in neutral, no knocking. But when riding the knocking is regular and increase with speed. I can also feel the knocking. I'm not at all mechanically savvy, but have a feeling this might be terminal. Any advice?
hi guys sorted thru some more bits from the donor bike so let me know if anyone needs anything before it goes on ebay
wire loom
raditor+fan+most hoses
r front peg with brake pedal,master cylinder etc
rear brake caliper(need good clean/ poss rebuild
rear indicators
rear light
rear plastics(ie seat fairings+joint piece needs small repair)
fuel tank small dint
rear shocker
rear shock linkage
swing arm
various brackets,cables and little bits and pieces
collection from hull or will post most items
cheers mark
My FZ6 had developed a bit of an issue when changing gears over the last week. Sometimes the gear level wouldn't return properly and it was stuck in gear - not great when you end up coming towards junctions in 4th gear and can't get it changed down! Looking through the forum I thought there may be an issue with the spring(s) in the gearbox but thought I would pop in to Dynotech Ecosse in Hillington to let them have a look. Turned out it was simply that the gear level pivot bolt needed to be taken out, cleaned, greased and put back. Sorted - and with no charge! Top blokes in there.
Im hopefully if it dosent cost too much off to europe in may thinking riding down to dover but getting the ferry to dunkirk insteadof boring calais , problem id ive never been riding in eurozone and also will be camping any suggestions on where to go places to visit as i dont want to be in the saddle all the time racing the clock, thinking of riding through holland then maybe a little bit of germany only got a week thou
Booked a day off work today and had a hoot around North Wales with a mate of mine. We started with breakfast at Ponderosa, then went over to the Electric Mountain in Llanberris (Dinorwic Power Station). Brilliant roads, stunning scenery, 260 miles in all.
I took my beloved 2000 Fazer to John & Nick at Revs Racing in Birmingham last month, and wanted to share a quick review. Hopefully useful to someone.
Like many of us foccers, I've never been overwhelmed by the standard suspension and with 40k on the clock, it was only getting worse. I recently started an IAM course and the observed rides, often "making progress" on pretty awful roads, really showed up the suspension. I'm a student and not easily persuaded to part with my money, but it's amazing how persuasive a sore buttocks can be. By that, I mean from the choppy ride and the clenching that ensues with every scary mid-corner bump. All this whilst trying to keep up with an ex-copper on his Blackbird, so I finally decided to do something about it.
Overview
Any work done is by either John, 3 times British and twice European sidecar trials Champion, or Nick who is also a British Champion in the same field.
It's obvious they know what they're doing, and whatever you get done will be subject to their expertise and attention to detail. I think that was one of the biggest draws over buying a shock, fitting and setting it up myself. Having said that, you don't need a shock or other parts supplied by them to have them fitted or set up by them.
Upgrade options
There are lots of options, including various shocks. Really you need to give Revs a bell and discuss what you want.
In regards to the shock; I spoke to them about rebuilding the (officially non-rebuildable) Yamaha shock but it's a lot of work and cost for relatively little gain. It seems that because nowadays, there aren't that many FZS600s going in for work, it's not economical for them to have custom parts produced for rebuilding the shock like they once did.
Having seen the Wilbers shock side by side with my Yamaha original and a Hagon, imo it's very clear the Wilbers is head and shoulders above them both in terms of quality. Really, it's a thing of beauty for what it is. The main advantages of the Wilbers for me was; firstly its built to your specification, this includes the internal components not just the spring (as I understand it is with some aftermarket shocks, e.g. Nitron?). Its fitted and set-up by suspension specialists , comes with a 5 year warranty, and has a quick turn around (i.e. you're not waiting for the shock to be rebuilt somewhere).
All in all, I felt it was the best value option for me and it wasn't much more costly than a rebuilt original or a Hagon. As I was having the rear end sorted, I also wanted to make sure the front end matched it. So, I decided to have the forks upgraded at the same time too.
I opted to have a stage 1 fork upgrade and a Wilbers Ecoline shock.
Stage 1 fork upgrade: Fork service (incl new oil + any seals etc that need replacing) + new linear springs matched to your weight. Preload adjustment at the end if applicable.
Wilbers Ecoline Shock: Ecoline are the line of entry level shocks by Wilbers. Preload adjustment only. 5 years warranty. Built to order to your specificationby Wilbers in Germany. Revs ask for your weight, your pillion's weight and the percentage of time you carry him/her. You can also have them take into account any luggage, topboxes etc, and how often you carry that too.
*My specification was as follows; 68kg rider + 68kg pillion (25% of the time) + hard topbox and hard panniers (occasionally). The luggage weight was not taken into account as they aren't fitted frequently enough.
Costs (incl VAT):
Forks (incl service, fork seals, dust seals, new springs, removal & refit, set-up) = £270
Shocks (incl shock itself, removal, fitment and set-up) = £337
Total = £607
Note that fork and dust seals are only replaced where necessary. I also took the opportunity to replace the old tatty fork castings with a freshly powder coated pair. Day of fitment
Revs are in Birmingham, I live in London, and I chose the wettest & coldest day of the month to ride up there to have it done, but both John and Nick make a good cuppa which was just as well! It was a matter of same day, ride in & ride out. The whole job took about 6 hours and in the meantime I was given a lift to the biggest motorcycle dealership I've ever been to, Streetbike, I think it was called. Sat in the cafe there, fannied about on all the bikes they had on the shop floor (including the Fazer8, very nice!) and had a look at their clothing dept upstairs. Plenty to keep you busy for a good few hours. It's also a pleasure just chatting to John and Nick when you're at the workshop, they are very knowledgeable about bikes and are some of the friendliest and hospitable people I know.
Summary(and on the road impressions)
I commute on my bike everyday and have been on a few long rides with the IAM since and the suspension is miles better. So much more comfortable and confidence inspiring, especially when the pace picks up. I could go on forever about how much better it feels but all I'll say is that it was worth it and that I'm very, very pleased.
£600 odd was a lot to part with in one go, but it was also a lot of work to be done in one go. When you break it all down I think it represents good value. Considering a Hagon shock is usually around £300, the £337 I paid for the made to order & properly set-up Wilbers shock is not bad at all. Also worth mentioning that they often have 2nd hand shocks in stock (at a lower price), and if you change bikes, you can sell back the Wilbers shock to Revs or exchange it for one to fit your new bike. In that case, I think it's going to be the first upgrade I'll do on my next bike. That'll be years away though as my Fazer's too good to give up now. Great experience. Recommended :thumbup
OK, I give up – I need help. I have owned my beloved Fazer for about 8 months but recently it has developed a little niggle – it used to run on its side stand, but now it doesn’t. This is what happened - At 0400hrs the other morning I warmed the bike up on its side stand as per normal. Unlike most other days all didn’t go well and whilst overtaking a lorry in the outside lane of a busy duel carriageway in the pitch black all the lights went out – even the dashboard lights! After a few near misses panic set in and I pulled the flasher button - to my relief the main beam pinged on main beam. With nowhere safe to pull over I rode for about 2 minutes with the flasher switch held in but this relief was short lived when the front light went out again and I was back in darkness. Clean out of options I had to ride a little further before I could pull over and admit defeat. In a safe location I dropped the side stand and the engine stalled. I didn’t think too much at the time as I was relieved to still be alive but when I collected the bike a few hours later – I found it didn’t start. I was just about to call the RAC when I found it started with the stand up so I rode it home. In the cold light of day the lights failing turned out to be due to the ignition switch – I have replaced this with a pattern part and I now have a full a compliment of lights again. By holding in the flasher switch I managed to burn out the switch – I brought another set of switch gear on Ebay and this all now works fine but neither of these cured the starting issue with the side stand. I have also replaced the side stand switch but to no avail. Has anyone else had a stand starting issue – and if so – what was it and how did you cure it? The bike is a Gold/black/silver FZS600s. It is a 2001 model and has only got 56000 on the clock. Any help is much appreciated.
