If you change your exhaust headers make sure the restrictor point of the new set is similar in overall opening size to the original set.
The original outlet is: 35mm – 43.5mm diameter externally at its most restricted point.
I’m not sure what the wall thickness is but I reckon it must be somewhere between 1.0mm and 2.00mm, my original pipes are still in good condition and I was loathe to saw them up to find out.
In any event the Motad replacement header system outlet pipe is has a clear open area of 1364sqm. Whereas the original outlet is restricted to somewhere between 962sqm and 1075sqm.
When I fitted the Motad headers the power band almost evaporated and a gas analyser showed it be running far too weak, this being supported by the plug colour.
A further test was done by a lazer temp gauge on the exhaust clamp bracket of both original and new pipes and this showed the exhaust gas temp had risen.
To solve the issue the Motad pipe was sleeved down first to 1075sqm which improved things no end, and finally down to 975sqm, which seems to be better.
Plugs were checked and exhaust gas analysed and the results were as good as I could get them.
However if you don’t get the right back pressure the engine will run too weak and it is possible that you may end up damaging the exhaust valve edges and seats.
The photo below is the restrictor point in the original header set.
As the winter season approaches there will be a flurry of posts about weak batteries and starting trouble. I've been through measuring the voltage at the battery when the bike charges and wasn't really impressed with the results. Here's what i got on my bike:
Voltage at rest 12.56V
Ignition turned on: 12.17V
Ignition on + heated grips full: 11.95V
Bike running @ idle (grips off): 13.0V (rose from 12.3 up to 13 after a minute)
Bike @ 4k RPM: 13.3V
Bike @ 4k RPM + heated grips on full: 12.97V
My voltage should be up to 14V and in the winter i wouldn't really be charging the battery when using the bike. The manual states i should get 14.1V to 14.9V out of the Regulator/Rectifier (with no load on the bike, i.e. lights off etc)
I went through the diagnostics and measured the magneto wire resistance, then the resistance to earth then finally measured the voltage into the RR, i got 11.4VAC on all three lines. This is within spec. I also measured the resistance of the pickup coils and they were within spec as well. So why did i have a low voltage coming from the RR to the battery ?
I then measured the voltage drop from the output of the RR to the battery, we'd be hoping for less than 0.2V ... but i measured 0.8V drop from the +ve output of the RR to the +ve battery terminal. mmm, not ideal. I measured a 0.1V difference on the -ve circuit. A drop on the -ve circuit would suggest a bad earth point on the bike.
This voltage drop is due to the long wire run from the RR back to the battery and the cost cutting on wire thickness by manufactures. A common mod is to run a dedicated wire back to the +ve battery terminal, basically this lets the power out of the RR to get to hte battery without losses in the wiring loom. After i fitted this wire i then remeasured the voltages at the battery and got this:
Voltage @ idle: 13.5V
Bike @ idle, grips on full: 13.8V
Bike @ 4k RPM: 13.9V ** Good - this is with lights on **
Bike @ 4k RPM, grips on full: 13.6V ** Good - with lights and heated grips **
Although i'm not quite getting > 14V out of the RR i am seeing a much small voltage drop when there is load on the system and this should help the battery in the coming cold months as more charge will get to the battery.
I've been running this since May 2012 and all has been well with the better charging voltages ! Let's see how winter goes on the battery.
Note: I also pulled the fuse for the headlights (to take almost all load off the system - i've an 03 Fazer and don't have a headlight switch) and the measured voltage out of the RR was 14.1V, which is just within specification, and the RR is stated as 14.1V to 14.9V with NO LOAD.
Googling around on this shows other owners forums (triumph was one that had lengthy discussion on this). Also the very clever chap that produces the MultiGauge for the fazer discusses fitting a better RR and the voltage drops due to the wiring on the bike. We should upgrade to a more modern MOSFET RR , such as the one fitted to the 2007 R1. Models like the FH012, FH011, FH010 are common.
This is a simple Mod that may help people who have re-occuring battery / charging issues.
<< click on images to view at full resolution, then you can read the notes i added >>
The white plug will have 3 white wires (they carry the AC voltage from the generator) and a Red and Black wires which are the +ve / -ve for the battery. The RR is the black finned item under the left hand side fairing panel. If you kneel down next to the bike, you'll see it by looking up under the fairing infill panel. Warning be careful touching it as it gets hot, don't burn yourself.
By running a new wire from the RED (+ve) output of the RR we get the power back to the battery rather than losing it on it's journey through the default route. Remember to solder any joints, use heate shrink and use a ring connector for the connection to the battery.
What is a fuzeblock ? If you've got a number of accessories on your bike like heated grips, heated jacket, USB power for phones/sat nav, and any auxillary lights or even wiring in a optimate charge lead something like a fuzeblock. You could make one yourself but for a neat simple device that you can take from bike to bike then this is a straightforward bit of kit that has served me well. As each circuit is individually fused i can have one of my accessories fail / go kaput and only that circuit will go rather than everything.
A handy wee feature of the device is the option ot have an always on or switched circuit - and by just changing the fuse position for that circuit you can flip between only on when ignition on, to on all the time. This could be handy if you are charging a phone from the USB socket or something and want it to be on while you are away from the bike.
Nippy Norman in the UK is selling them but they are available from other places as well. There are other similare devices on the market, search around in case you have some specific functionality requirement.
1. Oxford HotGrips - (they are ok, but the rubber grip wears quickly)
2. Heated jacket - (a godsend, can't recommend a heated vests enough)
3. optimate charger lead - (so i can charge the bike by connecting to an external plug and don't need to removed seat)
4. LED lights on hand guard - (a natty little mod, added strip LEDs to the Acerbis Dual Road handguards -http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,1879.msg39316/topicseen.html#msg39316 )
5. USB plugs - (small car USB adapter connected giving me two USB ports. This allows a phone / satnav to be connected / charged)
Without the fuzeblock i'd have several connectors on the battery terminals , so this tidies everything up a little.
[size=1em]I also have a Stebel Nautulus horn, but as that draws ~18 amps i wired it direct to battery as it's too much current to put through the fuseblock. [/size]
The fuse block needs 3 input connections. A positive , negative and a switched live. The positive and negative are direct to the battery, you should put a fused connection in the positive wire.
The trickiest part of this is the switched live. After searching on the forum there is a neat solution as detailed by "nastyandy" in his photos. In the main fusebox by the battery a number of the circuits are switched on when the ignition goes on. We can't directly power anything from these circuits (or rather we shouldn't, as we don't want to add extra current to them) but they allow us to use them as a switched live feed for the fuzeblock as a feed will activate the relay and turn on the positive feed from the battery in the fuzeblock. I don't know the current needed to power and activate a relay but it is in the order of a few milliamps - basically a negigible amount and it won't cause side effects or other problems with the electrical circuits on the bike.
If you look at the thread below see the photos from nastyandy as he shows you how to wire in a switched live wire. This will be the wire that connects to the switched live of your fuzeblock.
*** If you aren't comfortable soldering or doing electrics, this is quite straight forward work. But please do go to a shop like Maplin (Halfords are v. expensive) or go online and buy a selection of wire, connectors, crimps, heat shrink tube, and a solder iron and solder - also a simple multimeter to measure voltage. It might seem expensive but getting more comfortable with electrics is a good skill to build on. Then don't do anything on the bike just sit in your shed/garage/kitchen and practive stripping a wire, soldering wires and soldering connectors and crimping them. It's well worthwhile trying everything out to get the "knack" of using the tools. There are countless videos / guides on YouTube etc showing you how to use the tools and perform wiring tasks ***
[size=1em]You can take a switched live from a variety of places on the bike, but as i mounted the fuzeblock on top of the CDI unit the wire run is small and convenient. The fuzeblock mounts with some sticky pads, i used some that were for sticking on a car numberplate, and it has enough room for the seat to go on. [/size]
[size=1em]When running the wiring to the fuzeblock you'll want some wiring suitable for 20A @ 12v , this may seem excessive but if you run a number of accessories off the device you don't want any voltage drop. Some 10 or 12 AWG wire would be very suitable. [/size]
You are now ready to do that heated grip install, install those extra lights etc. I wired up LED lights to handguards and converted my Oxford heated grips to run off fuseblock rather than straight off battery. Althoguht the grips claim to turn off when the voltage drops i forgot to turn them off a few times and whilst they did turn off, there wasn't enough oomph in the battery for the bike to start after. So to save being stranded the grips now turn off with the ignition.
Here's some photos of my install.
<< click on photo's to zoom in , the text i added is a little smalll unless you view at full resolution >>
Just joined. I've had the same 02 plate FZS1000, bought ex-demo from J&L Carlisle, since 2003.
Prior to that it was FJ1200s.
As you can see, I don't keep it too clean! Also, I'm useless mechanically, so get it serviced at J&L every year.
As I'm an old fart, a hopefully soon to be retired hospital doctor, I mostly use the car, so it is a pretty low mileage bike at 15k. I have commuted and toured on it in the past, and hope to tour again when I retire. My riding style is what might be described as "sedate", so I square off all tyres long before I wear them out.
So far (touch wood) it's been reliable, with only new batteries occasionally needed. It came with the belly pan, and the only mods fitted are a taller screen, Scottoiler and the Givi kit.
As it is the bike's 10th birthday this year, and since I've no plans or need to change (never ridden anything I like better), I'm considering spending some money on a bit of a spa treatment for it this year, assuming costs can be kept reasonable, the idea being to make it last for another 10 years of maximal reliability and hopefully minimal cleaning!
As well as a full service and total fluid etc change, it could really do with a thorough tear down of bodywork (hopefully the low mileage engine won't need much doing) and close inspection, with everything that's become corroded replaced, everything loose tightened, and everything that has stuck together freed!
It could maybe do with new/improved chain/sprockets maybe, new clutch and choke cables, and some sensible upgrades like braided brake lines. Maybe a deep cycle battery and the like too. I'd also like a bar riser fitted, as my neck really hurts after a few hours - down to posture, not wind buffeting.
Basically I want a "feels like new" (don't care about "looks like new"!) bike at rock bottom price. Hopefully J&L might be able to help me, but if they can't, anyone know of anyone in Cumbria or S Scotland... ?
Anyway, I'd find all suggestions and advice from the group welcome, and I'm hoping to enjoy membership of this group!
two doors away from me had two cars stolen, they snapped the euro lock (see youtube on how to do it ) to get into the house and get the keys, as huby works away quite a bit they got a german shepherd to protect the house, It is now in a cage at the bottom of their garden at 12.45 am howling away? whats the point?????????????????????????
Selling my fazer due to now needing a larger bike for two up touring. I fancy a CBF 1000 if anybody knows of one, possible swap.
2003 fazer FOR SALE. Only 16000 miles, Heated grips, Carbon tail pipe, Fender extender, Bridgestone BT023 tyres, Recent service, MOT till June 2013 and Taxed till March 2013. Really nice condition £1995 For viewing i am in south wales.
![[Image: photo-36_zps21001486.jpg]](http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq99/gasmenace/photo-36_zps21001486.jpg)
