FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

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A_morti
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FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

Finally got this old girl back to the garage, now I'm near enough healed up from appendicitis.

It's in phenomenal condition for a 20 year old bike, as shown in the pictures. That's right: 14,360km on the clocks!



Came to me with the Yamaha factory option belly pan and crash bungs, Givi monokey rack and box complete with cushion and brake light, acumen gear indicator, trickle charger socket. The registration which came with the bike is also pretty cool: FAZ 600.

The engine is an absolute gem. Quiet, turbine smooth, not to mention at a claimed 98bhp it's the most powerful bike I've owned since a '98 fireblade some ten years ago before mini_morti came along. The suspension on these is often slated as too soft, but that is perfect for what I want, which is a comfortable old-school UJM for commuting and occasional weekend jollies.

Just a few little jobs when I got her home: lubricate the clutch lever which was dry as a popcorn fart, adjust foot pedals to suit my height (seller is shorter), strip front brake switch and clean the contacts. I also found the throttle would stick closed sometimes; adding a quarter turn on the stop screw solved that, then set the idle a few hundred higher as per the manual, and adjusted throttle cables.

Not planning much of a project this time. I will add LED indicators off a later Yamaha (no eBay shite, ta) as a matter of personal preference and the longer clutch pivot arm from an MT-07 to lighten the lever action, but other than that I think it'll stay just like it is. I will however do a full round of maintenance over the coming weeks/months, as even with such low mileage and in the condition it is in, the grease in the swingarm and neck bearings is still 20 years old. I suspect the brake fluid isn't a lot younger than that, either.

I think we're going to get on well :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by Skub »

I hope you have more luck with this than that dose of beemer!

Looks in great order.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by dern »

That looks great. I rode one of these for half an hour ages ago and was really surprised how east and instinctive it was to ride. Good find.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by ChrisW »

That's the one you missed out on a bit ago right? Congratulations.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

Skub wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 9:14 pm I hope you have more luck with this than that dose of beemer!

Looks in great order.
Thanks! Me too.
dern wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 10:56 pm That looks great. I rode one of these for half an hour ages ago and was really surprised how east and instinctive it was to ride. Good find.
Agreed 100%. Everything is exactly where you look for it, and works just like you want it to.
ChrisW wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:04 am That's the one you missed out on a bit ago right? Congratulations.
It is! The first guy couldn't afford the insurance, apparently the mortgage company wanted to increase the life insurance policy and that pushed it past what was reasonable for him. His loss was my gain!
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

Gave the front brakes a little love. They have had the fluid changed not all that long ago, but they weren't quite doing what they should do. Cleaned and degreased the calipers and discs, deglazed the pads. There was maybe a little greasy residue on there, but everything cleaned up literally like new.

Should work better tomorrow, if not I'll get the wheel out, discs off and get heavier with the brake clean, maybe look at replacement pads.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by Bigyin »

If/when i need to get rid of my current Fazer 600 (45000 miles at the moment) which is a previous model original 2001 i would be looking at these as a replacement.

I lobbed in sbs pads on mine recently and they work a treat, lots of feel and good stopping power at half the cost of Brembo stuff
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

A_morti wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:42 pm I will add ... the longer clutch pivot arm from an MT-07 to lighten the lever action,
So this is an oft-mooted mod on the FZ6 group, with the overly-concise explanation that it will "lighten the clutch".

Well, we need some science on that. Right?

Does the FZ6 even have a heavy clutch? Let's compare to a scientific sample of one: the nearest bike to hand, my g650gs.
IMG-20230610-WA0005.jpg
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Clutch pull weight a little under 7kg. It's not known as a bike with a heavy nor light clutch, which seems fair. That's pretty normal.

Fz6 clutch: fair bit heavier.
IMG-20230610-WA0006.jpg
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Enter MT-07 clutch pivot arm.
IMG-20230610-WA0007.jpg
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Last edited by A_morti on Sat Jun 10, 2023 10:21 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

The new one is 10mm longer than the original parts.
IMG-20230610-WA0008.jpg
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IMG-20230610-WA0009.jpg
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The clutch pull weight reduces a lot by those 10mm.
IMG-20230610-WA0010.jpg
IMG-20230610-WA0010.jpg (200.43 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
That is about 40% less strength required at the lever. It's really noticeable! Also the friction/slipping zone is bigger, which is nice, because it's too immediate on the bike as supplied.

Winner winner!
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by Count Steer »

Nice work. :thumbup: (I think the first two pics in the first resistance test are in the wrong order but the tank logo makes sense of them).
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

Count Steer wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:38 pm Nice work. :thumbup: (I think the first two pics in the first resistance test are in the wrong order but the tank logo makes sense of them).
Been on the sauce this evening and can't figure out how to clear the persistent data. Might have fixed it, idk :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

A_morti wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 1:50 pm Gave the front brakes a little love...
Should work better tomorrow, if not I'll get the wheel out, discs off and get heavier with the brake clean, maybe look at replacement pads.
It definitely wasn't enough. The brakes worked a bit better, but still not convincing at all. After a rainy day where I took the BMW with its single caliper and it was way better than the fz, I knew there was more to do.
IMG-20230617-WA0004.jpg
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Turns out my paddock stand and the centre stand are a perfect pair. I did have to get a spindle tool (19mm Allen key for this bike) but otherwise no issues.

Spent a couple of hours one evening disassembling and scrubbing the pads with a stiff brush and dish soap, baking them in the oven and then repeating the scrubbing. Then a couple more hours the next evening scrubbing the discs with a stiff brush, using a an icing nozzle brush to clean out what felt 6,000 tiny drillings (thanks to @The Spin Doctor for the idea) then a soft brush to clean across the cut outs etc, and finally scuffing the surface with a scouring pad.

I've not been on a proper test ride, but at least around the underground parking it can now lock up the front wheel pretty easily, where it just drew up with a squeak before.

Here's one for @weeksy
IMG-20230617-WA0010.jpg
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by Taipan »

Wow, that really is clean isnt it!! :shock: Its like looking at a brand new bike! Good find! :thumbup:
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by The Spin Doctor »

A_morti wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 8:53 pm The new one is 10mm longer than the original parts.
IMG-20230610-WA0008.jpgIMG-20230610-WA0009.jpg

The clutch pull weight reduces a lot by those 10mm.
IMG-20230610-WA0010.jpg

That is about 40% less strength required at the lever. It's really noticeable! Also the friction/slipping zone is bigger, which is nice, because it's too immediate on the bike as supplied.

Winner winner!
Mechanics of levers, innit. Mind you, I've never thought of changing the lever arm at the bottom end?

The other end of the cable must have to move further though.

Does it mean you have to wind the bar adjuster out to start with the clutch lever further out?
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 4:48 pm The other end of the cable must have to move further though.

Does it mean you have to wind the bar adjuster out to start with the clutch lever further out?
It does require a longer throw at the top, but on this bike that's a very good thing. Every review you read on the bike has something negative to say about the clutch:
Grabby clutch: https://www.visordown.com/reviews/motorbike/fz6-review
Grabby clutch: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... value-spec
Heavy clutch: https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-rev ... azer/2004/
Heavy clutch: https://www.devittinsurance.com/bike-re ... zer/?amp=1

This mod fixes heavy by giving more leverage, and grabby by giving a wider slipping zone. Lengthening that lever really has no downside on this bike.

The adjuster stayed well within the usable range. Albeit I reckon the cable has about had enough after 20 years but only 9k miles. To get the cable to clear everything, they put a fairly tightly bent "noodle" at the top. Seems that when the cable is not regularly lubricated, the inner cable saws through the teflon liner, after which the inner cable drags across the inner face of the noodle.

Pictures from here show the difference between the cable on the faired one with the noodle and the naked one without it.
fz6n clutch.jpg
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clutch01.JPG
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I'm tempted to try the cable from the naked one, but not convinced it'll run cleanly around the fairing stay. An OEM cable is 60€, but a replica is more like £10. Might be worth throwing a tenner at it just to see what happens, although the Visordown review of the naked version gripes about the clutch cable blocking the keyhole. Can't win, apparently!
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by ChrisW »

A_morti wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 6:36 pm Every review you read on the bike has something negative to say about the clutch:
I always find things like this fascinating - that the bike made it all the way through development and testing without a flaw, that's mentioned almost universally once it's been launched, being picked up and dealt with!
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by The Spin Doctor »

A_morti wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 6:36 pm
The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 4:48 pm The other end of the cable must have to move further though.

Does it mean you have to wind the bar adjuster out to start with the clutch lever further out?
It does require a longer throw at the top, but on this bike that's a very good thing. Every review you read on the bike has something negative to say about the clutch:
Grabby clutch: https://www.visordown.com/reviews/motorbike/fz6-review
Grabby clutch: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... value-spec
Heavy clutch: https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-rev ... azer/2004/
Heavy clutch: https://www.devittinsurance.com/bike-re ... zer/?amp=1

This mod fixes heavy by giving more leverage, and grabby by giving a wider slipping zone. Lengthening that lever really has no downside on this bike.

The adjuster stayed well within the usable range. Albeit I reckon the cable has about had enough after 20 years but only 9k miles. To get the cable to clear everything, they put a fairly tightly bent "noodle" at the top. Seems that when the cable is not regularly lubricated, the inner cable saws through the teflon liner, after which the inner cable drags across the inner face of the noodle.

Pictures from here show the difference between the cable on the faired one with the noodle and the naked one without it.

fz6n clutch.jpg

clutch01.JPG

I'm tempted to try the cable from the naked one, but not convinced it'll run cleanly around the fairing stay. An OEM cable is 60€, but a replica is more like £10. Might be worth throwing a tenner at it just to see what happens, although the Visordown review of the naked version gripes about the clutch cable blocking the keyhole. Can't win, apparently!
Interesting that they had to change the cable routing because of the fairing stay. I always understood that Teflon-lined cables weren't supposed to be lubricated because oil made the Teflon swell.

The XJ6 has a metal 'bend' at the top of the cable too, though not so much of an angle.

It's got a pretty heavy clutch action too... I will get a measure out - maybe I can do the same tweak.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jun 19, 2023 11:45 pm I always understood that Teflon-lined cables weren't supposed to be lubricated because oil made the Teflon swell.
Same, but apparently Yamaha knows different. Or maybe the cables aren't Teflon lined?
Screenshot_20230620_123939_Samsung Notes.jpg
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The xj6 clutch cover doesn't seem to have an actuator in it. Does it attach on the other side of the engine? In any case, should be possible to get a similar improvement if you find a longer actuator.
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by The Spin Doctor »

A_morti wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:42 am Same, but apparently Yamaha knows different. Or maybe the cables aren't Teflon lined?

Hmm. Interesting.

The xj6 clutch cover doesn't seem to have an actuator in it. Does it attach on the other side of the engine? In any case, should be possible to get a similar improvement if you find a longer actuator.
The actuator is on the left, just over the sprocket cover.

Unfortunately, having looked at it, the arm appears to be welded to the rod. You can't quite see it in this eBay photo but it's not a bolt-on job.
xj6 clutch actuator.jpg
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Re: FAZ 600 - Time Warp 2004 Yamaha FZ6SA

Post by A_morti »

In that case you would be into cutting and lengthening it by gluing a piece in the middle. Not beyond the wit of man, but up to you if it's worthwhile.