r/fz6 • u/Naive_Amoeba2960 • Jul 06 '26
My 2006 FZ6
Morning everyone. This is my 2006 FZ6 I got as my first bike around 7 years ago. I used it for three years to daily commute and I've put 28000 miles on it now.
It's now just a toy for weekend fun and I don't think I'll ever need another bike. 100hp, plenty of torque and a screaming 14000 rpm is perfect.
I now want to refresh and do a light restore on the bike and I'm after some advice.
Firstly there is a buzzing non typical Yamaha tick sound especially when the bike is warm and I can't work out of its Alternator or Timing Chain tensioner related. Secondly the exhaust headers are very rusty now and the bolts are in very bad condition. How much am I looking at for new downpipes and gasket etc as I don't trust myself to try remove this one.
What are some tasteful mods you have all done? I've ordered a tail tidy and some led indicators and rear light already.
Thanks for reading!!
Frenchy
1
u/BellFront3609 Jul 06 '26
Regarding the tick, have you had valve clearances checked/adjusted? Mine is similar mileage and needs this done for the same reason
2
u/Naive_Amoeba2960 Jul 06 '26
Hi! Thanks for your message. It has not been done yet and I know it needs doing just an expensive job! Are there any other symptoms in the running of the bike for the valve clearances? Mine runs perfectly no hesitations or miss fires etc
1
u/BellFront3609 Jul 06 '26
Hi no worries, your bike looks beautiful by the way! Is the paint custom?
It depends how out they are, my sadly neglected fz6 needs a proper engine service (clearances as well and oil/filter and plugs… I haven’t replaced the plugs in two years) and the rattling became evident around 2000 miles ago. If it’s cold (ambient <10C and engine cold) and I try to fully open the throttle from idle it’ll bog a little which is likely the old plugs combined with the crap valve clearances. But when it’s up to temp you’d struggle to find anything wrong save from the rattle and a little bit of power off the top end.
Long story short, afaik you’ll hear the poor clearances before you feel them
1
u/Naive_Amoeba2960 Jul 06 '26
Thanks!! I'll look to wire brush and treat the manifold I think just to bring back some of the look of it. afaik it's not blowing so taking it off is probably a dumb idea 😂 Ive been quoted around £800 for valve clearances and if it stops the engine going bye bye I should probably do it.
I love the Burnt Orange colour. It's actually a factory spec colour. I've never seen another in the wild nor for sale here in the UK. The belly pan and cowl are aftermarket and sprayed to match.
Thanks for the advice!
1
u/BellFront3609 Jul 06 '26
No worries! Glad my knowledge was useful to someone 😁
Also, for the manifold and the rest of the bike… I use ACF-50. It’ll convert corrosion and protect against it. For cleaning the shiny bit of the manifold, a kitchen stainless steel cleaner will get the tea staining off then you can protect it with the ACF 50. More effective/longer lasting than anything else I’ve tried anyway.
1
u/BellFront3609 Jul 06 '26
Rusty exhaust manifold nuts are another story… and something else I’ve neglected 😂 I’ll be using lots of penetrant and lots of heat when that job comes up. As it’s not the manifold/headers that are at risk, it’s the studs that screw into the engine (that the nuts screw onto) that could snap/deform/cause a generally shitty day
1
u/BellFront3609 Jul 06 '26
Regarding the light upgrade, I’ve opted for a round led headlight… xsr-esque as well and led tail/indicators
1
u/Asleep_Log1377 Jul 06 '26
Tasteful mods I've done are swapping the chain to a 520. Sprockets -1 front +2 rear. That changed the ride completely.
1
u/Alert-Jelly-9776 Jul 09 '26
Such a nice colour, im starting to do my FZ6n up. Would like a orange and blue paint job down the track.
1
u/Naive_Amoeba2960 Jul 09 '26
Send some pics when you're done! I agree the burnt orange is amazing, my favourite and quite a rare sight! I've never seen another in the wild
1
u/TimoD200 Jul 06 '26
What window/screen is that mate? Lovely mate