Yamaha FZ6 steering | GTAMotorcycle.com

Yamaha FZ6 steering

Alvito

Well-known member
Hi,

I rode my FZ6 for the first time yesterday and the steering felt odd. I'll do my best to describe it. When I had my Ninja 650R, I could turn the handle bars and the bike would go in that direction with little resistance. When I try to do the same thing on the FZ6, the handlebars want to fight me and end up wanting to swing the other direction. Also, when my front tire hit a patch of repaired road, it would want to get sucked into that track and when adjust to get out of it, I would feel the bike wobble.

I didn't have time to check my tire pressure, but thats the first thing I'm going to check today.
I did take off my front caliper to check the life left on the pads, but i don't think any of those mounting bolts affect that.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Alvito
 
Tire pressure
It's normal for the steering to 'fight back' as the bike wants both wheels pointing in the same direction. The FZ and ER have the same steering geometry, so they should behave pretty much the same.

Your symptoms suggest the steering head bearings might have been be over tightened. When this happens, steering gets heavy, correction abrupt and shaky and the bike will chase ruts and grooves in the road. It's rare, but happens if someone inexperienced adjusted the head bearings.

It's pretty easy to check head bearings (I would recommend taking it to a mechanic if you've never seen/felt this procedure).
1) Get the front wheel off the ground on a center stand or jack - you can't do this is the wheel is in contact with the ground or on a wheel stand.
2) Swing the steering from lock to lock slowly, it should be smooth and resistance consistent. If you feel any drag, binding grittiness, bumps -- anything but smooth and even -- you have a problem. Be sure there are no cables binding, I have seen that more than once when risers or incorrect cables or brake lines are installed.
3) If the movement has bumps (detents) or feels gritty, your bearings likely need to be replaced - either worn or corroded. You usually notice this most when the steering is centered. If you have to ask, you are probably best to send this to a shop, it's not a major repair.
4) If there is a fair amount of resistance or different resistance at different points, you probably need a simple adjustment. Check manual for your bikes adjustment procedure. For an most Yamahas, remove the 27mm top nut then loosen the collar nuts with a specialty tool OR drift punch. If you have the specialty too and a torque wrench, torque lowest nut to spec. If not, you're going to set by feel (most do it this way) by tighten the bottom collar nut bit-by-bit until the the lock-to-lock resistance is even and smooth - no more.

The bearings need to be tight enough to remove play, bit not so tight that they create drag. There is a sweet spot, be patient and make adjustment in small increments. Don't go too tight -- it's way worse as low speed handling will be rough. If you overtighten, back off and start again.

Once you think you're done, go through the first steps again the button up the lock and top bolts.
 
Thanks for the tips, I checked the bike for the bearing issue. It was smooth. When I checked the tire pressure, it came in at 6psi... Yikes! it lost a lot of air over the winter... I used a hand pump to get it back to 33psi and it handled as I expected it to.
 
Thanks for the tips, I checked the bike for the bearing issue. It was smooth. When I checked the tire pressure, it came in at 6psi... Yikes! it lost a lot of air over the winter... I used a hand pump to get it back to 33psi and it handled as I expected it to.

Glad you found the problem and didn't get hurt in the process. For future reference, if you don't have time to check the tire pressure after the bike has been sitting for months, you don't have time to go for a ride.
 
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This is why you should check your tire pressure weekly if not more. 6psi on a bike tire is more than a little dangerous.

I hope you do other regular checks before riding especially after winter storage!!

No tire is completely air tight. Over time almost all tires will seep out air be it really slowly. If you see week to week a significant loss of pressure then you have a more serious issue and need to fix it.
 
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Glad you found the problem and didn't get hurt in the process. For future reference, if you don't have time to check the tire pressure after the bike has been sitting for months, you don't have time to go for a ride.

I agree. Prior to going for the ride, the bike did feel like it took a lot more effort to roll it out of the shed. I should have known, the tire was flat. I just figured I was getting older and weaker.

This is why you should check your tire pressure weekly if not more. 6psi on a bike tire is more than a little dangerous.

I hope you do other regular checks before riding especially after winter storage!!

No tire is completely air tight. Over time almost all tires will seep out air be it really slowly. If you see week to week a significant loss of pressure then you have a more serious issue and need to fix it.

6 psi on the bike is extremely dangerous, like I said it was so wobbly when i rode to a friends house. Lucky for me it was after rush hour traffic and it was a short distance away.

The bike was dropped off on Saturday at the shop. I'm putting new rubber on the bike.
 
Reading the OP, tire pressure was also my 1st guess. Had it happen a few times, not down to 6psi, just 6psi down and it's felt.

First thing I check after storage is tire pressure and battery charge.
 
Reading the OP, tire pressure was also my 1st guess. Had it happen a few times, not down to 6psi, just 6psi down and it's felt.

First thing I check after storage is tire pressure and battery charge.

I'm still inexperienced when it comes to spring tune ups after winter. I only had to take my Ninja 650 out of storage twice, because after the third season, I sold it. The take away for me is that I'm learning the basics (and some advanced stuff too) through the process.

I did watch a video on the steering bearing thing, and I was totally prepared to adjust it if it needed it. So if that does become a problem down the road, I'll know what to do.
 

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