Hi everybody, I just got my first bike today: a 1989 FZR600. I drove it around town and seems pretty strong. Very fun! A few questions though.

When I started the motorcycle twice during the day, it sounded very strong and worked the first time. A few hours ago (nighttime) I tried to start the bike again and it didn't work. The dashlights went out and the oil light went on like it was starting, but no sound was made (yes, the engine switch was on "run" and plenty of fuel + fuel set to "on".) I flipped the ignition key a bunch of times and played with all the switches like signals and headlights, and after about a minute the start button roared the engine to life and it started as strong as before (needed to let it warm up a little as expected after it started.) After driving to my friends house a few miles away and turning off the bike for about 10 minutes, I tried to turn it on again and the exact same thing happened as before. After a some turning things off/on the start button worked fine. Does anyone have any ideas what's wrong? This isn't normal is it?

Also, the previous owner said that on this bike it's ok to leave the fuel in the on position. The msf class taught us to always turn if off, so what's the deal?

Finally, is there a rider club, or any regular group of sport bike riders that operate in the East Bay Area? I'd like to find people to cruise with on the weekends.

Thanks!


[Modified by wyv, 12:01 AM 4/17/2001]

 

Hmm..so I'm browsing the board, and who do I see post?!?

I don't know much about motorcycles, but are you sure you didn't buy a lemon?

Got tired of your GSR? Hehe, anyways, congrats on your new bike!!

 

hehe, long time no talk Ya.. the GSR is pretty much 'normal' now.. it doesn't thrill me like it used to.. at least not like the bike.

I don't think it's a lemon. The engine itself is really strong and the bike feels pretty solid under my butt. I have a feeling it's just loose or dirty electrical connections that have probably worn throughout the bike's life.. maybe they can be my first project.

Hopefully I'll get to show it to you at the next BAAE meet

 

Thanks Steve So basically it's ok to leave the fuel in the on position if I ride almost every day?

 

yes it is ok to leave the fuel in the on position for day to day riding. I believe that bike has a vacuum actuated safety valve that stops the flow of fuel anyway.

Your battery may be going bad. It appears that the switch is working fine since the dash acts like it is supposed to when you hit the key, however there may not be enough current available to engage the starter. The other likely possibility is the starter, I would definately check the battery first since it is much more likely and much cheaper to replace. Actually it is easy to check also. You may look at it and see if it has any dry cells.

Good choice on a first bike. You did things right, safety course first and bike second. Be sure and get good gear. Your head is worth more that how much you will save by getting a cheap helmet. Your skin and bones are worth more than the price of a good jacket/pants. You may think that you can't afford all the gear now, but even if your insurance pays for all the medical bills you may still miss work, which will cost you as much as this gear would. Not to mention the scars you won't have.

If you look at the numbers your bike isn't that fast. However numbers only count when you are BSing with your buddies. Last summer when I went to the track one of the instructors was blowing by every other bike on the track on one, including my R6, a fireblade, and my buddies TL1000S with race compund and Ohlin shocks. The FZR600 is a good solid platform and can be ridden plenty fast. If you think about it why else would a instructor be out on one at a race track.

Even if you do have a problem with this bike now, I wouldn't worry about it being a lemon just yet. These are well built bikes with good reputations for reliability.

I do know some areas down that way that you could ride, or if you want to meet in the middle some weekend I would be happy to ride with you sometime. IM me

 

Does the outside temp have anything to do with how the bike starts? Around 11 this morning I went for a little tour around school and it started fine again (during which I was de-bike-drop-virginized coming out of my driveway.) Maybe I'll just try to avoid riding at night.

In general, what does one do when one meets up with other riders to cruise around? Do you go on the freeway? Backroads? I'm about as inexperienced as you can get and I dunno if I can handle those yet. Maybe once I can turn with absolute confidence.

 

wyv:

hey, congrats on the bike, good first bike imo. i happen to have purchased a 96 FZR 600 last summer. i've experienced the same problem as you, and some others, i'll try and hook you up with some possible scenerios.

1, if it doesn't start, check the kick stand - safety switch sometimes sticks.

2, my starter button also went kinda bad last season. too bad it's like $150 for the starter button collar, they don't sell the button separate. Take it apart carefully, clean the contacts, and bend the spring back a bit to get some better contact also. add some dielectric grease.

3, my bike also likes to choke a bit too much, i've located 1 vacuume leak thus far, and it helped tremendously. i'm getting around to replacing some more vacuume lines.

4, clutch switch may also be a culprit. i can't remember off the top of my head, but there has to be one there.

5, bike in general is pretty bulletproof... mine is VERY loud at idle... ie, valves, rockers, and cams are just noisy. but at wot, it's smooth and pulls very linear to redline.

it's ok to leave fuel in ON position, i actually left mine like that all winter, started the bike like every 3 weeks or so, and my carbs are clean. just checked them this past weekend.

oh, last summer i rode on metzler MEZ1's... little strange tire size for our bike, wider front and rear. this season i bought a set of dunlop sportmax in the OEM size. I like the handeling characteristics of the OEM size much better!!! just an fyi. shoot me an email with any other ?'s... i bought the haynes manual (it's actually not too bad, by no means as good as the helms for my ITR, but the color wiring diagram in itself is worth the $20 or so) for our bike, and the bikes themselves didn't change hardly at all for 10 years....

cool, enjoy your new ride!!

D

 

D,

Thanks for all the info! I didn't realize that the kickstand has a safety switch in it.. that's definitely good to know! (but i don't think that was the problem.)

I also have the helms manual for my Integra, and it's very very good (pictures for everything ) Is there anything like that for the FZR, or is the haynes as good as they get? I plan on spending a day or two getting to know the internals of my bike and need a good guide.

Man, motorcycles are so crazy. I haven't gotten my FZR above 7k rpm because even at 7k I feel like there's way too much power for me to handle.

 

yay, got pics up:
http://www.warped.nu/~wyv/motorcycle/motorcycle.html

must..get..leather..pants..

 

wyv:

yeah, i have the haynes manual for the FZR, it's the best thing i could find sofar.... it's by no means a bad boodk, it's just nowhere near the detail of our haynes manuals.

heh.. yeah, the FZR is by no means a FAST bike, but jesus... snap the throttle and you're doing 90 in no time. hrm... i think you'll get it above 7k... i get a very linear response all the way to 11K....

oh, btw, i installed EBC racing friction plates and upgraded clutch springs last season... think the kit was about $70, totally worth the money... super easy install also.

 

Generally whe you hook up with rides you do it on a back road some where, you will find that the excitement of riding on the freeway will start to deminish here soon. You are ready for back road rides, just be sure that you are riding at your skill level. If you go out on a back road with some experienced riders they will be able to teach you as you go. If you don't feel comfortable going as fast as someone else, don't. It is as easy as that. Good riding buddies will not pressure you to go fast, and you should feel no pressure if you decide to drop back. The important thing is to find good people to ride with. There are too many people out there that will ride beyond their and your ability, keep looking until you find someone that is truely willing to ride at your level.

Yes the outside temp can have an effect on how hard it is to stop the bike, but it shouldn't cause teh problems that you are having.

We all drop our bikes at some point, that is why it is important to start on a bike that won't cost you thousands of dollars to fix when you do.

my email is jarradbowen@netscape.net

 

Jarrad, thanks for all the info

I dunno how ready for the backroads I am. So far I think I'm pretty good on the straight parts of the road, but I seriously suck at turning right now. Everytime I come to an intersection w/ a green light that I turn right on, I slow down to a crawl and go *putt putt putt* around the corner because I'm too wussy/scared to lean I'm also not very comfortable with the throttle right now, and when I get nervous I tend to gitter it a lot and get very unstable. That + turning is BAD! I almost ran into the curb taking a left turn the other day It's so hard to practice when my only venue is the public road! I have to plan my whole ride in advance so that I don't go any roads too hard for me

Can you think of a good place to practice making turns during the day? I'd do it in a bart-station parking lot at night, but my exhaust is so loud I don't want to wake up the people who live near it while I go around in circles.

 

Actually parking lots are one of the best places to practice, so long as they are empty. Just keep doing what you are doing and you will get more comfortable. If your exhaust is really that loud you will probably want to rotate through several parking lots so that you don't **** any one off too much.

I would definately not go out on the back roads if you are that uncertain on the bike. For that fact I would think twice about riding in traffic until you get more comfortable on the bike, you will need to make split second decisions intraffic that you may not be able to make yet.