200k FZ1

Anyone who doubts the longevity of modern liquid-cooled Japanese sport bikes should check out fz1grl's blog.  Fz1grl now has 200,000 miles on her single-owner 2001 Yamaha FZ1.

This is a testament to how long well-maintained Japanese bikes can last and I often wonder why we don't see more high-mileage sport bikes out there.  My only conclusion, based on anecdotal evidence, is that people either crash their bikes, trade them in, or quit riding long before they accumulate any real mileage.

Fz1grl is a regular poster on the FZ1 Owner's List so I was able to PM her about what type of oil she uses in her FZ1 and the frequency of oil changes and other maintenance.  She said she uses regular Mobil 1 synthetic and changes it every 4,000 miles.  Other than that the only major work her bike needed was new carb boots and a rear master cylinder rebuild.

Fz1grl posted (membership required) on the FZ1 Owner's List earlier this year as the bike approached 200k.  Awesome accomplishment!

Bandit Oil Change

April 8, 2012

An oil change is a quick service that's done frequently so it might not seem worth documenting.  But, I've read enough BARF posts by newer riders who aren't sure how to check their oil, much less change it, that I think it's worth a short writeup.  Plus, if done incorrectly it's possible to do major engine damage by over-filling, under-filling, or stripping threads.  My Bandit has a heli-coil in its oil pan, so I know from first-hand experience that it's possible to immobilize a bike by performing this service incorrectly.

Time required is 30 minutes to an hour.

Required supplies:

• 21mm socket
• Oil filter socket
• Drain pan
• Oil
• Filter - Emgo 10-55660 or equivalent for the Bandit
• Crush washer
• Nitrile gloves
• Cardboard
• Foil
• Trucker hat

I use Motul 3000 10w-40 non-synthetic in the Bandit, and a Cat Diesel Power hat.   I've tried many combinations of oil and hats.  Motul 3000 and Cat seem to work the best.

 

Warm up the bike for about 10 minutes and put it on the center stand.  Place cardboard under the bike, and put the drain pan under the drain plug.  Loosen the oil filler cap on the right side of the bike.



Set the ratchet to loosen by flipping the switch to the right.



Remove the drain plug.  Loosen by turning the ratchet toward the front of the bike.  The drain plug is upside down on the Bandit so it can be momentarily confusing figuring out which way to turn it.  Trust me, you do not want to turn it the wrong direction.



Let the oil drain.  It will never stop dripping so don't wait, 10 - 20 minutes is enough time.  Then put a new crush washer on the drain plug. Note, crush washers are directional. The larger flat side should go toward the drain pan, small side facing the plug.  The bike may leak oil if the crush washer is upside down.



Put the drain plug back in.  The torque spec is 17 ft. lbs.  You can use the spec if you want to, but having stripped the threads in my oil drain I believe 17 ft. lbs. is too tight.  Finger-tight plus a quarter-turn is enough.

Next, place the foil underneath the oil filter on the exhaust headers and remove the oil filter with the filter socket. A fair amount of oil may come out.



Make sure the filter gasket comes off with the old filter.




Apply clean oil to the new filter gasket, then fill the new filter about half full with clean oil. I don't remember what the oil filter torque spec is on the Bandit, but finger tight plus a half turn is plenty.



Next, fill the bike with new oil.  The Bandit takes 3.7 quarts, almost a full gallon.  Do not overfill.

 

Run the bike for about 5 minutes and check for leaks.  Then shut it off and wait for a few minutes.  The oil level should be just below the full line in the sight glass.



If the level is too low, fill gradually until the oil level is just below the full line.  If it is too full you will have to drain some oil out.  There isn't a clean way to do this that I know of.  The method I've used in the past is to get a second clean drain pan and drain all the oil out, then put most of it back in.  It's hard to drain just a little without the drain plug falling out.  Recycle the used oil and filter at a recycling center or used oil pick-up location.

Helimot Suits Slideshow

Anyone in the Bay Area who does track days will no doubt be familiar with Helimot suits and gloves.  Made by hand in nearby San Jose, Helimot gear is widely regarded as the best money can buy, for those with the money to buy it.

Helimot also sells Daytona boots, handcrafted German racing boots, also widely considered the best money can buy.

I learned about Helimot reading BARF posts about riding gear, and got curious about all the rave reviews.  Although I was a long way from being able to afford a track day eventually I decided to ride to the store in San Jose and see what all the fuss was about.  The shop was small, the staff super-friendly, and the gear looked and felt to be of extremely high quality.  Although I hadn't the need nor money for a track suit I decided to try on a pair of their well-reviewed Buffalo 365 touring gloves.  They had me try on about a dozen pairs of gloves to find a match for each of my hands, and eventually ended up separating a few pairs to get a good fit.  After getting over the sticker shock (I think they were $275) I bought a pair and, as per their directions, saturated them with water and wore them wet for two hours while I watched a movie on TV (Faster, I think it was).  They've been the most comfortable gloves I've ever owned.

Eventually I bought a second pair and put tens of thousands of miles on them, then gave them to my wife, who put another tens of thousands of miles on them and crashed-tested them twice.  This pair finally wore two small holes in the left forefinger and could use a repair, but have otherwise held up well.

At the time my mom was starting to do track days and needed a pair of track boots.  I suggested she ride up to San Jose and meet me at Helimot to check out the Daytona boots.  That day the owner, Helmut, was in the shop and struck up a conversation with my mom.  It turns out they share an interest in SV650s and riding on the track.  She eventually bought a pair of Daytona Winners which she's had for many years.  She's periodically sent them back for repairs and new sliders, and that way has kept in touch with Helmut off and on.  Recently he emailed her a link to a slideshow which he posted on youtube, a 30 minute retrospective about his suits:

Helmut is an artist and the custom work on his suits is really impressive.

Over the years I've picked up a few other odds & ends from Helimot, a back and chest protector set, and a pair of used Daytona M-Star boots.  Both items are of excellent quality and I wear the back and chest protector daily on my commute.  However, Helimot gear really does seem to be specialized for the track and integrates best with Helimot suits.  Both items seem kind of at odds with my Cycleport commute suit.  Since almost all my riding is commuting I haven't been to Helimot for 3 or 4 years, but if I do get into track days (and find myself with a lot of extra money) I expect I'll be back there eventually.

BARF Chosen as 1st AMA Online Motorcycle Community

I'm about a month behind with this news but it's still noteworthy I think. On March 19 the AMA announced the Bay Area Riders Forum (BARF) as its first "O/MC," or Online Motorcycle Community. As a member of both BARF and the AMA I'm proud to be a part of two organizations that further the sport and cause of motorcycling. It's good to know the AMA is keeping up with changing technology and has chosen to recognize the impact and importance of online communities.

An O/MC is a new type of organization for the AMA, an officially recognized Internet list or forum. Requirements for an AMA-endorsed O/MC are not as rigorous as those for an actual Motorcycle Club, although I think AMA endorsement is a significant achievement for any organization.

More information is available in the AMA press release and the BARF forum announcement.

Ride to Work Day is June 18th

Not to be confused with bike to work day for cyclists, which happens May 10th this year, Ride to Work Day happens every third Monday in June. The event started in 1992 to encourage the use of motorcycles as transportation. For those who don't already ride to work every day it's a good excuse to dust off the motorcycle and take it to work. Riding a motorcycle (or bicycle, if you live close enough) eases traffic and parking congestion, saves time and gas, and raises public awareness of motorcycling. Additionally, in many places it's legal for motorcycles to use the HOV (carpool) lane, and in California "lane-sharing" (sharing a lane with a car, i.e. going between cars) is permitted* if done safely and cautiously. That can add up to a lot of time savings in congested urban areas.



As someone who got around exclusively by motorcycle for 8 years, the idea of not riding to work sometimes seems refreshing and novel. The only days I don't ride to work are the occasional days when I pedal to public transit. I like cycling but riding a bicycle to work involves the rare coincidence of a ton of spare time and lack of interest in fighting traffic for 60 miles. The latter happens frequently, the former almost never. So, since almost every day is Ride to Work Day for me I often forget when the official day arrives. But I do endorse the message. Ride to work!

In addition to the information on the Ride to Work site there is also a lot of cool Ride to Work merchandise on the Aerostich site.

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* The subtle linguistic difference between "permitted" and "legal" is the subject of endless debate in motorcycle forums.

Conversation with a Suzuki Dealer

Last weekend it was time for another oil change in the Bandit. At about 68k I stopped using Chevron Delo 400 in the Bandit and switched to a "Senior diet" of Motul 3000 10w-40. Not that I don't trust Delo 400. I think it's probably fine. But, as the Bandit gets older I realize he's not going to last forever and the bike's longevity is more important than saving 20 bucks on an oil change (at least I think so, I haven't done the math). Also I read a post (mebership required) on Maximum-Suzuki about a guy with a '97 Bandit who found a valve in his oil pan at 75k. Needless to say his motor was toast and with 73k on my '01 I found this troubling.

I'd heard that switching to 20-50 can be beneficial for older motors so that was on my mind as I rode to the local dealer. As I was staring at the oil shelf contemplating my options the sales guy asked if he could help with anything. So I told him I was thinking about switching my Bandit to 20-50 due to his age and mileage. So he asked about the mileage, and I said "75k," figuring he'd go pale with shock. Well he didn't. He said, "75k is not a lot of miles on that motor." He proceeded to tell me my Bandit was maybe about 25% into its life if I took good care of it, air cooled or no. He advised me to keep doing whatever I was doing and not change the type of oil I was using. "And don't sell the bike, it's worthless. Just ride it and enjoy it."

The sales guy had a few more things to say, among them that he thought Japanese MC engines were built to more rigorous specifications than the average commute car which will go 200k or so. "You wouldn't get rid of your truck if it had 75k, would you?" he said. He thought 300k was not an unreasonable expectation. He said he'd seen a Kawasaki 1500 with 300k in the shop for a tune-up, and it looked and ran fine.

I know the Kawasaki 1500 is a liquid cooled twin so I don't know how relevant that is to my air-cooled Bandit's lifespan. And I know that all the bikes in the garage use more oil than the truck that has 115k, 40k more than any of the bikes. The sales guy obviously wasn't trying to sell me a bike so I appreciate his honesty and I'd like to believe him. I just don't know of any Bandit motors with as many miles as mine. My friend Mark's blew at 60k although he blames the shop that worked on it. I guess time will tell.

Fuelly

While browsing the FZ1 list I noticed some of the other members are using mileage logos from Fuelly in their signatures. Tracking mileage can give a long-term picture of a bike's health as well as alert you to tune-up or performance problems. So I've been tracking motorcycle mileage for many years using whatever technology I had available, e.g. text documents, spreadsheets, Google docs, etc. Fuelly looks like a fun and easy way to do it, although like most "cloud" services I question how much of my data will be available and for how long. So for now I continue to track mileage both with Fuelly and my Google doc spreadsheet.

The other thing about Fuelly is that presumably anyone who cares to can see my atrocious mileage although they won't necessarily know it's me. With the Google doc I can set sharing preferences so no one else can read it. I suppose I mostly don't care if anonymous web users can see my mileage, but it is a little embarrassing to be a motorcycle commuting advocate with bikes that get worse mileage than the average 4-wheel hybrid.

FZ1 Valve Adjustment Part V: Post-maintenance troubleshooting and Wrap-up

March 12, ongoing

After finally finishing the tune-up it rained all week. I don't take the FZ1 out in the rain if I can help it so I didn't have a chance to do a test ride until the following week. When I finally rode it to work I smelled coolant as I pulled into the lot. Looking closely I noticed coolant leaking from the water pump hose where it attaches to the radiator. So I tightened the hose clamp.

Upon returning home I propped up the tank, revved the engine, and looked for more leaks, but didn't see any.

Next day I rode to work and smelled more coolant but couldn't find any leaks. On returning home I waited for the engine to cool, then checked the coolant level in both the radiator and the overflow tank. Both were fine.

The following day I rode to work and smelled more coolant. After parking in the lot I put the bike up on the center stand and looked at the engine carefully with a flashlight. There was a pool of coolant on the right side of the valve cover in the indentation underneath the right side valve cover coolant hose. So I tightened that hose clamp, checked for leaks when I got home that night, and found none.



The following day it rained and I rode the Bandit to work.

The following day I rode the FZ1 to work and smelled coolant again. Once again I propped the bike up on the center stand and checked for leaks. I saw a drop coming out of the top end of the same right side valve cover coolant hose. I didn't have the 6mm socket and extension I needed to tighten it at work so I got to it at home. Also topped off the radiator and overflow tank.

It's rained most days since then so I haven't taken the FZ1 out since tightening the third hose clamp. I'm now carrying a 6mm socket and extension with me in my tank bag just in case. All of the leaks have been slow and hard to find, and the bike hasn't used much coolant.

Coolant leaks appear to have been the only mechanical fallout from this project so I'm grateful for that. The more important and lasting fallout has been the realization that this project consumed three entire weekends, a vacation day, and some weeknights in between, and I really don't have that kind of time to devote to routine motorcycle maintenance. In fact I really don't have much free time at all. During the valve service the dog didn't get walked, the house didn't get cleaned, I did no yard work, I didn't go to the gym, and all the other routine things I usually take care of were left undone, including taking care of the other bikes and the truck. I realized there are a nearly infinite number of opportunities to make major mistakes and cause serious engine damage during a procedure like this. I realized that, regardless of my relative level of mechanical skill, I work slowly. And I realized installing spark plugs makes me break out into a cold sweat. I'm not sure what the long-term implications are, or whether I'll attempt this service again. What I am sure of is that in another 26k miles I'll have at least four exhaust valves that need shims, and someone will have to do this again.

FZ1 Valve Adjustment Part IV: Reassembly

March 10 - 11, 2012

Having decided to do no further work on valve clearances it was time to put everything back together and see if the bike would run. Compared to bolting in cams and resetting the engine timing, reassembling the rest of the bike was not that hard, with a few exceptions.

I decided to change the valve cover gasket because it had never been done. The new gasket was floppy and wouldn't hold its shape, so it kept falling out of the valve cover when I flipped it over to put it back on the engine. The Clymer manual specifies not to use any sealer on this gasket, except for a dab on each one of the four semi-circular tabs. So I was momentarily stuck as to how I was going to get the gasket to stay in place. Eventually the problem was solved with a lot of masking tape. After that I very carefully bolted the cover down in a crisscross pattern starting from the inside. The torque wrench wouldn't fit in some of the spaces so I did the best I could with the bolts that couldn't be torqued to spec.

I then bolted the signal generator cover back on using a new gasket and no sealer, noting the locations of the two long bolts and locating dowel. The locating dowel goes through a hole in the plastic cam chain guide which aligns with a hole in the engine. None of it was lined up quite right and there was some messing around to get the dowel in correctly. The disassembly procedure calls for removing the cam chain guide which I thought wouldn't be necessary, but might have been a good idea.

Next issue was reinstalling spark plugs. I purchased four new iridium plugs (NGK CR9EIX), checked the gap (0.7mm - 0.8mm), put a small amount of anti-seize on the threads and dielectric grease on the tips. Due to some bad experiences stripping threads on the Bandit I'm extremely paranoid about stripping threads and cross-threading, especially on the cylinder head. So it took several hours and lots of turning, backing out, turning again, backing out, etc. until I was able to convince myself I wasn't cross-threading the spark plug holes, which I was never really sure of. Since the plugs are installed using the plug socket they can't be turned directly with fingers, so it can be hard to feel if they're going in correctly and it's impossible to see the plug threads. Cross threading the plug threads would mean pulling the head, and after three weeks of adjusting valves that thought was demoralizing. The Yamaha service manual specifies the plugs should be tightened to 9.4 foot-pounds. Being paranoid, I went with finger-tight plus a half turn, still wondering if I'd cross-threaded the plugs.

Eventually all four went in, cross-threaded or not, so I set about reinstalling the AIS. First I installed the blocky AIS valve and wasn't able to get the tubing in. So I took out the valve and installed the tubing, then I couldn't get the valve back in. After another few hours of messing with it I looked up Pat's AIS removal procedure and found Pat had removed the valve from the top of the engine, not side or front. So I removed the ignition coil for cylinders 2 & 3, installed the tubing, then the AIS valve last. The right side valve cover coolant hose had to be removed to get the AIS system back in.


AIS valve reinstall

When the AIS was finally back in it was time to reinstall the radiator and attach the plug wires. Neither presented immediate difficulties.

Before reinstalling the tank I removed the air filter and blew it out with compressed air, as per procedure in the Clymer manual. The airbox cover screws are a little hard to get to but not difficult when compared to the AIS. Also both of the black triangular side covers have to come off to remove the rubber airbox cover. The side covers are pressure-fit into the airbox cover on the top, and there is a plastic post that fits into a hole in the frame on the bottom.

The tank has two identical-looking breather hoses that attach to it toward the back. I marked one of them with a white dot to note that it was the hose on top, but now couldn't remember what I'd meant by "top" or which way the hose was oriented when I marked it. It would've been better to have put a white dot on the matching tank hose fitting as well. I didn't think of that. So I made my best guess, installed the hoses, and turned the fuel valve to ON.

With the tank and radiator reinstalled the next step was to fill the radiator with coolant and start the bike. The procedure for filling the radiator says to fill with 50/50 aluminum-friendly silicate-free coolant until it's full, fill the overflow tank to the low line, then start the engine and wait for the thermostat to open. After that the coolant should circulate throughout the engine and the level should drop, requiring topping off. So I did that, using a mixture of Prestone Extended Life coolant from the local auto parts store, and distilled water from the grocery store. That mixture is more cost-effective than buying pre-mixed coolant from the motorcycle shop, and can be used in the pickup also. Prestone Extended Life claims to be silicate free and safe for aluminum. In 26k miles I haven't had any issues with it.

I pulled the battery off the charger, installed it, and waited a moment to look for anything I'd forgotten to install or tighten. I found nothing lying around and everything looked like it was installed correctly. I wasn't certain that the engine wasn't 360 degrees off or what it would mean if it was, or even how to tell. I had rotated the engine a few times after remeasuring the valves the third time, and was pretty sure that at least there would be no valve/piston contact. This is always a possibility if the engine timing is off, and will basically destroy a motor in a split second. After a moment of silence and a deep breath I turned the key and hit the starter. It started immediately!

After the bike warmed up I topped off the radiator, capped it, and filled the overflow tank to the full line.

Nothing appeared to be leaking so I moved on to the last steps, carburetor synchronization and idle speed adjustment. On the FZ1 these are both relatively quick and easy with the right tools. Later I'll do a separate write-up about how to do a carb sync, but Pat's procedure is the definitive guide for the FZ1 and the procedure I followed.