FZ1 Pazzo Racing Levers

January 17, 2015

As a final winter upgrade, inspired by a bent clutch lever I replaced the FZ1's OEM levers with Pazzo Racing levers. I'm usually not into "bling" (decorative upgrades), but these are really nice levers that go well with the OEM black bars.  They do have an easy adjustment switch feature that is nicer than the stock levers.

Pazzo levers

The FZ1 levers are PN# F-14 brake and Y-688 clutch.  Note that they are quite a bit shorter than OEM levers.

OEM clutch lever

Installation
 
Installation takes 10 - 15 minutes.  Simply unbolt the OEM lever with a 10mm socket.  The brake lever also requires a flat screwdriver to unscrew it from the top.  Clean bolts, regrease them, bolt in new levers.  Threading the clutch cable into the new lever is straightforward.

Pazzo brake lever

Pazzo clutch lever

Brake lever detail

Clutch lever detail

Riding Impression

As the levers are shorter the action is more abrupt than the OEM levers and takes a bit of getting used to.  The first thing I did was back down the driveway and stall the bike.  Also it's not possible to get more than 3 fingers on the levers.  This has not been a problem so far.  After a few rides they feel natural but there is a brief period where they're a bit clumsy.

Edit 2015-11-21: Unfortunately after about a year with the short levers I succumbed to wrist and shoulder pain in my clutch arm. So I had to replace the Pazzo levers with OEM. If I can find regular length Pazzo levers I'll get those, but there are more important mechanical issues at the momement.

FZ1 Holeshot Stage 1 kit, part IV: Timing Advancer

January 11, 2015

A timing advancer is included in the Holeshot FZ1 Stage 1 kit.  The idea is to replace the stock timing disk under the right side engine cover with a disk that causes the spark to fire slightly sooner. According to the Holeshot site this improves gas mileage, throttle response, and allows the use of regular 87 octane gas.

FZ1 Timing Advancer kit

Interestingly the Holeshot site advises not to run the timing advancer without first installing the Stage 1 kit while it claims the slip-on can be run with the stock carburetor settings.  While I trust Dale's judgment I wouldn't install any performance upgrades without first doing the carburetor tuning (Stage 1 or Stage 2 kit or equivalent).  To do otherwise is asking for trouble in my opinion.

There were a few reasons why I delayed installing the timing advancer, the most important being none of the installation methods were very appealing.

I've installed Holeshot timing advancers on 2 Bandits and the install is trivial.  Unbolt the right side engine cover, remove a hex bolt, swap timing disks, reinstall the bolt, and put the engine cover back on.  30 minutes at most if there are engine guards in the way.

Unfortunately the bolt securing the timing disk on the FZ1 also turns the motor.  So there is no way to remove it with a regular socket wrench without finding some way to stop the engine from turning with the bolt as you turn it.  Otherwise the engine turns and the bolt never gets loose.

The Holeshot kit instructions outline 3 ways to do this, none of which I liked.

1. Dale's recommendation:  spin the bolt out and reinstall with an air impact wrench, using red threadlock on the bolt.  I don't like using air tools unless there are no other alternatives because of the high amount of force delivered to bolt heads and threads.  And I don't like threadlock.
2. Put the bike in 6th gear, step on the rear brake to hold the rear wheel in place (thus holding the motor), and loosen the bolt with a socket wrench.  Internet variation, put a 2-by-4 through the rear wheel rim underneath the swingarm to block the wheel from moving when the motor tries to turn.  Not recommended by Dale due to stress put on internal engine/transmission components, and I tended to agree with that.
3. The manual's preferred method: purchase a Yamaha magneto rotor holder, Yamaha PN# 90890-01235 ($129 at the local shop), remove the right side cover and hold the alternator rotor with the rotor holder to stop the engine from turning, while turning the bolt loose on the left side.  Requires replacing the right side cover gasket (Yamaha PN# 4XV-15451-00-00, $7.00).  Not recommended by Dale due to time and expense involved.

Ultimately I decided to go with option #3, being safest.  $150 and 3 days later I was the proud owner of a Yamaha YU-01235 magneto rotor holder and alternator side cover gasket.

With the rotor holder the install is not difficult and can be done by one person.  First remove left and right side covers, keeping the bolts in order as they are different lengths.  Some oil will drain from each side.

Right side cover bolts in order

Left side cover and bolts in order

Remove old right side cover gasket.  This was the hardest part, about an hour of painstaking scraping, attempting not to gouge gasket mating surfaces on the engine and cover.  Place rotor holder tabs into appropriately-sized holes in alternator rotor.  I put a rag on the handle and braced it against the frame slider.

Rotor holder

With the rotor holder in place it was easy to remove the timing bolt.

OEM timing disk and bolt

Holeshot timing advancer and OEM timing disk

The next step was to simply swap the timing disks and bolt in the Holeshot timing advancer (writing side out).  Then bolt the covers back on and check the oil level.

Holeshot timing advancer installed

Initial Ride Test

The timing advancer does make a difference.  The bike is quicker taking off from a stop and I haven't had any trouble with 87 octane gas (I only use Chevron though).  As far as gas mileage it seems like I'm not doing quite as well as before but the difference is not that much.  Part of the issue is I ride the bike differently now (more throttle all the time) since it performs and sounds better.  Roll-ons destroy mileage!

FZ1 Post Stage 1 Initial Road Test

January 9, 2015

My first few ride tests were without the timing advancer and of course Bay Area traffic is always congested, so I hit a top speed of maybe 50MPH in a week of 60-mile-a-day round trip commuting.

In spite of that the Stage 1 kit had some immediately noticeable effects, most notably easier starting, smoother idle, and more available low RPM power.  In fact I could roll on the throttle at 3k without lugging the engine.  Launching from a stop was a bit quicker, and of course the sound from the slip-on made the bike feel much more present and got rid of that appliance-like feel.  Not as resonant as the same muffler on the Bandit but still an improvement.  Were drivers noticing me more as I lane-split past?  Honestly, hard to say.  But at least I wouldn't be in danger of being hit on a stealth bike like before.

The one downside I noticed right away was a gassy smell coming from the bike after riding it.  I'm still not sure whether this is due to the enrichening effect of the Stage 1 kit, or if there is a small leak somewhere.  The bike is certainly not putting gas on the floor or anything like that.  I noticed the Bandits also smelled a bit gassy after their Stage 1 kits were in although with the FZ1 the smell is more noticeable.

On the whole, after a week of commuting my first impression was that the kit was less of a complete makeover than the Stage 1/Comp 1 upgrade on the Bandit.  After the upgrade the Bandit felt like a sleeping bike that had been suddenly woken up.  It almost felt like a new bike.  The FZ1 still felt like an FZ1, maybe like an FZ1 that had been given a cup of coffee.  Granted, the unmodified FZ1 was a higher performing bike than the Bandit to begin with, so maybe I shouldn't have expected as much. And the Stage 1 kit definitely accomplished my main goal of tuning the bike for use with the Holeshot slip-on.  I briefly discussed my 1st impressions with Dale Walker at Holeshot, and in a nutshell he said the timing advancer would make the improvements much more noticeable. Also that the FZ1 was just engineered to be more high-strung.  The 5-valve engine is fundamentally designed to make more power at higher RPM and that would still be the case after the upgrades unless I wanted to mess with the gearing (which I didn't).

I'd read conflicting information about the effects and possible side-effects of timing advancers so initially I wasn't sure if I wanted to install it.  That and the fact that I didn't like any of the install methods, more on that next.  After talking with Dale I decided to go ahead with it.

FZ1 Holeshot slip-on

January 2, 2015

There were a lot of reasons for getting rid of the stock muffler on the FZ1, not just for better performance or to give the soulless clock-like engine tick some much-needed character.  The OEM can is huge and can drag on the ground during aggressive cornering, which happened to me more than once.

Awful stock muffler

Further, the bike is so quiet and mild-mannered that I actually felt it was a safety issue in heavy traffic.  Not to go too far into the "loud pipes save lives" debate... whether they do or not, while no doubt there is such a thing as too loud, there is also such a thing as too quiet, and the stock FZ1 comes off as an apologist for loud pipes and motorcycles in general.  It is OK for a motorcycle to sound like a motorcycle without being offensive.  It is an important distinction.

Granted the Holeshot comp slip-on is a more aggressive-sounding option than street model, but it is not overwhelming like some of the Harley exhausts I hear rumbling through town on a daily basis.  I have a comp slip-on on the Bandit, and at low RPM is has a nice throaty sound that is not loud enough to raise an eyebrow with the local law enforcement.  Additionally it has a very clean, almost OEM look to it.  One just needs to practice good judgement.

Although the Holeshot site says the muffler can be used without jetting, this is not good practice.  A more free-flowing muffler will allow more air through the system without increasing the amount of fuel in the mixture, which will further aggravate overly lean stock settings and could cause premature engine wear.  The Stage 1 kit is really a minimum prerequisite for running a higher performance muffler.

The slip-on kit comes with the elbow pipe, clamps, and muffler.  In addition some type of high temp RTV sealant is needed.  I used the stuff they sell on the Holeshot site but any high-temp RTV should do.  One does not need the stock muffler gasket.  The Holeshot elbow pipe doesn't have enough clearance for it.

Holeshot slip-on kit

The first step is to remove the stock muffler, an easy job in principle.  There are only 2 bolts.  Unfortunately mine was pretty much welded on from 74k of low-speed stop-n-go commute mileage.  After copious amounts of Tri-Flow failed to free it, I had to heat it with a propane torch and whack it with a hammer to get it loose.  Hopefully I won't ever need it again.

Stock muffler removed

With the stock muffler off the elbow pipe can be test-fit.  There is a center-stand stop on the pipe which needs to line up with the center-stand in it's upward position.

Elbow pipe test-fit

With the elbow pipe positioned, the muffler can be test-fit.  After everything is positioned properly, take everything off, apply RTV sealer to all the pipe fittings, then reattach everything.  Tighten the clamps and the main bolt that holds the pipe to the passenger peg.  Ideally, wait 24 hours for the sealant to dry.  Although this is quite difficult, I really believe the muffler and pipe won't seal perfectly unless the sealant is allowed 24 hours to dry before firing up the bike.

Beautiful new muffler

After 24 hours I did fire it up, and was told it rattled the floor in the wife's office above the garage.  Whether it did or not, the Holeshot slip-on is a great improvement!

The last outstanding item was the timing advancer but my free time had come to an end.  I wanted to road test the bike on the daily commute without the timing advancer installed, but wasn't sure if it was safe to operate without it.  Ultimately I talked to Dale Walker at Holeshot and he assured me I could safely run the bike without the timing advancer, though it would be a great improvement to get it installed.

FZ1 Holeshot Stage 1 Kit, part III: Carb Reinstall

January 1, 2015

I had hoped to finish up on the 3rd day but it was more difficult getting the carburetors back in than I thought it would be.

Lube Cables

Before attempting to reinstall the carbs I took the opportunity to lube the throttle and choke cables at the disconnected engine side which hardly ever happens.  I have one of those clamp-on cable lubers which sometimes works and sometimes just backfires Tri-Flow all over everything.

Reattach Throttle Cables

Hooking up the throttle cables with the carburetor on end is the first step.  That was tricky but not as bad as I thought.  There is more cable slack than it seems, which is helpful.  The routing of the rear cable is key.

Reattach Lower Vent Hoses

With the carburetors slid partway back into the bike, the 2 underside vent hoses can be reconnected. The hoses don't have any extra length, the hose clamps are small and hard to get to, and it's tedious and frustrating.

Carbs slid partway back into the bike

Force Carbs into Intake Boots

Loosen the clamps around the intake boots.  Loosen them some more.  Squirt Tri-Flow all over the round carburetor ports, put some on the inside of the intake boots, and push them in as hard as possible, and push more.  Repeat again and again...

I finally ended up pulling the carbs into the boots as hard as I could from the front of the bike.  They are supposed to make a "thunk" sound and have a definite "seated" feel when they're seated, and they never did.  I got them in as far as they would go after many repeated attempts.  Then snugged the clamps with the special Holeshot driver.

Carbs seated

Reconnect Everything

As long as all the hoses are well labeled this really isn't too bad.  Refer to Pat's procedure, go slowly in reverse order, and don't skip any steps.  Make sure there are no hoses left over...

Reconnected right side coolant hose

Almost forgot, reconnected choke cable

The air box should be reseated on the carb air intakes before reconnecting upper vent and AIS hoses. It was a bit frustrating but nowhere near as bad as the underside vent hoses.

Reconnecting air box

Reconnected AIS and upper vent hoses, cable label detail

Final Steps: Reinstall Battery, Reattach Air Box Covers, Side Panels, Tank and Seat

All pretty self-explanatory.  No surprises here besides a stripped negative-side battery screw which prevented connecting the battery.  Very frustrating to be stopped just outside the gate.  Fortunately I carry a spare battery screw in my tank bag for occasions like that.  Lucked out again!

The Moment of Truth:  Will it Start?

At first, no.  The carbs had no gas in them whatsoever and even after the fuel pump was done clicking the bike didn't start.  After the 3rd attempt it fired right up into a smooth, even idle.  Success, although preliminary.

Post-Install Tuning

I did a quick carb sync (see Pat's procedure, I will document it someday).  The Holeshot instructions, as well as Pat's site, also recommend adjusting the ExUP and calibrating the throttle position sensor (TPS), neither of which I did.

I didn't get the chance to do a road test before the day was over, and I wanted to get the timing advancer installed before going through the full RPM range anyway. But it got late and I ran out of time.  End of day 3.