eyedee

Won't be dirty carbs as it's fuel injected. You're idle is low at 1000. Does the bike stall or threaten to if you apply lots of throttle suddenly from a standstill? The 2006/7 R6 was said to have suffered with this problem fairly commonly. I had the ECU replaced by Yamaha on my 07 (as well as plenty of other bits and pieces such as sensors, filters, battery, leads, plugs etc.) before they tracked the problem down to being a faulty injector. Not sure if it's the culprit in your case but the problem was apparently fairly wide spread across the first couple of years of the newer looking R6's - before the updated bike was released for 2008. Hope you get it sorted though as it's very annoying, especially with summer coming. Good luck!

Thought about this same question on and off for the past decade in which time I've bought 6 bikes. Whether or not its worth it depends on so many factors including age, bike type, bike age and worth, bike location, where and how it's parked/garaged etc. On the whole if you're over 30 and aint planning to park up in Wormwood Scrubs I doubt it's worth getting a pro fitted Thatcham 1 approved alarm put on your bike as it probably won't reduce your premiums in line with the cost of fitting one. For peace of mind and a little extra security you may want to fit a decent, but cheap, alarm system such as a Cyclone V2 which can be done by a competent DIY'er in around 30 mins - or 2-3 hours if done properly. By done properly I mean fitted very carefully to make it most difficult for potential thieves to disarm it. I promise you no tea-leaf could disarm by partners bike alarm in under a minute like I've seen mentioned. It would take the thief a good 5 minutes to even work out where the hell the alarm system is located and that's only if they have a whole load of tools with them to remove some seriously well fitted bike components - though I won't say which. However if a pro thief wants your bike, alarm or no alarm, they'll have it - probably in the back of a van in which case the alarm is pretty useless whatever you get fitted. In this case you're relying on physical security which can be as hit or miss in security terms as an alarm system. I'm not sure why some people would think an alarm would ruin the charm of a motorcycle, unless the bike was a classic or pedigree example? You don't have to fit the flashing led if you don't want the alarm system to be obvious, but surely being obvious is the whole point? I've never had any of my alarms fail on me, suffer many false alarms or cause me any real aggro... other than having to carry the alarm fob. And I'm not sure what's meant about alarms going off when the brakes are applied or similar? If that happens the bikes electrics would be an absolute mess or the alarm fitter is incredibly incompetent. And seeing as most alarm/immobilisor combo's only have 7 or so wires to fit up... well you get the gist. Get a couple of insurance quotes. If a Cat 1 alarm doesn't blow you away when the discount is applied then don't buy one. If you want a little extra security and don't have it in for alarm systems on bikes (?) go for a good cheap one such as the Cyclone V2. They work well, are well made and easy to fit. Otherwise buy that monster Ship chain that DirtyDT posted!

I thought it was a bad joke when Yamaha hiked their bike prices this year (R6 from £7999 to £8999, R1 from £10999 to £12499 etc.) Then once you've shelled out for the bike I could hardly believe how much Yamaha charge for their aftermarket parts and accessories... £140 for a new screen (R1), £165 for a plastic rear seat cowl (R1 and R6), £55 for a pair of rear pillion peg covers (R6). I've found myself looking on eBay for parts but it seems its hard to find decent genuine kit. There are a couple of genuine seat cowls up for sale each month, and there's a set of rear pillion peg covers for good money, but on the whole it looks like there's no option than to buy aftermarket stuff (which varies dramatically in quality from my experience) or get shafted by Yamaha for overpriced kit. Still, at least the R6 is a blast to ride - kinda makes up for all the money spent!

Cheers for your thoughts guys. I guess it could be the fuel going-off in the lines or a problem with the fuel pressure at start-up. But I would be semi-surprised if that was the problem as the petrol's only been sitting for 7 days sometimes for the issue to occur. JimR, like you say, I do take the bike for a good ride about every week so that she's properly used (slow roads, fast roads, twisties, a few straights, slow and fast riding - I try and give her the works to keep everything balanced). I don't tend to fire the bike up for any length of time shorter than a 20 min ride, sometimes a 2 hour+ ride. I think I'll get her down to my local Yamaha dealer anyway. Better to be safe then sorry. I have to go anyway as the plastic around the mirrors has been cracking up for about a year and the front light pod gets condensation in it. I guess these faults are covered under the warranty. Cheers

Yoda, it isn't damp. I keep it garaged in a outside-temp but dry outhouse. barwell1992, I'm going to service it soon so I'll be changing the plugs (just to be on the safe side) but I doubt they really need changing as the bikes only done 2000 miles. To be honest, I don't know if the plugs could do with a clean - I haven't actually looked. I'll check it out over the weekend. Can't see fuel being the cause tho. It gets a new tank's worth every two months at the longest.

I've not been around on the forum for a while due to loosing my job last year and then starting a new business which has changed the way I live my life. One of the major changes is that I don't use my bike to travel to work everyday anymore. I've been so busy that I only manage to get out on my R6 once every week and sometimes only every fortnight! I'm working at changing this, but in having the bike sitting for a week at a time I've noticed a problem. The R6 has become very difficult to start after it has sat for a week. It fires up fine, but I have to keep the throttle open to about 6000 revs for about 10 seconds and then very slowly adjust the throttle, reducing the revs until it finely sits at idle. If I try and start it on the auto choke it fires up and then dies immediately. If I don't reduce the revs VERY slowly, it dies. Is there an obvious reason why this is happening, or should I take it back to Yamaha before the two year warranty expires? Cheers

LOL!

I got hit in the front nearside of my 06 ZX-6R last september by a chap in a chelsea tractor who pulled across me without looking. Only a 15mph or so impact, but because of the point of impact and the fact the bike didnt have crash bungs it was a total write-off. Lack of them mushrooms cost over £5000 in damage. Needless to say I'm fitting some to my new R6. Sorry to hear about your accident tho dude. Collar bones a nasty break. Hope you heal up real soon.

I had heard that putting anything more than 97ron in the tank can do damage to the bike - something to do with the fuel to air mix ratio sensor being thrown out causing wear damage to the engine. The UK bikes are setup for 95-97ron apparantly. But that's just what the local Yamaha dealer told me and they've proved themselves to be spanners on every other issue so far! gav2k, was 130 miles to the reserve tank on motorways or local roads? Cheers

I have to know as my journey to work is long with only one petrol station on the route, so I dont wanna run outta gas! And yesterday, the petrol station was out of unleaded but the petrol light had been on for about 15 miles, so I filled up with Shell Optimax, or whatever it's called, which set me back £16! Great bike the R6, but it likes to drink!

I always do everything the hard way! I tried listening for it clicking, but nothing. Couldnt feel a vibration from anywhere either. I did finally find it. I had to strip nearly every fairing panel and remove all sorts, follow wires etc. but I finally found it... under the PETROL TANK! Thats a really sensible place to put it. Worth the pain tho as the LED's look the business tho.

Does anyone know??? I've been searching for hours now and I STILL cant find it! Anyone? Please?!? Who'd have thought changing indicators could be such a pain.

Just wondering what mileage other R6 riders get to a tank? My 07 R6 only gives me about 120 miles of fairly leisurely town riding before the petrol light comes on, and according to the Yamaha manual, it's only got about 15 or so miles in reserve. Seems odd, cos my last Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 with a bigger engine gave me at about 160 miles to a tank (which was no bigger than the R6's). What year you on and what d'ya get?!?

Nah, I'm not talking about disturbing individuals exposing themselves in public places! I'm referring to the little relay boxes Motrax sell. They apparantly correct the flash rate of LED indicator lights that have just been installed on a bike which originally had standard bulb indicators. I've got to fit one of these Motrax Flash it relay boxes to my 2007 R6, but havent got a clue where and they dont come with instructions. Can anyone advise where you plug it in?

Great choice mate. My first ever ride on a bike was the Kawasaki ZX-6R I bought and learned on 5 or 6 years ago. Loads of people said I was mad, but it felt absolutely fine to me. Personally, I think your first bike should be whatever you want it to be. As long as the rider isn't a prat with a death wish of course! lol!