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newbie advise needed


arkeye
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hi everyone, my first post! anyways ive bought myself a FZR400 and want to know the basics of how to maintain it properly.

the fairings are quite a mess so ive taken all of them off with the intention of restoring/customising them. with all the fairings off ive had the chance to familiarise myself with the bike as i have no motorbike technical knowledge at all!! the oil is low so im going to change it so would like to know....

what is a good oil to use and synthetic/semi-synthetic?

topping up the oil im guessing u fill it to half way on the sight glass?

where is a good place to get spares, second hand and new?

what is a good chain lube to use?

and a few technical problems ive noticed are....

rear brake is shite, plus when i press the rear brake the brake light comes on yet when i press the front i get no brake light. anyone had his problem?

clutch lever is stiff as a bastard, ive WD40'ed the lever but no difference. is it worth replacing the cable?

thanks in advance for all responses and helpful advise

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arkeye, I'm a newbie myself but here's some stuff I've picked up:

1: If you ask more than one question in any post you don't get any answers!

2: No idea about oil really but find the workshop manual/ user manual online and it will tell you what the recommended oil is for your bike and where to top up to

3: Wemoto.com is my current online favourite for spares (not forgetting eBay of course!)

4: Go to any bike shop - they all sell chain lube.

5: It sounds like you need to look for an adjuster somewhere around your front brake lever - it will affect the point the brake light does it's thing, as for your rears, if in doubt get new ones fitted asap. Your brakes are your life, simple as that.

6: Try running 3-in-1 down the clutch cable while your operating it - get a friend to help if it's mega stiff, or put it on blocks. A new cable should cost a tenner or less so give it a go. If that doesn't work you may have a bike with hard-core clutch return springs fitted which generally come in at around £15-£20.

Hope all this helps,

M@

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Ok....a synthetic oil is better, but more expensive. Make sure you get the type for motorcycles. There should be indicator marks on your sight glass. Half way should be good.

Not sure what a shite brake is but I assume it's not good. Connector may be dirty for front brake not tripping the brake light.

Try adjusting the tension on the clutch lever by using the adjusting nuts by the lever.

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what is a good oil to use and synthetic/semi-synthetic?

where is a good place to get spares, second hand and new?

rear brake is shite, plus when i press the rear brake the brake light comes on yet when i press the front i get no brake light. anyone had his problem?

clutch lever is stiff as a bastard, ive WD40'ed the lever but no difference. is it worth replacing the cable?

I'll pick a few I'll try to help with.... ;)

Oil? I always use a semi synth in my bikes, change it regularly and don't get any problems. I use well known brands and ALWAYS bike specific oil not car. Opinions do vary and I suppose a lot of it is down to personal choice and how much you want to spend. I have a friend who swears by ASDA own brand 20/50 car oil in his bike, but then he also uses instant metal to replace bearings and has made brake pads out of wood from an old wardrobe. He crashes a lot. :blink:

Spares? Ebay and forums like this one are your best bet. Worth looking at the clearance sections of Places like M&P, Busters, Demon Tweeks etc as odd things do pop up at bargain prices. Wemoto as mentioned, very good also.

Rear brake on my 400 has never been brilliant even with fresh fluid, pads and a caliper clean. Wouldn't describe it as "shite" though. Pads are cheap enough, a fluid change takes less than an hour and as the man said, your brakes are your life. The front brake has 2 wires, brown and a green/yellow, connected just under the master cylinder. Have a check of the connections as they can get corroded or snap. Anything after that get a little more difficult.

With the clutch cable, as well as lubing it as Mattkett said, check the routing of the cable and make sure there are no sharp kinks in it. Had this problem with my 400/600 and re-routing helped a lot.

Phew, all this brain usage during daylight hours is doing me no good. Time for more coffee............

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