Yamaha FZS 600

[Danny Horn]

Hi I’m new to biking let alone Yamaha . I started on a Yamaha ys 125, I’ve now passed and bought ( Thro sound advice from a bike enthusiast colleague ) an 18 year old immaculate Yamaha FZS 600 with lots of extras on it. I’m using a motorbike now purely for commuting to a new job, that has ever tool I will ever need on site, so no longer need to use a family minibus ( 6 kids and we foster ) 

there are a couple of things that make me a little uneasy as a new rider, im not the tallest guy in the world, and whilst im not at full tiptoe, I would prefer to have my feet flat on the ground. I put my left foot down the other day and happened to be in a dip compared to the bike, and nearly lost balance awkwardly so it’s made me apprehensive, can you EASILY lower the Yamaha FZS ? My colleague believes you can but others have said it’s a lot of work.

The other issue is, which im sure you will all tell me it is the best way, my first bike had gear indication and this one hasn’t, it feels so much better already knowing what gear I am in as I approach a junction. I’ve seen the kits, and as an electrician I would like to think I could wire this in, but, it seems you have to order the exact one for your bike, and mine seems so much more expensive, unless you go for universal kits. Apologies for waffling on. Any assistance and advice would be appreciated 

Dan 

[blackhat250]

Hi there,  you can slip the front forks up thru the clamps,  3/4  inch  will make a big difference,   the rear  is more tech,  get a friend to help,  mark the  possition [ felt pen,]  

[Snakebite68]

You'd be amazed at how you 'mould' into a new bike...
It's going to feel large to you for a while, till you relax.
I'd see how it goes first before adjusting the ride height, after a couple of months you may find that you can put your feet much flatter than you originally could.

[jcr]

i lowered the rear on my Thunderace. just had to change the dog bone on the rear suspension linkage. it dropped the seat height 25mm and made a big difference for me. i only have a 28 inch inside leg 

its an easy enough job to do.

another thing that really improved the handling of the bike was changing the fork oil.

or you could wear thick souled boots. there are some motorcycle boots designed for shorties, that have an extra thick souls. unfortunately they cost hundreds!

i wear Dr Martens, which i find help.

[2 Wheels]

Hey Danny

I've had the same bike for years,,, there good. I suggest you make the rear suspension a little softer, this lowers the bike a little bit that you probably need. Use the C spanner on the shock. I wouldn't lower the front as it makes the bars shake terrible and it also falls quicker into the corner's which is not nice, especially when going slow.

Don't worry about the gear indicator,, after a while you won't even notice, you'll soon here when you're in the right gear,,,, you'll also notice you've got it wrong when you try to throttle away,,,,, it will soon come right to you.

When you get used to the bike you will be turning up the rear suspension again. The harder you push the bike the more stiffer the suspension you will need. There a fairly low seat height anyway so just wait and get used to the bike.

I put 60k miles on mine and she never gave me any trouble. There also very fast if you keep the revs up.

Good luck with yours 

Pat

 

[jimmy]

Welcome to the forum bud.

I believe you are just a nervous rider on your new, to you, bike.

Once you have put some miles on it, you'll not notice the weight and indeed you'll automatically know what gear you're in. You'll get used to the engine braking which will help you know your gears.

I'm only 5'8" and used to cut about on an xs1100 then an xjr1200, both big heavy bikes. Once I was used to them, the size and weight issues disappeared.

Enjoy your bike matey and ride safe

[drewpy]

to the forum