Audace 2015 FZ6R Rebuild / Build Thread

[audace]

Figured I'd start a thread here to document the progress of my bike as I keep working on it.

I bought my 2015 FZ6R in 2022 as my very first bike with about 12,000 miles on it. Initially, I bought it just to save on gas commuting during the summer and left it stock my whole first season riding.

 

[audace]

Looks like it posted only a portion of what I had written before the site went down

I come from a background of heavily modifying cars, so over the 2022-2023 I wasn't able to leave well enough alone and made a bunch of changes to the bike. Most of the parts were cheapo stuff or DIY, but there were a few nice pieces I added.



- ValterMoto 1.5 Adjustable Rearsets

- AS3 Black Stainless Brake Lines (Front and Rear)

- Top Sellerie Custom XJ6 Seat with Gel Layer and Rise

- XJ6 seat latch and cable

- Motodynamics Integrated Tail Light (Smoked)

- Fender Eliminator

- TST Turn Signal Relay

- Sequential Turn Signals (Front and Rear)

- TST Running Lights Modules (For GSXR flush mounts)

- Hotbodies Racing GSXR 600 Flush Mount Turn Signals (Mounted in stock mirror location)

- LED Headlight Bulb

- Adjustable Clip-ons (Tubes machined and threaded to accept stock bar ends)

- Shorty Levers

- OEM R6 Throttle Tube

- OEM R6 Grips

- Bar End Mirrors



There's probably other stuff I can't quite remember, but here's how it turned out for the 2023 season.




Unfortunately, at the end of the summer last year I got caught out by a decreasing radius turn taking some backroads home from work. I wasn't going very fast and I probably could have made it if I had just leaned it over some more, but I'm still getting comfortable with really getting the bike over on the side of the tire and didn't want to risk going down on the pavement. So instead I just braked as much as I could and went into the grass and went flying.

Luckily, I didn't get hurt other than just being really sore all over for a week or so, but the bike got it pretty rough. Most of the damage was cosmetic, but there were a few mechanical issues. The biggest problems being that the clip on mounts got big cracks in them, some wiring connectors got torn off for lights, the clutch cable got kinked, the shift rod for the rearset got bent, and the end of the actual shift shaft that goes through the crankcase got bent pretty bad.

Here's the aftermath of the wreck and how the bike was sitting once I finally started working on it this week.

 

[Jerzee55]

Sorry you were injured, and your bike damaged. At least you are still around to tell the tale. Stay safe, and good luck getting your ride back together.

 

[audace]

So last weekend I finally started working on fixing the bike after getting most of my parts collected. Since I'm still completely incapable of just leaving well enough alone, I've got a mix of standard repairs and new modifications that I'll hopefully be able to get done by June.


First thing was to tackle the bent shift shaft. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of it before getting to work, but after removing the whole clutch basket, getting the shift shaft out was a hassle. Since it was so bent, I had to bring out a BFH and basically just hammer at it until it was back straight. Even after getting it as straight as I could the shaft was still tweaked just enough to not want to slide through the crankcase. The passages for the shaft are a pretty tight fit and it was catching on the needle bearing the shaft rides on as well.

Eventually I just decided to brute force it and one good whack with my slide hammer got it to pop out. Luckily, it didn't look like it nicked anything too bad inside the crankcase passage. It did break apart the needle bearing though, so that was probably the main culprit for keeping the shaft stuck in there. The new bearing and seal just got delivered yesterday, so that repair will get wrapped up pretty quick with the used shift shaft I picked up.

 

[jjmaine]

Too bad about the crash but it could have been worse! Glad you are ok! I'm sure you'll get it back into fighting shape in no time.

Can I ask why the R6 throttle tube? I know many switch to it on different bikes for a quick turn throttle. Does it work like that for the Fz6r?

I have a favor to ask since you have the clutch out. I am trying to find out if an R6 aftermarket slipper clutch will fit our bike and I need to know the height of the clutch stack. Is there any way you can measure it for me? Basically the thickness of all of the steel plates and fiber plates put together. Thanks man and good luck!

 

[audace]

In the meantime, I knocked out one of the modifications I had planned which was an upgraded rear shock. This one might be an interesting for you guys.

Based on the RaceTech calculator, the recommended rear spring rate for me was 19.25 kg/mm. I really didn't want to pay Race Tech prices if I didn't have to so I started doing some hunting around for an alternative solution for the rear shock. There aren't really any good aftermarket options available other than Race Tech though. I have a habit of getting into the nitty gritty of stock parts compatibility between vehicles and figured there might be a bike with a stock rear shock that might fit or that I could at least steal the spring off of. I did actually end up finding a really cool solution.

The black/silver shock is off of a Yamaha R3. It's nearly exactly the same length as the stock FZ6R shock eye to eye.



The upper bushing is the the same width and I.D.



The bottom mount uses a steel spacer that's wider than the stock FZ6R lower mount spacers. However, the body and seals that the spacers sit in are the same width and I.D. so the FZ6R flanged spacer fit perfect in the R3 lower mount.



As for the spring rate, the stock R3 rear shock spring comes in at 16.4 kg/mm. So I end up with an OEM Yamaha rear spring upgrade that gets pretty close to the Race Tech recommended rate with a shock that's valved properly to match the spring that is a direct bolt on replacement for the stock FZ6R rear shock. And these things are like $30 USD shipped all day on eBay. I'll have to test it out and report back once the bike is back together to be sure, but so far it seems like a massive "bang for buck" mod.

Pictures of the R3 rear shock installed.

 

[audace]

Too bad about the crash but it could have been worse! Glad you are ok! I'm sure you'll get it back into fighting shape in no time.

Can I ask why the R6 throttle tube? I know many switch to it on different bikes for a quick turn throttle. Does it work like that for the Fz6r?

I have a favor to ask since you have the clutch out. I am trying to find out if an R6 aftermarket slipper clutch will fit our bike and I need to know the height of the clutch stack. Is there any way you can measure it for me? Basically the thickness of all of the steel plates and fiber plates put together. Thanks man and good luck!

I'll measure the stack when I pop in the garage to work on things tonight. I'd actually be interested in a slipper clutch too.

The R6 throttle tube shortened the turn for the throttle a ton and feels way better to me. Blips for downshifting are a lot easier and I'm not like bending my wrist backwards for full throttle anymore lol.

 

[jjmaine]

Right on, I'm going to order an R6 throttle tube right now to try. Cheap enough if I don't like it then it is no big deal.

Great find on the rear shock! This would most likely mean that (adjustable length) aftermarket rear shocks for the R3 may fit as well and might be easy to find used since a lot of people race the R3. Adjustable length would be nice because that R3 shock looks at least a couple mm shorter and that will drop the rear ride height more than you think. I put a Nitron on my bike and that as well as front fork upgrades transformed the bike and how it handles.

Thanks for the measurement! I'll be sure to let you know what I find out when I know what will fit.

 

[audace]

Right on, I'm going to order an R6 throttle tube right now to try. Cheap enough if I don't like it then it is no big deal.

Great find on the rear shock! This would most likely mean that (adjustable length) aftermarket rear shocks for the R3 may fit as well and might be easy to find used since a lot of people race the R3. Adjustable length would be nice because that R3 shock looks at least a couple mm shorter and that will drop the rear ride height more than you think. I put a Nitron on my bike and that as well as front fork upgrades transformed the bike and how it handles.

Thanks for the measurement! I'll be sure to let you know what I find out when I know what will fit.

Just an FYI, make sure it's from an 08+ R6 and not the R6S. The part number for the R6 throttle tube I got is 2C0-26240-00-00. When reading up on it initially, the R6S and pre-08 R6 throttle tubes have the same size cam on the end as the FZ6R and won't change the turn.


Right? It seems like it'll be a fantastic upgrade for SUPER cheap which we definitely need. It's a shame how neglected the FZ6R has always been for aftermarket stuff. Everything is either super expensive, non-existent, or you have to order things from Europe since the XJ6 got so much more support.
I'm pretty sure the length difference in the picture is just from my basement floor being uneven though. Comparing them in person, there wasn't any difference and it bolted right in without having to move anything to help it line up. I have another idea about raising the rear using another OEM part, but I'm not quite ready to drop $100 on an FZ6 shock for a "maybe" that only uses a tiny piece of it.


So I'll have to get you the clutch pack measurements tonight instead. I wasn't able to get logged in to post last night. I forgot I had to make a whole new email just for this site since it refused to let me use my normal GMail to sign up lol.

 

[jjmaine]

Oh sweet, so I ordered the right throttle tube by accident lol. That never happens! I just searched R6 throttle tune on amazon and bought the first one I saw haha.

Ironically blipping for downshift is why I am interested in trying it. I’ve always had a real tough time getting the right amount of “blip”. Hopefully the throttle tube helps.

Yes its too bad there isnt much aftermarket support for these bikes. But I suppose the class which the bike is in, many people just end up moving to a bigger bike instead of upgrading the fz6r. Me on the other hand, I love the smaller bikes so I can rev it right out without going mach 1

No hurry on the measurement either, thanks!

 

[audace]

Oh sweet, so I ordered the right throttle tube by accident lol. That never happens! I just searched R6 throttle tune on amazon and bought the first one I saw haha.

Ironically blipping for downshift is why I am interested in trying it. I’ve always had a real tough time getting the right amount of “blip”. Hopefully the throttle tube helps.

Yes its too bad there isnt much aftermarket support for these bikes. But I suppose the class which the bike is in, many people just end up moving to a bigger bike instead of upgrading the fz6r. Me on the other hand, I love the smaller bikes so I can rev it right out without going mach 1

No hurry on the measurement either, thanks!

Right? I know I definitely have stopped caring too much about power and speed over the years. My priority with my cars and now bike has just been, "Is this fun to drive?"

I took a couple measurements on my clutch stack and it averaged about 37.8mm. That's including the steel disc and fiber disc that go under the snap ring thing before all the other discs go in. And for reference, my bike has around 12,500 miles on it. I'm not sure if anything has been done with the clutch before though.

 

[jjmaine]

Thanks man! That's about what I thought it should be from looking at the manual and adding up all the different plate thicknesses. The 98-05 R6 clutch stack is around 41mm and the Yoyodyne slipper clutch calls for around 40mm of stack height.

Using the Yoyodyne, this means that the push rod will need to be 2mm longer to keep the same lever position. This is all just guesswork on my part but I do understand how the clutch operates. It looks like the push rod that sits in the pressure plate is adjustable? Maybe just loosen the lock but and turn it out 2mm? If this is the case then I think we are in business!

 

[audace]

Thanks man! That's about what I thought it should be from looking at the manual and adding up all the different plate thicknesses. The 98-05 R6 clutch stack is around 41mm and the Yoyodyne slipper clutch calls for around 40mm of stack height.

Using the Yoyodyne, this means that the push rod will need to be 2mm longer to keep the same lever position. This is all just guesswork on my part but I do understand how the clutch operates. It looks like the push rod that sits in the pressure plate is adjustable? Maybe just loosen the lock but and turn it out 2mm? If this is the case then I think we are in business!

The little push rod for the pressure is definitely adjustable. The service manual has a procedure for making sure it's adjusted properly, but it is basically just those locknuts.

That pushrod was adjusted all the way in when I took everything apart and after I put everything back together it I didn't have to go back in a change anything. So it seems like it has plenty of room to adjust outward.

 

[audace]

Yesterday, I got my new shift shaft in and got my clutch all back together and reinstalled. That was a lot less of a pain than expected and went extremely smoothly.

I also went ahead and swapped out my oil pan. Nothing was wrong with stock FZ6R pan, but everything I've read and watched on installing an R6 header described common fitment issues due to the runners being in a V-shape at the bottom instead of flat. Since the 03-05 R6 shares the same engine platform, I was curious if the oil pan would transfer over. The main issue I saw was the one extra bolt used in the center of the R6 pan that was not used on the FZ6R. Doing some digging showed something interesting and I was able to confirm it when I took off the stock pan yesterday.

The FZ6R engine still has the threaded bolt hole for the center oil pan bolt that the R6 uses.



Using one extra M6 oil pan bolt and an R6 oil pan gasket, the R6 oil pan bolts up perfectly.



Using the R6 oil pan allows for easy fitment of the R6 header without having to mess around trying to heat and bend the runners or hammer them down to fit. R6 oil pans are also really cheap on eBay, similar to the R3 shock. I think I picked up this pan for about $30 shipped. It's a really nice and cheap way to ensure proper exhaust fitment.

 

[jjmaine]

Nice one! These tips are valuable to people in the future. I'm kind of surprised no one had tried yet. Instead I think they all dent their header if they have clearance issues. This seems like a much better solution.

 

[jjmaine]

The R6 throttle tube is an improvement. Definitely easier to get to wide open throttle. I noticed it takes a little more “finesse” using “maintenance” throttle in mid corners to avoid the dreaded chain snatch and upsetting the bike. The oem throttle was much more forgiving. Just something I noticed. Def. worth the $20 though!

 

[audace]

The R6 throttle tube is an improvement. Definitely easier to get to wide open throttle. I noticed it takes a little more “finesse” using “maintenance” throttle in mid corners to avoid the dreaded chain snatch and upsetting the bike. The oem throttle was much more forgiving. Just something I noticed. Def. worth the $20 though!

Nice! I'm glad it worked out well for you. There is definitely a trade-off with how easy the throttle is to modulate, but that's to be expected shortening up the throw though.

 

[jjmaine]

Yeah for sure. I did come across a mod in my travels. It turns the r6 throttle into a progressive throttle so low throttle openings are smooth but you still get the quick wide open throttle. Or you can pay $130 for the Graves throttle tube lol.

I may try it if needed in the future. I think Ill get used to it how it is.