89 FZR 600 Overhaul

[cerealzer0]

Hi Guys,
I am new to the forum and am doing an overhaul to my 1989 FZR 600. I got this bike in 2001 for $2000 which was a decent deal at the time. I did a frame polish on it and some other odds and ends but ended up getting and R6 and stopped riding the FZR. I like both bikes but I am going to get rid of the R6 and revamp my first love. I posted this already on a different post but here is what I plan to do.

Powdercoat frame and swingarm
YZF swingarm change (for the bigger tire with yzf rear rim)
R6 shock
R6 tail
YZF tank
Pod Air filters
R6 VR
new fork seals
Engine rebuild
Valve work
520 chain 15/47

I am fairly mechanically inclined so the stuff I don't know I have a buddy whos a mechanic that will help me (engine overhaul).
So heres my questions.
When I do the YZF tank change I am going to the pod air filters. I also have a full Vance and Hines SS2R exhaust system. Do I need to jet the carbs or can I leave the stock carb setup?
When I was riding the bike years ago I was having a temp problem. The bike would get up to near overheating and I would never hear the fan kick on. I tested the fan and everything worked fine but was wondering if this is a common FZR problem. I saw guys mounted their own fan switch but would upgrading to an R6 or YZF fan work better or is it a thermostat issue?
Alright I am sure there are more questions I will have and I will take pictures of the build and everything later ( I am currently away from home for a few weeks). If anyone thinks of any good ideas for upgrades, rebuild ideas or anything tips I would appreciate it.
Thanks and hope to hear from you guys.

[yamaha_george]

C,
Welcome to the Forum, I am sure someone knows about your thermo question .
Re Pods there was a recent thread on this and plenty of past posts on the subject there is also stuff on pods in the WIKI.

[DonTZ125]

The problem is one of perception - the gauge doesn't actually tell you how hot it actually is, and it is biased rather towards the top end of the operating spectrum. Add in the fact that the fan doesn't kick in until just a teeny bit before the printed redline (always allowing for tolerances and fouling), and a lot of people get quite worked up about overheating when it really isn't. Basically, if it isn't losing power and / or barfing up coolant, you're pretty much good to go!

[gre3nskeeper]

you should get in touch with "thatkid" on this board. He runs a powdercoating and parts shop in Illinois. I know for a fact that he has a YZF swinger, wheel and tank and I think he has some K&N FZR pods in stock. Also, he mods r6 shocks to FZR's so he can probably mod one to a YZF swingarm too.

You can probably get away with stock carb settings with your current setup, but if you get pods you WILL need to re-jet.

What specifically will your engine overhaul consist of? I'm planning on re-doing my engine this winter too.

[cerealzer0]

The problem is one of perception - the gauge doesn't actually tell you how hot it actually is, and it is biased rather towards the top end of the operating spectrum. Add in the fact that the fan doesn't kick in until just a teeny bit before the printed redline (always allowing for tolerances and fouling), and a lot of people get quite worked up about overheating when it really isn't. Basically, if it isn't losing power and / or barfing up coolant, you're pretty much good to go!

Hi Don, thanks for that info. I thought it was strange why it would almost get to overheating but never in the red zone but I never heard the fan. I will keep an eye on it once I get her running again.

you should get in touch with "thatkid" on this board. He runs a powdercoating and parts shop in Illinois. I know for a fact that he has a YZF swinger, wheel and tank and I think he has some K&N FZR pods in stock. Also, he mods r6 shocks to FZR's so he can probably mod one to a YZF swingarm too.

You can probably get away with stock carb settings with your current setup, but if you get pods you WILL need to re-jet.

What specifically will your engine overhaul consist of? I'm planning on re-doing my engine this winter too.

Hey gre3n, I have actually been talking to him and gonna send him my swinger and a few other parts to get done! As for the carb jetting I figured as much. I was reading the wiki and a few other websites that said guys had to chop up there air box to get the yzf tank to fit on. I didn't want to mess with the airbox just in case I ever had to go back to my stock setup I didn't want to destroy my parts. I saw the Wiki for doing carbs but to be honest I have never messed with them so I have no idea how difficult it will be to get it running correctly. I got 6 or so months to figure it out I guess.
Well my engine overhaul is going to be a new seal kit, have the valves done, clean 20 years of grime out of the engine and make sure everything is up to spec. I took the engine out and mostly apart a few years back but it has been sitting in my workshop under a blanket since then. Having no free time and getting deployed didn't help either.

[cerealzer0]

Hi guys I figured I would update on my FZR custom build. So I tore the bike down to the frame, took the front end off, and grounded off all the old tabs and mounts from the rear end of the bike.
Heres a couple pictures of it so far. I am waiting on a couple parts I just ordered to mount the gas tank and then move on to getting the R6 rear end where it needs to be. I also sent my YZF swingarm and rear rim along with any other little part out to Thatkid (Nate) for powder coating. The first few pictures was my old voltage regulator harness clip, I guess this is why the bike would never keep a charge.









This last picture is of the frame. Way back in 2002 I polished the frame and swingarm. Sadly in my ignorant youth I didn't realize that after doing it this steel framed bike would rust... Ah well its going to get powder coated soon now.

[cerealzer0]

Also I forgot to add that I sent out my cylinder head out to APE to have the valves checked, lapped and serviced. Also rebuilt the carbs, changed the gaskets in it and added a custom jet kit.

[thatkid]

Nice. Let me know how Ape does. I just applied to be a dealer for them so I'm hoping they will cut me a deal. I have a couple I wouldn't mind sending out if they do a good job and the price is right. Also, I can get you the modified R6 shock with bones and pod filters if you haven't found them yet.

Otherwise, looking like a good start. What's the color scheme?

[cerealzer0]

Nice. Let me know how Ape does. I just applied to be a dealer for them so I'm hoping they will cut me a deal. I have a couple I wouldn't mind sending out if they do a good job and the price is right. Also, I can get you the modified r6 shock with bones and pod filters if you haven't found them yet.

Otherwise, looking like a good start. What's the color scheme?

Hey Nate, I was on another forum and a guy there used them and said they did great work. This is the link to his 92 fzr work: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=22322.0

I have an R6 shock and pod filters already but I may need dog bones if the ones that are on the YZF swing arm I sent you doesn't work. I also have R6 brakes that I got before I found out they wouldnt fit on my 89 FZR forks if anyone needs em.

The color scheme is going to be black frame and fairings with gold rims and some gold accent parts. I saw a few pictures of someones build a while ago and I can't find the link again but he did something similar and it looked incredible.