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FZ6If you’re looking for one bike to perform a multitude of missions, look no further.
Take it from Cycle World* Magazine - “For a more advanced rider looking for a bike to do it all, there is no other choice.”
Ok, let me segaway into this by saying I had a 500 mile round trip planned for this weekend. My wife had left wed. and I was to follow friday on the bike.
Since I was nearing oil change time, I decided to do it beforehand. I got home from work thursday night and proceeded to drain the oil. As it was draining, I tended to the laundry list of things I had to get done before I left. I came back to the bike after a half hour, tried to take out the filter and wouldn't you know it, it wouldn't budge. I took a screw driver to it to loosen it. I then went into the shed to get my spare...only to find the box null of a filter inside....guess i used it up last time.
Anyway, I'm now under the gun to get everything done in time, and I call a friend to take me out to get another filter. Since the FZ is my only form of transport when the wifes away, I had no choice. he gets to me in about 30 minutes.
Get the filter fine, install it fine, and fill it with oil just fine. Run it up for a leak check and alls good so I push it into the shed for the night and finish my laundry list.
Next morning, off to work for a half day, give it a once over when i arrive and all is good, no leaks, everything checks out good, so by 11am I blast off.
About an hour and a half later....I'm see smoke in my rear view mirror....a check up front there is none, so wow...must be from me....this is not good.
I proceed to cut across three very full and busy lanes of traffic heading for the shoulder, stop the bike, kickstand down, and lo and behold, the oil is just flowing from the bottom of the bike, well the last litre and a half at least.....took a quick look and the culprit is obvious...a missing drain plug.
It dawned on me then, like a brick up side the head, that yeah....i did only put it in finger tight when I ran to buy another filter so I wouldn't be dripping oil on the shed floor....never did tighten it.
The look of the back end of the bike said it all.....ever seen oil dripping off every part of the back end? Not a sight you really want to see.
So, the fun begins, trying to get a tow truck. No-one wants to haul a bike. One guy who will, is going to be an hour and a half. The OPP show up, and thankfully his call gets me priority and a tow truck is there in minutes (its good when a cop rides too).
One tow truck to show up $65, flatbed to boot another $100 and then $3 per km.....added up to $280 and he dropped me off at St Onges cycle in Barrie. The guys there were great help to me, even though they had no stock on what I needed. They found me a plug, from a kawasaki that fit and a crush washer from a suzuki and sold me some kawasaki oil and i was off again, short another $35......they washed the bike for nothing, citing my safety as a concern.
All in all the first leg of the trip should have taken me a few hours, but it ended up being 6....but at least I got there in once piece....it could have been a whole lot worse.
so to all you guys out there who continually assume I'm a know it all....I'm not. I make mistakes too.
lesson learned- (and I should know this from my job) is to go back a step or two when you come back to a partially finished job. And proven point....finger tight drain plugs don't leak either. But when they vibrate loose, you know it in a hurry.
I'm a firm believer of "Never touch the bike right before a trip, and make sure you have everything you need before touching it". This is also a classic case of getting an Attention Deficit Disorder when trying to multi-task. I feel for you, man.
one day you may be faced with an oil soaked rear tire doing highway speeds with hundreds of cars tailgating you.....I personally wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, but you're close.
this sounds very familiar to what happened to my co-worker last year. It was the 1st nice day of the year and we both decided to call in sick. He changed the oil the night before to get ready for the ride.
The next day, as he was on his way to meet me he calls and says that he lost all his oil while riding on the highway. The oil went all over his rear tire and he almost lost control of the bike. Lucky enough he gained control and was close to an exit to pull over. I picked up a nut and oil at the dealership and had him running again.
I asked him how it happened and he said while he was tightening the drain bolt his neighbor called him over to carry something into the house.
Look on the bright side; it only cost $300, instead of losing your engine or getting into a accident.
Posts: 531
Casino Cash: $5124
Sportbike: 2006 red fz6
That happened to a friend of mine once. It was raining tho and by the time he figured out what was wrong it blew the engine and he was stranded in the rain. Had to suck. Oh well it could ALWAYS be worse
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2006 FZ6 shift red TCP Full Fairing, Uncaged Sliders, Mo Tech risers, Laser Quad Exhaust, Power Commander III Usb, Bmc Air Filter, Puig Touring Screen, Clear Turn Lens, FE, Dual headlight mod, Gel seat.
why my oil change cost me over $300
I'm a firm believer of "Never touch the bike right before a trip, and make sure you have everything you need before touching it". This is also a classic case of getting an Attention Deficit Disorder when trying to multi-task. I feel for you, man.
....Doc Brown
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