Audace 2015 FZ6R Rebuild / Build Thread

[audace]

Bike is back up and running! Here's the final product of Audace V3.



It's pretty janky looking, but it feels great to ride. And that's honestly ok with me. Pretty much all of my car builds I've ever done have been the exact same way. I've never been very good at cosmetics.

Mostly all of the new changes really hit the mark with how I hoped they would be though. Clip-on's feel a lot better being able to fit lower without the fairings. The shape of the tank forces them lower than I'd probably like, but they still feel a lot better for my lanky arms. I'm thinking of finding a 2nd gen R6 tank to test fit and see if it might be a possible solution for raising them up in a way that's less janky than hammering the corners of the stock tank.

The controls feel really good now too. I had to learn how to make my own throttle and clutch cables for this and they're strong and holding up well. The throttle cables needed to be shorter to fit nicely, but the clutch cable was a much bigger change. The radius of the cable bend coming into the lever with the lower clip-on was way too tight with it routed in the stock location so I made a way longer cable that runs across the frame and comes around from the right-hand side of the bike instead. I also changed over to an 08+ R6 radial front master cylinder and it feels extremely good. A lot better than the stock master. I'm a big fan of the master cylinder having a dedicated bleeder screw on it too and I think that helps the brake feel a ton. I switched back to stock levers as well. I had shorty levers on it previously, but I honestly really prefer the longer levers. They just feel a lot more solid and the extra leverage is really nice.



There was some extra wiring that needed to be done for the front signals and R6 kill switch. The kill switch harness just had to be extended a little ways so it could reach the connector inside the frame while also being routed nicely. I had a broken stock kill switch that I used to just clip off the pigtail and splice it in. For the turn signals I wired in waterproof connectors where I could replace the bullet connectors and built a jumper harness that routes through the frame from the left to the right. I took the stock 3-pin turn signal wiring from the main bike harness and pinned both of them into one single waterproof connector to connect to the jumper harness.



Finally riding again and getting to see how the R3 shock feels, I would 100% recommend it to anyone who might be thinking about it. The bike feels so much better in comparison to the stock shock. The ride is still comfortable and compliant, but it's not nearly as bouncy or squishy feeling as it used to be. It feels more planted and stable in turns and at speed as well. The R3 shock honestly feels like a way better match for this bike and there really aren't any downsides to running it.

The R6 header and eBay can sound great too. It is stupidly loud though and I really need to quiet it down for my own ear's sake. I have a dB killer for it, but it doesn't quite fit as is. I might try to expand the end of it to get it to sit a little lower in the can so it presses against the end of the header.

Lastly, if anyone else was considering adding in an AFR gauge, my AEM one is running just fine hooked up on its own dedicated switch. I'm not running into any of the issues I've seen on the R6 forums with extra gauges causing battery drain or taxing the charging system.


It feels phenomenal to be back riding again and I'm pumped to enjoy the rest of the season.

 

[jjmaine]

Heck yeah man nice work! I'm still on the fence about buying an AFR gauge but will probably end up with one too. Do you have a power commander and has it helped you fine tune your map?

Yeah those clip ones look super low lol but if that's how you like em run em like that!

I was about to tell you about another little cheap mod that I have done and I like is R3 foot pegs to get rid of the huge stock wanger foot pegs but I see you have aftermarket rear sets? What are those, Valter Moto for the Xj-6?

 

[audace]

Heck yeah man nice work! I'm still on the fence about buying an AFR gauge but will probably end up with one too. Do you have a power commander and has it helped you fine tune your map?

Yeah those clip ones look super low lol but if that's how you like em run em like that!

I was about to tell you about another little cheap mod that I have done and I like is R3 foot pegs to get rid of the huge stock wanger foot pegs but I see you have aftermarket rear sets? What are those, Valter Moto for the Xj-6?

I don't have a Power Commander currently. I just haven't been able to find a decently priced PCV or pre-limitation PCFC, if I'm able to find one for sale at all. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to get the AFR gauge on there because the bike came with a K&N filter already on it and combining that with the exhaust is what I understand to be when you start to really want a tune. From what I can tell so far, the bike runs pretty rich in most circumstances without a PC. I'm usually seeing somewhere in the 13's at most times and in the 12's at really low-speed, low-rpm riding. Makes a lot of sense why the ignition advance wakes up the low end so much. Once you get up higher to like 6000+ it reads in the low to mid 14's so I'm all good on my highway commute.
I do like having an AFR gauge on anything I've modified though. It's just nice peace of mind to be able know what the motor is doing at a glance. I've even got one in my daily driver Civic Si that I've futzed with over almost a decade lol.

Yeah the more I ride, the more they're definitely feeling way too low. I might put finding an R6 tank a little higher on the priority list so I can get them raised up. There's a solid 1.5 inches or so that they can go up which would feel way better.

Oh yeah, I've got the Valter Moto 1.5 rear sets. They're amazing and 100% would recommend. My legs are super lanky and the rearsets definitely helped me find a foot position that was more comfortable and let me grab the tank better. I've only made two minor changes to them since I got them. I replaced the mounting bolts with a low-head Torx style because the low-head hex socket cap style ones that came with them stripped out really easily despite being 10.9's. The other thing was to swap the rod end that came with them for the rear master cylinder for a full steel rod end. The rod end they provide is like all plastic, teflon, or nylon and you can definitely feel it when you press the foot lever. It feels a ton more solid with the steel rod end installed.

 

[horseydestroyer]

Looks like you never have put any passenger pegs back on after the rearsets! I guess you don't even need to entertain the idea of a pillion lol. I think your build looks great and turned out really well.
I was also wondering if you happened to have the stock rear seat still? Mine is kinda messed up and it is impossible to find anywhere online.

 

[audace]

Looks like you never have put any passenger pegs back on after the rearsets! I guess you don't even need to entertain the idea of a pillion lol. I think your build looks great and turned out really well.
I was also wondering if you happened to have the stock rear seat still? Mine is kinda messed up and it is impossible to find anywhere online.

Unfortunately, the passenger pegs are a whole separate part you have to buy for the Valter Moto kit. I was thinking of maybe adding in some R6 passenger pegs using some clamps on the frame for a more cost effective solution. It's not super high up on the priority list though since I don't have anyone to be a passenger anyways lol.

And yeah, I still have my stock seats. I got a fancy one-piece comfy seat from France lol.

 

[horseydestroyer]

Unfortunately, the passenger pegs are a whole separate part you have to buy for the Valter Moto kit. I was thinking of maybe adding in some R6 passenger pegs using some clamps on the frame for a more cost effective solution. It's not super high up on the priority list though since I don't have anyone to be a passenger anyways lol.

And yeah, I still have my stock seats. I got a fancy one-piece comfy seat from France lol.

The previous owner just had some rear pegs welded on to the subframe, it looks pretty stock. Would you be willing to sell me your old passenger seat?

 

[audace]

So I've been futzing with the bike over the past week or so working on getting things adjusted just right. I decided to trying raising the clip-ons even though they don't quite get the full range of motion at the angle I want them at since losing that range of motion seems to only practically apply when it's parked. It definitely feels better with them higher, but I've noticed that the length of the actual clip on bars is where I'd gain the most comfort from. They're still a bit too wide for me. Unfortunately, the right hand side bar can't be moved in any further because the line fittings on the R6 master cylinder are at the bottom and it's already far enough in on the bar where the fittings are almost contacting the fork tube.

I think the plan going forward will still be to get a tank with more clearance, but also to try to find some clip-on fork mounts that push the bars away from the fork tubes a little bit. I'm still mainly looking for an 03-05 R6/06-09 R6S tank, but it also looks like an 04-05 GSXR600/750 tank might fit well too and be decently cheaper.

The previous owner just had some rear pegs welded on to the subframe, it looks pretty stock. Would you be willing to sell me your old passenger seat?

Yeah, I can part with it. Do you want the set in full?

 

[horseydestroyer]

So I've been futzing with the bike over the past week or so working on getting things adjusted just right. I decided to trying raising the clip-ons even though they don't quite get the full range of motion at the angle I want them at since losing that range of motion seems to only practically apply when it's parked. It definitely feels better with them higher, but I've noticed that the length of the actual clip on bars is where I'd gain the most comfort from. They're still a bit too wide for me. Unfortunately, the right hand side bar can't be moved in any further because the line fittings on the R6 master cylinder are at the bottom and it's already far enough in on the bar where the fittings are almost contacting the fork tube.

I think the plan going forward will still be to get a tank with more clearance, but also to try to find some clip-on fork mounts that push the bars away from the fork tubes a little bit. I'm still mainly looking for an 03-05 R6/06-09 R6S tank, but it also looks like an 04-05 GSXR600/750 tank might fit well too and be decently cheaper.





Yeah, I can part with it. Do you want the set in full?

I sent you a DM