This will be a very detailed account of what it had to go through in order to de-restrict my XJ6N-L and why I choose it over other manufacture’s LAMS bike’s. I would not recommend doing this until you are familiar with your bike or are on you “R” licence or had at least 1 year ridding experience on the road.
I don’t believe these bike are restricted anywhere els in the world, although in the UK you can buy a “restrictor kit” for the open bike and that would make it about the same power as our LAMS version.
PLEASE NOTE – this process is what “I” went through in Queensland Australia. I nor the FZ6R forum or anyone that post tips or info will be held responsible for the mods performed on your bike. I do not know what laws and procedures apply in other states. It is your own responsibility to check what you are allowed to do in your state inc QLD and whether or not any modification is legal and if it will affect your warranty or insurance. We are all big boys/Girls.... well sometimes
When I wanted to de-restrict my XJ6N-L last year (August 2013) it was really hard to find info on
A) How to do it?
B) Was it legal?
I did find a procedure by NightWolf on how to do it and it was excellent ( http://www.600cc.org/forum/fz6r-technical/21464-instructions-derestrict-fz6r-10-steps.html ) But it was dated
28-4-11 and whilst his procedure is still valid, my post focuses a bit more on the legal side of it and what hoops I had to jump through to get my bike de-resticted in 2013. I just wanted to post something a bit more up-to-date and I hope NightWolf does not mind me adding some detailed photos to his procedure.
I bought the bike new in June 2012. After 8 months of deliberating with myself I Settled on the YAMAHA XJ6N-L over a Honder hornet (fugly), a Suzuki Gladius (costly to de-restrict, but very comfortable) and the Kwaka Ninga (250cc and not fuel injected) all of which were LAMS (learner approved motorcycle scheme) bikes.
I found myself tossing up between the Gladius and the XJ6N-L. The Gladius was a very comfortable bike but lacked everywhere ells.
De-restricting: Gladius requires a computer change. The dealer quoted me $2900 and said that the power difference is barely noticeable after it has been de-restricted, he also said the fitted computer could NOT be remapped (I’m not sure how true that is). The XJ6N-L has a physical restrictor plate on the throttle butterfly. (See attached word doc for detailed pics with NIGHWOLF’S procedure) if you just want a one page step-by-step print out sheet NIGHTWOLF’s is great as it is. (link above)
Y-10/10, G-4/10
Looks: Simple..... The Gladius looks like a Learner bike, the XJ6N-L doesn’t, the Yamaha seems to have more personality. I think the only LAMS sports bike that looked better was the Ducati 659, but was an extra $5000
Y-9/10, G-7/10
Engine: I wanted the inline 4 for response, smoothness and high end exhaust scream over the V-twin of the Gladius. On paper the Yamaha outscored the Gladius.
Y-9/10, G-7.5/10
Comfort: The gladiolus was only marginally more comfortable.
Y-9/10, G-9.5/10
Mods: I could only find a handful of mods and accessories for both bikes, but performance modification seemed more plentiful for the Yamaha. And there seemed to be a few more visual and tricky mods for the Yamaha too.
Y-6/10, G-5/10
Overall: Y-43/50, G-24/50, kwaka250 came it at 33/10, but I dismissed it because I wanted a fuel injected naked bike.
I rated these bike only against new release (2009-2012) LAMS bikes, that’s why the scores are so high out of 10, these are not compared to open bike’s like your R6’s, R1’s, FX8’s, CBR’s, Monsters, etc..
De- restriction process
So the Absolute main factor in picking the Yamaha over anything ells was how easy it would be to de-restrict it. When I bought it in June 2012 I knew it was illegal to De-restrict it. In fact you were not and still aren’t allowed to modify a LAMS bike while it’s still LAMS, that means no exhaust upgrade weather it has a performance gain or not, no fender eliminator (which I think is illegal anyway), no changing of indicators, leavers, pegs or mirrors, even if you’re on your R licence. My intention was to sell it and get an open bike when it got my R licence, but with a glimmer of hope that the law would change when I was ready to get my R’s and it did, yeeehaa. In September 2012 you were allowed to de-restrict your LAMS bike. The wording changed from “ cannot be modified” to this:
“To be a LAM the motorcycles must be in the standard form as produced by the manufacturer. Any
motorcycle modified in a way that increases the power-to-weight ratio of the motorcycle is not LAM
approved regardless of whether it appears on this list.”
The complete PDF link is below.
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/Safety/Motorcycle safety/Learner approved motorcycle scheme/Lam_scheme_list.pdf
This confused me a little bit as it does not clearly say whether you can/can’t de-restrict you LAMS bike. I know it implies it, but it doesn’t say it.
I found this comment on another forum when Googling for my answers:
“But to do it legally you have to get the bike deregistered, then recomplianced, roadworthied and registered as the non-LAMs model. Total cost is upwards of $3-4,000, so much cheaper to just sell the bike to another learner and buy a Litre Bike ”
This is absolutely untrue. The total cost for me to de-restrict my XJ6N-L was $299, $149 for the de-restrictor plate from Resart ( Want More Power? Resart Yamaha FZ6R / XJ6 De Restrictor ) and $150 for the guy to come out to my work and fit the mode plate. I did not have to deregister my bike, nor did I have to get it re-complianced or a new roadworthy cert.
In order - the processes:
1) De-restricted my bike before the guy came out to fit the mod plate as asked by him (do not ride it, it’s illegal at this point)
2) Once the plate is fitted and the guy has given you the mod cert, you are allowed to ride it to main roads “only”.
3) At main roads I give them the mode cert. And they update me rego no different to getting a mod plate for twin to single seater conversion (which I got the mode guy to do for me for an extra $50) lodging this at main roads costed me no money.
4) Then they gave me a receipt that summed up the mod and they posted me a new label that does not have LAMS on it.
5) MOST IMPORTANT: I made it very clear to the guy that fitted the mod plate and to main roads that I wanted it to state “no longer LAMS” so I knew it would be legal, this also opened up the opportunity to install performance mods, exhaust, retune/remapping etc...
6) ONCE A LAMS BIKE HAS BEEN DE-LAMS’D IT CAN NOT BE RE-LAMS’D. IT REMAINS AN OPEN BIKE FOR LIFE.
The performance spike after is really good, plenty of power and torque, especially with the Arrow Darkline fitted. After doing this, I have not yet had it tuned and I’ve only lost 10km off its range on a full tank. I expect it will run smoother and more fuel efficient after it has been tuned.
The main purpose for me writing this long winded post was to give people a clearer understanding off what has to happen leading up to the de-restriction. I also notice that most post’s relating to this are over 1.5yrs old.
Thanks for reading I hope I have answered a few questions and not bored anybody to much
If you want the word doc I wrote up with all the pic's that makes it a heap easier to understand and follow (as it's too big to upload here) pm me your email or reply with you email and ill email it to ya.
I don’t believe these bike are restricted anywhere els in the world, although in the UK you can buy a “restrictor kit” for the open bike and that would make it about the same power as our LAMS version.
PLEASE NOTE – this process is what “I” went through in Queensland Australia. I nor the FZ6R forum or anyone that post tips or info will be held responsible for the mods performed on your bike. I do not know what laws and procedures apply in other states. It is your own responsibility to check what you are allowed to do in your state inc QLD and whether or not any modification is legal and if it will affect your warranty or insurance. We are all big boys/Girls.... well sometimes
When I wanted to de-restrict my XJ6N-L last year (August 2013) it was really hard to find info on
A) How to do it?
B) Was it legal?
I did find a procedure by NightWolf on how to do it and it was excellent ( http://www.600cc.org/forum/fz6r-technical/21464-instructions-derestrict-fz6r-10-steps.html ) But it was dated
28-4-11 and whilst his procedure is still valid, my post focuses a bit more on the legal side of it and what hoops I had to jump through to get my bike de-resticted in 2013. I just wanted to post something a bit more up-to-date and I hope NightWolf does not mind me adding some detailed photos to his procedure.
I bought the bike new in June 2012. After 8 months of deliberating with myself I Settled on the YAMAHA XJ6N-L over a Honder hornet (fugly), a Suzuki Gladius (costly to de-restrict, but very comfortable) and the Kwaka Ninga (250cc and not fuel injected) all of which were LAMS (learner approved motorcycle scheme) bikes.
I found myself tossing up between the Gladius and the XJ6N-L. The Gladius was a very comfortable bike but lacked everywhere ells.
De-restricting: Gladius requires a computer change. The dealer quoted me $2900 and said that the power difference is barely noticeable after it has been de-restricted, he also said the fitted computer could NOT be remapped (I’m not sure how true that is). The XJ6N-L has a physical restrictor plate on the throttle butterfly. (See attached word doc for detailed pics with NIGHWOLF’S procedure) if you just want a one page step-by-step print out sheet NIGHTWOLF’s is great as it is. (link above)
Y-10/10, G-4/10
Looks: Simple..... The Gladius looks like a Learner bike, the XJ6N-L doesn’t, the Yamaha seems to have more personality. I think the only LAMS sports bike that looked better was the Ducati 659, but was an extra $5000
Y-9/10, G-7/10
Engine: I wanted the inline 4 for response, smoothness and high end exhaust scream over the V-twin of the Gladius. On paper the Yamaha outscored the Gladius.
Y-9/10, G-7.5/10
Comfort: The gladiolus was only marginally more comfortable.
Y-9/10, G-9.5/10
Mods: I could only find a handful of mods and accessories for both bikes, but performance modification seemed more plentiful for the Yamaha. And there seemed to be a few more visual and tricky mods for the Yamaha too.
Y-6/10, G-5/10
Overall: Y-43/50, G-24/50, kwaka250 came it at 33/10, but I dismissed it because I wanted a fuel injected naked bike.
I rated these bike only against new release (2009-2012) LAMS bikes, that’s why the scores are so high out of 10, these are not compared to open bike’s like your R6’s, R1’s, FX8’s, CBR’s, Monsters, etc..
De- restriction process
So the Absolute main factor in picking the Yamaha over anything ells was how easy it would be to de-restrict it. When I bought it in June 2012 I knew it was illegal to De-restrict it. In fact you were not and still aren’t allowed to modify a LAMS bike while it’s still LAMS, that means no exhaust upgrade weather it has a performance gain or not, no fender eliminator (which I think is illegal anyway), no changing of indicators, leavers, pegs or mirrors, even if you’re on your R licence. My intention was to sell it and get an open bike when it got my R licence, but with a glimmer of hope that the law would change when I was ready to get my R’s and it did, yeeehaa. In September 2012 you were allowed to de-restrict your LAMS bike. The wording changed from “ cannot be modified” to this:
“To be a LAM the motorcycles must be in the standard form as produced by the manufacturer. Any
motorcycle modified in a way that increases the power-to-weight ratio of the motorcycle is not LAM
approved regardless of whether it appears on this list.”
The complete PDF link is below.
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/Safety/Motorcycle safety/Learner approved motorcycle scheme/Lam_scheme_list.pdf
This confused me a little bit as it does not clearly say whether you can/can’t de-restrict you LAMS bike. I know it implies it, but it doesn’t say it.
I found this comment on another forum when Googling for my answers:
“But to do it legally you have to get the bike deregistered, then recomplianced, roadworthied and registered as the non-LAMs model. Total cost is upwards of $3-4,000, so much cheaper to just sell the bike to another learner and buy a Litre Bike ”
This is absolutely untrue. The total cost for me to de-restrict my XJ6N-L was $299, $149 for the de-restrictor plate from Resart ( Want More Power? Resart Yamaha FZ6R / XJ6 De Restrictor ) and $150 for the guy to come out to my work and fit the mode plate. I did not have to deregister my bike, nor did I have to get it re-complianced or a new roadworthy cert.
In order - the processes:
1) De-restricted my bike before the guy came out to fit the mod plate as asked by him (do not ride it, it’s illegal at this point)
2) Once the plate is fitted and the guy has given you the mod cert, you are allowed to ride it to main roads “only”.
3) At main roads I give them the mode cert. And they update me rego no different to getting a mod plate for twin to single seater conversion (which I got the mode guy to do for me for an extra $50) lodging this at main roads costed me no money.
4) Then they gave me a receipt that summed up the mod and they posted me a new label that does not have LAMS on it.
5) MOST IMPORTANT: I made it very clear to the guy that fitted the mod plate and to main roads that I wanted it to state “no longer LAMS” so I knew it would be legal, this also opened up the opportunity to install performance mods, exhaust, retune/remapping etc...
6) ONCE A LAMS BIKE HAS BEEN DE-LAMS’D IT CAN NOT BE RE-LAMS’D. IT REMAINS AN OPEN BIKE FOR LIFE.
The performance spike after is really good, plenty of power and torque, especially with the Arrow Darkline fitted. After doing this, I have not yet had it tuned and I’ve only lost 10km off its range on a full tank. I expect it will run smoother and more fuel efficient after it has been tuned.
The main purpose for me writing this long winded post was to give people a clearer understanding off what has to happen leading up to the de-restriction. I also notice that most post’s relating to this are over 1.5yrs old.
Thanks for reading I hope I have answered a few questions and not bored anybody to much
If you want the word doc I wrote up with all the pic's that makes it a heap easier to understand and follow (as it's too big to upload here) pm me your email or reply with you email and ill email it to ya.