Fred H.
Well-known member
I spent some time this week doing a series of mods and adjustments to the 06 to see how much of the herky-jerky I could get rid of.
I started by doing the Barbarian Mod and increased all the settings by 7 increments, and that went a long way to making the bike run smoother and get rid of some of the vibration and slight lean surging.
I then synchronized the throttle bodies, though they really were not very far off. Next, I released the center throttle spring, and got rid of all the slack in the throttle cable that I could. By the way, after I released the center throttle spring, I went back and re-checked my throttle body sync to see if it changed it any, and it did not.
The throttle now has significantly less spring force on it, but still returns like it should. I do notice that now there is some disparity between the heavier clutch springs on the left and the light throttle spring force on the right grip that takes some getting used to. You also need to exercise some care after releasing the center throttle spring, as it is easy to grab too much throttle until you adjust to the new feel.
The end result, is now the bike has less vibration and runs just a wee bit cooler, and there is less herky-jerky shifting and the bike is a bit easier to ride smoothly. I suspect the reason that Yamaha made the throttle springs so heavy was to match the force needed for the clutch and throttle, and to give the rider a feel for the power of the engine, as by making the throttle a bit stiffer, it tends to give you some feedback that you do have a considerable amount of power at your disposal and helps you adjust to the pull of the engine.
The clutch still acts a lot like an on/off switch and doesn't seem to have a very large engagement zone and heavy springs. Some of this is just a matter of getting used to, but it can make transitioning back and forth from another bike a bit more difficult. I also suspect that Mobile One oil or another high quality synthetic is only going to make this problem worse, as many synthetic oils can further reduce the slip zone of the clutch.
All in all, I think these three items (1. Increase fuel mixture settings, 2. release center throttle spring, 3. throttle body sync) are a good thing for most folks and that you will find the bike more controllable and easier to ride after you do them. Just be REALLY careful the first time you ride the bike afterwards until you get used to the new feel.
I started by doing the Barbarian Mod and increased all the settings by 7 increments, and that went a long way to making the bike run smoother and get rid of some of the vibration and slight lean surging.
I then synchronized the throttle bodies, though they really were not very far off. Next, I released the center throttle spring, and got rid of all the slack in the throttle cable that I could. By the way, after I released the center throttle spring, I went back and re-checked my throttle body sync to see if it changed it any, and it did not.
The throttle now has significantly less spring force on it, but still returns like it should. I do notice that now there is some disparity between the heavier clutch springs on the left and the light throttle spring force on the right grip that takes some getting used to. You also need to exercise some care after releasing the center throttle spring, as it is easy to grab too much throttle until you adjust to the new feel.
The end result, is now the bike has less vibration and runs just a wee bit cooler, and there is less herky-jerky shifting and the bike is a bit easier to ride smoothly. I suspect the reason that Yamaha made the throttle springs so heavy was to match the force needed for the clutch and throttle, and to give the rider a feel for the power of the engine, as by making the throttle a bit stiffer, it tends to give you some feedback that you do have a considerable amount of power at your disposal and helps you adjust to the pull of the engine.
The clutch still acts a lot like an on/off switch and doesn't seem to have a very large engagement zone and heavy springs. Some of this is just a matter of getting used to, but it can make transitioning back and forth from another bike a bit more difficult. I also suspect that Mobile One oil or another high quality synthetic is only going to make this problem worse, as many synthetic oils can further reduce the slip zone of the clutch.
All in all, I think these three items (1. Increase fuel mixture settings, 2. release center throttle spring, 3. throttle body sync) are a good thing for most folks and that you will find the bike more controllable and easier to ride after you do them. Just be REALLY careful the first time you ride the bike afterwards until you get used to the new feel.
Last edited by a moderator:
