Alright, so last weekend I finally got my hands on this old beauty – a 1986 Yamaha FZ600. Been hunting for one forever since my buddy kept raving about his. Grabbed my toolbox and camera, headed straight to this dusty garage where the owner stored it. First impression? Damn, that 80s fairing design still looks rad today.
Getting Up Close & Personal
Kicked the tires first thing – like you do with any used bike. Original IRC rubber totally cracked, no surprise there. Then popped the seat off. Felt like opening a time capsule! Found soggy newspaper scraps under there dated 1989. Owner said it sat for ten years straight before he got it running.
Checked the important stuff:
- That air-cooled engine – leaned in real close to inspect fins. Zero cracks, just packed dirt. Yamaha built these things tough
- Carb situation – yanked the bowls off. Jets were clogged solid with green gunk. Not shocked after decades of old gas stewing in there
- Frame welds – ran my finger along the backbone joints. Smooth as butter, no cracks or rust bubbles
Hitting The Road Test
After three hours cleaning carbs and installing fresh plugs, finally thumbed the starter. Sputtered like an angry tractor at first. Gave the choke two solid pumps and bam! That DOHC inline-four woke up screaming. Didn’t even sound like a 35-year-old bike.
Took it down backroads, noticing two things immediately:
- Steering feels crazy light – flicked into corners like my modern naked bike. Credit to that skinny 16-inch front wheel
- Vibrations start singing at 7k rpm – mirrors got blurry but the engine just begged for more throttle. Hits different than fuel-injected bikes
Why This Thing’s Special
Parked it later, grease up to my elbows, but grinning like an idiot. Here’s what clicked for me:
- It’s dead simple – no computers, just wires and metal. My cheap multimeter can diagnose everything
- Surprisingly quick revs – redlines at 11k rpm! That engine design later became the famous FZR block
- Looks 10x meaner than photos – that dual headlight front end? Absolute predator stare in person
Whole experience just proves old bikes got soul. Sure, my daily ride’s comfier, but twisting that FZ’s throttle feels like shaking hands with motorcycle history. Might drag this project home next paycheck.