WD40 as a lubricant

vivimage said:

Hi All,

Just wanted to share a small how to in case anyone has this issue. Apologies if I'm using the wrong terminology anywhere, I'm learning the basics of motorcycle maintenance.

Bike: 06 ER6F.
Difficulty: Easy
Tools required: wd40, hex key set to remove fairing, screwdriver set (flat head and cross)

Issue

Idle was quite low, roughly around 800rpm and it was causing the bike to cut out on occasion at a stand still.
The is very low and it should be around 1250 - 1350. Went to adjust the idle and it would not budge, it was not rotating either way.

Solution

Remove the lower cowling and then the top fairing. Be careful to detach the indicator wire before removing it fully and take care not to scratch the fairing or cowling.

The image below shows the location of the throttle body and where the actual adjustment takes place.

View attachment 141299



The arrow on the left shows the pin which when extending, adjusting the air intake to let more air in on idle. If you twist your throttle (when ignition is off) it will make more sense as you will see the cable rotate the wheel (in the direction of the arrow to the right). Take a picture for reference (just like the one below)


View attachment 141301

So, to solve the issue, apply some wd 40 to the spring (the one the screwdriver is resting on and place a flat head screwdriver in between the spring sections and just rotate slightly to flex the spring. Also apply some wd 40 to the pin area and also squirt some down the rubber hose where the thumb screw is. Keep the cable raised maybe with some string or something and let the wd40 trickle down overnight.

View attachment 141302


Using a small wire brush (roughly toothbrush size) on the springs and the pin so applying over several days and giving it a scrub may be the safest option to avoid any damage (it's what I did).

That should basically be it, with those steps, it should mean the idle cable moves freely. it's not complicated by any means but the thing is so small and delicate I took the slow and steady route to lessen the risk of any damage.

At this point, the cable should be rotating and you will notice the pin moving in and out of the housing. The pin only needs to extend by a millimeter and it can cause the bike to increase it's idle by a few hundred rpm so take it steady with the adjustments.

That's why it's good to use the reference picture you took earlier in case you need to reset the pin position.

If you have this issue, I hope this helps! Thanks for reading.

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