Hey guys (and gals)
First results are in for the Dynojet Power Commander V !!!
I called Dynojet a while back asking for a release date of the PCV for our bikes. They told me everything was just about done and all that's left was final certification. After mentioning that I was local (I live 15-20 min away), I asked them if they'd like to use my bike for final certification to speed the process up...and so it began
Dropped my bike off to them shortly after and the PCV passed with flying colors. They told me to bring it back when I get all my parts (exhaust, air filter mods, etc.), and they would install everything and tune it with a production unit PCV when they became available.
That happened this week. All my parts came, and so did the first batch of production PCV's. Dropped my bike off to them Tuesday, and got it back today.
They installed the Akrapovic Ti system (no cat, no baffle), along with a DNA air filter and DNA Stage 1 airbox cover.
They did several combinations - stock exhaust, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel and added timing, stock exhaust w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover, and Akra Ti exhaust (no cat, no baffle) w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover.
Each combination in succession yielded better results.
Some points of note: All dyno testing was done on Chevron 91 octane. Also, my tuner said these bikes like a little timing. The version of the PCV for our bikes does fuel AND timing. He also said the US spec FZ-07 does not have the same type of airbox snorkel as the euro versions of our bikes, and that the big restriction pictured in the DNA airbox cover instructions doesn't exist on the US-Spec version. The DNA airbox cover really just screws down and holds the filter in place, and it's likely that removing the stock US-Spec snorkel would yield the same type of results, only the filter is less secure.
Some pictures, and then my thoughts...
So, after looking at the peak number gains in both HP and TQ, I wasn't really too excited honestly...but then I drove home. TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY. What those peak number gains DON'T show is the AREA UNDER THE CURVE. CHeck out the actual graph. There is noticeably more power everywhere, and it's smooth as silk. So smooth in fact, it wasn't until I did my 100 mile test loop that I really started to notice the difference.
Before (stock w/ no mods): I thought the power delivery was just about perfect, but I did notice when accelerating from cruising speed in any gear, especially 6th (which seems to be about 5,000 rpm for me), there was some hesitation - like the bike was being held back a little, and throttle response was a little less than crisp. The dip in TQ from around 5-6K on the dyno graph seems to support this. Other than that, I had no issues with the stock bikes' power or power delivery.
After the mods and tune: Response is immediate, and accelerating from 6th gear at cruising speed feels like hard acceleration from 4th. Power delivery feels just like stock, which is to say, perfect. It's so smooth, I began to question if this bike was really making more power or not, or was I just thinking so because of the extra noise?
So I did my power wheelie test, and this is where I realized just how much better the bike is...
Before (stock w/ no mods), I'd be in first, accelerate hard to about 7k, back off slightly to weight the front end, then crack the throttle wide open. The forks would extended just about all the way, and maybe the front end would go light and come off the ground like an inch, but that's it...and this is with me sitting back in the seat, with my knees gripping the tank hard so my arms could be un-weighted as much as possible. For reference, I weigh about 170 at the most with all my gear.
After the mods and tune, same scenario, but now the front end skyrockets into the air with ease. It's like night and day. I'm telling ya, the area under the curve is phenomenal.
Temps were in check too. My 100 mile test loop took place with the air temp on my bike reading 96 degrees F. Bike temp read a steady 176 degrees at highway speed.
On to the sound. The Akra Ti without cat and without baffle is loud, as we already pretty much know. It's a glorious kinda loud though. Like a ferocious, thunderous, throaty kinda loud. It makes a sound you wouldn't expect this bike to make by just looking at it. It's very good. I rode for almost 2 hours, and when I got done, my ears weren't ringing, and I didn't have a headache. Your mileage may vary (I'm old and probably have some hearing loss from all my years on the flightline...I'm retired Air Force). Having said that, I will invest in some earplugs.
There is a lot of sound coming from the airbox area now too, as to be expected. This sound, I'm not too fond of. Sounds like a chu chu train, but it's livable. I hear this sound much more in my helmet then when I have my helmet off, so maybe it's just my helmet exaggerating the intake sound...
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the power mods. It took a great bike, and made it even better right where it needed it the most IMHO - and I thought it was already pretty damn good to begin with.
Now if only the rest of my parts will get here so I can finish this thing and call it DONE. Yeah right...are we every really done?
- Paulie
First results are in for the Dynojet Power Commander V !!!
I called Dynojet a while back asking for a release date of the PCV for our bikes. They told me everything was just about done and all that's left was final certification. After mentioning that I was local (I live 15-20 min away), I asked them if they'd like to use my bike for final certification to speed the process up...and so it began
Dropped my bike off to them shortly after and the PCV passed with flying colors. They told me to bring it back when I get all my parts (exhaust, air filter mods, etc.), and they would install everything and tune it with a production unit PCV when they became available.
That happened this week. All my parts came, and so did the first batch of production PCV's. Dropped my bike off to them Tuesday, and got it back today.
They installed the Akrapovic Ti system (no cat, no baffle), along with a DNA air filter and DNA Stage 1 airbox cover.
They did several combinations - stock exhaust, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel and added timing, stock exhaust w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover, and Akra Ti exhaust (no cat, no baffle) w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover.
Each combination in succession yielded better results.
Some points of note: All dyno testing was done on Chevron 91 octane. Also, my tuner said these bikes like a little timing. The version of the PCV for our bikes does fuel AND timing. He also said the US spec FZ-07 does not have the same type of airbox snorkel as the euro versions of our bikes, and that the big restriction pictured in the DNA airbox cover instructions doesn't exist on the US-Spec version. The DNA airbox cover really just screws down and holds the filter in place, and it's likely that removing the stock US-Spec snorkel would yield the same type of results, only the filter is less secure.
Some pictures, and then my thoughts...
So, after looking at the peak number gains in both HP and TQ, I wasn't really too excited honestly...but then I drove home. TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY. What those peak number gains DON'T show is the AREA UNDER THE CURVE. CHeck out the actual graph. There is noticeably more power everywhere, and it's smooth as silk. So smooth in fact, it wasn't until I did my 100 mile test loop that I really started to notice the difference.
Before (stock w/ no mods): I thought the power delivery was just about perfect, but I did notice when accelerating from cruising speed in any gear, especially 6th (which seems to be about 5,000 rpm for me), there was some hesitation - like the bike was being held back a little, and throttle response was a little less than crisp. The dip in TQ from around 5-6K on the dyno graph seems to support this. Other than that, I had no issues with the stock bikes' power or power delivery.
After the mods and tune: Response is immediate, and accelerating from 6th gear at cruising speed feels like hard acceleration from 4th. Power delivery feels just like stock, which is to say, perfect. It's so smooth, I began to question if this bike was really making more power or not, or was I just thinking so because of the extra noise?
So I did my power wheelie test, and this is where I realized just how much better the bike is...
Before (stock w/ no mods), I'd be in first, accelerate hard to about 7k, back off slightly to weight the front end, then crack the throttle wide open. The forks would extended just about all the way, and maybe the front end would go light and come off the ground like an inch, but that's it...and this is with me sitting back in the seat, with my knees gripping the tank hard so my arms could be un-weighted as much as possible. For reference, I weigh about 170 at the most with all my gear.
After the mods and tune, same scenario, but now the front end skyrockets into the air with ease. It's like night and day. I'm telling ya, the area under the curve is phenomenal.
Temps were in check too. My 100 mile test loop took place with the air temp on my bike reading 96 degrees F. Bike temp read a steady 176 degrees at highway speed.
On to the sound. The Akra Ti without cat and without baffle is loud, as we already pretty much know. It's a glorious kinda loud though. Like a ferocious, thunderous, throaty kinda loud. It makes a sound you wouldn't expect this bike to make by just looking at it. It's very good. I rode for almost 2 hours, and when I got done, my ears weren't ringing, and I didn't have a headache. Your mileage may vary (I'm old and probably have some hearing loss from all my years on the flightline...I'm retired Air Force). Having said that, I will invest in some earplugs.
There is a lot of sound coming from the airbox area now too, as to be expected. This sound, I'm not too fond of. Sounds like a chu chu train, but it's livable. I hear this sound much more in my helmet then when I have my helmet off, so maybe it's just my helmet exaggerating the intake sound...
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the power mods. It took a great bike, and made it even better right where it needed it the most IMHO - and I thought it was already pretty damn good to begin with.
Now if only the rest of my parts will get here so I can finish this thing and call it DONE. Yeah right...are we every really done?
- Paulie
