I was kind of curious if all the aftermarket parts help with the horsepower on your bike, so I decided to dyno it… well it also didn’t cost me anything .
First I’ll tell you what I have on my bike. I do not have any engine work or anything done to the bike. Just the common stuff.
- Graves titanium slip-on exhaust. This exhaust gets rid of the stock catalytic converter and the dual pipe setup.
- BMC “race” air filter
- Power commander
This is the most common stuff people put on their street bike… exhaust, power commander and maybe an air filter.
So what do you think happened?
First dyno run showed……. drum roll…. 154 horsepower… . This is with a map I downloaded from the Dynojet’s website.
So, we started trying to “optimize” the map… at the end we got just 2 more HP - 156.
What is the point of this post you ask… well, the bone stock 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 bike, dynoed on the same dyno produced…. 158 HP. Yeah it was a “magazine” bike - the ones Suzuki gives to magazines for reviews, so they are a little better, but it shouldn’t be too much off from a regular stock bike you buy at the dealer.
The good news is:
- The bike is lighter after removing that 40 lbs catalytic and stock exhaust (I don’t know the exact weight, but it was heavy)
- The power curve is smoother - no dips. The stock dyno run showed a dip at about 5K RPM. The power commander fixed that.
- The bike looks and sounds “better”
Some other interesting things…
- When we tried to make the fuel mixture more rich - the horsepower went down. So leaner did it up to a point at high RPMs, but too lean doesn’t work either of course.
- Talking to some people, I was told that changing the exhaust to a Yoshimura might help.
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Did a track day couple of weeks ago at Willow Springs raceway in Rosamond, CA. It’s a great track, very fast and of course fun.
For anyone who hasn’t been to a track day before, here is what you have to do to get your motorcycle “track ready”.
1. Make sure you have water in your radiator, and not anti-freeze. All bikes will have anti-freeze mix in the radiator from the factory. You will need to drain it and replace it with water. I also suggest adding some WaterWetter. It does actually work and makes your bike run cooler. I actually noticed that just with plain water, my bike runs cooler than with anti-freeze, so it’s a good thing to do anyway.
2. Tape up anything that can shatter, including headlights, taillights, and any other “lenses” on your bike. Some people use duct tape, I use making tape because its easier to take off (and cleaner). Also, don’t forget to unplug all your lights when taping them up - it will be easier to take off the tape. If you leave them plugged in, the tape and glue might melt on from the heat and then it’s a real pain.
3. Make sure you have good tires. Most track days won’t even let you on the track if your tires are bad. “Bad” is a judgment on their part, so to be safe just have > 70% tread left. I like to have either new or almost new tires when I go, just because its one less thing to worry about when you are out there.
4. Bring some gas with you… It’s possible that you will run out of gas during your track day, so bring some with you. Some tracks, like Willow Springs have a gas station on site, and they have up to 110 octane (leaded race gas), but it will cost you - about $6 per gallon.
5. Remove any mirrors, turn signals and other protruding parts that will scatter over the track if you crash.
Here is what I have to do on my ‘07 Suzuki GSX-R1000 to get the mirrors off. It’s exactly the same procedure on ‘05 and ‘06 GSX-R1000 and ‘06-’07 GSX-R 600/750. Although these mirrors look nice they are a pain to remove.
First, unscrew the mirrors
Next you will have to pull out the windshield since the bolts actually go through it (I took the pictures when I was putting the mirrors back on, so that’s why you don’t see them in the picture)
These are plastic screws so don’t be too hard on them.
Next you will have to take off the gauges. you don’t have to unplug them (although some track days ask you to unplug your gauges, so check with them). You can move the gauges to the side, so you can get to the plugs for the turn signals (that are built in to the mirrors).
Once that’s removed you can also unplug your headlight
Now put it all back together minus the mirrors…
For the back, it’s pretty simple, just open your “trunk” and unplug the cables there for your brake light and turn signals. On the 07 GSX-R its actually only one plug that does it all.
That’s it.
Bring some tools with you to the track as well, you never know if something needs changing or tightening and you don’t want to be stuck there with no tools.
Have Fun.
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This is a pretty simple one, especially after you do it once. Well, instead of you practicing on your bike, we’ll practice on mine. (with pictures)
I did this on my 05 Suzuki GSX-R1000, but its very similar on any modern bike. I usually throw the stock pads out right away and replace them with some HH pads. Some people say the will “eat away your rotors”, but I’ve never seen it happen to my bikes. Of course I’ve never owned the same bike for over 2 years, so… I guess after 5-10 years any type of brake pad will grind down the rotors, and the HH rated pads will probably do it faster. But for the price you can’t beat this upgrade to your bike. These don’t cost that much more than other types of pads, and probably still cheaper than buying pads from the dealer. You will feel the stronger “bite” from these pads - guaranteed. For anyone wondering what HH brake pads are… HH is sintered metal & ceramic composition.
First step is to take out the allen bolts on the calipers. I had to use two hands - it was a new bike
Next take out the bolts attaching the caliper to the forks
Next you can take off the caliper off the disk. It’s still attached by the brake line, but there should be enough room to move it around.
Now just pull out the pads. Use the shims from the stock pads on your new brake pads, just place them on top, they should only fit on in one direction.
Now just put the new pads back into place.
If you are replacing pads that weren’t too worn out there should be enough room for the new pads to fit over the brake disk. If not, you can take a large screw driver and gently pry the pads apart. Just don’t mess up the pads if you do that. They should move apart pretty easily. And don’t grab the front brake lever, you will close the caliper up and might have a hard time prying them back apart
At last put everything back in reverse order.
And of course the same on the other side of the wheel.
This whole process shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes (I spend half that time looking for the tools)
Is that thing real? I’d tell you but thats not my hand you are looking at - I know they sell them in downtown for $40.
Have fun! Make sure you break in the pads for about 50 miles (thats what they say anyway).
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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