Mild Mods Project: Comparisons along the way.

[decooney]

Mild Mods Project Comparing as we go.

A good friend kept his bike in stock form for now and we are comparing back and forth as I make each mod.


INITIAL MODS:
- V&H CS One muffler, cat left in on purpose.
- LSL Fat Bar Handlebars & Clamps, Superbike Low, 1" wider each side.
- Pro Grips
- LSL Bar End Mirrors and machined adapters with stock bar-end weights.
- Yoshimura rear tail light/bracket
- Yoshimura frame sliders
- Yoshimura swingarm spools
- AIS blockoff plates
- Power Command PCV



LSL Fat Bars and Clamps, Superbike Low

Fat Bar Clamps, and controls spacing on 29" wide bars

LSL Bar End Mirrors, Adapters, Machined stock bar ends, Pro Grips:

Vance and Hines CS One Blackout slip-on vs. stock muffler:

Airbox mod, cut to factory seam

AIS unit removed

AIS blockoff plates, no more decel popping!

Soft bags by Kriega, US-20, US-10

Cortech tank bag, +Yoshimura plate assembly, +Yoshimura Frame sliders / swing arm spools

 

[decooney]

Observations so far.

Slip-on:
Interesting. It actually made a difference in performance over the plugged up stock muffler. Seems to rev with less effort and not so constrained 4.5k-6k, then it frees up again from 6-8k on up. Initially, I was skeptical it would just add noise if I left the cat in.

Mirrors:
I have never been overly excited about Bar end mirrors and how they look on a bike when someone is not sitting on it. My friend and I both agree the function far outweighs any concerns about looks. I don't look at my shoulder any more.

Bars/Clamps:
Looks different. Feels a tad wider and 1/2 higher. At first it was a little more buzzy over the stock steel bars without the bar end weights. I had to use longer bolts and adapt the factory bar end weights to the adapters for the bar-end mirrors. Made some lead rope and stuffed it in the bars, not sure if it really helped or not.

Grips:
They work really well, stickier than stock and more material absorbs a little more.

Tail Light Assy:
No more trailer hitch. A must have mod on the FZ8s. Nothing else to say.

 

[Rotaryknight]

I would love to get bar end mirrors, but I used every inch of the grip, I even grip on to the bar end with my pointing finger and thumb operating the throttle.

 

[[]V[]addog]

Vance and Hines CS One Blackout slip-on is awesome

 

[decooney]

I would love to get bar end mirrors, but I used every inch of the grip, I even grip on to the bar end with my pointing finger and thumb operating the throttle.

The LSL adapters for the bar end mirrors plug into the END of the bar, not around the end of the bar. They simply add the extra clamping area so you don't have to push your grips inward.

 

[decooney]

I finished the FZ8 "mild mods" project this weekend and just test rode the bike.

FINAL CHANGES;
- AIRBOX: Cut out snorkel, and opened the bottom up a bit without hogging it out too much using factory air filter setup.
- AIS: Removed factory air-induction-system (AIS) system to eliminate deceleration "popping".
- BLOCKOFF PlATES Added AIS blockoff plates to cover where AIS was.
- POWER COMMANDER 5: Added PCV system, installed "Two Brothers slip-on / stock air filter map" for starters.
- TIP: I was able to hide the small PCV unit under the tool kit, velcro it down. You cannot tell its there. Stealth!

OBSERVATIONS:
- Idle: Jumped to 1000 rpms steady, and stable for a longer period of time than what I remember before.
- Low-end: Power rolls on a little faster right off the bottom when you crack it real quick.
- Midrange: comes on quicker with less delay.
- Top End: With the midrange coming on quicker, there appears to be a more liner power band all the way to the top.
- Flat spots: Mostly gone. I don't really notice a significant flat spot now. Powerband seems more linear now.
- NO MORE DECEL popping: Seems to have disappeared 98% with the AIS blockoff plates installed.
- Water Temp: Seems to climb slower at stoplights now. It takes a while before it goes above 200 deg now.
- Sound: You can hear a little more engine/intake breathing noise up front with the air box mod.
- Exhaust: I cannot put my finger on it exactly, but the tone of the exhaust did change a little, more noise, a tad more raspy.

CONCLUSIONS:
The bike is a little bit more fun to ride now, and I was glad to get rid of the decel popping. The trottle response just seems quicker to me now without hesitation, and no more whistling previously straining to suck in air through the small intake horn in pure stock form. I find myself having to pay attention to the power delivery a little more now as it rolls on faster and through the power band. It does seem to get up to speed quicker through 5,000 rpms compared to stock. I would not say its a dramatic change, but "noticeable enough" of a change that I'm glad I did the "mild mods" project on my 2012 FZ8. It took me longer to remove the AIS and install the blockoff plates than it took to install the PCV itself. The PCV install was easy and the download and setup is a piece of cake. I'm very impressed with the Power Commander setup, quality connecters, and decent software. I plan to play with the maps a little and might dyno the bike in 45-60 days.

 

[decooney]

Update: did a 280 mile ride yesterday in the twisty mountain roads of Northern California riding with a group of larger 1000-1800cc touring bikes. On the prior trip like this, at times it left me wishing I had an FZ1 under me. Not this trip. The mods worked. It did well on the longer uphill straights this time. And, when we got to the shorter stretches of twisties, I was glad to be on the modified FZ8.

Prior to installing this setup, on steeper uphill grades at speed in 5th or 6th gear, I was repeatedly downshifting to get to the part of the torque needed to keep up or maintain my own speed to keep others off my tail. Now with these mods, I don't downshift nearly as much. I'd say I downshift 50% less at least. I roll on the throttle, and the MIDRANGE torque at 3,500-6,000 is "there" enough to be happy. Now the bike seems to gain and maintain momentum with less effort.

I read a lot of threads before doing all of this to my bike, still not sure if the exhaust, AIS removal, and Power Commander would really make a difference. Now after this last 280 miler in the twisty mountains, I know for sure it made a difference. The bike seems to run a little cooler too overall. Confirmed!

 

[tomcat84]

Hi,have you removed cat on your bike?On my fz8 I removed it and I had noticeable falling in acceleration between 4,5k and 6,5k rpm,especially in 5th and 6th.Do you think a powercommander V would solves this?

 

[Banky2112]

Hi,have you removed cat on your bike?On my fz8 I removed it and I had noticeable falling in acceleration between 4,5k and 6,5k rpm,especially in 5th and 6th.Do you think a powercommander V would solves this?

No it does not (speaking from experience) UNLESS you get it tuned, Marthy did mine and it reaaaaalllllly helped.

 

[tomcat84]

No it does not (speaking from experience) UNLESS you get it tuned, Marthy did mine and it reaaaaalllllly helped.

what do you mean by tuned? pcv on the dyno test?

 

[Banky2112]

Do you think a powercommander V would solves this?

Maybe I quoted the wrong section of your post.....I removed my cat..... And needed to have someone tune my PCV.

 

[decooney]

Hi,have you removed cat on your bike?On my fz8 I removed it and I had noticeable falling in acceleration between 4,5k and 6,5k rpm,especially in 5th and 6th.Do you think a powercommander V would solves this?

You will read all sorts of different replies on this site about when to use a PCV. I researched it for months and never really got a straight answer. The bottom line for me was talking to various development engineers who indicated benefits of using a PCV on a 100% completely stock bike with stock exhaust, no other mods.

If I removed the cat on my bike, I'd add a PCV immediately and head to the dyno to make sure I was not running the bike too lean. More air = adding more fuel at some point to balance your AFR back out. I've learned from several others once you remove that cat, it's the tipping point for sure on the FZ8 and many other modern day bikes. Taking it to the dyno with the AFR/EGT test is the only way to know for sure if you are now running lean and losing power.

 

[tomcat84]

I think an exhaust manifold without cat and with a racing muffler is almost equal to a racing exhaust because it's completely emptied and the carburetion inevitably becomes lean then only an aftermarket ECU could adjust this problem.Pcv with a generic map set and without someone tune it can works well on Fz8?I would buy it...

 

[randyka]

What's the weight of the cs one? I have been trying to look at how much weight I would save if I switch to this exhaust.

 

[decooney]

Est 5-6lbs savings or so with the V&H CS One. The Yosh R77 carbon saves even more, like 8-9lbs over stock. The factory can is pretty heavy at 12lbs or so as I recall. Anything is going to feel light over the stock anchor.