Sign of Maturity or a Fine Bike?

I've had my VFR for about a month and I have no desire to mod ANYTHING. I am completely content with it and I have no desire to personalize it. It already had Heli-bars on it, so I guess it isn't completely stock. I am lightly considering doing that partial bafflectomy job some day for a little more volume of that beautiful exhaust tone, but that's about it.

I think I must be getting old or boring or something, because I did a lot of mods on my 919, both performance and aesthetic. Maybe the VFR is just right as is...

 

I'm glad you like your bike Michael. For the first 5 years, all I did was add 2 teeth to the rear sprocket and installed a Speedo-Healer. Just this past winter, I added the OEM hard cases, Sargent seat, Heli-Bars and a PCV. I still have the stock exhaust. For the most part, the only thing I've added that I can't live without is the PCV. As good as the stock bike is, the FI is terrible. If you haven't done this mod, then you might want to consider it as you will only like your bike even more.

 

Is the FI really that bad? I haven't detected any problem spots, but then it might not be noticeable until I experience better mapping. Are you guys getting custom tunes or are you using other people's maps?

 

+1 to Stew

I have the PCV and loaded it with the map for the '08 with a K&N and Two Brothers pipe. The 'snatchy' throttle at low speed rpm's is gone, and the overall throttle response is much more smooth accross the board.

I also have the AutoTune which will give me a little more adjustability as far as the A/F ratios.

 

Yes, it is!!! As Guj noted, the FI is very snatchy in low speed, low RPM situations. At 30-35 MPH in 3rd gear, the bike will literally go into a buck where it is on, then off. It is very frustrating. Parking lot speeds are impossible. For me, it was like the throttle was locked. You're at a slow constant speed, you give it a little more gas, but the bike doesn't take it, then it abruptly accelerates.

I lived with mine for 5 years because I didn't think I could justify the cost of the PC, but I shopped around and found it for around $270. Now that I have it, I am livid that I didn't do this 5 years ago. The bike is now usable in all gears in all RPM ranges.

I have the stock exhaust, so I'm using the stock map that came with the PC. The bike is now near flawless. The only negative is that you'll lose a few miles per gallon, but the way I look at it, the bike is now consuming the amount of fuel that it was designed to.

 

My ride is all stock except for a decal or 2. I'd love to get a PC, and get it custom mapped.

 

The PCV comes with a stock map, so you could use that for the short term. I'm running it on mine and it is very good.

 

I'll have to say the same thing here, the addition of the PCV to my bike made it even more enjoyable to ride and other than a small loss of mpg, I don't think there is anything negative to say about it. I am using a map that I got from another rider with a similar setup but ultimately I will be getting a proper Dynotune, but I'm spending money on the suspension first.

One note on the PCV, you can actually run two maps or like Guj, get the autotune module and run that as a "second map". Right now I have the stock map and the "custom" map loaded and I have a little toggle switch on my dash that I can flip to switch between them but I'm content just running with the custom map. My plan is to get a "maximum performance" tune, if you can call it that, and then have them tweak it for maximum mpg so I can toggle between them when the riding style warrants it. However seeing that I just run the one map now it may not even be necessary, just thought it might be worth a try to restore some mpg for daily riding.

Cheers!

 

Mike,
I'm happy that the bike is working well for you!
I think what you are experiencing is a mix of maturity and motoring nirvana (a la VFR) but I expect that in time it will wear off. There are some weak points that the other members have mentioned and then there is some of the personalizing that is also nice like a set of bags or a cruise control, perhaps a higher windshield and a GPS. I expect that the urge will hit you eventually.

The 2007 that I'm working on now has the new Power Commander 5 with the autotune, it has the PAIR removed and the flapper mod done as well as a pipe and BMC filter installed. I haven't had it on the street yet but I have to say that it fires up cold extremely well and takes the throttle like a champ. Oh and the sound!!!! I can't wait to see what it can do on the street.

I saw an exhaust for sale on Kijiji in Ottawa and I thought it was you. The seller claimed that he / she installed a Leo Vince system. I guess it wasn't you though. I wanted to hear the Leo system so I was hoping.

I should be on the road in a few weeks so we can get out and explore. BTW if you want a stock pipe cheap to gut, give me a call as I have two and they are going on e-bay cheap.

 

The FI is horrible, the computer is limited and tries to run the bike as two seperate engines so as noted above it bucks and does odd things when trying for low rpm manuvering. A PC does help but again it requires the o2 sensors to be rigged so the FI doesnt use them. I am working with a couple aftermarket companies to get a FI system for our bikes that would allow better tuning, better control and add some features (data capture, can-bus, etc), but things always move at a snails pace when its being done right. This would also allow adding intake induction systems (blower, turbo) to the bike as a almost bolt on. If only Ontronics didnt sell out we would have the perfect FI system already.

 

it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck.... dude it's a duck. It's YOUR duck. congrats and ride on!