EJK – BAK – V&H observations

[smokier]

Greetings All,

For those thinking about doing these modifications, what follows are my observations. Your mileage may vary. Just hoping someone will find it useful.

Parts: Chuckster’s BAK, V&H Slash Cut slip-ons, Dobeck EJK and Thunder Mfg. Throttle Body gasket.

When I started on this journey, there were a few goals in mind.
A:] Allow the engine to run cooler.
B:] Improve fuel economy (MPG).
C:] Reduce the popping on deceleration.
The intention of the changes was to help the bike be healthier overall. Lessen the factory lean condition of the fuel and reduce the overall operating temperature. Hopeful side benefits were
D:] Better performance.
E:] Improved exhaust tone.

Less desirable side effects, increased noise from the engine area. Specifically in the 2400 to 2900 RPM range, especially under a load.

The engine does run cooler, mission accomplished.
Noticeably cooler at medium and cruising speeds. In town and in traffic of course she still gets warm quick. It is comforting to see the temp gauge hover at the 10 O’clock position and not pointing straight up at noon or higher while cruising.

Fuel economy is a wash. Before the modifications, the average was 40~42 MPG. Since the modifications, 38~40. I blame my right wrist for the drop. Not sure that the MPG will surpass the previous average after the newness wears off.

Decel Popping, improved. It is not eliminated, however, the frequency has reduced. With the V&H those occasional pops are more pronounced.

Performance is where the biggest benefit appears. WOT is a kick, she no longer feels like she is working to get rolling. Now it is more of a hang on, here we go! Been to 100 mph maybe once in the first 10k miles. Been there three times in the past two weeks. About that fuel economy…

The V&H Slash cuts do sound good. Mostly deeper at lower RPMs. They put out some volume at higher RPMs. At cruising speeds they rumble nicely. The radio can still be heard, other ambient sounds (sirens, horns, etc.) can still be heard.

The negative is the various noises that can now be heard from the engine area. Not sure if it is valve train, or throttle body operations or all of the above. Once the factory air boxes are removed, there are a lot of sounds which were previously muted by all the factory components. These peak in volume between 2400 and 2900 RPM. Which is RPM range most frequently used by me for cruising…

If your goal is cooler running temperatures and to correct the factory leanness, then the efforts are worth it. Alternately, if you are going for a performance boost, they are worth it. If you are focused on improving MPG’s, this may not be the modification package to get you there. If you like a quiet ride and do not want various engine noises distracting you. This is not the path to go down.

Again, the above is IMHO.
Ride safe,
Smokier