The feeling of making your bike faster all by yourself - PRICELESSDfib said:
Dfib caught the tuning bug.
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2
Day 1: Disassembly
Plastic and tank off (easy stuff so no need to write too much here)
Airbox removed (I always forget that dang screw right in the middle and look like a moron trying to pull the airbox cover off!
Stock midpipe and cans removed.
Screws holding the radiator and oil cooler removed. (I found it way easier to work on the header bolts by removing the support brackets for the radiator and oil cooler too.)
Header unbolted and removed. (that went so well I was begining to wonder what catastrophic pailure was in the future)
Here is a pic of the SAI system under the airbox:
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I unplugged the solenoid and took the reed covers and reeds off. Put the block off plates on. Here's a pic of the block off plates in action.
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I'm amazed looking at the bike now how much room the SAI took up under the airbox... I have to believe there is better airflow with it out of there, but without actual testing I'll never know.
Plastic and tank off (easy stuff so no need to write too much here)
Airbox removed (I always forget that dang screw right in the middle and look like a moron trying to pull the airbox cover off!
Stock midpipe and cans removed.
Screws holding the radiator and oil cooler removed. (I found it way easier to work on the header bolts by removing the support brackets for the radiator and oil cooler too.)
Header unbolted and removed. (that went so well I was begining to wonder what catastrophic pailure was in the future)
Here is a pic of the SAI system under the airbox:
I unplugged the solenoid and took the reed covers and reeds off. Put the block off plates on. Here's a pic of the block off plates in action.
I'm amazed looking at the bike now how much room the SAI took up under the airbox... I have to believe there is better airflow with it out of there, but without actual testing I'll never know.
Day 1: Header porting
OK deep breath here I go. I used the carbide burr I had gotten to start removing material on the header. HOLY SHIT those burrs remove A LOT of metal! Here's a pic of one in the works:
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The right side has been attacked the left is waiting for it's turn. The burr left some ridges inside which were cleaned up with sanding rolls.
OK deep breath here I go. I used the carbide burr I had gotten to start removing material on the header. HOLY SHIT those burrs remove A LOT of metal! Here's a pic of one in the works:
The right side has been attacked the left is waiting for it's turn. The burr left some ridges inside which were cleaned up with sanding rolls.
2
Day 1: Pre-cat removal:
After porting the headers I got ready to pull the pre-cat.
Actually this was by far the easiest and least time consuming job in the whole project.
Using a 1/4" drill bit I drilled out 3 of the 4 studs holding the pre-cat in. Next I beat the remaing stud a little with an air chisel (not necessary, but air tools are fun dangit!)
Here's the drill hole on the pipe:
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And the pre-cat on it's way out:
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Went to go weld it up, and Ace Hardware's rental welder was out of the shop. :violent1:
Remembering a post on here (Sorry too lazy to go looking, but thanks to the one who posted it) I went to an auto shop that does exhaust looking for someone to do the welds. Turns out the shop I went to is run by a bunch of bike nuts. After talking they relized they knew my bike from past bike nights at the local drive-in, and after a little BS session they ended up doing the welding free of charge! :drink: Ok technically I tried like hell to give them a little something for their time, and we settled on me buying a round of home-made rootbeer next bike night. :beer:
After porting the headers I got ready to pull the pre-cat.
Actually this was by far the easiest and least time consuming job in the whole project.
Using a 1/4" drill bit I drilled out 3 of the 4 studs holding the pre-cat in. Next I beat the remaing stud a little with an air chisel (not necessary, but air tools are fun dangit!)
Here's the drill hole on the pipe:
And the pre-cat on it's way out:
Went to go weld it up, and Ace Hardware's rental welder was out of the shop. :violent1:
Remembering a post on here (Sorry too lazy to go looking, but thanks to the one who posted it) I went to an auto shop that does exhaust looking for someone to do the welds. Turns out the shop I went to is run by a bunch of bike nuts. After talking they relized they knew my bike from past bike nights at the local drive-in, and after a little BS session they ended up doing the welding free of charge! :drink: Ok technically I tried like hell to give them a little something for their time, and we settled on me buying a round of home-made rootbeer next bike night. :beer:
3
Putting it together:
Got the parts back from ceramic coat and picked up some header wrap while they were gone. Advanced auto parts carries 1"x50' black fiberglass wrap. The black was lightere than the ceramic coat so I picked up some header paint with ceramic in it. Wrapping the headers was a PITA! They are close enough together by the collector that it took a try or two to get it right. I started at the bottom and wrapped to the ports. 50' was enough but I only had a foot or two left over. A quick shot of the header paint and good to go. While the paint dried I worked on getting the db killer out of the Zard. My roommate and i tried like hell until I remembered CB talking about a spot weld they put in. 1 minute with the drill later and I was good to go. Reassembly was easy and generally went well. Here she is now:
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Got the parts back from ceramic coat and picked up some header wrap while they were gone. Advanced auto parts carries 1"x50' black fiberglass wrap. The black was lightere than the ceramic coat so I picked up some header paint with ceramic in it. Wrapping the headers was a PITA! They are close enough together by the collector that it took a try or two to get it right. I started at the bottom and wrapped to the ports. 50' was enough but I only had a foot or two left over. A quick shot of the header paint and good to go. While the paint dried I worked on getting the db killer out of the Zard. My roommate and i tried like hell until I remembered CB talking about a spot weld they put in. 1 minute with the drill later and I was good to go. Reassembly was easy and generally went well. Here she is now:
No blood this time..... But she's drank from me before.Devious2xs said:
As for the rear sets and cowl, it may be a future project. Annodized blue might be interesting too,something to match the lettering on the tank. I think caswells "fast blue" dye is a really close match.
Next up grades will prob be hypertech front on Ohlins rear suspension.
Of couse the thought of a turbo is sure interesting..........
opcorn:
The screws for the butterflies are staked in place on the bottom (hit with a pin punch to spread out the bottoms). When you put them back in, do the same, and use thread-lock like Locktite.Dfib said:
The new tune will make a huge difference in how the bike performs with the improved airflow.
Glad to see the DIY bug is contagious. :wrench:
PS - "Frantic" is an accurate description.
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