Badly fueled

Synchronizing the throttle bodies didn't not cure the bad mileage on the big S. It's still difficult to start, hard to work with in town, stalling at traffic lights and eating gas like a thirsty camel. With this fueling problem unsolved, I don't want to move forward to the next steps like sorting the suspension or brakes. The project's stuck.

I took contact with a pro tuner in the Netherlands last week. The plan is to pay him a visit next week (Saturday anyone ?) with the bike so he remaps the RapidBike module. I hope he can sort this all out once for all. In the short conversation we had, he suggested I should revert to the standard ignition cables. So for the fourth time, I swapped these cables this afternoon.

And since the side panels were down and the tank was put away, it also was a good occasion to find a new place for the diagnostic USB plug as it will be needed when on the dyno to access and optimize the current fueling map. I squeezed the plug just between the airbox and the left frame spar.

Sharp Katanas

When it comes to Suzuki Katanas, some waste time in endless expensive accurate restorations, some others in tricky transformations, but all end up with a piece of motorcycle history that drags a lot of attention these days. There are countless efforts out there to prove that Katanas are now back on the roads as premium classics.

But there's another way to enjoy the unforgettable Katana look. Unicorn Japan supply parts to alter more "modern" Suzuki motorcycles like GSF1200 and GSX1400. The result is absolutely stunning.

I've got to find an old Bandit ... ;D

Rapid bike installed

As with a couple of other things, I took some time last week to fit the Rapid Bike module on the R1100S. It was a rather easy job, but once installed it caused the bike to be more difficult to start even with the choke trigger fully pulled. Add to this a disastrous gas mileage that makes me think the lean air/fuel ratio is now history and you can guess my reaction. More money thrown at trying to solve issues, more problems.

Apart from these new issues, the bike's absolutely flying with its new programmable injection module. It pulls  continuously with force in the whole rev range in a deeper than ever exhaust sound. The engine produces a much smoother torque curve and the famous 4500 rpm flat spot has almost disappeared. It was raining when I took it for its test ride, so there's certainly more to discover later, but a difference could be felt.

Now, the starting issue, a much higher idle speed and the rather short tank range made me think I was in for a "carb" synch, so I plugged my faithful Twinmax and gave the synch screws a spin. I ended up with both screws completely tightened, a sensibly lowered idle speed and an effective choke trigger. I also put the Power FRK module down just to see if it has something to do with it. 

Test ride is planned for tomorrow starting with a full tank of gas.

Collapsed BST

Pictures of what appears to be a collapsed BST carbon wheel showed up on the Pelican Parts forum the other day. Given the price for a pair, I would understand the owner, who's fortunately said to be alive and far from badly wounded, to be pissed as hell.

Ok then, what's to be learned from all this ? Well first, BST (standing for Black Stone Tek) wheels are light and hollow. Then, given the look of the inner threads, you could honestly ask yourself if you get the quality you expensively paid for. To me, BST wheels are so pricey that even with a 50% rebate I'd still think twice before buying (and I'm not trying to minimize their impact on the bike's flickabillity). Finally, don't get me wrong, carbon wheels, with Öhlins USD forks (or more recently Showa BPF forks) or TTX shocks, are still the climax when it comes to motorcycle upgrades.