V-Twin Show in February

[Tattoo]

We have done a couple of T-Mans Nikasil kits and they have been fine so far. That Area 51 pipe has Me wanting to try one one a 120R or bigger and very curious on what the sound is like as well.

[FSG]

Tom explained that they have their beehive springs "specially coated" to improve fatigue strength

I wonder, Isotropic Surface Finishing Process or a coating?

[turboprop]

Bassani Bros had a new FXR pipe that looked really good. I like how its rear mount was to the transmission and not the frame. The two gents manning the booth said bungs for wide bands would be incorporated into future production runs of the pipe.

Zippers/Thundermax revealed their new 'Wave Tuning' firmware. Supposed to much faster correcting and have more tuning points/resolution than previous versions. All current TMax units with a USB port can be updated to the new firmware. Thundermax also has a new tuning module out, aimed at owners that just have pipe and filter upgrades. Not tunable, the owner can simple choose from pre loaded maps for various combinations. The good thing it is is easily updated to a full on TMax with just a license, cables and 02 sensors. I think this is good because an owner does not have to bite the bullet all at once for a full TMax but can instead go in smaller steps as their budget allows.

Thundermax is also offering free training at their facility. Two days of training and attendees are given the opportunity to purchase two units for the price of a single unit (dealer cost).

Daytona Twin Tech put on a really good seminar. Aside from all the usual features, I was surprised to learn their Twin Scan will function as a simple oscilloscope. While maybe not as important for the newer bikes with internal diagnostics, I thought the O-Scope feature would be very handy to have in the garage. Their wideband ECM also has inputs for external 5 VDC sensors and outputs for shift lights and I think two-step rev limit as well. They also handed out coupons good for $100 off dealer cost on just about everything they sell. Class act all around

Fuel Moto, what can I say, bringing back the E-Pipe and their new heads. Wow. I think the heads are going to be a home run when they are finished. Allot of really great people are involved with the FuelMoto head project.

STD - I had a two hour conversation with Nitro Billy about the STD TC heads. BLUF, he has over 500 files for TC designs and none of them are labeled to show what they are. He wants to and is working towards offering TC heads. His issue is finding the needle in the haystack. He is offering trans cases for almost all model now, to include my beloved FXRs. The pictures and pricing haven't hit the website yet, but they will.

Jims lifters. I am well aware of the history that many of us have had or read about with their lifters. I had an interesting conversation with Jim himself. Told what I had heard and experienced myself. Jim then said that he hoped his people had taken care of me, and we talked about that. Finally, Jim asked me what he had to do to get me to try a set of his lifters, I asked for his direct cell phone number. As a display of his confidence in the lifters, he pulled out his personal business card a wrote a few words on it. Based on this, I am probably going to try a set of the new lifters from Jims.

Hoban Bros compensator. I saw it in Cinci. Tom Hoban kept it under the table. The design is finished and works very well. The issue is the compound is not right yet. Having adhesion issues I think. Tom had it on his bagger this summer for several very long trips around the country.

T-Man had some good looking heads there and his display really showed what was going on. For his new CNC welded heads, he had three heads on display. One was an oemhaed that had been CNC machined and it was obvious where the cutter had touched and not touched. The second head was an oem head that had the unfished welds. The third head was a welded head that had the CNC work applied to it. It was obvious with this head that the entire port surface had been touched by the CNC cutter. NOt sure of the flow data, but I have no doubt these heads work well in their intended application. Also worth mentioning is based on the dealer price list I picked up they are very affordable (please don't ask me what that price is).

Autometer told me they were working on a GPS speedometer for their Cycle Pro line. They already have them for the marine market, but the motorcycle stuff requires an external box and and antenna. Maybe this summer they will have a stand alone GPS based speedo. I also asked for a logging capability (SD card). Will see.

Brocks Performance had some really neat looking exhaust pipes for large displacement baggers, some interesting heads, and a custom set of triple trees with the correct offset to run gixxer forks with an 18" wheel on a dyna. My good friend and inspiration to my FXR builds, Mr. Skeeter Todd was there manning the Brock's booth. Skeeter and the Brock's crew were a really class act and have a ton of performance and racing background behind them.

Wink Eller was in the Spectro booth. Neat guy to talk with. He was in pretty bad health a few weeks ago, had a blood transfusion, etc.. Was surprised to see him at the show. He just opened his new shop on the west coast. Looking forward to seeing him again at Bonneville this year.

While I cant mention all of the forum members, here are some of the highlights as I seen  by me:

Bruce (Aka MaxHeadFlow) has not changed a bit. I think he was wearing the same outfit that he wore last year and the year before. Sort of like Einstein who was too smart to pick out his clothes so he had an entire wardrobe of nothing but light blue button down shirts and kahki pants. I suspect Bruce has an entire wardrobe of nothing but red flannel shirts, Sykes shirts and well worn jeans. In all seriousness, Max is a pleasure to be around, very entertaining and highly educational.

Mike (Aka Mayor) that guy, I think he might be up for re-election as mayor or something. Also very funny.

John (Aka Wurktruk), I wasnt sure if he would or not but John showed up to the nightly happy hours at the Millennium. John seemed humble and while I will not speak for him, I got the feeling he realized he has made some wrong decisions that have hurt his personal relationship with several members. A few truths about John, he is passionate about tuning, has done a ton of research and has taken the huge step to buy into tuing, bought a 250i and all the various minutia that is required.

Jim Kitzmiller (Aka JK) While unkown to many, John is a partner to Dan Fitz at Zippers and is an extremely nice guy. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to interact with him a bit at the show.

Jim (Tweekmytwin), Jim (Stroker), Daren (Durwood), Bob, Phil, Steve, Robin, as always, I enjoyed hanging out with you guys.

Mother, Torque Inc, Tattoo and several others (please forgive my poor memory), I enjoyed meeting you guys and putting a face to your screen names.

For you guys that didnt make it, like Keith, I hope to see you guys next year.

Support your local Indi and buy American.


L&R
Turboprop

[BVHOG]

So what did you guys think of the little HD blower  setup, really compact, can't wait to see how this develops and works out. Or should I just ask "What do you think Joelyons?"

[NCTURBOS]

Awesome review Ed, & just what I was logging on to read this morning!  I hated to miss it this year, and even more disappointed that my bike wasn't together 'cause I had plans...

Maybe next year,

K.

[strokerjlk]

Daytona Twin Tech put on a really good seminar. Aside from all the usual features, I was surprised to learn their Twin Scan will function as a simple oscilloscope. While maybe not as important for the newer bikes with internal diagnostics, I thought the O-Scope feature would be very handy to have in the garage. Their wideband ECM also has inputs for external 5 VDC sensors and outputs for shift lights and I think two-step rev limit as well. They also handed out coupons good for $100 off dealer cost on just about everything they sell. Class act all around

A few comments to add to Ed's review .
The DTT 1005 series ign , is capable of two step control .
Chris worked this out and it is very easy to do , using existing switches.
Allen hired a new tech manager . Kevin Baxter . He is very informed and eager to help with all your tech needs .
Ed
Thanks for introducing me to skeeter Todd . What a wealth of information.
Brock's had their 2-1 on display . Its their private label version of the rush wrath .
Very nice pipe with some cool end cap options .

The Area 51 2-1 and 2-2 pipes are the same pipe as freedom performance head pipes .
Area 51 is using their Venturi in a perforated baffle . The wrap can be installed in sections , this gives you some adjustability for your level of sound .

[rbabos]

Daytona Twin Tech put on a really good seminar. Aside from all the usual features, I was surprised to learn their Twin Scan will function as a simple oscilloscope. While maybe not as important for the newer bikes with internal diagnostics, I thought the O-Scope feature would be very handy to have in the garage. Their wideband ECM also has inputs for external 5 VDC sensors and outputs for shift lights and I think two-step rev limit as well. They also handed out coupons good for $100 off dealer cost on just about everything they sell. Class act all around

A few comments to add to Ed's review .
The DTT 1005 series ign , is capable of two step control .
Chris worked this out and it is very easy to do , using existing switches.
Allen hired a new tech manager . Kevin Baxter . He is very informed and eager to help with all your tech needs .
Ed
Thanks for introducing me to skeeter Todd . What a wealth of information.
Brock's had their 2-1 on display . Its their private label version of the rush wrath .
Very nice pipe with some cool end cap options .

The Area 51 2-1 and 2-2 pipes are the same pipe as freedom performance head pipes .
Area 51 is using their Venturi in a perforated baffle . The wrap can be installed in sections , this gives you some adjustability for your level of sound .

Kevin Baxter, as in previously with HeadQuarters Kevin?
Ron

[strokerjlk]

Daytona Twin Tech put on a really good seminar. Aside from all the usual features, I was surprised to learn their Twin Scan will function as a simple oscilloscope. While maybe not as important for the newer bikes with internal diagnostics, I thought the O-Scope feature would be very handy to have in the garage. Their wideband ECM also has inputs for external 5 VDC sensors and outputs for shift lights and I think two-step rev limit as well. They also handed out coupons good for $100 off dealer cost on just about everything they sell. Class act all around

A few comments to add to Ed's review .
The DTT 1005 series ign , is capable of two step control .
Chris worked this out and it is very easy to do , using existing switches.
Allen hired a new tech manager . Kevin Baxter . He is very informed and eager to help with all your tech needs .
Ed
Thanks for introducing me to skeeter Todd . What a wealth of information.
Brock's had their 2-1 on display . Its their private label version of the rush wrath .
Very nice pipe with some cool end cap options .

The Area 51 2-1 and 2-2 pipes are the same pipe as freedom performance head pipes .
Area 51 is using their Venturi in a perforated baffle . The wrap can be installed in sections , this gives you some adjustability for your level of sound .

Kevin Baxter, as in previously with HeadQuarters Kevin?
Ron

I wondered the same thing . But he's to young 

[rigidthumper]

Same guy, that's Kevin Baxter of Pro-Twin performance , the same guy who worked with Doug Coffee (Head-Quarters) for a while.

[strokerjlk]

Same guy, that's Kevin Baxter of Pro-Twin performance , the same guy who worked with Doug Coffee (Head-Quarters) for a while.

I'll be darn ... He ages well. 

[Durwood]

Same guy, that's Kevin Baxter of Pro-Twin performance , the same guy who worked with Doug Coffee (Head-Quarters) for a while.

I'll be darn ... He ages well. 

He must stay off the 21st floor...

[TorQuePimp]

  Looked at the freedom pipe,area 51.....construction of both look to be the same as vance and hines does for the propipe line.

   so the difference is the baffle/muffler in both the freedom and the area 51.

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Daytona Twin Tech put on a really good seminar. Aside from all the usual features, I was surprised to learn their Twin Scan will function as a simple oscilloscope. While maybe not as important for the newer bikes with internal diagnostics, I thought the O-Scope feature would be very handy to have in the garage. Their wideband ECM also has inputs for external 5 VDC sensors and outputs for shift lights and I think two-step rev limit as well. They also handed out coupons good for $100 off dealer cost on just about everything they sell. Class act all around

A few comments to add to Ed's review .
The DTT 1005 series ign , is capable of two step control .
Chris worked this out and it is very easy to do , using existing switches.
Allen hired a new tech manager . Kevin Baxter . He is very informed and eager to help with all your tech needs .
Ed
Thanks for introducing me to skeeter Todd . What a wealth of information.
Brock's had their 2-1 on display . Its their private label version of the rush wrath .
Very nice pipe with some cool end cap options .

The Area 51 2-1 and 2-2 pipes are the same pipe as freedom performance head pipes .
Area 51 is using their Venturi in a perforated baffle . The wrap can be installed in sections , this gives you some adjustability for your level of sound .

Kevin Baxter, as in previously with HeadQuarters Kevin?
Ron

Him and Headquaters had a bit of a falling out, to be polite.
He had his own shop in Lawerenceville, Ga., Pro-Twin, if I remember.
We did several sets of heads for him before, and he used our cams in a 107" he built.
Always seemed like a gentleman with us.
Scott

[mayor]

It was great seeing everyone again this year. I always enjoy the show, but the chance to sit around and bs with other forum guys is usually some of my favorite times of the show. 

Most of the things I checked out was tuning related, and it looked like all the players were busy developing new features/systems.

3.  Last but not least and what I am excited about the most is TT's 4 configurable 0-5 analog inputs.

TT's ?
What is this?

I'll be posting pictures later.    I'm excited about this.   

[BVHOG]

Thanks guys, been wracking what's left of my brain trying to figure out how I knew who Kevin Baxter was.

[rigidthumper]

I said 0-5 volts, and I was corrected, it's "0-8 volts".  That would allow more resolution, and encompass more options. I think it would be useful for EGT and Wide Bands on both cylinders, while monitoring all things internal, all at the same time.   

[Coyote]

I said 0-5 volts, and I was corrected, it's "0-8 volts".  That would allow more resolution, and encompass more options. I think it would be useful for EGT and Wide Bands on both cylinders, while monitoring all things internal, all at the same time.

That would allow more range but less resolution.

It would be interesting to compare the wide bands to the resultant Vtune.   

[turboprop]

I have a couple of Alibis.

The Vance and Hines booth had some really cool adjustable brake and clutch levers for oem harley controls, made by Oberon Performance in the UK.

http://www.oberon-performance.com/acatalog/Airo_Short_Adjustable_Levers_Harley-Davidson.html

https://store.vanceandhines.com/gear/35-0266/

They also had a really low-key 1/4 turn throttle grip for Harley oem controls. Only 449.95 if purchased direct from G2 Ergonomics, but $86.95 from Vance & Hines.

https://store.vanceandhines.com/gear/35-0256/

http://www.g2ergo.com/store/harley-davidson-throttle-no-grip-option/

Not sure if anyone else made any purchases on the floor like I did, but I ordered a new Bell carbon fiber helmet for slightly less than dealer cost, free shipping and no tax. Also ordered a set of custom covers. If anyone noticed the unique military logo on the hat I was wearing, 'Nois Defions', Translated means 'We Defy'. Their was a guy there selling custom engraved covers, he is doing two of them. One of them is for Johnny Bo.

[FXDBI]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pro-Twin-Performance-Products/169395069738582

Doug Coffey's ex partner.   Bob

[turboprop]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pro-Twin-Performance-Products/169395069738582

Doug Coffey's ex partner.   Bob

The Pro Twin rocker boxes look exactly like the ones offered by Delkron. Would not be surprised if the the rocker supports and heads are also from Delkron. Very few people are actually manufacturing anything today, simply relabeling other stuff.

[Hillside Motorcycle]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pro-Twin-Performance-Products/169395069738582

Doug Coffey's ex partner.   Bob

The Pro Twin rocker boxes look exactly like the ones offered by Delkron. Would not be surprised if the the rocker supports and heads are also from Delkron. Very few people are actually manufacturing anything today, simply relabeling other stuff.

Simply relabeling.........that's an understatement.....
Scott

[joe_lyons]

So what did you guys think of the little HD blower  setup, really compact, can't wait to see how this develops and works out. Or should I just ask "What do you think Joelyons?"

Almost didnt catch that.   I think time and testing will have to tell on how the mini blower does.  There were some conflicting things that was heard about the maximum outputs of the unit but still at that is is way to much for most people.  There was a few design changes that they are making like the cam chain tensioner.  The remote reservoir looked a bit bulky and mabie hard to locate even for a bagger.
I didnt even get a chance to talk to Vance and Hines about their new tuner setup.
Sorry I didnt get to meet more people and talk.  Guess that means I'll have to come next year for sure.

[BVHOG]

So what did you guys think of the little HD blower  setup, really compact, can't wait to see how this develops and works out. Or should I just ask "What do you think Joelyons?"

Almost didnt catch that.   I think time and testing will have to tell on how the mini blower does.  There were some conflicting things that was heard about the maximum outputs of the unit but still at that is is way to much for most people.  There was a few design changes that they are making like the cam chain tensioner.  The remote reservoir looked a bit bulky and mabie hard to locate even for a bagger.
I didnt even get a chance to talk to Vance and Hines about their new tuner setup.
Sorry I didnt get to meet more people and talk.  Guess that means I'll have to come next year for sure.

My main question for you Joe is did you get any of that "erotic poetry" the gal with the high heels was offering?

[mayor]

I went to the second Techno research seminar -- what a bunch of crap. The presenter looked liked the absent minded professor and spoke with such a heavy French? accent that he was hard to understand.  The whole session just kind of rambled on with no real explanation of what they had, how it worked, or what it really was, other than "it's the greatest thing in the world".  It looked like the 3 or so dealers who actually used their software and equipment were sitting up front and pretty well spent most of the time conversing with the presenter, who in my mind really didn't present anything.  The biggest complaint from the users was that their customers never heard of Techno Research and so were reluctant to have their bikes tuned using it.  Offhand it looks like tremendously capable software/hardware with tremendously lousy marketing and support.  I looked at their website and it looks like they use their equipment on all sorts of bike brands other than Harley and that the Harley market is a pretty small part of their business (and attention/support).  I'll stick with ThunderMax.

I was at the earlier TR seminar, and there was a limited amount of folks in that one that were asking questions.  I would suspect that all but a few were already users of the product, and that gave them a better idea of what they would like to see. I also suspect that the ones who were asking questions and making comments were the ones who had the most tuning experience.  I didn't get the impression that Sandro was trying to sensationalize his system in the one I attended, more like he was proud of what it could do and excited to share.  Having guys willing to bring up ideas in seminars isn't new, but having the main guy there being willing to listen to those ideas and act on them if he can is.  I've been to a lot of seminars where they were being presented by nothing more than sales people pedaling a product, who know nothing of the technical side of the product.  I can say that the Italian accent actually starts to become much less noticeable the more you talk to him.   I spent close to 3 hours with him yesterday, and I have to say that you really won't find too many nicer guys in the industry. 

I've personally dealt with technical folks from every major tuning system on the market today, and I don't see where the Techno Research product is lacking at all in support compared to the other big names out there.  Heck, I wasn't even a customer at the time and Sandro was willing to add some features to his software so that it works with equipment I already had.  I think there's some room for growth in the market where better marketing would help, but while I was in the hotel lounge Saturday night after the show there were four tuners off this forum  (from all over the US) selling me on using that system.  Over my last years worth of looking into the system, I've talked to about a dozen or more well known tuners who use and recommend the product.  I think that one of the reasons that the consumers aren't hearing much about it is it's not pushed on the consumers...yet.  There new product will be more consumer based.  I'm not too interested in the new consumer product, but I just committed to buying the current Direct Link system. 

[joe_lyons]

(To bvhog)I am still completely confused about that and she came out of left field with the hand gestures she was doing. Guess I should have been on the second floor instead of drinking with you.lol