Non-linear throttle and other M8 tuning questions

[DTTJGlide]

Joe Lyons @ Powerhouse Cycle & Dyno is in K.C. MO, about 380mi, worth the trip.

[Xyzzy]

the way you ride why waste money on a new header

I'd be doing it for better sound I guess. I need to hear one IRL to make a decision. Plus I need to do some more research. Originally I wasn't going to do any mods (the stock power is fine) but since I have the PV now I have the opportunity to explore options.

I thought about a new air cleaner also but I'm not sure I like the idea of oiled cotton gauze filter material. That is something else to research.

[PoorUB]

the way you ride why waste money on a new header

Or any mods for that matter! Leave it stock and enjoy!

[SixShooter14]

I've heard good things about Rodneys Cycle House in Little Rock.

Pete (username: Pete_Vit) has been there more than I.

[Xyzzy]

Here is a (crappy?) video of the bike at idle. So far it has the NH slip-ons and a Heavy Breather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si-U79QgRjo

I have a Jackpot header pre-ordered. Hopefully that will improve the sound and (maybe?) make tuning easier when I get it to the dyno place.

Stock, the engine was so quiet I couldn't hear it when I was riding. (I wear ear plugs, mostly because of the wind noise.) Now I can hear the engine although I do wish it was louder. Maybe my hearing is going bad.

I found the throttle blade control in the WinPV software and I have been experimenting with it. I have attached a picture of the settings of my current tune file. I tried smoothing these values but I think that made it worse. I like having a lot of grip rotation for the lower RPMs so I can do precision low-speed work easier. While what I have is smooth, it isn't as smooth as I have experienced on prior motorcycles.

I did some low-speed circles today for practice and with the idle now at 950-1000 and the smooth fueling I can idle in first indefinitely with no lash or jerky motion. I don't hear the compensator at all. On my '16 RGS I was never able to do that because the compensator would freak out. (I could idle in third gear and circle endlessly on my '14 Valkyrie, though.)

[Xyzzy]

I just got back from a quick 150 mile ride.

I love the Heavy Breather especially since it provides a while bunch more leg room. The rear breather passage (?) warms up enough and is shaped just right to warm my right fingertips. I use the primary cover for my left finger tips. Plus, it looks wicked, IMO.

The overall engine noise at cruise (fifth gear at 70 MPH) is louder than with the stock air filter but the additional noise isn't intake noise. I'm not sure why it is louder but I like it.

Since I deal with a bunch of bugs nearly year round I will leave the sock on the HB. I'll have it tuned with it in place although I can't see that sock material obstructing any flow. My stock filter, even though it has that mesh in the opening, got jammed up with bug guts and crap.

I order my OEM parts from Surdyke so they are 20% off retail, plus free shipping and no tax. I visited them a few months ago and they seem like a really cool dealer. I think the HB ended up costing $336 or so.

[Xyzzy]

This is slowly turning into a build thread.

I have been slowly raising my RPM limiter since the engine sounds so awesome when I romp on it. I may eventually set the limit high and just turn on the speed limit in the PV software. Right now I have the limiter at 3,750 RPM.

I don't know how far I will go, but I am thinking of doing a bit more work to my bike. I added a variable pressure clutch today. I think this is all I will need to do, clutch-wise, for any build I am likely to do. I'd like to get to 110/110 but I don't know if that is reasonable. It would just be for bragging rights and because I want to learn how to mod the bike.

So far I have:

SE HB intake
Cobra NH mufflers
Dynojet PV
AIM SDR VPC

I have the Jackpot header pre-ordered. I'd like to swap in different cams and some quality lifters and pushrods. If anything, I will just make that area more bullet-proof than it is now. I will definitely get it dyno-tuned but I'd like to do the rest of the work myself. (Since the new header will have ports for wide-band O2 sensors, should I consider buying the sensor kit and trying to auto-tune it myself?)

The SDR VPC took less than 5 minutes to install. I can feel the additional pressure when shifting at 3K RPM, but it is reasonable and I only pull the clutch in a tiny bit because I preload the shifter. The end result is very smooth shifts without a lot of clutch slippage. At idle the pull feels the same as stock. I do wish I could bring in the lever a bit since the engagement point is at the end of the lever travel. That would make it nearly perfect.

Anyways, I'm learning a lot and having a blast!