Guys, I'm planning to upgrade my exhaust and air filter. Could you please answer my below queries.

Whether FFE and stock replacement filter from RC need run-in period?
Whether current batch FFE comes with stainless steel?
How about increase in lower end torque and power since I'm a city rider?

Thanks in advance

The last i spoke to Joel, the new Batch of FFEs will be of SS grade. However, i am not sure if Joel already has them readily available in stock. please check with him at [email protected]

I would say go for the FFE only first! if you just buy the Free flow air filter, you will have to go for rejetting... which is not recommended and turns out to be a major pain!!

The FFE alone would boost low end and top end like anything. The engine will rev to the redline in no time.

Cheers,

Hello guys.....So here i am writing about my hot rodded bike. Please do excuse me for my poor literature skills.

The story begins in the nearby past.....I bought a FZ hoping it would be a beast to drive.

Although it never disappointed me in ANY aspect other than Power....It felt underpowered for its own robust chassis.

Then began the quest for MORE power...How nice it would be if the bike could have all the power it can really handle..

I didnt want to part with my bike after having it for more than 3 years...it was almost like selling one's own limb...

That is when it occurred to me. How about i can keep my bike and have its power bumped up too.
Had been following all the stories about the mutant FZ's being created by the dark arts specialist 'Joel'.

Finally took the plunge last month(August)....ordered some goodies from the master....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81514[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81515[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81516[/ATTACH]

Sorry for the bike quality. Took the pics on the night it was built and took for a small ride.
Will post some clean bike pics soon.

By now you all seem to be familiar with the parts offered by Joel. Nevertheless i will write briefly about them for the sake of this thread.

1. Bigbore kit.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81494[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81495[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81496[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81497[/ATTACH]

It comes with the race piston and the cylinder block. Very robust quality i must say. The sleeve work and piston finish were upto the mark.

2. FFE.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81498[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81499[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81500[/ATTACH]

The exhaust was sparkling as a jewel to my eyes. Never was i ever so mesmerized by anything chrome.
It comes with a db killer. But my advise would be to avoid it atleast until the run-in of the bike.
Coz we wont be ripping the bike like hell during run-in, so the noise levels would be minimum.


3. Hotter camshaft.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81501[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81502[/ATTACH]

This is a mild lift camshaft. i.e. less than 1mm lift. Retains the valve opening for a tad longer than the stock one.
Which results in better fuel intake and hence more power available to you.

4. Stock replacement air filter.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81509[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81510[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81511[/ATTACH]

This is the high flow stock replacement air filter. Note the porous mesh in the first pic. Will need frequent cleaning than the stock one.
But definitely breathes better than stock filter.

5. Altered geometry for the Head.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81512[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81513[/ATTACH]

Alteration to the ports. And some other tricks as well. Can say only that much.


The Experience of modifying:

I have zilch knowledge about modifying an engine. So started to spend some time at my friend who eventually helped me build it.

So after getting the parts it took another week to get some free time to get the bike fit with all the magic parts.

I must add that the parts are truly as Joel would say PLUG and PLAY.

Really man. There was no need to alter or modify any of the stock parts at all. The parts fit perfectly as stock ones.

Although you have to get some gaskets and stuff before installing the new parts, these are NOT major headache.

They are easily available at your nearby Yamaha SVC.

I apologize for not having taken the pics during the installation as promised to some of the my friends here.
I was so excited in getting my hands dirty with oil that i totally forgot about the pics.

THE RIDE:

Once the built was done i fired the engine for the first time.
The sweet bassy sound of the exhaust filled our ears and for a moment there i couldn't hear anything else.

I took her out for a ride.
At first it felt nothing special. The rpm meter was hovering around the idleing mark of 1200rpm.

But as the rpm rose to 2k rpm i felt something had changed drastically. Yes, the next instance the meter was on 4k rpm and climbing.
The burst of power was unbelievable. And here i was thinking what just happened.

The beast had awakened now and truly worth being called the Lord of the Streets.
I rode her sanely below 4k rpm for the next two days. Actually it was only a small 20km ride.
Didnt get time from work to truly belt her out.

The third day i thought of taking her to the highway.
So i went to start the bike and at the first crank the bike felt as if the piston half revved and stopped.

I didnt get it. The battery was replaced during the installation of these parts.
So called up Joel. He said the it is the tight, high compression piston at work.

After some cranks the bike started and i took her to the highway. This day it was a bit different.
The bike started breathing intermittently in the rpm range.

Even then the bike touched 100 in no time for first time after the build.
Although it was for a brief moment and i immediately brought down the speed.
This was when i realized for sure that the magic has worked. And the bike wasnt even WOT.

There are a few adjustments to be done before it rages like a Bull.
But till then i am happy to have had a moment of nirvana.

Truly the bike has changed to the meaner and faster.
I thank you all for joining me in this quest and helping me out.

Cheers...

Info Courtesy: Abhimanyu31

So Noobs, i have been getting my inbox filled with this same query about how should one clean the Performance air filter??

Well both Simota stock replacement air filter and the 50MM Conical air filter are oil based type. I shall try and update this post with pics whenever i get to finish my build.

The cleaning process applies for both the replacement type and conical type air filter from Simota

STEP 1: Take the air filter out of your ride and using mild soap and water solution wash it gently to get rid of the dirt particles that have got trapped inside the filter. Rinse it with water and then wash it. Don't apply too much force while cleaning or you may end up damaging the filer

STEP 2: Let it dry completely. Buy a sasta/cheap mineral engine oil from any of he Petrol bunks and then oil the air filter generously. But don't over do it!! Apply just the amount which the filter would be able to soak. Wait for 10 mins. It will allow the extra oil trickle down which can be wiped with a cloth(Edited as the per the correction from the author in the post below!) It is imperative that you use fresh oil only and not used engine oil please!!

This 1 ltr bottle will last you more than a decade i guess!! One can also opt for Simota oil from the OEM company but then again it would be very expensive so the alternate way is mineral oil.

STEP 3: Put the air filter back to its respective place connected/installed in the bike

STEP 4: Resume belting!!

The cleaning interval for the replacement air filter can vary from 3000-5000 kms for extremely dusty and polluted city environment like in Mumbai, Rajasthan etc. and 10-15,000 kms for places with cleaner air. (10-15000 kms for place like Assam & Meghalaya where the air is cleaner, less or no dust and more cooler)

The conical air filter requires periodic cleaning between 1500-2500 kms as it is more exposed to the elements. (corrected as per the feedback from the author!! )

Good thing is it is a simple DIY (Do-It-Yourself) and can be performed at home. The only patience that one requires is to let the Air filter dry post cleaning and not be to harsh on it while cleaning it.

These air filters will outlast the life of the bike and probably you!!

Hope this helps..

Cheers,

Please let me know if any Run-in is required for FFE and filter replacement.
Thanks in advance.

Question for you gn.times.
Are there moving parts in RC's FFE (I know other exhausts have a solenoid operated flap to redirect airflow at high throttles) that rub against each other?

A exhaust is just a open ended pipe of varying diameters.
The muffler is a open ended pipe with insulation wrapped around a perforated tube.
If anything once your start pushing exhaust gas through it, the lifespan starts to decrease.
If you have a very richly tuned engine then the lifespan will be considerably shorter due to excessive carbon building up and clogging the small perforations.
.

^^^ Thanks for the correction Abhimanyu31 shall edit the details in my earlier post.

@Jonahmano: Why are you confused all the time mate?

Jokes apart the above tutorial is based on real time experience with the product. So you are free to follow the advice. If you are planning to go for the replacement type filter... the cleaning interval is same as the stock.. so i don't think it is too much of a head ache for you to go through the process right.. other way round it will allow you to tinker around with you ride and understand her better if you are one of the types who loves dirty greasy hands to learn more about your machine!!

@Mik: Mate i don't understand your obsession with socks and that too smelly socks!!

Cheers,

Shv18 thanks for the reply mate.

When I talked to Joel through phone a month back he told that Stock replacement air filter is available which don't need any rejetting and its plug n play.

Please let me know if any Run-in is required for FFE and filter replacement.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Mik, Will the quality of material used for wrapping the muffler affect performance? From what I understand it is used for absorbing sound. I will be refilling my FFE this weekend. The original glasswool has burnt completely. Any suggestion in this regards?

^^^ if you are running only the stock replacement filter then there is no need for re-jetting. However, if you are using a conical filter then you may need to re-jet.

Hi Abhimanyu, Mik & Shv18, It would be great if you can advice me on my query.

"Will the quality of material used for wrapping the muffler affect performance? From what I understand it is used for absorbing sound. I will be refilling my FFE this weekend. The original glasswool has burnt completely. Any suggestion in this regards?"

Hi All,

I have just received a good news from abhimanyu31 that the first lot of shipment has arrived in Mumbai. Below are extremely high resolution pics (courtesy abhimanyu31, and sorry about the big pic sizes ):




So now the pending parts are:

* Tuned/ported Head and
* The 29mm CV Carb will be done only after i somehow manage to run away from work and reach Mumbai to ship the stock head to Joel first.

I belive the pics are pretty much self explainatory however i would let expert abhimanyu31 to give his first hand inputs on the fit and finish of the product as he has physically seen and felt the product and did all the hard work to click the pics. I believe he is as excited as i am.

We are also waiting for Abhimanyu31s insane mod, 180cc kit for his already souped up 165cc R16 as an extreme update. That will be a ninja Killer for sure!!


Cheers,

First of all; please stop calling me a guru/ expert. There are people out here who are more knowledgeable by light years. So please stop, it's downright embarrassing.

Coming to the parts. As usually expected from Joel, the parts are clean, neatly machined and look of quality build. While I have not had the opportunity to measure the tolerances (will do it over the week end), looks and feels really tight. Impressively so considering that this is a air cooled engine (I got my R15 180cc cylinder kit along with these parts. It's tolerances are extremely tight! In fact it's so tight that i am more than a little apprehensive about it since the piston is a fully forged one. I think I will run fully synthetic oil right from inception. Don't want to risk oil shearing). Anyway, the quality is quite impressive. With such tight tolerances you will need to be really careful running this baby in.

The clutch springs are identical to the springs that I have on my bike. My bike has now completed 10,000+ kms on the same with no problems whatsoever. No clutch slippage, no clutch drag.

The cam looks good with clean machining.

First of all; please stop calling me a guru/ expert. There are people out here who are more knowledgeable by light years. So please stop, it's downright embarrassing.

Coming to the parts. As usually expected from Joel, the parts are clean, neatly machined and look of quality build. While I have not had the opportunity to measure the tolerances (will do it over the week end), looks and feels really tight. Impressively so considering that this is a air cooled engine (I got my R15 180cc cylinder kit along with these parts. It's tolerances are extremely tight! In fact it's so tight that i am more than a little apprehensive about it since the piston is a fully forged one. I think I will run fully synthetic oil right from inception. Don't want to risk oil shearing). Anyway, the quality is quite impressive. With such tight tolerances you will need to be really careful running this baby in. I also ride WOT mostly (as per road conditions) and pretty much shift when the shift light comes on, being doing that for a long time!

The clutch springs are identical to the springs that I have on my bike. My bike has now completed 10,000+ kms on the same with no problems whatsoever. No clutch slippage, no clutch drag.

The cam looks good with clean machining.

(I use normal 91 ron fuel, with system G, transmission fluid and tolouene, as you're in Bombay, you can try either full speed 97 or a 50/50 mix of 97 and regular 91, just bare in mind outside the big cities, HP and BP serve up 87 ron in most places, this will lead to a lot of knocking).