DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit

DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit

This week we did a little bit of Formula 1/ MotoGp technology for Ninja San.

One of the lesser-known or discussed problems with sports bikes is the heat build up in slow moving traffic and traffic light stops. In many bikes the heat build up is so great that it said to cause singed legs if proper protective clothes are not used. Riding such bikes in shorts or thin slacks is one sure shot way to get first-degree burns.

To get around the above stated problem, Kawasaki has implemented a clever ducted fan system, which it calls the Kawasaki Air Management System (KAMS). This system uses a shroud over the cooling fan to draw air through the radiator and deflects the air to flow from the bottom of the bodywork rather than the open vents in the fairing. The system works most of the time as advertised.

However, the system has a consequence; due to the ducted fan, an air pocket is formed between engine and the fuel tank. This air pocket normally gets cleaned up when the bike starts moving and the positive air pressure due to speed forces the air in the pocket to exit through the vents in the fairing. However, in extreme cases when the bike is standing for prolong time this air pocket heats up which in turn heats up the fuel tank, fuel pump and the fuel lines. When the heat reaches a point where it turns fuel in vapor in the fuel lines it leads to a phenomena called vapor lock and engine misfires as result of the vapor locks, which do not allow proper amount of fuel to reach the injectors. The fuel pump struggles to maintain proper fuel pressure and the heated fuel snaps power.

I experienced the above-mentioned phenomena while standing in traffic surrounded by dozens of other cars which had their air cons on and sheading heat from their engines and adding to the already blistering 39 degrees heat in the afternoon.

On a number of occasions when we removed the fuel tank to work on the bike, we notice the significant amount of heated air present between the engine and the fuel tank. We also noticed that the heat is leading to discoloration in the cavity under the fuel tank.

While looking for a solution we came across the DEI Under tank insulation kit. While the solution seems to be simple it is also elegant. The solution uses a reflective material to reflect heat away from the component it has been applied on in engine bays of Formula 1 cars and under the bodywork of MotoGp bikes. Of course in these primer applications Gold is used as the material for insulation. While a gold kit was available with DEI, we selected the aluminum kit. As the principle of insulation remains the same, even the aluminum kit offers protection at 200 degrees Celsius of continuous heat with a claimed reduction of up to 30% reduction in fuel temperatures. The Gold kit claims 400 degrees Celsius operating margin.


Under side of the fuel tank. Note the discoloration in the cavity due to heat.


DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit


Other products from DEI


The self-adhesive reflective aluminum sheet from the kit


Application of the reflective aluminum sheet




The finished fuel tank

Re: DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit

Fantastic, learnt something new today After putting the Aluminium sheet have you had an opportunity to check the real world effect of it? Considering that it is winter now and temperatures are lower.

Re: DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit

Not really, the vapor lock problem really occurs only when temperatures are very high. And as your rightly pointed out, it is winter now. However, the principle of reflective heat shield is well settled, not only does F1 and MotoGP use it, it has been used in aeronautics and space industry for decades for aircrafts, manned space crafts and satellites.


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Re: DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit

Sir I love the mods you have done on your bike. Congrats and Enjoy sir.

I would like to ask a question sir, have you made any videos of the mods you have done on Ninja San?

If you haven't, then I suggest you please do. Thanks a lot sir!

Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber

Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber



The above-mentioned Principle of Cause and Effect underlies all scientific thought and inquiry.

When we installed the Brembo Marchesini wheels in our pursuit for performance we created a cause, which had certain effects. By putting these lighter wheels, one of the effects was reducing the un-sprung mass and thereby reduction in spinning mass. While the reduction spinning mass enabled faster acceleration, the reduction of un-sprung mass has also led to some complications.

Based upon a number of criteria such as intent of use, type of vehicle, price point, etc., a product is designed and tested. Once again it is a combination of compromises that creates the product. Bike makers then test their bikes extensively before introducing them into the markets. The suspension of all bikes is tested under various conditions to ensure the best compromise is reached upon for intent of use. Engineers take into account various factors such as overall weight of the bike, the overall sprung weight, the overall un-sprung weight, average weight of the user, the intent of use, etc., to zero in on the type of front and rear suspension settings need to be. Hundreds of parameters are checked and decided upon, such as spring rate, compression dampening, rebound dampening, overall ride height (thereby deciding the overall shock length), etc.

With N300, once again the bean counting department has had its influence on the overall product design. In order to keep cost low, the engineers had to offer a very basic suspension that has almost no room of tailoring adjustments for individual preferences. After extensive testing of the bike, the engineers have come to a set of compromise settings that will work passably well in most circumstances. However, these compromises with added fact that the suspension is not tunable creates problems when any changes are made to the bike.

With the long list of changes that we have made on this bike (of which Brembo Marchesini wheels is one of them) we have succeeded in reducing weight by about 20 kgs. More importantly we have succeeded in reducing un-sprung weight by 5.5 kgs, which definitely helps in acceleration. However, this reduction in un-sprung weight has led to upsetting the stock suspension settings as decided by the engineers at Kawasaki. The ride is now harsh and dumpy. On smooth roads where the suspension is not stressed so much the ride is acceptable. However, on roads that are even moderately uneven, the bike ride tends to be harsh and the bike jumps around like a bucking bronco, thus making the bike unstable under such conditions.

Had the bike had adjustable suspension, compensating for the above-mentioned changes would have easily solved the problem. However, the stock suspension does not have any adjustments for front forks and only a 5 step preload adjustment on the rear shock absorber.

Thus we are left with no choice but to opt for after market solution to remedy the situation.

We decided to start with the rear suspension as it was much less complicated to work on. There are a number of companies that offer a number of solutions for rear suspension on Ninja 250/300. Companies such as K-tec, Nitron, Ohlins and Race Tech all offer solutions for the bike. All of these solutions have all the bells and whistles that you would expect from top of the line suspensions. However, they are also very expensive. We considered top of the line shocks such as Nitron NTR R3 and Ohlins S35HR1. These shocks are the end game as far as suspensions are considered today. They have every possible setting that you would ever need for the lifetime of the bike. However, they are also extremely expensive with a door-to-door cost of approximately Rs. 80,000/-. After a lot of contemplation we had almost finalized on one of these shocks when we did a rethink before ordering the shock.

We reasoned that the bike was going to spend most of its time on the road with maybe one or two outings on a racetrack if ever. Looking at this need what was required was to cure the bike of its problems that were there on the road and a top of the line suspension was an over kill for road use only. Therefore we started looking at suspensions that were offered some amount of functionality. We identified the Nitro NTR R1 and the Ohlins S36DR1. Both these shocks offer identical adjustments i.e. preload and rebound dampening. It was our understanding that a revised spring rate along with rebound dampening adjustment would take care of the problems we were facing.

We finally zeroed in on the Ohlins S36DR1 as ultimately Ohlins is the de facto standard for sports bikes and race bikes across the world.





Ohlins S36DR1

As mentioned above Ohlins S36DR1 has pre load and rebound adjustments. It is a basic shock from Ohlins. However, that is not the full story. There are number of features which make it a considerable upgrade over the stock shock absorber.

The stock shock absorber is what is known as an Emulsion Absorber. These types of absorbers have oil and gas mixed inside the shock absorber. The pressurized gas in the shock absorber consists of inert Nitrogen. The pressurized gas prevents cultivation of the oil, thereby ensuring that the shock action is more even and consistent across the range.



The S36DR1 consist of Monotube high pressure Nitrogen in an internal reservoir. The separate reservoir helps in better cooling of the oil, which in turn helps with longer service life for the oil as well as the components.


Ohlins S36DR1


Preload Adjuster


Rebound Adjuster knob


Assembly

For assembly we removed the stock shock and all the linkages. The linkages and mounting points were cleaned and fresh lithium grease was applied before mounting the S36DR1. The process was completed without any problems and was a bolt on job.













Initial experience

To start with we left all the settings as they were out of the box. Our initial ride experience was simply fantastic. This change has transformed the bike. The ride has become supple and smooth. Over moderately bad roads where the bike would previously jump around and the ride was extremely harsh, the bike now glides and absorbs the shocks without any drama whatsoever. The transformation is simply magical. The rear gives just enough feed back to let you know what is happening between the tyre and tarmac without passing all the bumps and indentations through your body.

In the coming days we will start changing settings step by step to understand the suspension better. However, even with Ohlins out of the box settings the bike is now a completely different animal.

After having gone through almost an endless list of changes for Ninja San, I can emphatically say that after steel braided brake lines and after market break pads, the Ohlins S36DR1 should be the next on list of anyone who is thinking of performance upgrades on his N300. Leave aside the full exhaust systems, the fuel modules, the better, sticky tyres and so on; this one change will transform the way your bike handles. This one change was what Kawasaki should have included in its stock offering with steel braided brake lines.

Once again a big thanks to Vikram at Motozone for all the help he provided in making this change.

Re: Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber

Lovely. Suspension play's such a vital role in the handling and comfort, especially over a considerable riding distance.

What was the landed cost of the unit you purchased? What was the weight of the Ohlins and stock?

You might have mentioned it previously on this thread but asking again. Have you as yet got a chance to take your bike to a track or has it so far seen road use only?

Re: Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber

Welcome to the ohlins club. ;-)

Re: Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber

The landed cost of the unit was Rs.32,000/-, which is considerably less than the cost for the top of the line model. We did not weigh the shocks, however even just holding the shocks in your hand will let you know that the Ohlins is considerably lighter. We will do a weight comparison in future. Unfortunately, there is no race track nearby therefore the only place we will be able to test the bike is for a quarter mile run at Amby Valley.

I had told you that I will be shadowing you and your bike...

Re: Installation of Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber

Lol then it's time sir for u to hit the track

Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

At the outset let me say that the credit for this particular upgrade goes in its entirety to Archit Kumar aka @architkumar_1986 on XBhp. Archit is a fellow N300 tribe member who is also one of the most helpful guys I have ever come to know. Interestingly, I have not met Archit personally till date; we have only exchanged messages on a Ninja 300 owners group on Whatsapp. Archit had recently joined the Whatsapp group and after exchanging a few messages, he recommended the Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery as one of the upgrades for N300. After considering the pros and cons, I decided to go ahead with the upgrade. Archit not only very graciously offered to order the battery along with the parts he was ordering for his bike, he also ensured that he got the best deal for it.

He did this for a person he has never met and barely knows through a Whatsapp group. It is said that you meet the nicest people on motorcycles. Archit personifies this saying. Archit also has one of the most tricked out N300 in the country. Do check out his video logs here http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43ugM8d7_pkg4MhNF6UrtwBallastic Evo 2 Lithium Iron Battery

The Ballastic Evo 2 battery is a state of the art Lithium Iron battery that has been specially designed for power sports applications. The batteries are designed with weight and size as the primary consideration and therefore are extremely compact and lightweight. This fact is apparent from the size comparison below.
The Ballastic battery is incredibly light at 450 gms! The other advantage of this battery is the static discharge rate of 10% per year. Which means that you need to worry less about the battery if you bike has been standing for couple of months and not been started.














Ballastic Evo Charger

While the Ballastic battery is a marvel of technology, the Ballastic Evo charger is even more so. Specially designed for charging of Lithium Iron batteries, it takes advantage of the properties of lithium iron to maximize the performance of the battery. The battery charger is intelligent and completely automatic. It has a built in feature to test the heath of the battery and decide what is the best way to charge the battery. It has the ability to charge each cell individually at a rate that is best for that particular cell. Not only has battery storage technology progressed substantially, battery charging technology has also kept pace with the storage technology.






Initial Impression

Needless to say, installing the battery was simple swap. However, since we wanted to preserve the settings made in the Translogic Digital Dash, we had to do the battery swap while ensuring that the dash received uninterrupted power supply during the whole process.

Nevertheless, the whole process was relatively painless and the battery works as advertised. Looking at the size of the battery we were apprehensive about its cranking power. However, no problems whatsoever. It started the engine within half a crank. For its weight and size, it certainly punches far above them and knocks out the competition with the very first punch. With this one change we have saved over 2 kgs in weight. Ultimately, all these weight savings add up to be substantial performance enhancers. This change is one of the best and cheapest ways to shed some unnecessary weight. Much recommended, two thumbs up!!!

Re: Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

Jeez ur makin me blush Dude.. ��

Thanks for the kind words..and don't forget.. Ur tail light is still on its way.

Re: Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

It would be worthy to mention the cost of every mod as well

Next : front forks? upside down

Re: Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

Abhimanyu sir jee, do we need to take out the battery every time it needs charging?

Re: Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery

I am not telling !!! As for the cost, I don't want to list them as I get all sorts of crap about how much I am spending on the bike and how I would be better of with a bigger bike!

No there is no need to remove the battery for charging. The Ballastic charger comes with charging socket which can be installed permanently on the bike. One simply needs to plug in the charger to do the charging. I will post photos of the same when I open the bike next time.

Re: Ballastic Lithium Iron Battery


I think , thats the only thing remaining the mods are sensible so i second them, though if you get a bigger bike, this experience will always help.