Thread: Making of Kawasaki Ninja 300 San

Preamble: This thread is a result of feedback from members who have opined that my posts in the Kawasaki Ninja 300 ownership thread need to be consolidated under a dedicated thread to enable easier access to the information therein. Over the next few days I will copy/paste all the posts from the ownership thread to this thread and will record all my future work under this thread.

I will start this thread with a post that I had put on my Facebook page as it evidently shows the excitement and high I felt when Ninja came home.

Ninja San Comes Home!!!

Meet the newest member of my family; Kawasaki Ninja 300 san!!!

Ninja san was conceived and conceptualized at the Research and Development Department of Kawasaki Heavy Industries at their Akasi Works facility in the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Ninja san was then prototyped and tested at the exclusively and exotic Autopolis Test Track owned by Kawasaki. The Autopolis Test Track sits at the base of an active volcano and is nested (literally) in the middle of mountains in the Aso Kujiyu National Park in the Kyushu island.

After testing and finalizing the design, Ninja san was sent to Kawasaki Motors plant in Thailand. At the Thailand plant, Ninja san was kitted as a Completely Knocked Down assembly kit and was shipped to Bajaj Auto’s Chakan plant in Pune. Ninja san was then assembled and sent to Bajaj Probiking showroom in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. And from the show room, Ninja san finally came home to Mumbai after a journey that started half way across the world and involved 3 countries and over 7,000 kms. A result of the miracle called globalisation!!! Welcome home Ninja San. Its sure been a long journey.

1. Engine Ice Coolant.
2. PiperCross Plug In Filter.
3. (Leo Vince LVI Full Exhaust System). Replaced with GPR Full Exhaust System.
4. Area P/ Fuel Moto Fuel Controller.
5. MRA Light Smoke Wind Screen.
6. ASV C/5 Adjustable Levers.
7. Lethal Threat Devil Babe tank pad.
8. (Spiegler Stainless Steel Brake Lines). Replaced with Custom Made HEL Stainless Steel Brake Lines.
9. (Heat wraps for Exhaust. Replaced with DEI Black Exhaust Wraps). Removed.
10. (Driven Racing D3 Grips - Limited Edition Candy Red). Replaced with Rizoma Lux Billet Grips (Red)
11. Brembo Rims.
12. Metzeler Sportec M5 Interact tyres.
13. Ride On Tyre Protection System.
14. Rizoma Garffio LED Indicator Lights.
15. Renthal 41 Teeth Rear Sprocket.
16. Vortex 14 Teeth SS Front Sprocket.
17. Rolon X Ring Chain.
18. Scottoiler E System chain oiler.
19. Sato Racing Rear Sets.
20. FLO Stainless Steel Oil Filter.
21. All Balls Tapper Roller Bearings for Steering.
21. Translogic Micro Dash 3 digital dash board.
22. (Custom made Triple Clamp). Replaced with Custom Made Upper Triple Clamp for USDs.
23. (WoodCraft Clip On handle bars) Replaced with Custom Made Clip Ons
24. Takai Racing Juice Boost Ignition Booster.
25. Takai Racing RipForce 4 Ignition Coils.
26. DEI Under Tank Insulation Kit.
27. (Ohlins S36DR1 Rear Shock Absorber). Replaced with Ohlins S36HR1C1.
28. Ballastic EVO 2 Lithium Iron battery.
29. DEI Insulated Airbox.
30. DMP LED Taillight.
31. Custom Made Lower Triple Clamp Tree with Titanium 6AL-4V steering stem rod.
32. Custom Made Titanium 6AL-4V handle bar rods.
33. Yoshimura Steering Stem bolt.
34. WP Suspension Upside Down (USDs) forks.
35. Magura Monobloc 4 Piston Radial Mounted Caliper.
36. MicroBlue Hybrid Ceramic Ball Bearings for Wheels.
37. Motozone Titanium 6AL-4V Suspension Rod Ties.
38. Lightech 7075 T6 Aluminum Bolt Kits (Engine/ Frame/ Fairing/ Fuel Tank Cap).
39. ZX 636 Projector Headlight setup.
40. Brembo 300mm Floating Disc.
41. Motozone Rear View Mirror Extenders.
42. Lightech Handlebar Ends.
43. Lightech Oil Cap.
44. LED Headlights.
45. Titanium Rear Wheel Axle & Spacers.

Topic Approved

Thanks for starting this thread. Waiting for all the information to start rolling in

Changing the coolant to Engine Ice.
Acknowledgements: Before I start this write up I would like to acknowledge Vikram and Vijay of Motozone, Pune (also in Mumbai), for their excellent support. They spent their entire Sunday on my bike and made arrangements for all the required items and consumables. I just needed to take the bike to them and they did all the rest. Vikram, Vijay, really appreciate the time, effort and the professionalism shown by you.

Couple of weeks back I had posted my experience about the first service of my N300 wherein I had mentioned that the service center does not use Motul Motocool pre-mix. The fact is they use some coolant, which they mix with tap water. That really made me a bit uncomfortable and I had decided that I needed to change over to Engine Ice coolant sooner rather than later.

It has been at the back of my mind since that service like a nagging woman (no offense to our fairer counterparts) that I need to change over soon. I called up Vikram and asked him if he could help me out with changing the coolant. He readily agreed and also informed me to just bring the bike, he would take care of everything else.
Like a fussy new mother worried about her newborn baby, I inquired with him about how he would go about doing the change. What I really appreciate about his response is the fact that he assured me that the coolant would be changed as per the coolant manufacture�s recommendations and the instructions. They would ensure the whole process is done it in front of me to my satisfaction.

I reached Vikram�s place at around 11.15 am. Vikram had already kept every thing ready. 6 bottles of battery water (demineralized water), 1 liter of white vinegar and 2 bottles of Engine Ice were ready for the change along with all the tools required to start the process.

We allowed the bike to cool down for about 45 minutes. In the mean time the seat and the fairing covers were removed.








The first thing that Vikram commented on seeing the engine was the quality of build. Kawasaki has created a superb engine and taken all the inputs and experiences from the Ninja 250 and created a vastly improved designed. No offense to any of the other bikes in the same class (including KTM and Honda), this engine�s quality is head and shoulders above anything that the counterparts have to offer.

Vikram also appreciated the design of the ducted fan which in addition to keeping hot air away from the rider�s legs has the additional benefit of keep the hot air away from the cylinder head, thereby allowing to run cooler. Incidentally, the cooling fan is made by Panasonic.

The first step was to empty the coolant reservoir.







After the coolant reservoir was emptied, it was washed and flushed with demineralized water.



Once the coolant reservoir was cleaned of all the residual old coolant, the next step was to remove all the coolant in the radiator and the engine. To remove all the coolant, the radiator cap was removed and the coolant drain bolt on left side of engine at the bottom was removed.






To ensure that all the coolant was drained the left side radiator pipe was disconnected and the residual coolant present in the radiator was removed.




The bike was then left to sit for about 15 minutes to allow for any residual coolant to drip out.

After that concoction of demineralized water and white vinegar was made with a ratio of 50:50. Since the coolant capacity of the engine is 1.5 liters this meant 750 ml (one bottle) of water and 750 ml of vinegar.

The concoction was then poured into the radiator and the hoses were gently pinched to remove any air pockets and bubbles. The engine was started and run till the cooling fan started. The cooling fan was allowed to switch on twice before shutting the engine down.



The engine was then allowed to cool for about 20 to 25 minutes and then opening the drain bolt the concoction was drained out.


In my enthusiasm I was asking Vikram to start the next step of putting plain demineralized water in to the radiator. Vikram explained to me his reasons for waiting for another 15 to 20 minutes before starting the process. There is always a one in million chance that while the radiator and the cylinders are still reasonably hot, pouring cold or room temperature liquid into the system could cause the hot metal to distort or even crack in extreme cases. Full marks to the gentleman for thinking in such detail and deliberating every step that needs to be taken. While such things may seem obvious, how many of us pay attention to such details?

After the engine had cooled down enough, 1.5 liters of plain demineralized water was poured into the cooling system to ensure flushing of the remaining of any of the concoction. Engine was once again started and allowed to run till the cooling fan started twice.

Once again the drain procedure was followed and the engine was allowed to cool down. The coolant drain bolt was then torqued to the recommended 9.8 Nm with a torque wrench.

Once the engine had cooled down, Vikram took a container of Engine Ice coolant and poured it in to the radiator.





He then poured the Engine Ice into the coolant reservoir.



Once again all the hoses were gently squeezed to remove all the air pockets and bubbles. The engine was once again started and run of 20 minutes. All joints were constantly monitored to check for any leaks. After the engine was switched off the level of coolant in the reservoir was once again checked before the reassembly of the fairings was started.

Usage Experience

I have been using Engine Ice in my R15 for the past 2 years and have been happy with the experience. Today on the N300, when the ambient temperature was 31 degrees the fan came on only once in the traffic, whereas previously it use to come on at least 4 to 5 times during my daily ride to office.
So overall a good experience and a Sunday well spent, thanks to the people at Motozone.

Cool. Can we also have the Ninja 300 review by abhimanyu31 on this thread. I liked the review (R15 riders in particular can easily relate to it).

Kewl..!!! And the thread is taking shape into another informative thread.

We really need to encourage more of such threads in here in order to have some quality information accessible instantly.

Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

Wow! I was waiting for this to happen. Please keep rolling the updates/knowledge sir jee.

Wowsome!! Time to bring pen and book.

Cheerz!!

Guys, another request, let's also try and keep this thread clean. From now on let's not post random comments, unless it is a reasonable query or some valid opinion. What say ?

I reserve my comments from now on in this thread.

Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

Pipercross Performance Air Filter

Courtesy: Vikram @ Motozone, Pune, Mumbai.
Photos: Sony Xperia Z

After replacing the coolant with Engine Ice, the next change identified was replacing the stock air filter. I have used K&N conical filter in my 2 strokes for more than 18 years. I have also used Simota and KS panel type filter on my R15 for the past 3 years. While I have been always satisfied with the performance of these filters, I was looking for a better option for my Ninja 300.

After much research I identified BMC filters as the one that I wanted to put in my Ninja 300. BMC is a brand that is being used by Formula 1 teams and has a good reputation. The replacement air filter becomes a necessity (or rather a desirable one) as I will be installing a full free flow exhaust and fueling unit in near future.
During my visits to Motozone and interactions with Vikram, the topic of replacement air filter was discussed. Vikram was of the opinion that Pipercross was better option as compared to BMC filters and would be a better fit for the Ninja 300. I was a bit skeptical of the whole thing, but decided to do a little of more research on the make.
Pipercross is located at Northampton in the Midlands of U.K. The British Midlands is the Mecca and cradle of racecar engineering and engine development. It includes companies like Cosworth, Fortec, Lotus Renault, Lola Group, Zytek Engineering, Marussia Virgin Racing, Red Bull Racing, Force India, Williams F1 and many more. Pipercross works with many of these companies and has developed its products in collaboration with these companies.

While most performance companies have opted for cotton as a filter medium (including the BMC), Pipercross uses a combination of varying porosity foam layers to capture different sizes of impurities. Its quite unique in that it�s taken a different path as compared to its rival brands for medium for filtration. Pipercross also claims that its air filters are developed and tested to SAE J726c air cleaner standards. Incidentally, Pipercross is OEM supplier to Triumph Motorcycles and TVR cars.
The above information made me interested in knowing more about the filter. At the next meeting with Vikram, I asked him if I could examine a sample of the air filter. He showed a sample of the panel type filter for a Yamaha R15. He also mentioned to me that the Ninja 250 and 300 have foam type of air filters (I was under the impression that they had a paper type air filter). After taking a look at the quality of the Pipercross and being informed about the stock filter being of foam type, I took the decision to go ahead and try out the Pipercross. Hence, I requested Vikram to arrange for a Pipercross for Ninja 300.

Yesterday, Vikram called to inform me that the air filter had arrived and I could come in anytime for getting it installed. Normally, I would have got the work done on a Sunday, but since I had work near Vikram�s place, I decided to get it installed today (Saturday).

Installation of Pipercross Air Filter

At first glance the Pipercross air filter looks like any ordinary rectangle piece of sponge foam. The first thought that crosses one�s mind is �what�s the big deal about this thing?�. However, a closer look at the filter reveals couple of things. The first and the most obvious thing that you will notice is that the filter has 2 colours.





One side is red in colour, whereas the other side is grey. The second thing that you, will notice is that its actually 2 different types of foam bonded together. The grey foam is coarse grade foam (outer layer), which is used to trap large particles. The red foam is fine grade foam (inner layer), which filters out remaining particle till size of 5 microns to allow clean air to enter the engine.

The removal of the air filter on the Ninja 300 is a fairly straightforward job. Remove the screws of the black plastic panel under the front seat on the left side.


Then unscrew and remove white panel that rest above the black panel.


Once you have removed the white and black panel, you now have access to the stock air filter.


Now pull the stock air filter out.


The stock air filter has a plastic frame on both sides of the foam that is press fit. The purpose of this frame is to maintain the structural integrity of the foam and not allow it to deform under heavy suction.

Remove the plastic frame by gently pushing and pulling on the two male/female pins located in the middle of the frame.


Below is the state of the stock air filter after the bike having run for 1,600 kms. Kawasaki recommends a cleaning interval of 6,000 kms and replacement of the filter at every 12,000 kms or 2 years (whichever is earlier). Looking at the state of the filter after just 1,600 kms, I honestly think it would be prudent to clean the filter at intervals between 3,000 to 4,000 kms. As a side note, I find it a bit strange that Kawasaki recommends that stock foam filter be replaced every 12,000 kms. Normally, foam filters are washable and re-useable.



Now to the next step. Install the plastic frame that was removed from the stock filter on the Pipercross.




The Pipercross filter can be run either dry or wet state. In the dry state, you will need to clean the filter more frequently (my estimate is 1,500 to 2,000 kms). In the wet state, the service interval will increase considerably (estimate it to be around 3,000 to 4,000 kms).

To install the Pipercross filter in wet state, you will need to use a special �Air Filter Dirt Retention Adhesive� oil by Pipercross.


The Pipercross was sprayed with this oil spray can and allowed to soak for 10 minutes before being plugged into the airbox.




After ensuring that the oil had soaked through the entire air filter it was plugged into the air box.


Please note that it is very important to ensure that the red side (fine side) of the air filter is facing the engine (up) and the grey side (coarse side) is facing towards the back of the bike (down).


Reinstall the panels and you are done with the installation.

Ride experience

Quite frankly, I did not expect anything great out of the air filter. In my mind, it was just replacing one foam filter with another one. I have used after market performance filter for couple of decades and I didn�t expect any earth shaking experience from this installation. While the experience was not earth shaking, this air filter has managed to surprise me to quite some extent. The drive from Vikram�s place to my home is about 26 kms. Therefore, it was a reasonably long ride to get an initial impression.

The first thing that you will notice is the throaty growl that the bike now has. Its as if the bike has suddenly woken up. Many fellow forum members are disappointed with the sound of the N300. Here�s my advice, before you go and spend 15 to 20 grand on a slip on exhaust, try this air filter. It just might satisfy your appetite for a better sound from the bike. The bike is definitely more responsive and revs more freely. This makes it easier to stay in the meaty part of the power band of the bike. Does it make more power? I don�t know. Can�t say if its placebo effect or there is actual improvement. Only a Dyno run or some power runs with stock and Pipercross filters would answer that question definitively. However, the bike does feel peppy and energetic.

Any which way, the air filter system needed to be derestricted in order to take maximum benefit of the next set of changes planned for the bike.

The added bonus is that no fueling changes are required for this air filter.

Leo Vince LVI full exhaust and AreaP Micro Fuel Controller Installation. Part I

Acknowledgements: I will like to thank Vikram and Vijay of Motozone Pune, Mumbai for their time and effort without whom this build would not be possible.


Note.: The post is too long therefore will be posted in parts.

Finally after nearly 5 months of foraging and collecting of all parts I have been able install my Leo Vince LVI full exhaust.
This is going to be a long post with lots of photos and explanations, so people, get yourself a mug of coffee or a tub of popcorn and make yourself really comfortable.

Background

For almost 2 years I have been holding on to buy a Triumph Daytona 675. I had made the financial arrangements immediately after Triumph�s announcement and was ready to buy it the day their shop in Mumbai opened doors for business. However, its been frustrating and disappointing to note the delays and continued postponement of Triumph�s business plans. At one stage I was so frustrated that I decided to use the amount collected for the Daytona as down payment for a 2012 Yamaha R1. In fact, I went to Kamala Yamaha and finalized the deal on a Saturday and was suppose to make the down payment on Monday. On Sunday, I made the cheque for the down payment ready and called up Kamala Yamaha to confirm my appointment. However, on Monday due to a family medical emergency I had to cancel the appointment. By the time the medical emergency was over, a substantial part of the amount collected for the bike was gone. It was time to rebuild the kitty and waiting for the Daytona seemed to be fait accompli.

In the meantime, quite a few friends who could see my frustration tried to get me interested in going for the Ninja 250. I was never too keen on the bike and some how I felt the bike was nearing the end of a product life cycle and something had to give if Kawasaki wanted to stay relevant in the class. Sometime around November/December 2012 photos of the new revamped Ninja 250 started emerging from South East Asia and I took an instant liking for the bike. A few days later as an added bonus came the news that there would be a 300cc version and it was likely that the same would be brought to India.

Before I selected the Ninja 300 as my next bike, I did a bit of background work on the Internet and discussed the pros and cons with a few knowledgeable friends in U.K. and U.S.A. One of the main criteria for selection of any bike for me was support in terms of aftermarket performance parts and suitability of the platform for making performance upgrades. It is a well-known fact in the performance-tuning world that some platforms are considered to be favorites of tuners and favoured by them to work on. While the reasons are varied and many, the foremost reason is the biggest bang or number of HP gained, for the given amount of effort and investment.

The Ninja 250 has been around for more than 2 decades in some form or the other. In fact it is so popular that most racing clubs across the world have created rules and classes, which favour the Ninja 250. The bike is considered an extremely important machine for club racing and forms an important part of grass root training for budding racers. Therefore, the Ninja 250 had a very healthy performance parts and tuning ecosystem. The same would logically extend to the Ninja 300. Friends in U.K. and U.S.A. urged me to go for it with promises that they would support me and help me source whatever I required. The final push came from my wife, who insisted I buy the bike and assured me that I could still go for the Daytona if I still wanted it after its launch (I have since then changed my mind and decided to go for the KTM RC390).

So the day I booked the Ninja 300, I started identifying and planning for the performance parts for the bike.

A full exhaust system or slip on? Which make?

The first and foremost part to be identified for changing was the exhaust system. If you look at any sports bike magazine you will find bewildering array of options available. The first thing to decide was the type of exhaust system to go for. All my friends with whom I discussed the options for performance mentioned that I need to invest in a full exhaust system. While the investment of a full exhaust system is substantial, a slip on exhaust does not do much for performance. For the given amount spent on a slip on one gets a louder can with lesser weight (about 2 to 3 kgs). One might argue that one could initially invest in a slip on and then convert it to full system at a later date.

However, the cost of such option is much greater than opting for a full system.

Having decided to go for a full system, it was time to identify the make and model of the full system. Five months back it was quickly apparent that there were only a handful of full systems available in the market at the time. The full systems were available from Yoshimura, TBR, M4, Leo Vince, Arrow and AreaP.

My first criterion was finding out if any of these had a db insert available with the system. I was not looking for all out performance, and was not interested in a can that was loud enough to bring the wrath of neighborhood on me. I could live with trade off of a little less performance for a relatively quite system. The Yoshi and M4 did not have a db insert and were ruled out immediately. The TBR and Arrow offered a db insert as extra fitting. While AreaP did not offer a db insert, it did offer a quite core system. However, I personally felt that the quite core looked out of proportion with rest of the bike.

The second criterion was to find if any of these exhausts were available in India. I did have the option of ordering one from U.K. or U.S.A., but then I was hesitant in ordering one as I would still need to take care of shipping it to India and there was the headache of customs to take care of. I didn�t want to ask any of my friends or relatives to carry a bulky box with them. Therefore, I started searching for any suppliers in India. I found that J D Promoto in Mumbai was official distributor for Arrow exhaust and I approached Johny Pereira the proprietor for the system. While Johny did not have system nor was he aware that Arrow offered one, he promised to find out from Arrow and get back to me. In the meantime I took a look at what was being offered by Leo Vince.

I am already using a Leo Vince Corsa full exhaust system on my R15 and have been really happy with the performance. Leo Vince offers 2 full exhaust systems. The first one is the Leo Vince Corsa and the second one is the LVI. There is marked difference in the way both these systems make power. The Corsa is an all out performance system. In fact, it makes less power than a stock system from 3,000 to 5,000 rpm. It really starts heaping on power post 9,000 rpm till redline is reached. Therefore, the system is top heavy and is actually designed for the racetrack.


LV Corsa full exhaust power output for Ninja 300.

The LVI is designed with street use as the primary criterion. It starts to make more power than the stock right from 3,000 rpm. The power starts to tapper out post 8,500 rpm and dips sharply at 9,500 rpm before picking up to reach the redline. This is a system that will be really road friendly and tractable through day-to-day traffic.


LVI full exhaust power output for Ninja 300.

The Corsa system has a round muffler which looks (personal opinion) out of place and too small when fitted to the Ninja 300. The round muffler also looks contrary to the sharp angles and edges of the over all bodywork. The LVI on the other hand looks like it has been designed just right for the Ninja 300. The size of the muffler and the oval shape are just perfect and the black carbon fiber would go so well with the white colour of the bike. In fact the LVI slip on is offered by Kawasaki Europe on its �performance� version of Ninja 300. Leo Vince also had one more thing going for it; it was the official performance exhaust for Kawasaki bikes.

Therefore, I had identified the Leo Vince LVI as the system to go for. I waited for a few days to hear from J D Promoto about the Arrow system. When I did not hear anything from there, I contacted Zulfi at Bachoo Motors to ask him if he could source a LVI full exhaust for me. He asked me to come down to his shop to discuss the same. I went down to his shop on a Friday morning to meet him. He checked out the system on Leo Vince website and told me that he could arrange for one within 7 working days. He mentioned that the exhaust system would be specially air freighted from Italy. He quoted a price, which was comparable with any price I would have paid in U.K. and with shipping and customs duty would have in fact landed up being more than what he had quoted. I agreed to go down and make an advance payment within couple of days. I went on a Tuesday and made the advance payment. On Friday, I received a call from Zulfi that the system had arrived and I could collect the same after making balance payment. Overall, a very satisfying experience.

Incidentally, I got a call from J D Promoto about the Arrow exhaust system after my having bought the LVI, the price quoted was far more than the LVI.

Fueling

With having done with the selection and sourcing of the full exhaust system it was now time to think about the fueling. When a full exhaust system is used, fueling needs to be changed to compensate for the additional flow that has been created by the said change. In the modern times of �SAVE OUR EARTH� tree hugging ultra liberal movements and government lobbing have strangulated the performance of street bikes by putting a serious crimp on the emissions and noise levels of bikes in the name of controlling pollution by green house gases and noise emissions. These emission norms are being met through carefully controlling fueling for optimal air fuel ratio at all times and conditions of riding and scrubbing the exhaust gases through a catalytic converters. Noise emissions are being controlled by creating bigger, longer and heavier mufflers with sound baffles and sound insulation materials.

The results are big, long, heavy exhaust systems that have restricted flow. The positive side of such restrictions is that you will get a nice quite bike, which will give you the best fuel efficiency. However, as a general yardstick, performance of such systems are suppressed by 20 - 25%.

In the case of exhaust system on the Ninja 300 sold in India there are few differences in the exhaust vis-�-vis the one sold in U.S. The Indian version of Ninja has an oxygen sensor. But what is not so widely know is the fact that it makes to do with 2 catcons instead of one on the U.S. version (which does not have a oxygen sensor). Below is a cutaway diagram of the catcons present in the Indian version of Ninja 300.



Thus when you derestrict the exhaust system by removing the catcons and optimizing the flow of gases with bigger headers, the air fuel ratio needs to be compensated for the change.

As noted earlier, the Ninja has been around for quite sometime in one form or the other (in fact it has been around for so long that many of its current set of riders were not even born when it was introduced). Therefore, a number of companies have worked on the fueling aspect of the bike for dozens of years and have created a substantial data and knowledge bank for the bike in almost every state of tune we can imagine.

The big question was which fueling solution to opt for. It became quickly apparent that there were fueling solutions that cover the very basic fueling need at one end of the spectrum to the ultra sophisticated kitchen sink at the other end of the spectrum, which had every tunable parameter you could imagine. Famous names such as DynoJet and Bazzaz offer products that not only allow you control the fueling, but also ignition timing. Tuning with Power Commander V allows control to such granular levels as mapping for individual cylinders and for each gear. Bazzaz offers units that offer not just fuel management, but also quick shifter and traction control. However, the main overriding criterion was whether I could even use most of these features. I do not have the knowledge to leverage of most of these features nor have I found anyone who could help me with them (as yet). Therefore, while I was tempted to buy the so called �best�, I also knew that it was very unlikely that I would be able to use its full potential.

My R15 was my first experience with a fuel-injected bike on a long-term basis. For its engine build I was using a Race Dynamics� PowerTronic RR unit. The RR unit allows for a lot of controllability through tunable fuel maps and ignition maps. The complete experience taught me a lot of things and brought about an understanding, which may not have been possible by just reading and researching.

The most important things that experience taught me are:
1. For maximum results and optimal use of any given hardware, it is necessary that every bike in its individual state of tune be put through multiple dyno runs to build reliable fuel maps. There is NO substitute to this if you want maximum results.
2. All the sophisticated hardware is nothing but brick if you don�t have good software and data (fuel maps).
3. Correct fueling is the key to unlocking power, without it all your efforts will come to naught.

My study and further discussions with my friends also led me to come to the following conclusions.
4. While most companies will offer you what I call �canned� fuel maps, these maps will NOT give you maximum results. Such maps can give you only as close as 80% percent of accuracy.
5. Most companies also advertise the so-called auto tune feature. This feature which uses a wide band O2 sensor to measure the exhaust gases is again not a perfect substitute for Dyno runs. The procedure to auto tune requires a minimum of 500 kms run before you should accept the changes and trim the values in the fuel table. It requires you to load a �canned� fuel map and then make runs to build your individual map. The procedure is long and tedious. A good DIY for this is available hereDIY: Dynojet Autotune How-To with PCV - ninjette.org. Yet even DynoJet executives admit that while auto tune will get you close to the ball park, it is not going to give you the results that tuning with Dyno runs make possible (DynoJet makes and sells Dynometers too).

Unfortunately, a dyno for 2 wheelers is not available in Mumbai. I went through a whole lot of literature from DynoJet, Bazzaz, Two Brothers Racing and also considered the option to re flash my stock ECU. I went through all the Ninja forums to find the perfect solution to my dilemma. The one name that came up during my search was Kerry Bryant of AreaP. Kerry has done extensive work on the Ninja 250 and AreaP was offering a Micro Fuel Controller in association with a company called Fuel Moto that�s specializes in doing dyno runs and creating fuel maps.

I wrote to Kerry asking if a special map could be created for my requirement based on my bike�s state of tune and the climatic conditions of my area. I got a very prompt and positive reply. This started the ball rolling. Since AreaP does not ship to India, I had to ask my cousin to source it for me and coordinated with Kerry to send across the information required.

Kerry was provided the following information:
1. Leo Vince LVI EVO full system exhaust with db insert.
2. BMC panel type air filter (have opted for Pipercross since then. Check my earlier posts on this thread).
3. Fuel: Unleaded 91 Octane RON.
4. Climate data as listed.



One of the plus points of opting for the AreaP/ Fuel Moto Micro Controller was that they would provide me with maps for lifetime. I can make changes to my bike and they will create a fuel map accordingly and send it across to me.

With the above information, Kerry created a fuel map and preloaded it on the Micro Fuel controller before shipping it out to my cousin.

Before I proceed further I would like to comment on the hardware provided by AreaP. Below is photo of the hardware.



As you will note it says Micro EFI tuner by DynoJet. So yes, the unit is rebadged DynoJet Fuel Controller aka DFC. Below is a photo of the DFC.


The DFC was one of the very first fueling units made by DynoJet for fuel injected bikes. If you go on the DynoJet website the DFC is not highlighted, it is at the bottom of drop list and is not pushed by DynoJet. Not surprising as the DFC�s price is half that of Power Commander V. What you will also note is that a DFC unit for Ninja 300 in conspicuously absent from the list of products available. It seems that a marketing and branding tie with exclusivity has been reached between Fuel Moto and DynoJet.

So does that mean that what Fuel Moto and AreaP are supplying is just relabeled hardware? On the contrary, what it means is that they have selected to tie up with makers of what is arguably the de facto standard for this industry and have instead chosen to specialize in the data part of the system.

Next: Installation of Leo Vince LVI full exhaust system.