Author Topic: Performance updgrade (Read 3446 times)

Robin · « **on:** June 05, 2018, 12:59:55 pm »

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered many times on this site but some of the threads I've located have been older ones and I wanted to get the most updated suggestions. I have a 2013 14 and have done about all of the external mods I'm going to (Baldwin seat, Heli bars, highway pegs, etc.) and now I want to get into the performance side. Several years ago when I first got my bike and read a lot about the Guhl reflashing (is that still the company to go with) and recently have seen others online advertising the same upgrade. So, here goes my question, what recommendations do y'all make for a doing the reflash and, what recommendations do you suggest for an exhaust system to get me the most horses. My intent of course is to install the exhaust system first so I can get the reflash to match my exhaust. Thanks in advance for your patience with me and your input!!

Syxxphive · « **Reply #1 on:** June 05, 2018, 01:47:56 pm »

2 options for flashes. Ivan’s performance and Shoodaben Engineering. You should probably take a look at the suspension too. Traxxion AK20 cartridges up front and a Penske shock out back. Or Öhlins out back.

Deepsea · « **Reply #2 on:** June 05, 2018, 02:10:44 pm »

It all depends on your goal. Do you ride in the twisties or do you drag race? Full Area P exhaust will give you to most high rpm hp but at the expense of lower rpm torque. If you're an average C14 rider go with a slip on pipe and an ECU flash. The most prolific flash is the Shoodaben Mountain Runner or one of his other versions. Many, many C14 riders swear by it, including me. I've had the Guhl and 3 versions of the Shoodaben flash. The last one I got I sent the ECU from California on Tuesday to Shoodaben in Florida and had it back on Thursday. Call Shoodaben and talk with Steve about how you ride and what you want.

turbojoe78_MA · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2018, 02:12:20 pm »

http://www.areapnolimits.com/products/Slip-On-Exhaust-Kawasaki-Concours-14-2008.php

https://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/concours1400

NYbiomed · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2018, 02:56:27 pm »

Most here will tell you the Area P FULL exhaust system and a flash will yield the best power increases. I would tell you a bit more and recommend www.shoodabenengineering.com flash- specifically and only because he has dyno tuned a flash specifically for that Area P exhaust. Ivan is a bit newer when it comes to the C14 flash, but has a pretty legitimate history/experience as well. I don't believe Guhl's flash is on par anymore with Steve or Ivan's- he was early to the game, but to my understanding, his flash is very primitive and "unrefined" compared to the others. People who had started with a Guhl flash, then migrated to Steve's flash have pretty well documented this feeling.
Expect to pay about $1500 for this upgrade, which is probably a few hundred less than the aforementioned suspension upgrades- which is more bang for the buck between POW-ah and handling is HIGHLY debatable.

Just my 0.02 cents, GL

AmphibSailor · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2018, 03:09:02 pm »

I recommend that you talk to Steve or whomever you choose for the flash before you buy a full exhaust. You might not need a full exhaust system to get the performance that you want...depending on how you ride and what's important to you.

sininja · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2018, 03:39:14 pm »

I dunno.... After my buddy blew by me on his 07 Aprilia Tuono last weekend I'm starting to think full Area P is mandatory

I love my slip on with Shoodaben Mountain Runner flash though

Daytona_Mike · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2018, 04:20:33 pm »

Quote from: sininja on June 05, 2018, 03:39:14 pm

I dunno.... After my buddy blew by me on his 07 Aprilia Tuono last weekend I'm starting to think full Area P is mandatory I love my slip on with Shoodaben Mountain Runner flash though

Oh boy... Thats a light weight fast bike about 140hp on less than 400lbs and your C14 stock is about 133hp on a bike thats over 700lbs.
Full AreaP might get you close but I doubt it.

NYbiomed · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2018, 04:21:34 pm »

Quote from: sininja on June 05, 2018, 03:39:14 pm

I dunno.... After my buddy blew by me on his 07 Aprilia Tuono last weekend I'm starting to think full Area P is mandatory I love my slip on with Shoodaben Mountain Runner flash though

LOL

Not really a fair comparison, but let's see how your buddy feels after 8hrs of riding in a single day, doing 80mph and hauling 5 days worth of gear. It's a trade-off for sure, the Aprilia is 230+ lbs lighter!

connie_rider · « **Reply #9 on:** June 05, 2018, 05:52:12 pm »

Most riders will be happy with a Flash and a Slip On. (Most power for the money)
This set up doesn't have quite the peak power of a full system, but has more usable ~~power~~ torque in the RPM range used on the street.

PS: As someone sed, a flash and Full system costs about $1500-$2000+/-. {Actual cost dependant on which system is purchased}
A flash and a slip-on will cost (approx.) $600-$900+/-. {Actual cost dependant on which slip-on is purchased}

Like most: I have the Shoodaben Engineering Flash on mine and love it.

Sininja, I hate to tell you this, but regardless of what you add to your Connie.
It ain't gonna "match" the Sport Bike...

Ride safe, Ted

Cali Cruiser · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2018, 06:02:26 pm »

It's true that these questions have been asked in the past and on more than one occasion and I see that you yourself have asked them before. I'd just like to share my recent thoughts and experiences with you since you have asked.
It's widely known that there are two viable options when it comes to flashes and one I have experience with and the other I have no experience with other than what I've read. All the information on both flashes can be found on their respective websites that have already been posted in this thread.
The question has been raised as to what type of riding you are prone to and it's a good one since it's a good starting point to help arrive at your goal. Aside from drag racing and or twisty mountain roads there is one other variety of performance that might be along the lines of what you seek and I can honestly say that the flash I now have improves this one area largely. Driveability is what I'm referring to and it is truly a performance aspect. The Ivans Performance flash changed so many things about my bike (all the same things you can typically read here) that I still marvel at the improvements every time I ride it. There is no sign of the glitchy throttle response, anemic low end response, entire chassis vibration, and overall lethargic feel to the bike it had prior to the flash. The driveability is flawless. Along with these improvements my Concours now performs like you'd expect any 1400 cc class bike to. It has power from top to bottom that it never had before. At the moment have the stock exhaust and Ivan's flash and just like many people do I've decided to go for a little more "juice" so I'm ordering a slip on and sending my ECU back to Ivan this week for an update he finds necessary when changing over to a slip on. This update will be done free of charge so for the price of shipping it'll be updated and back to me within a week.
I share the opinion of others that you simply need to decide what type of rider you are and purchase the things that will suit your needs. I figured I'd chime in and throw out my .02 for what it's worth.
The one thing I'd like to add is that I've raced and ridden many types and brands of motorcycles for about 45 years now and my experience in this area isn't arrived at from just reading (not that there's anything wrong with that) information on misc websites. I love riding, love my Concours and am very happy with the improvements I have mentioned. I hope this helps.

khager01 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 06, 2018, 12:22:52 am »

I just wanted to say Ivan also has a flash for this full area P exhaust now. If you look at his Dyno charts it loses very little torque between 2 and 3000 RPM after 3000 RPM the full area p beats the slip on all the way to redline I have Ivan's Flash and still have the stock exhaust so I can't vouch for the full area p, but I can vouch for Ivan's Flash totally change the bike for the better.

www.ivansperformanceproducts.com/ZG1400.htm

Robin · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2018, 12:34:02 am »

I really appreciate all of the responses to my question. In answering the question asked of me, how will you be riding.......I'm not much of a drag racer but I do like something that produce additional power throughout the entire range. A lot of my riding is long straight roads here in Texas (although the hill country has some winding roads). Of course, as I feel the additional power, my style of riding might take an evolutionary turn.......I'm leaning toward a slip-on the the moment as it seems to be, according to many, the most bang for your buck along with the flash. I'm liking what I'm hearing and reading about Ivan's flash but am likewise going to research the others as well......I like the jerky throttle issue being fixed by Ivan's. If anyone has any suggestions for the way to go with a slip on.....I'm all ears. At the present I'm considering the Area P slip on.....

MAN OF BLUES · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2018, 12:46:35 am »

Quote from: Robin on June 06, 2018, 12:34:02 am

I really appreciate all of the responses to my question. In answering the question asked of me, how will you be riding.......I'm not much of a drag racer but I do like something that produce additional power throughout the entire range. A lot of my riding is long straight roads here in Texas (although the hill country has some winding roads). Of course, as I feel the additional power, my style of riding might take an evolutionary turn.......I'm leaning toward a slip-on the the moment as it seems to be, according to many, the most bang for your buck along with the flash. I'm liking what I'm hearing and reading about Ivan's flash but am likewise going to research the others as well......I like the jerky throttle issue being fixed by Ivan's. If anyone has any suggestions for the way to go with a slip on.....I'm all ears. At the present I'm considering the Area P slip on.....

well, if you're just reading about Ivan's, it might be best to read about both, and compare... without people playing "mine is best" here in this thread...

so read everything in both these sections, and then make your decision.

http://forum.cog-online.org/shoodaben-engineering/

http://forum.cog-online.org/ivan's-performance-products/

in the end, I can't argue, but I do believe in quantitative reviews and results, from COG members that own this bike, and have gone either way.

Cali Cruiser · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2018, 02:52:40 am »

Quote from: Robin on June 06, 2018, 12:34:02 am

I really appreciate all of the responses to my question. In answering the question asked of me, how will you be riding.......I'm not much of a drag racer but I do like something that produce additional power throughout the entire range. A lot of my riding is long straight roads here in Texas (although the hill country has some winding roads). Of course, as I feel the additional power, my style of riding might take an evolutionary turn.......I'm leaning toward a slip-on the the moment as it seems to be, according to many, the most bang for your buck along with the flash. I'm liking what I'm hearing and reading about Ivan's flash but am likewise going to research the others as well......I like the jerky throttle issue being fixed by Ivan's. If anyone has any suggestions for the way to go with a slip on.....I'm all ears. At the present I'm considering the Area P slip on.....

About 31 lines down the list on the C14 parts for sale section in this forum a person has an Area P slip on for sale or at least it appears it's still for sale. Maybe look that guy up and see if that's correct. I just now looked so at least the post is still there!

Egodriver71 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 06, 2018, 10:18:40 am »

If you want a real performance upgrade, TURBO!!!

connie_rider · « **Reply #16 on:** June 06, 2018, 01:45:00 pm »

Quote from: Cali Cruiser on June 06, 2018, 02:52:40 am

About 31 lines down the list on the C14 parts for sale section in this forum a person has an Area P slip on for sale or at least it appears it's still for sale. Maybe look that guy up and see if that's correct. I just now looked so at least the post is still there!

Here it is.
That was back in mid May.
Probably gone.

http://forum.cog-online.org/c-14-emporium/area-p-exhaust-slip-on-carbon-fiber-forsale-350-00/#top

Ride safe, Ted

Robin · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2018, 12:47:40 am »

Thanks for all of the replies......I've decided to go with the Ivan flash and the Area P full exhaust system.....should have it installed within a week or so.....Thanks

Deepsea · « **Reply #18 on:** June 09, 2018, 02:58:59 am »

Just curious. What were the deciding factors for your decision to go with Ivan's flash as opposed to the Shoodaben flash? What convinced you to go with a full header system rather than a slip-on?

turbojoe78_MA · « **Reply #19 on:** June 09, 2018, 11:15:40 am »

I just finished running through my first tank of gas after adjusting valves, syncing throttle bodies, new air filter, SISF's Area P M.R. flash and a full Muzzy exhaust for a ZX14.

204.2 miles to low fuel warning, 213.3 miles total, 4.835 gal of 89 octane E10. Got 44.1 Mpg on tank with almost all commuting miles. Rides to work in the mornings were between 50* to 55*, rides home were between 65* and 80*. Travel ranged from stop and go rush hour traffic to some 75 to 80 mph runs with 2 rolls up to triple digits.

I was expecting to lose some of the crispness that the EVO flash gave with a Delk slip-on going to the big pipes on the Muzzy but that's not what I've found.

The smoothness and throttle control right off idle in stop and go traffic is awesome! Almost every day my ride home starts with rush hour, stop and go traffic for the first 3 miles, then turns into 75 mph runs of open road, then back to 1st gear stop and go again. I'm not noticing any loss of low end torque at all. In any gear, it pulls smooth and strong from 2K rpm's on up with light throttle inputs. When rolling up to around 3.5K t0 4K and then getting into it, it just flies now ... WOW $:-\$

Stock the bike was like a kitten, quiet, mild mannered and somewhat awkward.

With the Delk slip-on and the EVO flash it was like a Bobcat, it had a voice, it's quick muscular and capable of standing it's own ground.

With the Muzzy and the Area P flash, ... it's a GROWLING angry Black Panther with large fangs and claws, jumping from branch to branch through the trees,

waiting to pounce on small sport bikes. When done eating the small sport bikes it then wipes it's mouth, and just saunters along with a confident control ... purring along!

Ya ... I'm liking it.

Rexter · « **Reply #20 on:** June 10, 2018, 05:13:24 am »

My ‘08 had a PC-V and 2Bro can when I bought it. It ran pretty good and hard calc mpg was anywhere between 36-40. I picked up a full Area P and had Steve do the flash for that, and I now get 50+ if I don’t twist the happy handle constantly. Playing gets 46-48.

We did a big group ride from Las Cruces to Kanab, UT 5/19-5/26. My buddy has a ‘17 with PC-V and 2Bro. I consistently got 4+ better than him while he ran in eco mode, until I started playing. It evened out at that point.

The one thing that took some getting used to is what I feel to be a huge lack of engine braking compared to what it had before the flash. I now run 1 or 2 gears lower in the big hills if I want to stay off the brakes.

I don’t notice a lack of low end power at all. It’s perfectly happy putting around town or loafing along on the highway.

RoadKillHeaven · « **Reply #21 on:** June 10, 2018, 06:31:21 am »

Quote

The one thing that took some getting used to is what I feel to be a huge lack of engine braking compared to what it had before the flash. I now run 1 or 2 gears lower in the big hills if I want to stay off the brakes.

Could you elaborate a bit more on the subject of engine braking?
Do you feel less engine breaking in gear higher than 2nd-3rd or ...?
I want to get better mileage but I hate losing engine braking. I use engine braking extensively in both my bike and my car.
That is why I haven't committed to SISF ECU reprogramming.

Cheers...

Sailor Rich · « **Reply #22 on:** June 10, 2018, 10:41:08 am »

Hmm, lets see, two flash providers, dyno charts used showing different standard to show different hp. Different fuel octane used for runs showing different hp.

Do yourself justice and read the vendors pages, If you have a question call them and educate yourself.

Rexter · « **Reply #23 on:** June 10, 2018, 12:27:15 pm »

Quote from: RoadKillHeaven on June 10, 2018, 06:31:21 am

Quote
The one thing that took some getting used to is what I feel to be a huge lack of engine braking compared to what it had before the flash. I now run 1 or 2 gears lower in the big hills if I want to stay off the brakes.
Could you elaborate a bit more on the subject of engine braking?
Do you feel less engine breaking in gear higher than 2nd-3rd or ...?
I want to get better mileage but I hate losing engine braking. I use engine braking extensively in both my bike and my car.
That is why I haven't committed to SISF ECU reprogramming.

Cheers...

Let me say this first.... I am in no way complaining about the flash. This is just an observation.

There is less engine braking with the Area P flash (I seem to recall that being noted in the description). It seems to carry a lot more speed for a longer time after closing the throttle. This is great for everyday riding, but when in big hills such as Eureka Sorings and the mountains in NM/AZ, it takes some adjustment. I prefer to run at the point where I don’t use the brakes, but to keep up with the group, I have to run a gear or to lower to stay off the brakes due to carrying speed into the corner. On the other hand, I can use the brakes, run with everyone, and generally not have to shift gears due to having the torque to roll through.

Like I said, this isn’t a complaint.....just an observation.

turbojoe78_MA · « **Reply #24 on:** June 10, 2018, 12:56:57 pm »

Rexter, do you have SISF's original Area P flash, or his newer Area P Mountain Runner flash?