So I decided to do the decat myself yesterday, and with my limited abilities, I managed to get it done within about 3 hours. All seems to be working fine, the sound is slightly deeper and throttle response is definitely improved.
Has anyone noticed though, that fumes tend to smell like the bike is running a bit rich? Is this just because I'm used to the cat-con doing it's thing, or does the air/fuel mixture need to be adjusted?
I did not notice anything, but then, I have a bit limited sense of smell. Not possible to manually adjust the fuel mixture. Need to use a chip of sorts. Maybe first do an ECU reset - let the ECU re-learn the engine setup. When the bike is cold, disconnect the battery. Then reconnect, let the bike idle until the fan comes on. That should let the ECU reconfigure itself - fuel mixture timing etc.
So I decided to do the decat myself yesterday, and with my limited abilities, I managed to get it done within about 3 hours. All seems to be working fine, the sound is slightly deeper and throttle response is definitely improved.
Has anyone noticed though, that fumes tend to smell like the bike is running a bit rich? Is this just because I'm used to the cat-con doing it's thing, or does the air/fuel mixture need to be adjusted?
I did not notice anything, but then, I have a bit limited sense of smell. Not possible to manually adjust the fuel mixture. Need to use a chip of sorts. Maybe first do an ECU reset - let the ECU re-learn the engine setup. When the bike is cold, disconnect the battery. Then reconnect, let the bike idle until the fan comes on. That should let the ECU reconfigure itself - fuel mixture timing etc.
I had the Cat removed last weekend I am glad I did!! Sorry Davido but I will plant a tree or 2 to compensate!!
The ride is so smooth, throttle response much more immediate and I don't have to gear down to quickly overtake. The shudder I felt when changing to 6th gear below 100km/h is also greatly reduced. The bike just feels much more alive!! The noise factor has not changed a bit, which I am glad about, and the consumption was initially higher due to my heavy throttle-hand, but after I concentrated on riding like I always used to, my consumption is at least the same, if not better. Only the first tank so I will check over the next few to get a better impression.
Cronos... I had already put in a genuine K&N filter before the mod so I am not sure if it was necessary but it works great.
My object was to make the airflow thru the engine as efficient as possible to make the bike as economical as I can get it. The guy charged me R600 to do the job and I can highly recommend his work. If you are in Cape Town, send me a PM for his details if you are interested. Will take some photos when I take off the cowling at some stage to show the weld quality and how it was done. He only uses top quality stainless steel.
Looking down the Cat, I can't imagine how the engine used breathe properly.
Another one for the Harley guys... saw a patch on a biker's jacket recently... " I'd rather kiss a bergie than ride a Harley..."
I had mine removed today and the ride home was magic. Gear ratio is better, bike feels more happy and she speeds up quicker. With my slip on, the bike is louder, but not crazy loud.
Now the real test for me starts. Fuel consumption. Will let you know what I find in a few days time
...so 2 weeks later and I am still very happy and glad I had it done. Bike feels so much better. Been driving only using Drive and have not had a need to go to Sport like I always had to. Fuel consumption is also improving, but most of that will be up to me to fix and do better. I have moved up from avr 21.5 to 22Km/L where I am now getting 23.9 to 24.5Km/L! I am trying to get back to over 25/26, but like I said, I would need to focus on my personal riding style.