Hi,
Just a short(ish) tale from me. I bought my '08 GSA a few weeks ago from a good friend who upgraded to an LC. It came with the Akra can fitted but the standard headers which were showing a lot of discolouration. I was advised by several mates with the same bike to ditch the cat, and so the process began...cost was a problem then I sourced a set of brand new Akra headers from fleabay for £260!!! That prompted more thoughts regarding lean running and potential solutions. I didn't want a power commander(£500 plus programming / dyno costs) and felt the 'boosters' that fit onto the Lambda sensors weren't really a solution, then I found Hilltop's (here) who offer a re-map of the ECU to address these and other 'issues'. Soooo...my good mate and spot-on mechanic Mark at MH Motorcycles in Bromley (here) fitted the headers and serviced the bike prior to my trip to Leicester. The Akra headers immediately improved the bike but it was still, well, a boxer! A bit lumpy, particularly when rolling back on the power after de-celerating at lower speeds (about 3,000 RPM) but the bike was pulling better as well as sounding a lot quieter!
When I arrived at Hilltops I got chatting to Geoff (Geoff loves McVities Hobnobs by the way) and his sidekick 'Ant' who doesn't do biscuits. (B0ll0cks doesn't he!!!) and what an interesting bunch of people! I could chat to Geoff and listen all day to his experiences and life story but I had gone to get a job done so he cracked on.
To those who don't know, or are considering this, what they do is run your bike up 'as is' on the dyno. Mine showed about 83 BHP at the rear wheel (not bad, I thought) and the Torque figure was about 58 ft/lb (when I was expecting 62 or so, but never mind). It also showed a huge drop at about 3000 RPM and really lean running which was my main area of concern, having suffered burnt valves in the past on another bike.
Next they install Geoff's own 'software' which is just time for more biccies, tea and much wagging of chins. Another dyno run follows during which Geoff fine-tunes the software for the small differences that all bikes have before a final run. Explanations are given, if you want to know more, and you can observe the process if you wish.
My final figures were an increase to 103 BHP (+25%) peak and a maximum torque of about 85 ft/lb!!! Now, I'm not likely to see / use peak power but the torque produced is awesome. At about 2,500 RPM it produces more torque than the original map peaked at! At places in the curve it has almost triple the torque! The fuelling was also sorted to eliminate the lean running, all the curves are now much more even. I was absolutely stunned!
This 'software' is constantly monitoring atmospheric data throughout the rev-range rather than the old BMW map which does so below 3,000 RPM then defaults to a one size fits all setting. As a result the bike is now MUCH more responsive, almost like riding a multi-cylinder; it picks up THAT quick.
So, how does it ride? Well it really is difficult to explain but I'll try. From starting the engine the smoothness is immediately apparent in the lack of vibration. When moving off you don't need a bit of extra gas to 'catch' the take-up, it just does what a bike should do. I should say, before anyone accuses me of not being able to move off that I am familiar with the R1200 having ridden one (several, actually) operationally for many years so I know what they're like! Having got going the fluidity of the engine is incredible; no coughs, no splutters, no hesitation, just oodles of grunt. You get exactly what you ask for from the throttle, gentle acceleration or full-on grunt if that's what you need, with NO lag in performance. Economy doesn't seem to have been particularly affected; the on-board computer showed a reduction of just less than 1 MPG but I was keener to use the performance so in the grand scheme of things I don't see a problem, but I would happily sacrifice a few MPG's for the smoothness alone.
Apparently similar gains are achieved with standard exhausts and because this software monitors everything throughout the rev-range a subsequent change in exhausts will not generally need a further re-map so long as the Lambda sensors are retained
Those that have had this done will read this thread and say to themselves 'Yep, that's what it does' whereas those that haven't had it done should be picking up the 'phone and GETTING it done! It cost me £350-00 with UKGSer discount. It's the best money you will EVER spend. Compare that with £350-00 of 'independent german bling' and whether it actually improves the machine! I have absolutely no connection with Hilltops, this is just my honest evaluation of them.
Just a short(ish) tale from me. I bought my '08 GSA a few weeks ago from a good friend who upgraded to an LC. It came with the Akra can fitted but the standard headers which were showing a lot of discolouration. I was advised by several mates with the same bike to ditch the cat, and so the process began...cost was a problem then I sourced a set of brand new Akra headers from fleabay for £260!!! That prompted more thoughts regarding lean running and potential solutions. I didn't want a power commander(£500 plus programming / dyno costs) and felt the 'boosters' that fit onto the Lambda sensors weren't really a solution, then I found Hilltop's (here) who offer a re-map of the ECU to address these and other 'issues'. Soooo...my good mate and spot-on mechanic Mark at MH Motorcycles in Bromley (here) fitted the headers and serviced the bike prior to my trip to Leicester. The Akra headers immediately improved the bike but it was still, well, a boxer! A bit lumpy, particularly when rolling back on the power after de-celerating at lower speeds (about 3,000 RPM) but the bike was pulling better as well as sounding a lot quieter!
When I arrived at Hilltops I got chatting to Geoff (Geoff loves McVities Hobnobs by the way) and his sidekick 'Ant' who doesn't do biscuits. (B0ll0cks doesn't he!!!) and what an interesting bunch of people! I could chat to Geoff and listen all day to his experiences and life story but I had gone to get a job done so he cracked on.
To those who don't know, or are considering this, what they do is run your bike up 'as is' on the dyno. Mine showed about 83 BHP at the rear wheel (not bad, I thought) and the Torque figure was about 58 ft/lb (when I was expecting 62 or so, but never mind). It also showed a huge drop at about 3000 RPM and really lean running which was my main area of concern, having suffered burnt valves in the past on another bike.
Next they install Geoff's own 'software' which is just time for more biccies, tea and much wagging of chins. Another dyno run follows during which Geoff fine-tunes the software for the small differences that all bikes have before a final run. Explanations are given, if you want to know more, and you can observe the process if you wish.
My final figures were an increase to 103 BHP (+25%) peak and a maximum torque of about 85 ft/lb!!! Now, I'm not likely to see / use peak power but the torque produced is awesome. At about 2,500 RPM it produces more torque than the original map peaked at! At places in the curve it has almost triple the torque! The fuelling was also sorted to eliminate the lean running, all the curves are now much more even. I was absolutely stunned!
This 'software' is constantly monitoring atmospheric data throughout the rev-range rather than the old BMW map which does so below 3,000 RPM then defaults to a one size fits all setting. As a result the bike is now MUCH more responsive, almost like riding a multi-cylinder; it picks up THAT quick.
So, how does it ride? Well it really is difficult to explain but I'll try. From starting the engine the smoothness is immediately apparent in the lack of vibration. When moving off you don't need a bit of extra gas to 'catch' the take-up, it just does what a bike should do. I should say, before anyone accuses me of not being able to move off that I am familiar with the R1200 having ridden one (several, actually) operationally for many years so I know what they're like! Having got going the fluidity of the engine is incredible; no coughs, no splutters, no hesitation, just oodles of grunt. You get exactly what you ask for from the throttle, gentle acceleration or full-on grunt if that's what you need, with NO lag in performance. Economy doesn't seem to have been particularly affected; the on-board computer showed a reduction of just less than 1 MPG but I was keener to use the performance so in the grand scheme of things I don't see a problem, but I would happily sacrifice a few MPG's for the smoothness alone.
Apparently similar gains are achieved with standard exhausts and because this software monitors everything throughout the rev-range a subsequent change in exhausts will not generally need a further re-map so long as the Lambda sensors are retained
Those that have had this done will read this thread and say to themselves 'Yep, that's what it does' whereas those that haven't had it done should be picking up the 'phone and GETTING it done! It cost me £350-00 with UKGSer discount. It's the best money you will EVER spend. Compare that with £350-00 of 'independent german bling' and whether it actually improves the machine! I have absolutely no connection with Hilltops, this is just my honest evaluation of them.
