Fly Removal and Traction Control

[Sea Level]

File this in the FWIW drawer:

There seems to be a bit of contradictory information and experiences with regard to the flyectomy and it's affect on Kawi's traction control system. It gave me pause when I was considering this mod, as I did not want to deliberately circumvent a useful technology. Parking my C14 at home requires me to ride it around the rear of the house and to a platform on the other side of the house; the entire area behind the house, which is in a flood zone, is deep gravel (my house is next to the beach and is built on stilts, nothing underneath but gravel). So I had all of last season to note how TRC was helping me plow through the gravel with minimal drama.

Over the winter I had the flies removed and a PCV installed and have had a few occasions to ride it since and go through the driving-through-the-gravel procedure to get her parked on the platform.

I just want to report my experience, which is that the rear wheel responds slowly and managably to throttle input and the TRC system alert goes on just as before, and I've seen no difference in that regard.

I'm also definitely seeing a quicker response at the bottom end of the tach, as expected, the new Two Brothers sounds great, and the new PR 3's really do change the handling of the bike so completely that I have to adjust my riding style to respond properly to the quicker turn-in that these tires provide. Wow!

[maxtog]

It is good you supplied this information.  Of course, you might have been testing traction control under low speed/throttle and that is less affected by the change compared higher speed/throttle.  Who knows.  I have seen it written several times that the secondary butterflies *are* used by the traction control system, but it is only part of it (the primary method being fuel control).  They are likely primarily used to "smooth out" the  throttle response to increase drivability.   The "flies" give the computer some control over air intake.   I would just not want someone to misread what you wrote as there being no difference at ALL other than power gain in the low end.   Generally, life doesn't work that way- everything is a compromise....  Kawasaki would have to have good reasons to put something on that is that expensive and complicated. 

There really is a lot of mystery surrounding the secondary butterflies.  It is interesting to read other forums and perform searching and see so much speculation (like I have done) with so little actual fact   *LOTS* of bikes from many manufacturers now use ECU controlled secondary butterflies.

[Sea Level]

Of course, you might have been testing traction control under low speed/throttle and that is less affected by the change compared higher speed/throttle.  Who knows.  I have seen it written several times that the secondary butterflies *are* used by the traction control system, but it is only part of it (the primary method being fuel control).  They are likely primarily used to "smooth out" the  throttle response to increase drivability.   The "flies" give the computer some control over air intake. 

Yes, the conditions I reported above were at slow speed, but I don't think the system works differently at higher speeds or with larger throttle inputs. The TRC is supposed to sense rear wheel slipping due to loss of friction and vitiate torque to that wheel relative to the same throttle input without any slippage. At least, that's how I understand it.

So when I was driving through the gravel, I maintained the same basic throttle input, and the computer kept the rear wheel churning as necessary to keep the bike moving, even though it was bogging down to different degrees depending on the how deep the gravel was. It appeared not to be effected by the fly removal. and I don't see why it would be different if I were to be moving at a higher speed.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

Free power with little [or possibly no] difference in the KTRAC operation is a win-win.  The flies are there for smooth on-off throttle response.  Keeps the "experienced" crowd's blood pressure and heart rate down so they won't need another battery swap on their pacemaker.   






If your pacemaker battery doesn't last as long as the tire pressure monitors on the C14 then you know what I am talking about.   

[stevewfl]

My ZX14 sucked so much more gas after i pulled the flies I'm afraid to jack with the C14 as I use it for a distance bike. I'm averaging 43-45 MPG.

When i'm deep in the mountains i need max travel between gas stops. Plus i carry a little reserve tank under my left bag that will get me an extra 20-25 miles =)

[Sea Level]

I'll be interested to see what happens to my mileage now that I've pulled the flies. I was getting about 225 miles to a tank. I have not ridden in such remote areas where getting fuel has ever been an issue, and I decided when I bought this bike that thinking about mileage in terms of economy was somewaht oxymoronic, so I wasn't gonna do it.

I intend to continue recklessly and wontonly twisting the throttle for maximum adreneline. 

[maxtog]

I'll be interested to see what happens to my mileage now that I've pulled the flies. I was getting about 225 miles to a tank. I have not ridden in such remote areas where getting fuel has ever been an issue, and I decided when I bought this bike that thinking about mileage in terms of economy was somewaht oxymoronic, so I wasn't gonna do it.

I intend to continue recklessly and wontonly twisting the throttle for maximum adreneline. 

I was going to mention gas mileage in my posting, but search as I could, I could not find anything that would support that theory.  It will be interesting to see if it changes.