I noticed no detrimental effects.
Throttle transitions were smooth as they were before the flash. I never noticed any abruptness before, nor afterwards. Deceleration feels the same as it was before. I didn't have any issues with controlling the speed of the bike (before or after), although it always wants to go faster. It basically just felt more powerful. What I would like to do is ride a gen2 (stock) and compare how good my bike is to theirs. The only real issue I had was the idle speed dropped. Hard to estimate how much, but I'm thinking about 200rpm or less.
I wouldn't ever say this about my 08. Mine's always been abrupt. One of the things that bothered me about it coming from a carbed bike. A throttle tamer helped but is a Band-Aid fix. I've learned to make smoother transitions but it takes more concentration which lessens enjoyment.
The Throttle Tamer is very effective at greatly reducing so-called "throttle snatch". Since the secondary butterflies can limit airflow, it is theoretically possible to simulate what the Throttle Tamer does mechanically but in the ECU. However, if ECU changes do that AND one already has a Throttle Tamer, then the effect would be to double the taming, which might not be desired...
I wouldn't ever say this about my 08. Mine's always been abrupt. One of the things that bothered me about it coming from a carbed bike. A throttle tamer helped but is a Band-Aid fix. I've learned to make smoother transitions but it takes more concentration which lessens enjoyment. It would be interesting to know if Jim's bike had a different stock tune.
Depends on the situation, Steve. Both rides I've done since the flash are more on the sedate side simply because of circumstances. The first was just a 'test' circuit I go on with very few twisties. The second was with my wife through another circuit I regularly travel. It has many more twisties but with the wife on board it's not like I can go hog wild without severe repercussions. With that being said, I can tell the difference in how the bike is reacting with the additional load. It is more responsive. It's not , though, but then I haven't been able to get to the mountains to really open it up on the twisties in the higher RPM range. I don't think that is going to happen until the spring. It's cold here now and while I do ride in the cold, I don't do it as much as in warmer weather. I do ride with a group from MD at times that would enable a really good test and one of the guys there has a gen2 bike that I would like to trade places with. They are a very spirited bunch. They typically have Spring and Fall rides. I rode behind the Gen 2 last spring and kept up easily with him (he is more spirited than I am, though) whilst a host of lesser bikes (BMWs and their ilk) kept behind us.
As far as 'normal' riding goes, which is typically Interstate these days, I don't push it and I'm typically in OD. I'm glad I got the flash done (don't regret it one bit) and look forward to really giving it a workout as soon as I can. As far as the throttle tamer goes, I did mention that on the phone with you. You just may have forgot.
I don't have any issues with the power this bike has. I came from a C10... What I like especially is the ability to ramp up the power quickly depending on the situation. I'm very familiar with the power curves it has. I've never been on a bike that when pushed seems it's going faster than the rider sitting on it. Very weird, feeling the bike going forward and me being pushed back. So I know all too well what this bike can do. But that's the beauty of it. When I need that kind of power and corner holding, it doesn't disappoint.
Why is the Concours so difficult to figure out when it comes to the front end and the wind protection it offers? Maybe I'm expecting TOO much when it comes to that but the RT's protection and lack of noise was better in its stock form than mine with an aftermarket screen.
Kawasaki has btdt, it's what we know as the c-10. Best weather protection imaginable, but that frontal area came at the expense of top speed and top speed stability. Steve
btdt??? So, is it common for us Concours riders to have increased wind noise because the bike is built to go fast and not necessarily to be "quiet"...is that a fair assumption. If that's the case I can put the chase for a quiet cockpit to rest and happily live with what I have knowing the bike is made that way for a reason!
Yes, this is really a supersport / tourer. so it's not a full zx14, nor is it a goldwing. it's somewhere in the middle, but in this case more heavily biased towards the sport side. You're not going to get the wind / weather protection, even with a tall shield, that the c-10 had. Of course the c-10 was done at about 125mph. On this bike you're just clicking into 4 gear. Steve
Thanks Steve, I appreciate finally being told what I should expect from the bike. I have been through many windscreens trying to find that "quiet place" thinking that something was wrong with ME because I couldn't find it! Knowing that the bike is setup as you have described makes me happy now and I can quit the search. I can keep the MRA on the bike and be happy with it! I can tell you that I will be sacrificing "quiet" for "power" for a long time because nothing else out there makes me feel as good as the Concours does while riding!
Let me ask you one more thing...I am going to be buying a new one at the end of the year or early 2017 depending on what Kawi does with the 2017 model. I'll know more after IMS in November but whether I buy a 2016 or 2017 do you think it will be something you will be able to flash? The flash is too good not to have so I will definitely make that a priority of things to do to the new bike.
Steve
Will you be including the deceleration mod on the AreaP exaust flash?
Thanks