Yup, it can be depending on a person's point of view. Mine is probably a bit different from most other people's in that having a C-14 and wanting it to be faster by any appreciable amount (I mean beyond merely removing the 'flies and tuning it correctly), I would either swap it for a ZX, which is a LOT faster than a C-14 and incredibly easy to get (no labor at all, and they cost less than a C-14), or I would try to make more power than anything available on the dealer's floor stock; the only <reasonable> way I know to do that would be making the engine displace more and raising the compression ration (read: supercharge it).
I usually compare 'fast' and 'quick' with the entire available envelope. This is probably backwards from most people but I would rather buy a ZX 14 and mod. it to make it more comfortable for touring than take a C-14 and mod. it to make it faster. The ZX starts off (no pun intended) at a performance point almost impossible to reach with a C-14 in any reasonable, normally aspirated way.
I was / am not criticizing anyone elses mods. or ideas, just pointing out my own perception. As far as modding an already highly tuned engine, which the C-14 is, that is indeed a very significant increase, especially considering there was nothing done internally to the engine.
I really do not think of myself as ever actually having 'had' that guy. And any sadness I associate with him is gone, as it the actual entity itself.
Brian
Modest? 161.5 at the wheel is beyond mild. AT my point in the build my restriction was air in. No loss on the bottom and plenty in the mid to upper. It's still a 1352 cc motor, the VVT works in it's favor for the lower end torque. Sadly we had a guy who was looking at the beyond TBs and exhaust upgrade, but he got cold feet before we could push him over the edge A roughly %20 increase is hardly modest, at least in my opinion..