2009 | Page 21 of 35 | BikeAdvice - Latest Bike News, Motorcycle Reviews, Electric Vehicle Updates

All performance maniacs rejoice! Yamaha, the name synonymous with power, the company which launched the superfast RD and RX series of bikes, followed it up recently with the super brilliant and tech-laden R15 and FZ, is coming up with performance boosters for its existing portfolio. These parts are produced by a Japanese firm named Daytona for Yamaha. Read on to know what exactly is in store for us. The full kit includes: 1. Re-Mapped ECU: Electronic Controlled Unit controls the various aspects of an engine right from quantity of fuel which goes into the cylinder to the ignition timing to the spark timings. Our Fuel Injected Indian bikes come equipped with simple units which are pre-configured and are not programmable. Stock R15 comes loaded with a 26 pin ECU which is pre-mapped to the right mix of mileage and power. With this new kit, Yamaha has developed an advanced ECU, which, now has a higher cut-off and has been tuned for better performance. This ECU provides the much needed extra rush to the R15 specially on tracks. The rev limiter on the stock R15 hit at something close to 10,000 rpm and with this ECU it goes past the 12,000 rpm. It’s a boon for regular track racers and would definitely make this bike a feather light rocket on tracks. However, the ECU still remains non-programmable disappointing some of us, in turn cancelling out the possibility of further enhancements to performance. 2. Tuned Exhaust: Among the other parts, this one excites us the most, majorly because of the boost it would give in performance. The free flow exhaust has a stainless steel muffler which gives the engine a huge roar and a pleasant thrusty note. As is the case with other free flow performance exhausts, this one improves the low end torque tremendously. It also gives the bike better power delivery right from the word go. The resonator box hindered a lot of free performance on the FZ and with this unit, it as gained the most. But because of its enhanced exhaust note, it exceeds the permissible road limit of 80 Decibels, in turn making it road-illegal. Does that mean it is only for track racing? The answer is a sad ‘yes’, for now! 3. Duralumin Special Alloy Sprockets: The package also includes special alloy sprockets made out of a light weight and strong alloy of aluminum, Duralumin (also called duraluminum). The main constituents of this alloy are copper, magnesium and manganese and it has a high yield strength of 450 MPa (Yield strength is the stress at which a material starts to deform). Yamaha is considering various options for launching in India along with a 40 and a 42 teeth rear set up. 4. Better Brakes: A giant company like Yamaha sure teaches a lot to the newbies in the business. A faster bike only means a disaster when there is not abundant power to stop or control its speed. Taking the same point in consideration Yamaha has deployed a huge 296 mm diameter petal disc at the front (similar to Apache’s) along with a stainless steel braided brake hose. The full assembly includes a MotoGP race bike style master brake oil cylinder as well. The stock R15 has one of the best braking in the country but with the inclusion of the above, we are talking about a different territory all together. The already supreme braking is reported to have increased by leaps and bounds around steep, sharp corners and under panicky or hard braking. The bike just stays planted without a single hiccup, come what may! With these parts, both the bikes have become stoppie kings, more specifically the FZ. 5. Race-Aided Throttle: The throttle play has been made typical race bred. The stock bike has a total travel angle of 90 degrees. Yamaha has reduced it to only 60 degrees, making the throttle quick and reducing the throttle actuation time, as a result, providing a quicker response from the bike with minimum movement of the wrist. 6. High Lift Camshaft: One of the major jobs of a camshaft is to force open the valves. This package also includes a high-lift camshaft which provides a better flow of air-fuel mixture by getting the valve further out of the way than the stock one does, keeping in mind the strain on vavletrain. More power is produced in this process from the engine which helps in the overall performance of the bike a lot. 7. Rear Set Foot Pegs: A lot of though process has gone into the designing of these parts and the zeal of the company is visible in the detailed analysis done by them. Apart from the various engine and other technical enhancements, they have made sure that there are no niggling issues which hinder the extraction of full performance of the bike and rear set foot pegs is a very good example of the same. The foot pegs are placed further back not to bother the rider about them playing a spoilsport during acute cornering or extra sharp turns. The position further helps in the overall posture and ease of speeding away of the bike. Moreover, they are three way adjustable and can be adjusted according to the preferences of the rider. 8. HID Headlight Kit: Along with all the scintillating stuff mentioned above, Yamaha doesn’t want its customers to live under the dark and hence are the inclusion of HID headlight Kit to burn a well illuminated road. Having said this, let us also inform you that Yamaha has not decided on the pricing of these kits. It’s not even clear that they would sell it as different parts or a full package. Our guess is that the full package should not set us back by more than 25,000 rupees. Another sad news is that these parts would be available only for closed circuit track racing and that means will not be street legal and can not be bought as an after market regular accessory. But the good part is that apart from a few of the mentioned parts, some would be (in all probability) available for the enthusiasts in the market. Yamaha will start taking orders from July and these parts would become a part of your bike by September. Company is training a chosen set of technicians for installation, uninstallation and maintenance of these parts. Till that time let’s rejoice the reincarnation of performance biking in India and keep our fingers crossed for more. - Saad Khan Source: ZigWheels.com

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