05 S3 Roadtest newbie questions

[bonnietastic]

Hi Guys,


Just had a road test on a new 05S3, generally I was really impressed with motor and the handling but I do have a few questions as I'm close to placing an order for a gold coloured one.

Gearbox: are they all a bit slow and clunky? the demo bike I rode seemed to want a very deliberate change from 5(?) to top or it would not engage gear properly, it also changed into first with a loud clunk.

Front brakes: seemed to have a lot of lever travel although they worked well enough.

Motor: although it had a lot of grunt it did seem a bit flat not the kind of top end rush you expect from a litre bike.

Mirrors: all I can tell you is I have lovely elbows, seems a shame to put such cheap looking parts on such a cool bike.

Exhaust: I was thinking of ordering the TOR silencers as I assume that they are the only well developed silencers around or do other vendors supply their own download for the fi?

I notice someone mentioned the ART cans the one I had on my zx9r was really loud, how do you re-jet for all the different types of can? I'm not sure how some of the less restrictive cans would work with the standard triumph download do they have different downloads for less restrictive systems?

As you can tell from the above I'm a noveice when it comes to fuel injected bikes so any info would be gratefull

cheers



Oliver

[crashmasterd]

On 2005-05-22 12:21, bonnietastic wrote:

Gearbox: are they all a bit slow and clunky? the demo bike I rode seemed to want a very deliberate change from 5(?) to top or it would not engage gear properly, it also changed into first with a loud clunk.

The gearbox will get steadily better the more miles you put on it. At first I thought it was pretty clunky, but with 1600 mile on it most of the clunk went away. It's really nice shifting now.

Front brakes: seemed to have a lot of lever travel although they worked well enough.

Make the dealer bleed your brakes until you are satisfied with them. The brakes on this bike are great but are difficult to get all of the air out of. Once they are properly bled and the pads bedded in you will see marked improvement.

Motor: although it had a lot of grunt it did seem a bit flat not the kind of top end rush you expect from a liter bike.

The Speed Triple will never have the top end scream of a 4 cylinder Japanese bike. I drag race with a bunch of 'busas and ZXR1200s and such and they all waste me on the top end. However, my 60 foot and 1/8th mile times are as good or better than theirs are. And I have 30-40 horsepower less than they do!

Mirrors: all I can tell you is I have lovely elbows, seems a shame to put such cheap looking parts on such a cool bike.

The mirrors suck. Replace them or get used to it.

Exhaust: I was thinking of ordering the TOR silencers as I assume that they are the only well developed silencers around or do other vendors supply their own download for the fi?

Nobody has a FI map other than Triumph... yet. The factory FI map for the Triumph off road cans works well with the various aftermarket mufflers available, at least according to those who have done it. Also, both Power Commander and at least one other company are working on "Black Boxes" for adjusting your injection. Most of the aftermarket exhaust manufactures are claiming their cans work just fine without changing the map, but that the factory off road map gets even more benefit out of them.

I notice someone mentioned the ART cans the one I had on my zx9r was really loud, how do you re-jet for all the different types of can? I'm not sure how some of the less restrictive cans would work with the standard triumph download do they have different downloads for less restrictive systems?

The new 2005 Speed Triple and Sprint ST both are using a new Kiehn Fuel Injection system. In order to modify the fuel system for a less restrictive exhaust you have to load a new Map , that is, a set of variables that the engine management unit consults to determine the correct fuel/air mixture at any given time. This is done by hooking your bike up to a computer and saving the new Map over the old one. As of today there is only one Map available, and that's through your Dealership. This will change, so keep your shorts on.

The other method for altering the air/fuel mixture on a FI bike is to install a Power Commander or similar device. This installs between the computer and the fuel injectors, and intercepts the impulses from the engine management unit. Then, it modifies these impulses to give a richer or leaner mixture according to a secondary Map that is loaded into the Power Commander. You can alter this Map yourself with a PC, and there are a number of other user developed Maps available.

Any other questions?


[ This message was edited by: crashmasterd on 2005-05-22 14:14 ]