K&N and airbox mod w/o exhaust??

[50dro]

I'm looking for some opinions (and facts if possible) here...

I have a K&N filter and modified airbox cover (holes drilled) that I picked up on another Buell forum. The question is should I bother to install them before getting an exhaust? Will my bike run too lean? Will I have to remap it or just let the ECM learn the new characteristics? I do plan to install a new pipe in the future but I don't have it just yet.

My bike is a 2004 XB12S. Thanks for the help!!

 

[dave_xb12r]

You can do it. I ran with a airbox delete and K&N for a few months. Having a tune does help. When I wasn't tuned, my AFV was at 106.9%

 

[50dro]

Thanks Dave! This might be a stupid question, but what should the AFV be if tuned properly? (I'm just now reading up on Spy and haven't hooked up the bike to it yet.[smirk])

 

[dave_xb12r]

It should be at 100%. Anything above is lean and anything below is rich.

 

[fahren]

With just an exhaust change OR just an airbox mod, you shouldn't need to re-map. But with both, you should.

 

[50dro]

Thanks fahren!! So far I installed the airbox and filter. Man that sounds cool!![up] I'll definitely be remapping once I add the exhaust. Going with a Hawk Performance pipe. Randy has maps that he is willing to share with his customers so that should work nice! I'll update once the project is complete.

 

[fahren]

Every bike is different, so you may want to try a map once your bike is all modified, and still use ECMSpy to fine tune it (keeping a copy of your original maps and of the new remap safely squirreled away just in case you mess up and need to get back to square 1). I don't know if you have the cable and program, but it is worth it not only for tuning and diagnosing, but for TPS re-sets as well.

 

[50dro]

Thanks again...Yes I have all that, but haven't dug in just yet...stay tuned...literally!!

 

[LeFox]

your bike will run lean with any change made to it without mapping it.

whether or not it is acceptable is all up to you...from a pure technical point of view, it is not!

 

[gbalias]

some bikes were WAAY rich from the factory. so thats not necessarily true.


ive worked on a 09 xb9 that was running 82AFV and .78EGO at idle.

bone stock.