Review : BMC Street + Akrapovic Slip-on = OMG! Torque

A Tale of Two Cities

Back in 2010, the Ninja 650R was selling at RM36k (CKD Malaysia) or RM45k (CBU Japan), while the Ninja ZX6R was selling at RM68k (CBU Japan).

"Why the big price difference?", a novice may ask; and that was even before he realized that the Ninja 650R had a 650 cc engine (parallel-twin) while the ZX6R had a 600 cc engine (inline-four).

"Surely a 650 cc engine should be better than the other 600 cc engine, right?", the novice may add.

Well, the Ninja 650R was designed as a sports tourer to tackle city-riding and the occasional long-distance touring; while the ZX6R was designed purely as a racer. Take it to track and the difference between both stock machines could be felt immediately.

Maximum Power :
1) Ninja 650R - 64.8 hp (48.3 kW) @ 9,000 rpm
2) ZX6R -  129.3 hp (96.4 kW) @ 13,500 rpm

Maximum Torque :
1) Ninja 650R - 44.7 lb·ft (60.6 N·m) @ 7,250 rpm
2) ZX6R -  52 lb·ft (71 N·m) @ 11,500 rpm

From the aforementioned publicly-published figures, one could see that the strength of the Ninja 650R was in the delivery of the maximum torque at the lower-end of the rpm. This made the Ninja 650R a very enjoyable ride around town, where stop-look-go traffic were aplenty.

Torque Gear 

I never intended for Green Hornet to be a racer-wannabe, for that was not its nature. I enjoy its high-torque performance during city commutes.

Earlier in August 2012, I invested in an Akrapovic Titanium slip-on when its prices were gradually reducing from RM3,000 (2008) to RM1,500 (2012). Cost of installation at KS was RM90.

According to the information provided, the exhaust system modification with the SLIP-ON system results in a major boost in performance, delivering a usable 72.3 HP at 8900 rpm on back wheel. But the increased power isn't available just at the top of the range; the system shows its quality already from 2000 rpm up through entire rpm range. The maximum power in-crease between the Akrapovic and the stock system is 5.2 HP at 5280 rpm. Additionally, the torque is substantially higher in the lower rpm area at 3000 rpm and in the middle of rpm area.

The installation of the Akrapovic Titanium slip-on brought an urgency in torque previously not milked from its parallel-twin engine, and made riding Green Hornet a lot more fun.

Air Asia X

You could board Air Asia X and fly to Italy to get your hands on the BMC Street air filter that I got; but an easier and smarter way would be to buy it off the shelf at bike performance shops hereabouts, or purchase from the many online sites.

I tried installing the air filter myself some weeks back but the fact that the fuel tank has to come off and I didn't know the best way of supporting the tank while I work on the air filter had me going to KS a few rounds already- but Ah Ho had been busy on the 3-4 times that I dropped by.

Today, being the Awal Muharam public holiday with our Muslim friends a-celebrating, I figured that I may stand a better chance of catching him today and lo and behold, it turned out exactly as planned. Green Hornet was immediately worked on the moment I rode in. Mileage was at 12,900 km when the BMC was installed.

Cost of installation at KS was RM15 (I read from Pielang Bikers forum that it was a RM10 charge, but disregarded the 50% increase anyway as I was going to buy Ah Ho a drink anyway), and Ah Ho worked on it himself.

Oh, and I found out that they support the fuel tank with an old tire- works well too!

The torque increase could be immediately felt at the rev of the throttle, and the bike was almost jumping up and about. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade with the imported BMC air filter selling at RM320 locally.

I would definitely not hesitate to recommend the combination of BMC and Akrapovic to milk the extra torque from the Ninja 650R's parallel-twin engine. What an even more enjoyable ride it has been after the installation of both upgrade parts.

Alright, got to hit the road now- ride safe, mates!

BMC Italy - Street and Race Air Filters

BMC Italy website

BMC Italy produces 2 types of aftermarket air filters for the Ninja 650R ie Street and Race versions. To know which one are you getting, look at the barcode sticker on the box- the model no. is written as FM579/04 or FM579/04Race. The one that I got for my Green Hornet was the Street version.

1) Street Air Filter no. FM579/04 for Ninja 650R
@ http://www.bmcairfilters.com/standard-bike-filters/fm579-04_d779_1.aspx

The knowledge and experience gained on track is transferred to street production in order to offer performance products, tested and in continuous evolution, designed to satisfy the requirements of the most demanding motorcyclists.

The materials used in production are of the highest standard: filters are made in one single piece with no welded joints thus avoiding breakage; the filtering material is composed of a special cotton gauze soaked with low viscosity oil and covered with an epoxy coated alloy mesh to ensure protection from petrol fumes and oxidization due to air humidity.

Furthermore the cotton has the advantage of being washable and therefore reusable. In this way BMC air filters guarantee superior air capacity in respect to traditional paper filters enabling minimum loss of power in the air flow and therefore obtaining better performance from the engine.


2) Race Air Filter no. FM579/04Race for Ninja 650R
@ http://www.bmcairfilters.com/race-bike-filters/fm579-04race_d1073_1.aspx

Alongside standard filters, BMC has produced a race version for the most important bike models. These filters have the same shape as the standard version but with a different filtering body designed to take in more air than other air intake systems, but without compromising its filtering properties.

BMC RACE filters are for people who are not satisfied with the standard performance of the bike and want to improve the engine by upgrading other bike parts. With this filter they can find the best balance for a bike aiming for the top.

BMC RACE filters are identified by an orange line inside the filtering body.

Swarmed by Scooters

Of later, there has been quite a no. of scooter launching in Malaysia, such as the BMW C600 Sports and C650 GT and Honda PCX 150 recently. The more choices there are, the better it is for the consumers.

Scooters used to be relatively low-spec, but they are definitely being spec-upwards these days. As the preferred choices for executives wanting an alternative mode of transportation to beat the traffic jam of Klang Valley, scooters are fast-becoming a common landscape in the world of 2-wheelers here.

With CVT transmission and easy handling for city-riding, I must say that scooters make good sense. Some of the more affordable scooter considerations in today's market include the following :

CPI GTR 180 @ RM6,300

SYM VTS 200 @ RM9,000

 
HONDA PCX 150 @ RM10,300

SYM EVO 250 @ RM17,500

 

AES : Smile, you're on Candid Camera!

I got caught by the AES yesterday. I'd be expecting the RM300 in my summons within the next few days, if the contractor for the AES was anything as efficient as was claimed.

Contrary to popular beliefs, motorbikes are not exempted from the spying eyes of the AES, as evidenced from the summons for a Yamaha TZM at Ipoh recently.

I do wish that the authorities or the contractor whom are deriving benefits (ka ching! ka ching! even as they sleep so soundly and happily) from the AES would re-tune the flash so that it's not so blinding. Heck, one of these days, someone's going to be temporarily blinded by the flash and cause a temporal lapse of driving judgement, resulting in an accident. I know that I was caught by shock when the flash went off suddenly and oh, so bright!

Apparently, due to some mysteries, a couple of AES up North had been falling all over the place like flies.

Thank goodness the cameras were not damaged though. Right...

Wallpaper : Caberg Italia - Top Gun Edition

Ta da, here's the Caberg Italia - Top Gun edition in all its glory!

The package came with the box, manual, helmet bag and of course, the very helmet itself. Although I have also had the Nolan N104 N-Com that cost significantly more than the Caberg Konda, I find that the Konda was pretty well-built and gave the N104 a good run for the latter's monies.

The weight of both helmets were similar, but the padding of the N104 felt thicker and plusher. Although both were sized-L, for some reason, the Konda felt smaller and more snug. I haven't had a chance to take it out for a ride as yet, so let's see how it goes.

Mod : Brake Calipers Mounting Bolts

There had been quite a few cases of superbikes having their front brake calipers stolen. Scouring through some online trade sites revealed similar branded brake calipers being sold at RM300 - RM500. Put 2 and 2 together and there may just be some stolen calipers making its round to unsuspecting buyers, and the vicious cycle continues.

The Ninja 650R's Tokico brake calipers, for example, retails at RM1,200 per set- and there are 2 sets in front and 1 set at the rear. It's definitely worth investing some hard-earned monies to protect these necessary safety devices.

How best to to so then?

1) Arming a disc-lock with alarm function, such as the Xena XX6, is a good option. The slightest touch on your bike would send 120 dB of piercing alarm raising the racket.

2) Machining specific caliper mounting bolts that could only be opened vide special tools, is another good option. There are a few types selling in the market at app RM170. One point to note is that the Versys and ER6N use a shorter mounting bolt, while the Ninja 650R uses a longer mounting bolt; so don't get mixed up. Always compare your aftermarket mounting bolts with your original ones. Too long and the bolt may hit the brake disc, while too short may cause your caliper to fall off after some time! So always, always get the right length for your replacement mounting bolts.

I bought mine from a fellow rider ie Zain, and he swung by to assist me to install the new mounting bolts on my Green Hornet. There were 3 colours to choose from- red, yellow or black. I opted for the red to alert would-be thieves that mine had been modified, so please keep their hands off mine.

The mounting bolts had twin locking mechanisms, and I trust that these would give would-be thieves a harder time to steal the brake calipers.

If any of you are interested, you can drop me an e-mail and I would hook you up with Zain. Rider-help-rider programme.

Consider This : Caberg Konda Modular Helmet

Update : My parcels arrived earlier so I now have a pair of B&W (black and white) Carberg Konda from Italy, so keep your eyes peeled on this space for the subsequent on-going review.
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I got quite a no. of e-mails since I posted about my modular helmet ie Nolan N104 N-Com; and quite a few of our readers lamented that they would also like to have an imported stylish modular helmet, minus the high prices. The Nolan N104 N-Com is sold as a premium modular helmet at RM1,250; and as far as modular helmet goes, I think that it ticks most boxes that a rider may have.

 
Except the part that the chin-bar integrates as pat of the rear shell to be an aerodynamic spoiler as the Shark Evoline 3 (RM1,500); but that's another story for another day.

Since there were so many requests for a modular helmet that was :

1) high on safety ratings;
2) stylish;
3) imported; and
4) relatively affordable,

that reminded me of the Caberg Konda, a pretty nice modular helmet that made its debut in 2010 from the famous Italian modular helmet manufacturer ie Caberg,

Fans of Caberg would know that it's supposed to be the first to manufacture a modular helmet, so it would know a thing or two about designing and manufacturing a stylish yet functional modular helmet. The Konda started selling in 2010 to replace the Caberg Trip, and was itself replaced with the Caberg Duke in 2012. As such, you would find many resellers slashing its price in order to clear the current Konda stocks.

When it stated selling in 2010, it was retailing at app RM1,000 but these days, you can get for considerably lesser. Purchase online from UK and you could get it for app £90, add in the taxes and you could still have this baby delivered to your doorstep at app RM600.

It may be affordable these days, but it rates highly on safety. Sharp UK @ http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/caberg-konda tested and gave it a 5-star rating, which many helmets of today ain't getting such high ratings.

And if you're a Star Wars fan, you may want to grab a piece before it runs out. Just be sure to grab it in Matt/Gloss Black for the Darth Vader look, or Gloss White for the Stormtrooper feel. I am waiting for my Italian modular helmets to arrive too- can't wait to role-play Star Wars :)


Ride safe and keep the good times rolling!