Performance After several rides on a 950 Adventure, I realized the bike really didn't need much more power. After riding a 990 it was even more obvious as it had very quick throttle response, along with 950+ power. I initially planned on leaving the bike’s powerplant completely stock, however after several rides it was apparent why so many 950/990 riders switch to aftermarket pipes. The stock pipes could best be described as scorching. It seems KTM engineers took some molten metal compound that fell to earth and will never cool and stuck it inside the catalytic converters of the pipes. These puppies run extremely hot regardless of how long the bike has sat. I’ve hosed the bike off several hours after riding, only to be met with a steam show from the pipes.
I then proceeded to remove the charcoal canister along with the secondary air injection system (SAS). I used a Bosch Connector from Eagle Day to maintain the stock wiring on the Canister connections and replaced the pins on the connector for the SAS. $0.99 of 1/4 watt, 15K Ohm resistors from a electrical supply store tricked the FI into thinking all was dandy both on the Charcoal canister and SAS connections. Why remove the Canister and SAS you ask? My biggest motivation for removing the canister was if you ever overfill the tank or drop the bike on its side and take a minute to pick it up, gasoline will flood the charcoal canister and work its way into the intake tract, flooding out the motor. Not fun. As for the SAS, it causes the annoying pop on deceleration and adds a lot of unnecessary octopus to the engine compartment. I also added a UNI pre filter, which will greatly extend the life of the stock paper filter. As the bike’s FI was able to somewhat compensate for the increased richness, no remapping was needed. I did perform the 15 min idle trick, however to speed up recalibration. To do so, disconnect the battery for at least 10 min (I left mine overnight), put the bike on the centerstand, start it up and allow the bike to idle for 15min (but not more than 15min 45 When performing the 600mi valve adjustment, none of the local KTM dealers had the required shims. After searching far and wide and even contemplating using 9.48mm shims from my old DRZ kit, I found some 10mm shims at the local Harley Davidson dealer. Seems the HD V-Rod uses 10mm shims rather than the typical HD self adjusting hydraulic adjustment. I ordered up a decent collection as they were only $2.60 a shim (half what KTM charges), and came in half sizes (i.e. 2.425mm), which KTM doesn’t. Granted after installing them, my bike now idles much rougher and louder, keeps asking for a trailer, only gets ridden 50 miles a month, and seems to leak oil everywhere ;) During a Baja trip, one of my clutch bolts which apparently wasn't tightened sufficiently at the factory, backed out and tore a whole through the case. I was able to fix the damage to the case cover using a $10 peso and some JB weld, and the mighty LC8 engine soldiered on to make it home. Badlands ATV is currently giving the engine a complete teardown and rebuild to fix any potential damage. While the bike is out of commission I'm having the suspension lengthened to 990S specification increasing travel from 210mm (8.26") to 265mm (10.43"). Previously I had issues with some bottoming when riding the bike at speed and hitting small jumps, this extra 45mm of travel should help counter that. I'm also having stiffer .52 springs installed up front to deal with the extra mass from the Aqualine tanks. Ah the Aqualine tanks... After pushing the stock 5.1 gallon tanks to their limits on numerous occasions, I cut into my luggage capacity by carrying a 1.5 gallon Kolpin can and two 1L MSR fuel bottles. Unfortunately even this was not enough to counter the low 30-35 mpg experienced during slow off roading, and I needed to borrow from a buddy's 6.6 gallon tank on his 525 EXC on one occasion. Enter the 12 gallon tanks by Aqualine of Australia. Although they cost an arm and a leg at $1400 shipped, they carry a usable capacity of 10.5 gallons, with some riders reporting they were able to get in close to 11.8 gallons of dead dinosaurs. These tanks should greatly extend my exploring range to at the very least 300 miles. Leave it to Codys to help me find more ways to spend money, referring me to CJRacer, who manufacturers many unique parts for the LC8's. After seeing his pictures of his clear clutch cover, I knew I wanted one. What better way to see if your clutch bolts are working their way loose. CJRacer also offered a great package deal on the Rekluse Z-Start Pro auto clutch. Although, I have limited experiences with autoclutches - mostly ATV's, I feel this modification will help greatly with preventing stalling during low speed maneuvers. Best part is the new autoclutches allow normal clutch use, so it is only there when you need it.
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