JamesXX

Thanks, all for your input. I'm going to put the bike for sale online in a few places for $5500-$6000, and see what happens. But I'll accept an offer from a forum member for $5200 or somewhere reasonably around there. Let me know if you're interested! US buyers beware the whole importation thing - there's probably some additional costs for a registered importer, etc. I'm going to try and arrange to have new pics taken. Problem is, I'm gonna be in Stockholm, Budapest and Kiev over the next few weeks for work, and will end up in Montreal between April 16-20. It will be taken out of storage then. If you're around, send me a PM!

For sale (I think). This is a Canadian bike, currently stored for the winter at a Honda dealer in Montreal, Quebec. I do need some advice, however, as to what you guys think the bike is worth. 2003 CBR1100XX (Black) Akra 4-2-1 PCM III w/custom map (done at Picotte Performance) VFR bar mod 11K kilometers (approx 7000 miles) true odometer miles. Overall, in excellent condition and mostly original everything (incl. tires). I bought it from a Honda dealer in 2005, with 2000km on it (was the owner's). Never been dropped, never had any mechanical issues, full service history available, only used Honda synthetic, etc. I am one those meticulous OCD-types who likes his toys in top shape. I moved from Montreal to NJ back in 2008 - and been riding it only 3-5 times/year since then. Wasn't sure if my wife and I were staying in the US, but it appears now that we are. So instead of paying a registered importer to bring it down with me, I think I'm going to move on to my next sport-tourer. And since I now live in the US, it might as well be a US-spec bike. Price? The dealer who is storing it is offering me $3900, and is willing to write off the $200 I would still owe them for storage. Good? Bad? I'm not looking to get the absolute maximum price - just whatever the market says is fair. It will make someone a very happy customer regardless. What do you think? OOPS - EDIT: full disclosure on the pics - the first is a couple of years old, but was only approx 1000 miles ago. The second pic was from a trip to PA last summer. Anyone interested, I'll have new pics taken from storage.

Holy shit. Why didn't I do this sooner? For all those who trawl this forum looking to learn from other people's experiences with mods (like I do), this is my story. Ordered from Partmonster.com: - Akrapovic Super Sport 4-2-1 Titanium - K&N filter - Power Commander III USB All three of those together was a bit less than $1K. As many of you know, Louie is a standup guy, offers great deals and is a pleasure to deal with. Exhaust really is a nice piece of engineering. But you guys already knew that. Yes, the exhaust is on the bed in the first pic. Girlfriend temporarily kicked out, exhaust moved in. We snuggled. I LOOOVE the look of the exhaust on the bike. I thought I would be worried about the one-legged-man phenomenon, and was among those who thought the 'bird needed a pair of cans to round out that fat behind. No longer. The oval shape actually slims out the junk in the trunk, IMHO. The sound out of this pipe is also DAMN nice: Below 5K low and mean, like a black-lunged hooker snarling for her morning smoke, and upward from there a kamikaze scream builds up to a crescendo of holy-fuck-I'm-doing-250 (kph) type of experience. But aesthetics aside, the real reason to do this mod is because you CAN have it all, after all. Who knew that underneath that plastic was a powerplant choking for dear life? For environmental reasons (I guess), the bike stock was asthmatic. I thought it ran rich stock (could smell that), but let it breathe freely and all of a sudden you have almost-literbike performance but with the range and comfort older bastards like me have come to appreciate (I'm 35, which I remember somewhere was the median age around here). I had a custom FI map done at Picotte Performance, in Granby, QC. I highly recommend the tuner there - a guy named Bruce, who is as meticuluous and detail oriented as you want a tuner to be. He tunes Pascal Picotte's (former AMA racer, now team owner) bikes in Canadian Superbike. I owe Eric (EVLXX) a huge debt of grattitude, as he saved me from dealing with a hack operator in Laval. A downloaded map may suffice for some; but after snuggling with my Akra, I knew I couldn't buy her some off-the-shelf, maybe-it-fits-me map. This bitch demanded respect, and I, kowtowed and kneeling beneath the weight of my credit card balance, obliged. The results, which others here have achieved as well: From 127 to 143 max hp; From 75 to 82 ft-lbs of torque. With an annoyingly persistent dip around 5500, but wha ya gonna do. No, you won't suddenly think you have an R1, but suddenly you're convinced that you're in that league; you've left the minors for a DH role, better than being the best in a slower class. It's still the kind of balls-to-the-wall power that DEMANDS to be acknowledged every once in a while, when you forget that you're an adult with responsibilities. Don't underestimate how much you'll notice the weight loss - you feel it right away. Again, no CBR1000RR; but the bird loses a bit of its cruise-missile feel. More flickable (relatively), and simply more fun. And finally, it must be the map, but the bike simply runs amazing and shifts MUCH smoother than before. Clunks appear to be gone. A measured air-fuel ratio appears to be the crack that my engine adores. I don't understand why, but I'm sure EVLXX would be able to explain it. Thanks all, for your advice and posts, which helped me out. Results from the drag strip to be posted soon, unless winter actually arrives in Canada (it was 75 F today). Maybe I'll be riding until January...? I've begun to feed the dreaded MOD disease, and worry about what might come next... Suspension.

Thanks, EVLXX, for all the advice. I called them back, and after another short, dour conversation where he didn't know what I meant by the PAIR system, I cancelled my tuning appointment. ...And made another one at Picotte Performance, in Granby, Quebec (not too far from Montreal). Pascal Picotte (the AMA racer) opened up this shop a few years ago in his hometown, and someone recommended it to me. The guy who works the dyno there is an actual tuner with 25+ years experience (they build superbikes there), and I'm much more optimistic. I don't know if the other shop either didn't know anything, or just didn't give a shit, but same difference. BTW - Great article from Sport Rider. I was confused because dynojet say that the 250 has an "eddy-current" load control on their inertial dyno: http://www.dynojet.com/motorcycle_dyno/250i_dyno/index.aspx

Hmmm... was he too lazy to remove the plastics, I wonder. Thanks for the info. PAIR is still on the bike. Question: Are they necessarily gonna take AFR readings? Can they tune on their Dynojet 250 without them? I figure to target somewhere between 82 C and 86 C as standard operating temp. But I fear that it would start to run noticeably different at 102, where the thermo starts the fan. This is the art, I guess, of tuning an engine not just for power but also rideability. It's a Dynojet 250, an eddy-current dyno, but I don't think they have the gas analyzer addition (I may be wrong). But I was told on the phone that printouts of the A/F mix would not be available if I did the tuning at their shop (as well as the Akra installatoin). Is this normal?

So I've decided to go for the Akrapovic 4-2-1, PC III and air filter mod. Louie at partmonster made me a deal I couldn't refuse. My girlfriend, always a happy passenger on the XX, doesn't understand why I can't refuse it, but I tell her that it's hard to explain. I'm wondering whether the $$$ on a custom map for the PCIII is worth it. I'm already past my budget, but if you're gonna do it, I figure do it properly. If I cheap out now, I'll just be annoyed at myself next season. Ride now, pay later! Question is to you guys, is it worth it to get the extra 10-15% optimization, vs using a map off the dynojet website? And also, if yes, I've been reading about the importance of maintaining a consistent engine temp, etc., during the mapping process. It's gonna be done at AMI Sport (in Laval, QC), who know Hondas pretty well (they're a performance shop who were also a Honda dealer). I did a baseline run a few weeks ago at the same shop, and the bike pulled 128rwhp. But I noticed that it took him so long to find the right wire on the ECU, that the engine temp was 102 C (215 f) during the runs. Normal operating temp is around 82 C (180 f). What makes the mapping process go well, or go badly, if anything? Anything I should look out for? I.e., should I ensure that the operator doesn't get rushed and not wait for the bike to cool down between pulls? What is the ideal engine temp for mapping? Is there one? Thanks for your expertise!

Paypal sent. I bought a pair of these off someone else a while ago, and I love 'em. Problem is, I over-filed them during installation, and have been living with minor looseness ever since. No longer! Round two I won't be such a klutz.

I was surprised to find that I could order 2003 VFR bars through a Honda dealer up here in Canada for about $107 for one side, $135 or so for the other (all dollars Canadian - 1=0.95 USD). How or why the right- and left-hand bars are priced differently is one of those marketing mysteries of the universe to me. So used ones should be some percentage of that... Great mod, no question. Added a few hours to my riding day, while looks 100% factory stock. Just be careful with the dremel when filing the tabs to account for the new master cylinders/assembly angle on the VFR bars.

Sounds like two different things... The clutch is quite heavy duty, it does make some odd noises while idling with the clutch out, pulling the clutch in gets rid of this. If this happens it's normal. the CCT going never put vibrations in the bars for me but I never let it get really bad. Normally it does kinda sound like marbles rolling around. I'd replace the CCT as they are cheep and easy to see if the problem goes away. Check the For Sale Section John usually has a thread in there going for sale, he's about the cheapest place to get one. Thanks! I'll give it a try.

I'm wondering if these two things are connected: I've been getting a progressively-worse vibration on my 2003 XX, almost exclusively on the right-hand side (footpeg and bar). It is most pronounced around 3000-5000 rpm (the natural harmonic frequency of the motor, I read somewhere around here). All engine mounting bolts, exhaust, etc. have been tightened, but it hasn't gone away. It's a very high-frequency vibration too, in that it doesn't thud or pulse, but the type that will numb your wrists after a while. There's also something like a rattling, clumsy noise to the engine at idle which I always thought came from the clutch, as it only happens when the clutch is out. Is the clutch on the XX known for this? Anyone else have these issues? I didn't think it possible that the CCT rattle would somehow be affected by the clutch... But it could maybe cause the vibration. I think. Bike has only around 5000 miles on it. Engine block never been opened (that I know of - bought it with 1200 miles!). Any ideas? Thanks, all!

Beondwacko - 0.039 R/T: :icon_clap: :icon_clap: :icon_clap: You and the ZX-10 rider were both pretty damn quick off the line. I've been following this thread closely (who on the board hasn't?), and if only these pipes had been introduced as a new slip-on alternative with cool looks and a better-than-average gain (+/-5 hp with a smoother curve), we'd all be pretty happy. Instead, they were simply oversold. Word to Paul: You're obviously an stand-up kind of guy and you do excellent work. As a marketing strategy, you might want to consider lowering expectations and then surpassing them instead. Will sell more pipes.

Hi everyone - As this is my first post, first I should say hi, and thanks to all of you who have provided me with free info through my lurking as a guest on this site (up until now). I'm not sure if this has been posted before, but here' a link to a custom undertail I hadn't seen before: http://www.jester-racing.com/index_en.html (click on undertails, then CBR1100XX 97-04, additional pictures). Food for thought. (I think it gives the bike too much junk in the trunk, so to speak... but it's cheaper/easier than fitting an RR tail, for sure). JamesXX 2003 CBR1100XX