Bazzaz Early Dyno Runs

I believe these are all with the stock pipe, and it's not clear from the naming what's going on in the first image; it may be just their baseline runs overlaid. ...if anyone understands "dyno lingo" let me know. lol These runs were done a while back when my bike had only 1700 miles on it. I can tell that the motor has woken up a bit since then so I'm looking forward to getting it back on the dyno with it fully broken in and the Akro pipe installed.

Stock mapping (maybe the black line is with the Z-Fi unit and map):


1st gear with (black) and without (red) the Z-Bomb (removes 1st & 2nd gear limitations):


2nd gear with (black) and without (red) Z-Bomb:


I'm told they have all the connectors for the Z-Fi unit, but are having some issues getting the right connectors for the Z-Bomb (hoping to be resolved in the next couple weeks).

All this reaffirms what my butt tells me every time I hit the twisties (mostly all 2nd gear) ...WTF was Honda thinking with this BS limiting of the 1st & 2nd??? The way the power sags then comes on just SUCKS. For most of the twisty roads I've found in Southern California, 1st is just too short and 2nd is on the lugging side, which means you have to ride through that horrible trough constantly, usually pulling out of the apex of a turn. I can do it in 1st and stay up in the power band, but man talk about needing a LOT of throttle control! lol

It's really a shame that Honda did this to cripple what is an otherwise very easy to handle 140-150hp bike. ...it really is borderline dangerous, and I can't wait to get it fixed permanently, even if it means having the gear indicator on the dash not working correctly anymore.

 

Boy that shows some significant improvements over stock!!!!! If only the required mods could eastly/relaibly be made.

 

When the Bazzaz unit is available (hopefully in the next few weeks) it will be a plug in unit. No messing with the wiring harness; just plug it in to de-restrict 1st and 2nd, and unplug it again to return to stock.

 

Why is total power so much less after being modified about 20whp?

 

^^ 1st and 2nd gear runs vs. what was most likely a 3rd gear run in the first image, possibly 4th gear. If they'd showed a 3rd gear run with the equipment installed, it probably would have shown zero affect to overall peak HP.

 

I dont think that is true because on my 1200 third gear does not have the same power dip that 1st and 2nt have.

 

The top map (the one that shows peak hp @ 146) doesn't have any perceivable power dips as stock (red lines). Just a leveling off between 4k-5k rpm; which is to be expected on most bikes. The dips only occur in the second and third images, where only 1st and 2nd gear were tested and which the Bazzaz supposedly cured.

 

I am so printing this out so I can show it to the Manger at my Honda Dealership. Then he can show it to the Honda Rep who says he hasn't heard anything like this power dip (on off throttle hesitation) I've been bitchin' about on my 1200. It's so annoying to me sometimes, I just leave the sucker in 3rd gear when I'm out in the twisties. Because, like someone elses mentioned, it almost feels dangerous when it starts it's bucking deal.

Glad to see someone is looking into smoothing out the power down there in 1st and 2nd.

 

I thought that giant dip in the top two lines was the dip as it is eliminated in the other graphs.

 

Just thought I'd give you all the heads-up. I got in line for the Bazzaz Z-Bomb and Fuel Control Unit today. Lead time is 14 weeks so you've got time to save up. I don't know if I feel this is super necessary as I love the bike as-is but I figure anything that makes a great bike even better is worth some consideration.

 

Just an update.

Part 1:

Well, a truck from Bazzaz, with my bike in the back, showed up at my house Wed. afternoon.

They are *still* waiting on ONE part to finish the Z-Bomb, but finished my bike off with a hand-built connector for the Z-Bomb on my bike.

I will probably get final dyno sheets next week sometime. ...in the meantime, here's my initial impression:

Z-Fi / Fuel mapping: ...perfect! Not an exaggeration, it is simply that better than it was stock; no humps in power, and no giant holes!!!
Z-Bomb: What can I say, I now have full power in 1st & 2nd, and you know what? ...it's very nice, and not the least bit "dangerous". In fact, the bike has completely lost its nervous throttle coming off-idle in 1st & 2nd; it's now VERY easy to ride smoothly in those gears, making 2nd my new go-to gear for my local twisties (with the occasional dip into 3rd). The bike is simply SAFER to ride now as it behaves much better in the lower gears!
Quick Shifter: ...this will take a little getting used to, but it is smoooooth! I didn't know if they were going to do it or not, but they did and it's awesome! As long as you're over 3000rpm you can just up-shift with no clutch, and it seamlessly clicks into gear without having to let off the throttle. I've never had a quick shift before, but I LIKE it!
Traction Control: This is another thing I didn't think they were going to do, but they did. It's really meant for the race-track, to allow you to dial in just the right amount of "slip" while putting the power down hard, but they tell me it will work just as well in the wet. ...obviously, I haven't had a chance to notice it working (and may not for some time), but it's cool that they developed it!
Handlebar Controls: This last bit was a total surprise! They mounted a control cluster under my left bar that has a 2-position toggle for switching between Map 1 & Map 0 on the Z-Fi unit, as well as a dial for adjusting the sensitivity of the traction control (currently set to mid-point).

Overall the whole thing is very clean and professional (what would you expect from Bazzaz) and the bike is, quite simply, transformed!

I'll try to get some pics of the little control cluster as well as the quick shift and Z-Fi, etc. to put online.

Bazzaz is Badazz!!!

_______________________________________________________________________

Part 2:




I don't really have any way of recording video while riding, so you'll just have to take my word that it's a LOT smoother; especially the off-idle throttle response. To test this, I went up one of my favorite local roads, ( Piuma Rd. ) which starts with a very tight, climbing hairpin turn; this is normally nearly impossible to do smoothly as it is strictly a 1st gear turn, and usually covered in dirt and loose rocks. Today, no issue whatsoever! The bike came under throttle smoothly, with no abruptness at all!

Until I get dyno results to post, there's not much more to say about the performance. I know it added a bunch of power in 1st & 2nd, but the bike is actually easier to ride in those two gears. I don't know that it added any / much horsepower in the higher gears, I just know the bike is smoother overall, and there are no dips in power, anywhere, at any throttle position!

Quick Shift: To answer the question, quick shift does basically the same thing you do when you up-shift without the clutch ...it just does it a LOT faster, and you don't have to back off the throttle to do it. There's a sensor at the shift lever that detects pressure, and when it does it interrupts the ignition for a fraction of a second, releasing the tension on the shift dogs (just like backing off the throttle does); once the ignition cuts, the bike just pops into the next gear and since you never had to let off the throttle, it continues right where you left off ...pulling like a freight train.

The Bazzaz QS is programmed differently for each gear, as you need less igntion cut as you go up in gears / speed. So the cut for 1st - 2nd might be long enough for you to really feel the ignition cut out (because it has to be) but 3rd - 4th and up is essentially instantaneous. There's simply no way you can cut the throttle manually, shift, and pick up the throttle even remotely close to how quick it is.

Here's the quick shift sensor hooked up:


The Z-Fi unit under the seat (held in with Velcro). ...I gave them permission to cut away some of the ribbing under the seat to fit it, as I put my fuse box in what would be the ideal location. In my opinion the under-tray is plenty strong to not need that rib all the way across anyway.



And here is the handlebar control cluster, which is actually upside down, as it was designed to mount above the bar on most (race) bikes, but the VFRs clutch reservoir is in the way ...I like how clean it looks under the bar, and the reservoir hides the cables, etc.. The 2-position toggle is to switch ignition maps, the dial is for how much / little traction control you want active.

 

Bazzaz

Thanks for the nice write up.

 

It looks like they took a lot of time and effort to put this package together.
It is nice to know companies are paying attention to the new VFR and not leaving us hanging.

 

That's good stuff right there, Zen. Good for you, and good job by Bazzaz.

 

Thanks for the update! I was a believer ever since I saw the dyno charts.
Dunno about quick shifters (rode countless dyno runs with them, didn't care much for them on the road where seconds don't count) but to each their own etc. If I can get rid of the restriction in 1st and 2nd, which I always suspected to be the culprit of the snatchy throttle, I'll be a very happy bunny.

 

Is it possible that the "Z" bomb 1st and 2nd gear de-restrictor will work on the DCT??

Cheers,
Smithy.

 

I don't know if the Z-Bomb will work with the DCT or not.

Befbever, I don't know if it's the Z-Fi mapping, or the Z-Bomb, but one of those two things DEFINITELY fixed the snatchy throttle!!!

This thing pulls very, very smoothly from down low now; no more "jumping" in 1st as you try to feather in some throttle coming off idle (like rolling into a very slow, hairpin, corner).

It might not make any more power on top (still no new dyno charts), but overall it is a much smoother ride now!

 

Bef will do fine, thanks Zen.

The snatchy throttle is getting worse, in all gears but especially 1st and 2nd of course. Now at one year and almost 10k miles, mostly highway, I need to take it to another dealer (where I bought it the guy tried to con me) to get the preload adjuster fixed/ replaced and hook it onto their computer. I'll wait until September for that so I'm ready for winter.

I wonder how the traction control copes with the countless tar snakes I encounter. As it is, the rear wheel will just spin w/o throttle if it's also wet. Thank heavens for the ABS!

Very useful info, much appreciated, Zen. As soon as they ship the Z thing plug&play overseas I'm getting me one.

Oh one thing: you switched maps?

 

My PC V and rewire of the 1st and 2nd gears also completely fixed the jerky throttle response around 3000 rpm.