If you are thinking about getting a Juice Box or PCV this might be helpful

First of all I would like to say that the difference with my JB on is amazing. All snatchy throttle problems at low speed are gone and the more linear HP/Torque curves make the bike a joy to ride. If Honda had the bike set up like this from the start they would be selling a lot more.

Anyway, here is the problem I was having when installing my Juice Box. Got it all wired up and fired it up for the first time and I got a 23 and 24 trouble code coming out of the MIL. These codes are O2 sensor malfunction codes (Low O2 sensor voltage and no O2 sensor signal I think). It will look like two long flashes and three short flashes on the MIL for the 23 and you can figure out what 24 looks like from there.

I went back through and double checked the connections on the O2 optimizers. Everything looked good but still got the codes. Plugged in the stock O2 sensors again and the codes went out. I thought maybe that cleared the code out of the ECU but when I hooked back up the optimizers the codes came back on the MIL.

I went back and triple checked all my other connections with a Volt/Ohm meter to make sure that all the connections from the Juice box to the bike were solid and checked the O2 optimizer connections for continuity and everything checked out OK.

Finally got around to talking to a Two Brothers tech yesterday and told him about the problem I was having and how I felt kind of frustrated that apparently I am missing something on a simple 12 step install guide. After hearing of my symptoms he immediately knew what the problem was. Apparently, the first batch of Juice Boxes went out with the O2 optimizers pinned wrong. There are 4 wires for that O2 sensor harness.

black = ground
gray= O2
white=Heater
white=power

The optimizers were pinned to loop ground and O2 wires together. Those need to be re-pinned for heater to loop to power (white to white) and the O2 and ground will be open. You can use a really small screwdriver or automotive dental tool (at least thats what I call them) to pop those pins out and reset the pins correctly. I reinstalled the re-pinned optimizers and problem was gone.

This happened to me on a TwoBros JuiceBox Pro but I also I thought I would put PCVs in there since they are both dynojet products and the optimizers are probably made in the same place.

rob,
vfr1200f

 

Thank you. I'll be installing a PCV next weekend and I'll check that.

 

I'm not totally positive on this for the 1.2k, but for the 800, it is best to run O2 elims with the PC....are the latest PC's ( and, or, Juice Boxes) for the 1.2k configured so that the O2 elims are still in play?



.

 

yea definately need the o2 eliminators to take full advantage of the pc. otherwise the ecu fights the pc.

 

BrandX, how did your install of the PCV go? any tips as I plan to fit the same. What improvements? Thanks

 

I just picked mine up this morning and haven't done anything except open the box yet. I think I'll have to wait until next weekend to install as I have no garage and it's raining today plus the weather forecast is not good for tomorrow here on the wet coast of Canada. :frown:

 

Does installing the JB or PCV resolve the ''surging'' issue just like this other solution discussed on a different thread, which fools the bike making it think it is in third gear instead of first or second?
Does it work with the stock exhaust too?
How good is it to use a ''generic'' map as oppopsed to one customized to your bike on a dyno? I understand that the same motorbike running the same map in different conditions (altitude, atmospheric pressure, etc.) would not necessarily work great.

 

Takes care of 90% or so of the touchy throttle at low speed. I'm guessing that is the surging you are referring to.

It does not eliminate the 1st/2nd gear mapping. You have to manually do that. I'm thinking trying to wire mine up to go 6-5-N-3-4-5-6 instead of 3-3-N-3-4-5-6 so I can distinguish my 1st and 2nd gear position better.

Works with stock exhaust just fine.

Generic maps make a big difference over stock but dyno is best. I wouldnt really worry about the dyno unless you have something on the bike other than aftermakret exhaust or hi-flow air filter or you live somewhere really extreme (like the top of a mountain). Or you just have the extra bank to blow.

 

Please excuse my ignorance but isn't the purpose of a Power Commander to actually alter/modify the mapping?
I was under the impression the ''fooling the bike'' thing was a cheaper alternative (avoided the purchase of a PC) and that the PC would actually allow you to modify the mapping at will, thus allowing to keep the normal function of the gear indicator?
Are you saying that there is no way to modify the 1st and 2nd gear mapping and that the only way to resolve the issue is to fool the bike and live with the messed-up gear indicator? :-(

 

the gear indicator will be incorrect if you bypass the 1st and 2nd gear detune from the factory. Not a big deal to me though.
I splice 1st into 5th and 2nd in 6th. So, now my bike reads 5-N-6-3-4-5-6. The powercommander V is a different issue.

 

I do understand the bypass concept but my question is: Is there any other way than to ''fool'' the bike? In other words, isin't it the role of the Power Commander to alter the factory map and make it what you want in any gear?

 

it's my understanding that the bike has 2 maps. One for 1st and 2nd gear, the other for 3rd through 6th gear. Or it could be just that the bike in 1st or 2nd gear doesn't let the throttle bodies open correctly (fully). So the PC V won't fix the 1st and 2nd gear problem. It requires moving the wires from 1st and 2nd on the GPS to any of the other gears. And this fix is only capable on the standard model, not the automatic VFR1200.

 

Thanks alang.
Have you tried it? Does it make a significant difference?
How do you go about it (I am not sure where to look/what to look for on the bike).

 

good to have the service manual and with it the wiring diagrams. See Phobe's VFR1200F web blog; it has tons of good information. I think it is October 2010 month where he posts info on this mod. I have not ridden the bike yet, the PC V comes friday, then I'll put it back together and see how it runs.

 

The power commander only alters air-fuel ratio. Stock bikes always have lean spots to pass the emissions tests, so we use power commanders to smooth them out and make them run better.

The 1st and 2nd gear restriction is presumably an altered ignition map. Suzuki's GSXR series have done this for years. They have created a niche market for "TRE" units, or "Timing Retard Eliminators". The wiring hack for the VFR1200 is a home brewed TRE. There is no way to fix the timing without fooling the GPS and therefore screwing up your gear indicator reading. All of the wires that feed the ECU are encoded to a serial link to the instrument cluster. If you could figure out how to decode the serial link you could theoretically fix the gear position reading but that would be a massive undertaking. The way Alang did his is smart.... wire it up to show 1st and 2nd as 5th and 6th, that way you'll be more sure of what gear you're in.

A power commander alters your fueling, not your ignition... unless you have an ignition module, which isn't offered for the VFR.