Upgrades for R3 Advice

Thanks guys for the info.

Yes i am putting a fender elimator on for aesthetics. I really dont like that standard massive fender sticking out. Also it looks more stupid now with the small gp style exhaust. So have to get rid of that fender.

I did replace the OEM battery with a lithium ion one, it does save abit of weight but probably was stupid in hindsight considering price i paid extra and standard battery is actually good enough for that bike. oh well.

Slip on sounds cool, just robbed me of a little torque , i guess i could sort that out with just the pc5 ( no autotune) and new upgraded air filter. But that is alot of money just to do very little, i will have to think hard if it is worth it. Or i just live with bike as is and learn and become as skilled as i can till the new R6 comes up and then upgrade. Cuz once i upgrade the PC5 will be useless for me, will benefit new owner but i wont get the money back on the sale of the bike. And yes fitting the PC5 on my bike will void my warranty , dealer and dynojet south africa said this. So i dont know if it is worth spending money to lose my warranty and get minimal hp increase and maybe slightly better smooth running and tiny bit more torque.

This sounds like its your first bike? Gotta ask, if not, what else have you owned? I think its safe to say several of us coming from more powerful bikes ctually like the R3 more than other bikes in some ways. You can never get a bike that does everything, but the R3 sure is a fun bike right out of the box. I traded my more powerful ninja for this bike and while I do miss the huge roll on power of that bike compared to this one, I was ok with that tradeoff in exchange for the overall lightness and nimbleness f the R3. I still do wish for the brakes and suspension of the ZX6R though.

My opinion also changed alot when I took the R3 to the track. Though I have never tracked a bigger bike, I do firmly believe there is much more to learn starting on a small bike in a track than something like an R6 or ZX6R. As your skills develop, you also get to embarrass the bigger bikes in the corners, which for me is where the fun is at a track or in the canyons. Different strokes for different folks, power isnt everything, at least not for this guy who enjoys cornering more than straight line speed or looking flashy.

Go to a track or nice canyn, ride your R3, then go ride a buddy's bigger bike. I think the R3 will leave a bigger smile for a longer time on your face.

bigbayr3 said:

Yeah that is a cool video . Yeah I should not get complacent . Just keep practicing . Do you need the block off for the air if you get a pc5

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Stick with the R3 for a little bit, especially if you are starting to do track days. You will learn much faster and much better (less bad habits) on the smaller bike. It forces you to be precise and smooth because mistakes get amplified. Its also is easier to learn, push yourself, and feel the edge of what's possible on a lighter bike, you feel more feedback and learn your limits better. Plus, the corners come at you slower, so you have more time to think, plan, set your entry speed, and ultimately, you'll end up cornering faster. I started doing track days and racing on a CBR1000, then borrowed a friend's 600 and did faster lap times on it so I upgraded to an R6 and got much better, then I upgraded to an R3 and now I'm really honing my skills. Plus it's wicked fun to rip around the outside of people in the corner who are on bigger bikes.

As for the fueling and exhaust questions. CapitalView is right, if you want to get better, spend your money on other things rather than a few horsepower. However, if you changed the exhaust and you're noticing the downside in performance and the popping from backfiring, a fuel controller will fix that, and help the bike run better. The R3 is unique in that the stock exhaust really isn't as bad as a lot of bikes. Adding a fuel controller like the Bazzaz Z-Fi or PCV to the stock exhaust system produces nearly as much horsepower as tuned full systems, and adding a fuel controller to the Akrapovic slipon produces a good boost in torque and top end horsepower.

I did a full range of testing the Akrapovic exhausts with Bazzaz, you can see the results here:
http://www.yamahar3racing.com/2015/05/yamaha-r3-dyno-results-with-akrapovic-full-system-slip-on-and-stock-exhaust-tuned-with-bazzaz-zfi/

There are a lot of dyno charts there, if you look closely, you can see the Akrapovic slipon without tuning drops the performance a bit, but once the Z-Fi is added and tuned, you get a small gain in torque and a pretty decent gain in top end over stock, plus a beautiful power curve. I don't think you need an auto tuner, you won't need to be changing it all the time. The map we developed is precisely for the bike setup like yours and will be tuned very well, you can just leave it alone. For your setup and needs, both the Z-Fi and PCV will do exactly the same thing, but I would say the best bang for your buck would be the Bazzaz Z-Fi, which is a little less expensive than the PCV (I sell both), and I have a map specifically tuned for that exhaust already for the Z-fi. I'd recommend getting a Bazzaz Z-Fi and save the rest of the money for your next track day, better tires, Vesrah brake pads, etc.

Also, some of the popping on deceleration is likely coming from the air injection system. You don't need a block off plate unless you will be dyno tuning the bike. It doesn't help performance at all, it just has to be removed or bypassed to get an accurate reading from the exhaust of the air/fuel ratio for tuning. For an Akrapovic slipon, I wouldn't bother with tuning since I already have a map for that setup. But you might want to consider removing the smog system if the popping is bothering you, especially if you're moving toward tracking the bike. Here's a "how to" on that:


Anything else, feel free to ask

bigbayr3 said:

Thanks jbluetooth. I have been on your site many times . I like it a lot . You stated you got power commanders . When are you gonna dyno that to see what gains that gives compared to the bzazz . You right about the auto tuner. Don't need it . If I do get a pcv5 I have a local tuner who is very good . He can make a custom map for it with the new air filter . It would be better if I used his map as it will be our fuel with our air pressure and our temp . But reason I asked about the block off plate was does he need to fit one. Or does he just block it off temporarily when the bike is on the dyno and he creates the map . Also the quick shifter would be a waste as it won't help me to get better and is an unnecessary cost . But as I said if I fit the pcv5 my warrantee is void . When I bought bike the slip on was fitted at dealer to keep warranty . As a soon as I put that controller on it will void my warranty . Warranty is for 2 years . Don't know if I will feel comfortable losing it

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I don't recommend a quickshifter for street use, wait until you're racing for that. Both systems, Bazzaz and PCV are available as stand alone fuel controllers, but the Bazzaz is less expensive for the base system, and for tuning a slipon they do the same thing. There's no reason to spend the extra on the PCV, then pay for a custom tune. There won't be any measurable difference on a dyno with the same bike tuned the same with a Z-Fi or PCV, they do the same thing.

Both systems have their advantages for certain situations, but for the basic system for a slipon, the Bazzaz is the better deal IMO. If you were doing a full system with supersport motor build and wanted to optimize ignition timing, then I'd recommend the PCV because it includes ignition timing. If you are racing and want quickshift and traction control, I'd say go with the Bazzaz Z-Fi TC since it offers both and Power Commander doesn't offer traction control. If you are doing a full system with air filter and want to tune it yourself with an autotuner, then either system will do the job equally well, I just prefer the Bazzaz autotuner to the PCV autotuner, and again, the Bazzaz with autotuner is less expensive than the PCV with autotuner.

A dyno tuner can temporarily block off the smog system for tuning. All I'm saying, is that paying for a custom tune for a slipon IMO is a waste of money when a map for the exact setup already exists. Yes a custom tune will always be the best, but let's be realistic, is the $200-$300 for a custom tune worth maybe 1/10th of a hp here or there at best? The goal is just to get what you can out of the system, make the bike run well, and not break the bank correct? Just trying to save you money so you can do more track days

As for the warranty issue with aftermarket fuel controllers, I don't know for sure the answer to that, but if you bought an exhaust that isn't a Yamaha part, GYTR, it will void the warranty the same as a fuel controller. My dealer told me you can do whatever you want to the bike if you use Yamaha parts and it will stay under warranty, but an Akrapovic slipon isn't a Yamaha part, neither is a fuel controller unless you do a YEC ECU.