FZ8 with Akrapovic - flat spot gone?

[Gravelrash]

Hi all

Just joined the forum, took a 2011 FZ8 for a test ride today. I've currently got a Bandit 1250 Streetfighter edition but have developed a itch for a change. The dealer has a black naked FZ8 with all the trick bits, I believe this is a deal Yamaha are doing until the end of June.

Anyway back to the test ride, really enjoyed the bike and considering it has 450cc less than the Bandit I was impressed in the torque of the engine and the zing you get when you go over 6k was really nice. Handling was on par with the Bandit i.e. a bit under dampened but thats no bad thing as you can get to the limits of it with legal speeds....which is a plus in my book.

The only black mark I have against the bike is the flat spot between 5-6k. If I drove through it I didn't notice it to much but coming out of corners/off roundabouts it was annoying. The demo bike was a standard bike. So my question is, can anyone with the Akrapovic end can fitted confirm if the flat spot is reduced? or am I looking at a power commander to sort it out (not a desirable option tbh).

Any feed back would be great!

Thanks

 

[Speedo007]

I think you get used to it, just makes the following rmp feel more exciting hehe.
On the chart you can see where Akrapovic tried to improve the power curve, someone just had it installed lately so you should get some actual feedback as soon as weather allows him to try it out.

That said I wouldnt let it hold you back even with stock exhaust, I've had more powerful bikes before, and this is just a blast to ride.

Welcome on the forum

 

[Speedo007]

and if you have the extra cash, here's results with full Akra line. Not much gain from the slip-on alone on higher rpm but that dip in early rpm is basically gone:

Though chances are in the UK, at that total price, you might be better off with the Speed Triple if loads of torque is what you really want. Often cheaper to buy a more powerful bike and keep it stock then trying to upgrade a more decently powered bike This last chart is making me drool....but I remind myself why I sold my Speed Triple... to help keep my drivers licence...

 

[Gravelrash]

Ah, brilliant information. Looks like the Akrapovic does improve things, that is what I was hoping. Agree that you probably get used to it but on the test ride I found I was spending a lot of time in that rev range so I was more obvious.

Agree that I don't want to be spending loads on modifying a bike, I've kept the Bandit stock, apart from upgrading the brake lines, and that has been a pleasure to own.

I would love a Speed Triple but they are just out of my budget, starting at £8.5k and the few options I want tip the price to over £9k

Talking of license loosing, I also took a 2011 R1 out for a test ride....yeah I reckon I could get myself locked up in under a day

 

[Speedo007]

Is the Fz8 really cheaper then the Speed Triple in the UK? In Canada its 10500$CDN for an FZ8 (retail price, I paid 9500$CDN..), a Speed Triple is about 12500$ CDN.
A full Akrapovic line is about 1400$CDN. So by adding the Akra full line on an Fz8 here you'd end up at the same price as the Triple.

Two very different bikes, and both are tons of fun. If there weren't speed limits on our roads, I'd probably still have the Speed Triple hehe. That said I find the handling on the Fz8 even better, while the Triple had sportier suspensions (just felt like a stiffer package), the Fz8 feels smoother on our terrible road conditions, really, an amazing bike for real world use. And once the break-in period is over, you get to avoid that dip in the power curve By keeping it above 5800 rpm the engine is happy and so will you.

 

[Gravelrash]

The retail on the FZ8 is £7999 (this includes the Akrapovic slip on, LED indicators, tale-tidy and something else which I can't remember). The Speed tripple is £8695 for the base model.

Above 5800rpm in top? .... maybe you are right though, I've got used to using the torque on the big Suzuki so I might just need to change my style again. The Bandit was my first sensible bike after many years of supersport bikes.

 

[Speedo007]

Yeah the bandit has 1250cc to produce less HP then the FZ8 with 800cc. That allowed suzuki to make that engine produce much more torque in low rpm. But keep that FZ8 in the fun rpm range, and it's entertaining At those prices in the Uk, no wonder you are looking at the FZ8, quite a good price for a bike equipped like that (they probably include the belly pan too).

At 5800rpm in top gear your probably at around 135km/h. On small 4 cylinder engines, downshifting is your friend I know it's easy to get lazy when we change from a bike that has torque at any RPM...

 

[Gravelrash]

Doesn't include the bell pan sadly.....and at £166 I wish it did as thats a lot of cash for a small bit of plastic.

 

[Speedo007]

You can certainly deal that in the price of the bike...it probably cost them 40$...
They dropped the price by 1000$CDN on my bike...so don't see why the belly pan couldnt be included in that little bundle

 

[lothodon]

the flat spot is still there with just the muffler, as i finally got to take mine out today between snow storms. overall the gains of the muffler alone ARE definitely noticeable. wish i could have swung the whole system but getting the bike was the major purchase of the year, perhaps next summer.

 

[Speedo007]

Now all that's left to do is a drive by video

As for the full system, it sure looks nice:

The stock headers look a bit awkward where the slip-on attaches...on the other hand, I prefer the front shape of the stock headers.

 

[Gravelrash]

Thanks for the feed back lothodon, shame its still there but looking at the dyno plot in this thread it must be reduced.

I think my dealer is keen on doing a deal, he gave me the bike again this evening to take home, I have left my Bandit with them as they might have a customer for it.

So this time I went for a proper run, about 100miles in total. I've finally learnt how to get the best out of this little bike, treat it like my old RD350...keep it buzzing and its a right hoot to ride.

What kept surprising me was the low end grunt, on par with the big Bandit motor. Coming out of villages at 30mph in top and just winding the throttle the engine really picks up.

The flat spot is a odd one, with some careful throttle you can reduce it's affect....but that said if you are in RD mode then you don't notice it.

Love the brakes, always something I struggle with is finding bike with brakes to my liking, the FZ has these.

The engine in the happy zone is a pleasure to use, it screams away like my old GSXR but the speedo isn't anywhere near the same speeds....but without the fairing it feels as quick.

Things I don't like, the stock tyres aren't very confidence inspiring but that's a easy fix and I'll probably get them swapped when the bike is PDI'd. The suspension is still a bit on the soft side, it can really tie itself into a knot. But I have found that if drive through the corners and keep the bike loaded up the chassis responds a lot better.....again RD tatics!

So all in all I am up to a 4/5 rating.

Time to crunch some numbers

 

[Speedo007]

the flat spot is still there with just the muffler, as i finally got to take mine out today between snow storms. overall the gains of the muffler alone ARE definitely noticeable. wish i could have swung the whole system but getting the bike was the major purchase of the year, perhaps next summer.

How 'bout the sound with baffle in compared to stock? On youtube it often sounds pretty much the same.

Is there more popping on compression (I like it, some don't)?

 

[lothodon]

far less popping with the slip on. with the db killer in it's not a lot louder than stock at higher rpm's but it's got more rumble at idle up to about 5k. still don't have the tool(s) to get the db killer out yet.

 

[Speedo007]

less popping is disappointing Let's hope it reappears when db killer gets removed...
Might try the Mivv:

 

[lothodon]

i actually prefer the lack of popping myself. as for teh mivv, i like the short length a lot.

any dyno specs?

 

[Speedo007]

Exhausts YAMAHA - FZ8 / FAZER 8 - SPORT - Silencers - MIVV

All dyno charts under the pictures.

 

[lothodon]

just a quick update on the akrapovic...no removing the db killer for me, didn't realize the screw is tack welded in place. i'm not going to risk damaging the carbon end cap to try to get it out.

 

[Speedo007]

thats weird...I guess those on youtube got rid of the welding...or maybe it needs to be spot welded only for some countries...