New Akrapovic/K&N air filter

[BeBop]

Hi

New to the forum - I've seen some of the chat about exhausts for the Pegaso Strada - I really love the style of the bike - but feel that it needs a bit more 'go'.

I have a 2006 model with the 'stuttering around 3-4000 revs.

Is the cost of the Akrapovic exhaust/K&N filter worth the effort and does it improve the throttle response?

Who's the cheapest for the exhausts?

regards
BeBop

[g-man]

I'm the same. I dont want to throw money at the bike for nothing. But i do quite like it and want it to have a bit more go.

I can get Arrow's for £370 or the carbon or titanium Akrapovics for £500. (for the aprillia badged akro's i was quoted £600 and could take 3 months to get here!!!)

What i REALLY dont want to do, is spend £500, find it doesn't really make any difference, then end up chopping it in for a Buell Ulysses or KTM 950 or something.

I know there is only a certain amount a filter and a pair of cans can do, but it just needs a bit more go. At least enough to be able to clutch it up high in 2nd. Just now it hardly leaves to ground!!!

[the_grump]

Hey there
First things first - I haven't done most of these modifications on my Pegaso yet (only got registered on friday- since then rain, hail and snow:-( but I have had my hands deep in the oil on my late XTX....:
1.
stuttering, and eventual engine stop in idle (also when rolling - that one is nasty, just before a crossroads)
2.
sound
3.
torque and engine power

1: get it to the dealer and get the throttle postion sensor (or was it: indicator?!) fixed. Yamaha had a big call-back action for that - I don't know about Aprilia... same engine, same fix?!
2: the original cans on the XTX and Pegaso are somewhere close to hearing the water from the baby bath running off. I am not a fan of real noisy exhausts, but do like a bit of a thumper note.
On the XT660X that was achieved with street legal LeoVince X3 slip-ons (unfortunately, for the Pegaso they only do the "regular", not the X3). Together with a K&N air filter - fantastic, still legal sound, which pleased the ear without deafening the neighbours :-) The Leo's did throw me back EUR 420,-, the K&N circa EUR 60,-
3: in combination with Leo's and K&N I fitted a PowerCommander (which by the way, also took care of the injection issues without changeing ECU or CO contents. Got one, at the time, for EUR 220,-). Et voilá - that was the bike Yamaha should have built from the start. Torque from below, snappy response, almost unchanged fuel consumption, higher top speed (for whom ever that interests on a thumper....) and real sound. In short - a dream :-) I'll now try to do the same with the Pegaso, shame about the lacking X'3 though. But I'm not willing to invest EUR 700,- + for our Jugoslav friends - that's just too much.

3+: I fitted the PowerCommander from the late XTX on the Pegaso - works just fine (after changeing the maps, of course).
3++: But tonight I'm gonna try something I read about in the german XT-660 forum: removing the stupid resonator box from the intake manifold. Takes 10 minutes, and apparently makes quite a difference in throttle response and "felt" torque at lower revs. Added value - better sound ;-)
The real extremo's detach the SLS as well - but I quite like the idea of being, at least somewhat, environmentally concious....

I'll let You know how that goes - and if anyone knows of a "cheap" set of Akra's (maye dented, or scratched) let me know.... otherwise I'll just have to try "opening" the standard mufflers (so dented and scratched one's are of interest here, too ;-)
Of course if one adds up the mods (especiall with all the other little knicks and knacks on the XTX), one could argue why not to buy a KTM straight away?!
But I still like the idea of having a garage almost round every courner, an enginge that doesn't sound like its falling apart any minute, aaaaand I have some nasty recollections of my first KTM Rotax thumper - still have the scars on my shins from that one....

Greetz
the_grump

[Xeno]

Well chaps however much money you throw at the strada it will never be in the same league as a KTM 950 SM they are awsome bikes. I recommend you dont try one as the temptation to buy one is hard to resist. The only let down is its not Italian.

I have fitted the carbon Akro's and K&N filter to my Strada and there is definately an improvement. Whether its worth the money is questionable.

The 3-4000rpm stuttering goes completely if you remove the baffles and the pick up is fantastic, easily lifting the front in 1st & 2nd, however I couldnt live with the noise as its bloody loud. I have modified the baffles (see previous postings) to get the best sound/performance but it still bogs down a bit. However they look fantastic.

[g-man]

Hi Grump,

I have removed the resonator/intake pipe from the air box and cut it off just below the lip. So now all i have is the right angled bit that you see from under the seat and have removed the part that hung down into the airbox.
Noticed the bike has more induction roar, sounds much nicer. I would say it is very slightly quicker to respond and pick up off the throttle now.

The bike went in last week for the recall and got a new throttle position sensor. I didn't have any problems with stalling or cutting out, so haven't noticed any difference since i got it back.

I have done the mod Panda posted on here where i blocked off the rubber pipe between the secondary air injection valve and the head. This smoothed out the throttle response at low revs and made it easier to ride in traffic.

As i said before. I will have to decide if i am going to keep it for a while and spend a bit of money on it (and hope it transforms it into the bike i want), or save my money and buy a quicker bike.

[g-man]

Well chaps however much money you throw at the strada it will never be in the same league as a KTM 950 SM they are awsome bikes. I recommend you dont try one as the temptation to buy one is hard to resist. The only let down is its not Italian.

I have fitted the carbon Akro's and K&N filter to my Strada and there is definately an improvement. Whether its worth the money is questionable.

The 3-4000rpm stuttering goes completely if you remove the baffles and the pick up is fantastic, easily lifting the front in 1st & 2nd, however I couldnt live with the noise as its bloody loud. I have modified the baffles (see previous postings) to get the best sound/performance but it still bogs down a bit. However they look fantastic.

I'm not too bothered if a bike is italian or not. I watched the sumermoto race at the bike show, and these things were deafening. Sounded cool banging on the overrun. I imagine that is what the Akro's are like???

It's good to hear the bike will lift in 2nd and it does improve it. A few of my mates have Wr450 enduro's and a few have sports bikes. It's great running with the sports bike guys on the tight b road coz the Peg runs rings round them. And the WR boys tend not to go more than 10 miles from the house coz of the limited fuel range and agressive/uncomfortable style of the bikes. But they have masses of fun and spend 9 of the 10 miles either sideways or on the rear wheel. I'm hoping the Strada with mods could make it a hooligan bike for when i'm out with the WR guys, and give me more go when i'm on more open roads with the sports bike guys.

It's all the girfriends fault!!! I wanted a Supermoto, but the only way i could get a new bike was if i gave up racing and got something i could take her on the back of occasionally. The Strada seemed like a perfect 1/2 way between supermoto and naked road bike like FZ600. Just...........................need............... ......more......................power!!!!!

[the_grump]

Hi,
Who was talking about a SuperDuke, eh ?! ;-) I have no intention of dying that soon. That beast is lethal (and guzzles fuel like there is no tommorrow)...
I was more thinking about KTM thumpers...
Anyway, the Pegaso is bike no: 26 and I have managed 450.000 km before some idiot knocked me off the XTX.
I have owned bikes up to 150 bhp, but have to admit - the most fun for the money (apart from the V1 Yamaha Fazer - having to change the rear rubber every 1200 km) I have had with the XTX, and now hopefully the Pegaso.
Honestly, if I can get the engine on the Pegaso to behave like the XTX one, I would tend to wager that apart from the occasional suicidal maniac (read: even more so than me;-) hardly anybody would be able to get away from me, on MY backroads. Sure, nice thing to be able to flick the wrist and hey presto you are going at 120 mph on a backroad - but where is the fun when farmer Jones than tries to send his cows to the pad across the road, just after the bend......or a friendly traffic copper holds a (radar-) gun to your head?!?
I like my life, and my licence (and I'm getting older) - so I'll be happy with Pegaso, for now
the_grump

PS: what kinds of day jobs do You guys have - writing e-mails all day, eh ?

[g-man]

Hi,

PS: what kinds of day jobs do You guys have - writing e-mails all day, eh ?

Shift work. And lots of standby.

[TimmyMagic]

I sit at a PC

Boooooorrrrrreeeeeeeedddddddddd..............

[the_grump]

sittin' in front of a PC, too
At least it doesn't hurt that much, if the weather is as sh...y as it is right now.
Once its nicer again the roads are mine, though we have the problem over here (ever heard of the Fulda gap, that's where I'm ridin' around) that the last storm toppled huge amounts of forests, and now they are dragging out the lumber everywhere. A friend of mine actually shot round a bend, only to see a 20m log being towed across the road without any warning - luckily he could stop in time. And they leave unbelievable amounts of dirt, bark and twigs on the roads too, those b......s
But those are the things that make bike life interesting, aren't they...

the_grump

[BPStrada]

Well chaps however much money you throw at the strada it will never be in the same league as a KTM 950 SM they are awsome bikes. I recommend you dont try one as the temptation to buy one is hard to resist. The only let down is its not Italian.

I have fitted the carbon Akro's and K&N filter to my Strada and there is definately an improvement. Whether its worth the money is questionable.

The 3-4000rpm stuttering goes completely if you remove the baffles and the pick up is fantastic, easily lifting the front in 1st & 2nd, however I couldnt live with the noise as its bloody loud. I have modified the baffles (see previous postings) to get the best sound/performance but it still bogs down a bit. However they look fantastic.

just wanting to know which carbon akros i go to the website and they only have titanium ones for the peg

[Xeno]

I know the carbon pipes are not listed on the Akraprovic web site but they are listed in the dealers listings. I think the part number is SS-A6S01-HDC for the Carbon pipes and SS-A6S01-HDT for the titanium ones. The main body of the cans are carbon with titanium ends. They look fantastic and they dont get hot like the originals. I would post a picture for you but I'm not sure how to reduce the file size. I bought mine from www.jhsracing.co.uk for £499.

[BPStrada]

Thanks Xeno

will have to wait till i get back down to the city from work (as i work in the desert) and will see what i can find if you want you can send some pics to
bp1376@hotmail.com

Cheers