Mar 2011
Firefox 4 suprise
30/03/11 22:58 Filed in: Mac
Being the nerd that I am, I decided to test drive Firefox 4 when it came out. Mind you, I always have Firefox installed because Safari/webkit don’t always allow me to see the pages I need to see properly, like some of the pages on my corporate intranet. Firefox helps out here. But, I never use it that much because to be honest, Firefox 3.x is dog slow.
Now, with Firefox 4.0 things are very different. It is fast. It makes Safari and Chrome on my Mac feel like slow ancient browsers. It is not all happy days though. I do not like the amount of space is taken up by the program bar, address bar and bookmarks bar. I like that they put the tabs on top, but unlike Chrome, Firefox does not save any space doing that. I do not like how Firefox shows fonts too large, but that is fixable, sorta. Mind you, these things are not present in the Windows version of Firefox.
But damn, this browser is fast. It is so fast, that despite its little quirks it is now my default browser and that hasn’t happened since Netscape 3 on Windows 3.11. Congratulations Mozilla, this really is a great browser. If you can fix the quirks - font size, size of the toolbars - it has the potential to be the best browser on Mac.
Now, with Firefox 4.0 things are very different. It is fast. It makes Safari and Chrome on my Mac feel like slow ancient browsers. It is not all happy days though. I do not like the amount of space is taken up by the program bar, address bar and bookmarks bar. I like that they put the tabs on top, but unlike Chrome, Firefox does not save any space doing that. I do not like how Firefox shows fonts too large, but that is fixable, sorta. Mind you, these things are not present in the Windows version of Firefox.
But damn, this browser is fast. It is so fast, that despite its little quirks it is now my default browser and that hasn’t happened since Netscape 3 on Windows 3.11. Congratulations Mozilla, this really is a great browser. If you can fix the quirks - font size, size of the toolbars - it has the potential to be the best browser on Mac.
0 Comments
Powercommander: initial impressions
25/03/11 23:02 Filed in: Motorcycle
Since I only know of 2 persons having made the jump to install the Powercommander V and Autotune AT200 on their K1200S (and that number includes myself), I thought I'd pen down my first impressions.
Disclaimer: Installation of the Powercommander V and Autotune module is NOT supported by Dynojet Inc. and therefor not listed at their website. Should you want to try this, you are effectively on your own as far as Dynojet is concerned. Further more, these are my impressions, empirical data and by no means backed by hard data collected on a dynamometer.
First, let me start with a little background. When I bought my K1200S, I loved the bike. I loved the power, the handling and everything about it. Except one little thing: the hesitations and surging at low rpm, which are mostly (if not only) noticeable when filtering through slow moving traffic. Not too much of an issue, but when between cars with 4" to spare it is nice to have proper control. After investigating and talking to people, I decided to buy a RapidBike3 module in combination with the RBO2 module. The latter is supposed to give you control over closed loop operation of the bike by modifying the signal coming from the O2 sensor.
After installing the RB3, I went on to visit a very highly regarding tuner to have it set up properly on the dyno. This was not such a great success. Not only did he not adjust the RBO2, he plain just disconnected it (WTF?) and he 'forgot' to tune the ignition advance. Not why I spend money on a RB3, over a much cheaper RB1. To the tuners defense, here they basically only sell the RB1, but still. So time to find a different tuner. This one did a much better job. Got the bike running pretty darn good, but he also didn't have any idea how to setup the RBO2. Bummer. Second bummer was after riding the bike for a tank fo gas, which didn't take too long: fuel consumption of 24mpg (10km/l) (!). Gulp.
This was going to prove the theme of my marriage with the RB3: either have a decent running bike, or have decent fuel consumption. Nothing in between. This was getting very frustrating, as the RB module is definitely not a bad product, but without proper tuning it is not going to help you much.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I finally had enough. The inability to do things myself, plus the lack of decent tuners around to do it for me and having spend $300 on dyno runs already, I decided to can the RB3 and get me a Powercommander V with the Autotune module. The idea being, that while I may not be able to make any sensible changes +/- x% of fuel for certain cells, I do understand AFR numbers and this way I can tune it myself without having to keep throwing $$ at tuners and not knowing the result.
So, last week my PCV and AT200 came in and thus the bike went apart. Removed all the RapidBike stuff and installed the new bits. It took a bit of fiddling, fitting and moving parts around to get everything under the seat in such a way that I could still lock the seat, but I got it installed. Removing the stock O2 sensor also proved to be little challenge, but it gave way and was replaced by the wideband O2 sensor from the Autotune kit. Next, the PCV being a part for the K1300S, I loaded up the zero map, which means no change from the BMW ECU and modified the AFR trim table.
Trim table looks like this:
2-10% TPS and up to 5000rpm: 13.8 AFR
10-80% TPS and up to 8000rpm: 13.5 AFR
80-100% TPS and up to max rpm: 13.2 AFR
Now we were ready to ride. Fuel consumption was going to be massive, as disconnecting the O2 sensor makes the ECU go into fail safe mode, which is rather rich (12.5 AFR at the low rpms, according to the Powercommander software). After two 75km runs and accepting changes in between, I could see the fuel consumption go down rapidly on the display of the bike. No hard numbers yet, cause I haven't had time to cover any distance yet. It looks like it is going to be ok though.
More importantly though is the way the bike is running. It is now running like it has never run before. It is so smooth, barely any vibrations, and it has power everywhere (like it is supposed to). With the RapidBike module, it always felt slow to spool up before it took off into warp drive. Now, there is an instant explosion of power. Very addictive and very grin inducing. This is how I remember the K1200S from my test rides.
So, if you are or have been wondering about the PCV and autotune on the K1200 and you are not too bothered by the little fact that it is not an officially supported configuration, just go ahead. It works flawlessly and it does a great job at making the bike run like it is supposed to run. Having only to deal with A/F ratios also makes it easy to understand and deal with and adjust by normal people without private access of a dyno. It does take time to set it up on the road by riding, but to me that is a fun part of it.
In all, I am extremely happy despite effectively having thrown $800 into the wind with the RB3 stuff and dyno runs. I could have saved a ton of money had I gone this route to start with.
In a totally unrelated note, I absolutely love my new Damen Leathers custom leather suit. It still needs to be worn in, but it already feels better than the old leathers it replaces. If you have a weird size like I do, custom made leathers really do make a difference.
Disclaimer: Installation of the Powercommander V and Autotune module is NOT supported by Dynojet Inc. and therefor not listed at their website. Should you want to try this, you are effectively on your own as far as Dynojet is concerned. Further more, these are my impressions, empirical data and by no means backed by hard data collected on a dynamometer.
First, let me start with a little background. When I bought my K1200S, I loved the bike. I loved the power, the handling and everything about it. Except one little thing: the hesitations and surging at low rpm, which are mostly (if not only) noticeable when filtering through slow moving traffic. Not too much of an issue, but when between cars with 4" to spare it is nice to have proper control. After investigating and talking to people, I decided to buy a RapidBike3 module in combination with the RBO2 module. The latter is supposed to give you control over closed loop operation of the bike by modifying the signal coming from the O2 sensor.
After installing the RB3, I went on to visit a very highly regarding tuner to have it set up properly on the dyno. This was not such a great success. Not only did he not adjust the RBO2, he plain just disconnected it (WTF?) and he 'forgot' to tune the ignition advance. Not why I spend money on a RB3, over a much cheaper RB1. To the tuners defense, here they basically only sell the RB1, but still. So time to find a different tuner. This one did a much better job. Got the bike running pretty darn good, but he also didn't have any idea how to setup the RBO2. Bummer. Second bummer was after riding the bike for a tank fo gas, which didn't take too long: fuel consumption of 24mpg (10km/l) (!). Gulp.
This was going to prove the theme of my marriage with the RB3: either have a decent running bike, or have decent fuel consumption. Nothing in between. This was getting very frustrating, as the RB module is definitely not a bad product, but without proper tuning it is not going to help you much.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I finally had enough. The inability to do things myself, plus the lack of decent tuners around to do it for me and having spend $300 on dyno runs already, I decided to can the RB3 and get me a Powercommander V with the Autotune module. The idea being, that while I may not be able to make any sensible changes +/- x% of fuel for certain cells, I do understand AFR numbers and this way I can tune it myself without having to keep throwing $$ at tuners and not knowing the result.
So, last week my PCV and AT200 came in and thus the bike went apart. Removed all the RapidBike stuff and installed the new bits. It took a bit of fiddling, fitting and moving parts around to get everything under the seat in such a way that I could still lock the seat, but I got it installed. Removing the stock O2 sensor also proved to be little challenge, but it gave way and was replaced by the wideband O2 sensor from the Autotune kit. Next, the PCV being a part for the K1300S, I loaded up the zero map, which means no change from the BMW ECU and modified the AFR trim table.
Trim table looks like this:
2-10% TPS and up to 5000rpm: 13.8 AFR
10-80% TPS and up to 8000rpm: 13.5 AFR
80-100% TPS and up to max rpm: 13.2 AFR
Now we were ready to ride. Fuel consumption was going to be massive, as disconnecting the O2 sensor makes the ECU go into fail safe mode, which is rather rich (12.5 AFR at the low rpms, according to the Powercommander software). After two 75km runs and accepting changes in between, I could see the fuel consumption go down rapidly on the display of the bike. No hard numbers yet, cause I haven't had time to cover any distance yet. It looks like it is going to be ok though.
More importantly though is the way the bike is running. It is now running like it has never run before. It is so smooth, barely any vibrations, and it has power everywhere (like it is supposed to). With the RapidBike module, it always felt slow to spool up before it took off into warp drive. Now, there is an instant explosion of power. Very addictive and very grin inducing. This is how I remember the K1200S from my test rides.
So, if you are or have been wondering about the PCV and autotune on the K1200 and you are not too bothered by the little fact that it is not an officially supported configuration, just go ahead. It works flawlessly and it does a great job at making the bike run like it is supposed to run. Having only to deal with A/F ratios also makes it easy to understand and deal with and adjust by normal people without private access of a dyno. It does take time to set it up on the road by riding, but to me that is a fun part of it.
In all, I am extremely happy despite effectively having thrown $800 into the wind with the RB3 stuff and dyno runs. I could have saved a ton of money had I gone this route to start with.
In a totally unrelated note, I absolutely love my new Damen Leathers custom leather suit. It still needs to be worn in, but it already feels better than the old leathers it replaces. If you have a weird size like I do, custom made leathers really do make a difference.
Odds & Ends
06/03/11 00:16 Filed in: Motorcycle
Well, just another short update. First, my gear. I have decided to go with a custom made leather suit from Damen Leathers. It’s expensive, but it should last me long and the fit will be second to none. It is going to be a bit boring in colors, black pants with black jacket with light grey shoulders, but I couldn’t think of anything more ‘hip’ that would fit both my bikes. So boring it is. Spend almost 3 hours at the shop two weeks ago for them to take my measurements and discuss the various options. I added some ventilation on the chest and on the back for some cooler climate inside during summer.
Second, I ordered a Powercommander V plus the AT200 autotune module for my bike. It is designed for the K1300S, and not the K1200S, but it works just fine as they are essentially the same bikes. I am dumping the RapidBike 3 module. Not because it is no good, but simply because I can’t seem to find anyone who can properly setup and tune the RB3 module with RB-O2 companion on my bike and with my setup. I am either getting a great running bike with appalling fuel economy (10l to 100km), or a poor running bike with decent fuel economy. This possibly has to do with the exhaust muffler I put on, so I am going to change that for a nice titanium Akrapoviç SP series muffler. If you wonder why I am then buying the PC-V, and not keeping the RB3, I probably could. But I am tired of spending €150 on a tuner to have to setup again every time I change something on the bike. The PC-V with AT200 lets me do it myself, while on the road, my way.
There is going to be a lot of riding this year, which is good. Can’t tell all yet, but I will definitely be visiting my family in Austria again, and late summer will see me exploring Scotland with a dear friend from the USA. Once more details are known, I will put them up here.
Keep in touch!
Second, I ordered a Powercommander V plus the AT200 autotune module for my bike. It is designed for the K1300S, and not the K1200S, but it works just fine as they are essentially the same bikes. I am dumping the RapidBike 3 module. Not because it is no good, but simply because I can’t seem to find anyone who can properly setup and tune the RB3 module with RB-O2 companion on my bike and with my setup. I am either getting a great running bike with appalling fuel economy (10l to 100km), or a poor running bike with decent fuel economy. This possibly has to do with the exhaust muffler I put on, so I am going to change that for a nice titanium Akrapoviç SP series muffler. If you wonder why I am then buying the PC-V, and not keeping the RB3, I probably could. But I am tired of spending €150 on a tuner to have to setup again every time I change something on the bike. The PC-V with AT200 lets me do it myself, while on the road, my way.
There is going to be a lot of riding this year, which is good. Can’t tell all yet, but I will definitely be visiting my family in Austria again, and late summer will see me exploring Scotland with a dear friend from the USA. Once more details are known, I will put them up here.
Keep in touch!