Suggested Top Mods

JohnnyCanuck

Supercharged
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
360
Location
Vancouver, Canada
I have been surfing old threads for a number of hours now getting more and more excited about accessories and performance modifications for my mostly stock standard Rocket. Here are my questions:

1) The original owner of my Rocket upgraded the exhaust through Triumph when he bought the bike. This is the only performance modification on my Rocket. Can I assume that is the TORS exhaust I've read about? How do I check to make sure?

2) I am absolutely overwhelmed by the level of expertise on this forum. I am a complete neophyte when it comes to working on the mechanics/electronics of my bike. Am I better off having my dealer do any modifications or should I give it a whirl?

3) What are the top performance mods? Based on my research thus far, am I best off starting with: i) Gi Pro ATRE ii) triple K & N filters iii) Tune ECU.

4) It took me quite a bit of reading to understand the 1st thing about what "secondaries" are. If I do the above mods - is it worthwhile removing the secondaries?

5) I've seen some cool pictures of modified bear claws to fit the triple K & N's. Will the bear claw fit over triple K & N's if I chose not to cut away at it?

As always, I am greatly indebted to your assistance! Thanks!
 
TOR pipes can be identified by printing on the underside of each muffler stating that they are for Off Road Use Only.
K&N RU-2780 filters will fit under a stock bearclaw by simply rotating the third one 45 degrees.
The rest of your performance questions totally depend on which way you go and how much mechanical ability you have. Your experience and ability should be the deciding factor when choosing which route to take. TuneECU should be left to those with experience and mechanical background since it takes you deep inside the bikes computer and finding a dealer that dyno's and tunes with it is difficult since few use it.
I can tell you about going with a Power Commander and let someone else fill you in on TuneECU and TuneBoy.

With PCIII I recommend exhaust (TOR's are a good choice), Triple filters, Removing the secondary throttle plates, GiPro w/ATRE and a good dyno tune by a qualified Power Commander technician. It's all plug and play so installing and removing parts is easily accomplished by anyone decent with a wrench. With that basic configuration starting with Power Commanders canned tune called "D&D's, triple K&N's with secondaries removed" will be just fine and having it dyno tuned right away is not critical and can be done at a later date. That boxed tune gives the bike plenty of fuel so the dyno is just to tweek a little more power, smooth out the CO emissions and help fuel economy so it is tailored to your bike.
The GiPro can be done anytime before or after the other stuff since it has no effect on fuel trim. The GiPro is a must though, since the PCIII does not effect ignition timing and will not restore the 7% reduction in power it comes missing from the factory in 1st-3rd gears. Removing the secondary throttle plates takes throttle control away from the computer completely and makes throttle response quicker with no lag time.

I like and recommend doing it this way because it all can be returned to stock by removing the installed components and putting back what you removed that was factory. The final dyno tune is completed by a qualified expert so you know it's right. And once it's all done ..... it's done. No more fiddling with it.

listen to the guys from the other camp and their suggestions. Weigh them against your abilities and what you want in the end, then make a decision. Go one way or the other... don't waste time and money by messing around in the middle.

Hope this helps.
 
First mod, the VERY first mod you do should have NOTHING at all to do with performance
but safety instead, then comfort, THEN performance.
I use and recommend the stebel horn for safety.
it's cheap enough anyone can afford it,
easy to install, anyone can do it,
and most importantly in this dept. anyway, it's LOUD.
gets cagers attention quick.
After that, what you want is totally up to you, but SAFETY FIRST.
JM2CW,
skip
 
Skip is correct about the horn. The original is "anemic" to say the least. You can also look at Harbor Freight for an electric horn.
Here is the link: Bad Boy? Air Horn
I went to these guys and ordered a pre-built wiring harness. It made the process pretty much plug and play while allowing me to use the original horn button without a lot of splicing. It also let me leave the original horns on front if I ever change my mind. This harness plugs in to existing wiring except for the power to the battery. Very simple.
Here is their link: Motorcycle Horn Relay Kit, cheap Worldwide Shipping
I mounted my horn inside the left side cover. I drilled a hole through the airbox and bolted the horn to the airbox itself. Maybe not as loud as being out front but still VERY LOUD and MUCH louder than stock. Much "cleaner" install.
Look into rear shocks. Especially if you ride two-up. Most folks like Progressive's shocks and there is lots of info about whether to use 412's, 430's or 440's. These can be very nice if you are looking to change seat height because of how tall you may be. Use the search engine on the toolbar at the top of this site. It can take you to tons of info. Good luck.
 
Depending if you roll during night , it might be usefull to put H4 bi-xenon lamps
that is a night and day change ! I change it on mine and I could not now go without !
 
Mine is all stock except for handlebar risers. I've only put about 150 miles on it since I picked it up Wednesday, but I can already tell it helps with back fatigue.
 
That's great advice on the horn - the thought had not even occurred to me and I think I'll definitely follow through on that.

Thanks for the informative response Hellfire. Greatly appreciate it.

I checked my pipes and they state, "Not For Road Use" so I'm assuming that is TORS.

I just ordered the Gi Pro ATRE for Triumph which should be arriving in a few days time so that is a go.

I'm going to order 3 x K & N RU-2780's as suggested. Am I assuming correctly that I should not ride the bike after installing the K & N's until it is tuned with the Power Commander?

I'm a little squeamish about removing the secondaries. Is there a good how to thread that someone can point me to?

Lastly, sounds like it is probably wise for me to stay away from the Tune ECU. If I do all of the above (PCIII, K & N's, Gi Pro, Secondaries) is there any added benefit the Tune ECU can offer or is that just a different path to the same goal?

Thanks again for all the responses folks - greatly appreciate it as always!
 
I am feeling the love MacRider.

Video is awesome and very helpful. I thought I was going to have to brush up on my German for a second there but very helpful translations scrolling across the bottom.

Not sure if the translation is literal or not but I especially like the monotone German voice translated to, "Well done - here's the baby".
 
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