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Any ideas? I don't really like that I have to rev this thing to the sky in order to get any power. Are there any header/pipe designs that are proven to make power down low?
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What all have you done to it so far? Removed air box or straight pipes?
On my gs450 (pods and straight pipes) I had to change out main jets air jets (pilot) and I put thumb screws in the pipes to create back pressure. So after adjust the carbs and the angle of the thumb screws (a pain in the ass and time consuming) I finally dialed the lil fucker in to the point that it has high and low end power. But one thing you run into with jap bikes is their power band is in the higher end of the RPM range.
Any help? Yeah I didn't think so..... -
Get bigger cylinders and less of 'em
Jap bikes don't have high end power cause they're jap... its because they have more cylinders and each cylinder is smaller smaller. Engines like your 550 rely on repetition (high revs) to get all the power cause each 137.5 CC cylinder on your bike won't be able to provide much power on their own. Get 4 of them moving fast and you get your horsepower...
Engines like my Suzuki 650 single and V-twins rely on pure explosive power. Each 650 CC stroke of my single causes gives a huge surge of power, but once you get the engine moving fast, the single piston can't provide the near-constant power more pistons can.
ON A PRACTICAL NOTE:
Opening up the pipes and air box will lead to very slight improvement over the whole power band (if you do it right!), but you'll mostly be adding the power in the high range. "Drag pipes" are so named for their use on the dragstrip, where throttles are always WFO and exhaust gasses have to GTFO ASAP.
To improve torque, look into getting a modified cam, high compression pistons, a wider bore and oversize pistons. These will make each of your cylinders more powerful (more torque!) These are all fairly costly to do...Last edited by NakedRob; 03-29-2012, 9:41 PM.Comment
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It wouldn't change your power but have you looked into changing your gear ratio? That could get you off the line quicker if it would work..Comment
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So far, I've done pods + straight pipes. Rejetted to get it to run decent. Need to drop the main jet down one notch, though. I've got some mufflers in my parts pile, so I plan on using them to quiet it down. I'm just trying to decide how to build the system.
A twin is in my future. Either a V-twin or an XS650.
I'm focusing on basic stuff on this bike. Once I have another, I plan on building a decent engine for it. Or probably just building a stock-spec engine and spending time/money building a nice GS1000 or something.
Already did that once lol. I forget what sprockets I'm running, but I used a few different calculators to figure out what would work for me. I could go even lower I guess. High speeds don't really appeal to me much. 120mph in 6th gear would be wayyyy more than I'd ever use.
It's not really the power that I'm not happy with. It's the fact that I have to rev the hell out of it. Right now, with straight pipes, I HATE revving it high. Sounds so obnoxious. Once I get the exhaust done it'll be better I guess.Comment
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Put some mufflers on it. The added back pressure will help down low. Get the jetting right and it will run pretty good, if it's a little off it will make a big difference in the way it runs. Thats how mine is anyway. I've had two motors in my 550 now and neither one makes much power down low so don't expect much.Comment
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You mean I won't be able to do wheelies straight off idle? This thing sucks!
I think once I put the mufflers on and drop the main jet down a notch, I'll be pretty damn close. I'm going to pay a shop to get it 100%. There's a local shop that knows old bikes real well, and has a whole mess of drag racing trophies.
On the subject of mufflers, what's the best exhaust system for low to mid range power? 4-2-1? 4-1? 4-2?Comment
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