thunderbird Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Howdy folks, Just wanted to chip in here and share my experience - both for installation and performance - so far with my 2017 FJ-09 and the Akrapovic Ti full system exhaust. I put just over 2k miles on my brand new FJ with the stock exhaust before pulling the trigger on the new Akra. (Revzilla helped to ease the pain with a small deal on Black Friday!) Installation There's not much to say about installation - it was a breeze. I have a rear swingarm spool stand so I popped the rear end up with and left the FJ's center stand and kickstand in the up position. After the old system was unbolted, I had to push the center stand down to wiggle the stock exhaust out through it, but it wasn't hard. A 2nd set of hands for this task would have helped a bit. Installation of the Akra was easier than removing the stock system because it comes in two parts. When installing the headers, make sure you leave the bolts loose so that you can wiggle the headers around while slipping the muffler on underneath. Also, when it comes to reattaching the exhaust sensor, twist the exhaust sensor counter-clockwise several times before screwing it in, so that you put a slight twist in the wires in the opposite direction - as the exhaust sensor is tightened, it will unwind and settle into place with no twist at all if you do it right. In this next pic you can see how I had to lower the center stand a bit to slip the old system out and slip the new one in. The center stand isn't holding any weight - it was just down enough to be past the point of return from the springs. Having the rear end on my swingarm stand really helped give me the clearance the center stand needed. When you're all done, be sure to give the entire header system a thorough wipe down with WD-40 to remove greasy fingerprints and other residue. This will help the coloration during the header burn in period. And I'm sure you all have seen it installed before, but here's mine The sound is great - it's louder than stock, but I wouldn't actually call it loud. It's just there. The sound is deep and refreshing, but not annoying like my Ninja 650 with the Yoshi full system and no baffle. The bike sounds... alive! Wind noise is still prevalent at highway speed. Without the ECU flash, there is some light popping/gurgling when engine braking. I was always planning on doing the ECU flash, but I had to ride it without flashing first to get a baseline comparison on sound and performance. So, about performance... I've seen a few places (here on the forum, and on Reddit) that suggest you don't need to flash the ECU for the 2017 model if you go with the full system Akra Ti. Some of them even went so far as to suggest that because Yamaha was at one point selling the Akra Ti as an official accessory, it didn't require the flash. Irrespective of how silly I think that sounds, I am only here to share my personal experience. The Akra Ti full system with no ECU flash wiped out the bottom end. Top end did improve a little bit, but the bike is noticeably slower when accelerating in gears 2-6 from lower in the RPM range. I was really surprised to feel such a big difference. I don't typically wring out the top end to redline, so I can't speak too much about the high-rpm power gain; however, 1st gear power wheelies are probably one of my favorite things about the bike, and they seemed to be easier in the higher end of 1st gear than with the stock exhaust. FlashTune ECU Experience I purchased the Bench Side flash tune kit from Revzilla. I've never flashed an ECU before, but I was confident that I'd figure it out as I go. I did not attempt to custom create my own mapping - for that, I don't know enough and wouldn't try to do it without diving deeper into the theory first. Flash Tune has several third party maps available for quick flashing, but sadly none for the Akra Ti. However, the Power Commander website has mappings for the Akra Ti for both baffle in and baffle out, and the Flash Tune software has a feature to import PC map files and automatically apply them. (This feature took me awhile to come across, but it's under the "ECU Modules" folder and it's titled "PC Fuel Import" for anyone else wanting to do as I did). Here is a comparison of the stock TPS vs RPM (for cylinder #3) chart to the custom chart for the same cylinder (left chart is custom, right chart is stock). Now I don't know enough to explain exactly what each value represents, but I can infer that the custom mapping is adding a whole lot more 'something' (fuel?) in the 3500 - 4500 range just under 50% throttle. This is just a single cylinder, but the other two cylinders are very similar (though not exactly the same). The Flash Tune software also makes it easy to disable the top speed limiter (which I have done), and enable/disable closed loop (which I have left as is). Also, if you're curious, here is how far the bike has to be disassembled to get to the ECU (it's right under the gas tank, attached to the airbox lid): (I removed the airbox lid to take a look at the air filter and throttle bodies, so the plastic bag is keeping debris out of the throttle body openings) So this is how the bike is currently sitting and since i have it apart, I am going to do the first throttle body check/sync today before putting it all back together. I'm a bit overdue for the first check according to the owners manual, so I'm eager to see how they turn out. I will report back on the performance after my first ride with the new ECU flash once I get everything back together. Post-ECU Flash Update Scroll down to post #4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Excellent write-up, words, and pix. Thank you... Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member roadrash83 Posted November 29, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted November 29, 2018 The Akrapovic exhaust looks great on the bike. How much lighter is it than the stock system? He who dies with the most toys wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbird Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 So I did the throttle body sync - only one of them was slightly out of the +/- 10mmHg spec. I also managed to trigger the check engine light while doing the throttle body sync, probably from when I disconnected a lead on the throttle body while the battery was still connected to the bike. I'll have to put together that OBDII adapter that @dbeau came up with to scan and fix/clear the problem. Anyways... I took the bike out for a ride and came back with a smile on my face. The low-range power has been restored - maybe even improved upon - but without a 0-60 time or a dyno chart to compare it to, I can't precisely say how it compares to stock. It just feels a whole heck of a lot better than it did without the ECU flash. There are still some gurgles when decelerating but it's not as excessive as before. Given that I had a super easy copy/paste ECU flashing experience, I'll take it! I'm sure a pro tuner could dial it in for my engine and my environment/altitude, but I'm happy with it as is! Excellent write-up, words, and pix. Thank you... Thank you! The Akrapovic exhaust looks great on the bike. How much lighter is it than the stock system? Thanks! I think so too. I don't know exactly how much lighter the Akra exhaust is... I remember seeing the figure somewhere when I was doing my original research. I think somewhere around 4 pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhs10 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 So I did the throttle body sync - only one of them was slightly out of the +/- 10mmHg spec. I also managed to trigger the check engine light while doing the throttle body sync, probably from when I disconnected a lead on the throttle body while the battery was still connected to the bike. I'll have to put together that OBDII adapter that @dbeau came up with to scan and fix/clear the problem. Anyways... I took the bike out for a ride and came back with a smile on my face. The low-range power has been restored - maybe even improved upon - but without a 0-60 time or a dyno chart to compare it to, I can't precisely say how it compares to stock. It just feels a whole heck of a lot better than it did without the ECU flash. There are still some gurgles when decelerating but it's not as excessive as before. Given that I had a super easy copy/paste ECU flashing experience, I'll take it! I'm sure a pro tuner could dial it in for my engine and my environment/altitude, but I'm happy with it as is! Excellent write-up, words, and pix. Thank you... Thank you! The Akrapovic exhaust looks great on the bike. How much lighter is it than the stock system? Thanks! I think so too. I don't know exactly how much lighter the Akra exhaust is... I remember seeing the figure somewhere when I was doing my original research. I think somewhere around 4 pounds. You will have to disable the AIS via the flash software in order to get rid of the popping/gurgle if it bothers you. I have an Akrapovic.. prior to the flash I felt it was lacking in the mid range.. 4500-5500 RPM. Sent my ECU off to Vcyclenut and all is well. My set up is, Closed loop (O2 sensor disabled), AIS disabled, speed limiter removed, Quick turn throttle response, Start in "A" mode, Cooling fan on @ 195°F... I think that's it. '15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras... Fayetteville, GA, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mctso Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 hello there I am bit of a newbie to the fj-09 ... I have a 2017 pretty well the exact same as thunderbird including the full akra ti exhaust system... I have not yet had the ecu flash tune is this just another word for remapping the air and exhaust ???? a litte bit to complicated for me to do it on my own do the Yamaha dealership do it or do I have to find a shop that can do the job?? I am on Vancouver island bc. Canada... could you please lead me in the right direction... thanks mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 You're correct, a "flash" is slang for remapping the air and fuel to match the exhaust you have. It's not required for the Akro, but it sure does help! A shop will have to flash the ECU. I used 2Wheeldynoworks for my ECU flash. They're a forum sponsor and overall great people to work with. They're across the border from you in Washington state. I removed the ECU from my FJ, mailed them my ECU and got it back in the mail a few days later. Reinstalled and I was off! '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mctso Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 thanks for the info I will contact them shortly good info I have looked them up shud be easy process mctso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 (edited) Does anyone know if the small plastic cap needs to stay on when removing the akra baffle? I just installed it on my 2015 fj09 but I think it’s way too loud, I was wondering if that small piece changes things. I left it off because I was afraid it was going to burn. Edited April 7, 2019 by Juan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal616 Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Juan said: Does anyone know if the small plastic cap needs to stay on when removing the akra baffle? I just installed it on my 2015 fj09 but I think it’s way too loud, I was wondering if that small piece changes things. I left it off because I was afraid it was going to burn. Not gonna melt... It helps keeps dirt and what not out from getting trapped inside the "end cap" and rattling around inside... You can keep it or toss it... 1 2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group 2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp 2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mctso Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Re the ecu flash with the full akra tit exhaust system bike runs great in all modes only I slight complaint is still getting popping on rapid deceleration would there be a fix for this...??? Does the system have to be remapped?.I did get it done by the folks at 2wheeldynoworks.. good news I can live with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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