• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

HP4 Akrapovic / Electronics issue

M

maddrama@aol.com

Guest
So I am new to BMWMOA and BMW Motorcycles, That being said... Hello. My name is Anthony. Here is my dilemma. I just bought a HP4 "Comp", well i'm waiting for it actually. So I wanted to know the situation with the Akrapovic that comes with the bike. After speaking with the Akrapovic they were unfamiliar with the proprietary OEM deal with BMW, or didn't want to tell me. but basically what I had gathered from a BMW NA rep that there is Akrapovic HP4 "Power Kit" race only exhaust evo line.(2615.00) obviously without the cat convert and maybe a bigger diameter tubing not sure. but where it gets tricky is that it says you need a new control unit (868.42) and an enabling code (960.66). So your at around 4300 and some change. But then they recommend you get the HP calibration kit (149.00) and enabling code (2406.96) which allows you to program different maps. Despite its name its not just one code its programable. So now its a tad bit shy of 7K for all of this. My question is why not put a Power Commander V and auto tune or a Bazzaz set up. which would be about 800. I understand I am buying a bike that is 30K with the aftermarket exhaust, but I just want to understand the "why's and what's" of the BMW electronics. Please excuse my ignorance i have rode GSXR's my whole life and ride a 09 Repsol today which i have a bazzaz AFR and seft tuner and I love it...and understand it... so could someone help me out? Thank You, looking forward to my new family...
Here is what i was sent by a BMW NA REP


 
The answer is straightforward.

Any autotuner is using the design assumption of its developer about what is an ideal state of tune for the condition or setting. For wringing out the last little bits, if you have the skill, custom work is needed and that's where a fully user programmable setup can be justfiied.
But note that one has to be a heck of good development rider and have access to all the right tools including a dyno and track to make best use of it. Blending power output and rideability issues to minimize a lap time is a real art and takes serious skill.

Frankly, unless you're a serious racer I don't get the point of a fully programmable unit for most users. Its a lot of work and gains in street use would be minimal to non-existent, certainly not enough to justify the costs. In racing, that last little edge can make the difference and it always takes cash to get it. For 99% of folks, the money would be better spent on track time and chassis mods so the thing handles precisely according to the riders needs and style.

I've spent a lot of time playing and teaching in and modifying cages, including heavily boosted motors. But I've not raced road bikes so leave my bike motors pretty close to stock though I'd have no qualms about using a PC or Bazazz if I needed one.
 
I agree... Thats how I ave always been, I dont get into racing on the track much lately. On my Repsol I have the bazzaz AFR and mapper. I have the switch where I switch from either pump or race fuel maps. and I love it. The PCV even goes further with constant auto mapping unlike the bazzaz I have. The bazzaz you have to hook the PC up and record data then change the AFR. So ultimately I am wondering will be it ok to run other electronics on the bike like a PCV or are the BMW HP parts that superior and its a must that I have to use them...
 
Anything can be disabled and/or bypassed but I'd sure need to know exactly what I intended to do and how I intended to do it before messing with factory stuff. After all, how much more power do you really want if you're not racing in competition- where you're then limited by whatever rules apply to the series in which you compete. The stock bike is already highly tuned and the sort of easy gains one can get on some other models aren't going to be nearly as easy. And it will take riding an HP4 hard to assess its rideability limits and see what one might want to alter- if anything. As I'm sure you know, adaptations and changes that make it easier for a rider to be comfortable using a wider part of the handling envelop are what typically yield both the biggest reductions on lap times and are typically more cost effective than spending $ chasing the lat bits of power that might be possible.
If you ever get a chance it would be worth your while to talk with some of the guys current;y campaigning or prepping the model to see what they've learned and are willing to share, bearing in mind tht riders styles are often diffrent enough that works for them might not for you..
 
I guess its mostly in the scope of Do i need a HP control unit, a code, and a calibration tool for 4500 or can I get the same results with PCV for 800? I think the HP parts might be overkill for me as I will not be on the track and just on the street. Or is that taboo in the BMW world of motorcycles and its necessary to use the HP parts wether on street or the track. I mean in this region we have seasonal change so here will be change in the bikes behavior. If i have the PCV it will tune automatically to the changes. With the HP electronics it will have to be done manually. Here is what I did on my Repsol, I have 2 maps stored on the bike. A map for summer (high humidity) and one for fall and spring (low humidity). I also had a map saved for race fuel that if I was going to run VP in it I would just download the map and ride with that map for the day. If the PCV will do this automatically. If the power will be comparable then I would love to use the PCV or use the Bazzaz and do the same as the Repsol and save 3700. Thats what I am wondering?
 
I think you need BOTH, and write a review for the BMW MOA Owner's News. Reading this thread, now has me intrigued if the electronics kit also includes the compression adjuster that Ulrich wished he had in the RRW tack report on the HP4.

I use a Daytona and Hawk for the track; TunECU and HordPower programmable CDI respectively. I empathize with wanting to have electronics that work at a fair price.

:drink
 
went with the HP parts... I will let you know how it turns out..
 

Attachments

  • ANTHONY FEDELE INV #170108.jpg
    ANTHONY FEDELE INV #170108.jpg
    133.8 KB · Views: 30
Back
Top