Technical Reports

In spite of the common conception that I'm primarily a 'tuner', I really am an engine designer/builder. I have become a 'tuner' in order to finish the engine design/build process. Tuning an engine properly is the only way to determine whether your design and execution is sound. 

Fuel system calibration is the key to performance and drivability, I have been using the dyno to 'finish the job', besides building my understanding of what affects performance in all kinds of engines.

Don't think that I've written these reports as some kind of DIY tuners guide to saving money. I don't believe you can do this stuff from the reports I've written. If you do get any epiphanies from these reports, you can probably figure this stuff out yourself.

I hope that sharing this information will encourage more 'networking' and sharing of information. The cooperative professional relationship with Mike Roland has helped both of us learn a lot, more than we would have learned separately.

The results in the following reports are taken from many dyno runs. Most of the dyno runs I do are just reference tests for customers. Before I took the job with Kuryakyn very little of the testing I did was actual development work. Extracting technical reports from all of the data I have, is time consuming, but it forces me to look at the results objectively. Even though I'm no longer employed by Kuryakyn I will continue to work with the same philosophy that got me this far.

These dynamometer charts aren't intended to be the 'last word' on any particular subject, but I will try to show the effects of one change at a time.

One reason that there is so much misinformation floating around, is, that most of the time, when a person is having her/his engine built, it is common to have several modifications undertaken at one time. (One can't afford to do the job three times for three components.)

Without one-change back-to-back testing, the effects of these modifications are 'intertwined' and it is hard to separate the effects of each, on the whole result.

If you have any specific questions, drop me an E-mail click here

All of the really impressive results (not all of the results are impressive) in the tech reports that follow, are the result of a lot of time, and care, and fiddling, and  lots of dyno runs. Good results come from hard work and good testing. When you buy a jet kit or a 'chip' for your bike, and install it yourself, sometimes you get good results, and sometimes you don't.

For some time, I have neglected to post my 'isms'. So, I'm rectifying that right now.

Following are some of my favorite sayings;

Performance development requires a certain philosophy to sort out the B.S. and extract the real information. Because of this requirement, I have developed quite a few 'canned' philosophies. One of my favorites is;

If you don't check your work, you can assume it's perfect!

 Until you really understand the existing systems, all the hardware changes do is throw in more tuning variables.

If you can't tune the stock stuff, how can you tune the race stuff?

And, one of the oldest;

If you want to go exactly as fast as everyone else, do just what they're doing.

So many motorcyclists want to focus on the hardware as the source of performance improvements. That is a symptom of  the Varmint effect.

Varmint Theory; (varmints are attracted to shiny objects.)

 

The Mission: Turn On The Lights

Ducati stuff

 

748/853/872 stuff

	A 748R, set-up and map Chris's 748R
	An 872cc 748 with 996SPS cams Joe's
	Testing Arrow pipes on a 748 Ducati 748
	My favorite Ducati 748 H-C 748
	Gary Milchek's 'R' 872'R'
	Craig Conway's 853R Another 'R'
	Bobby Hopp's Ducati 853 853

916/955/996 stuff

	Terry Crocker's 996, creating a chipTerry C
	A Ducati 955 955SPS
	A different chip for a Ducati 996 Some 996 Testing
	A look at the variability of the injection system Air/fuel Ratio Variations in the Ducati 996
	Report about a Ducati 944 kitted 900SS. 944SS SP
	High compression Ducati 916 Hi-comp 916
	Testing cam timing variations of a 996 Cam Timing Test
	How about some stuff about Ducati 916s and exhaust pipes? 916
	John Hoppers' 984 SPO Ducati 984 SPO
	Matt Smith's 996SPS Road Trip

2 valve stuff

	Brent's MH900e MH adventure
	Ben's 944ie 944ie
	My 851cc 2-valve, put together from parts 'swept from the floor' 851 2-valve
	That 907ie/100HP question Ducati 907ie
	1999 900SS Ducati 900FI
	Reed Herman's Ducati M944 Ducati Monster 944
	Michael Feldman's M984 Ducati M984
	Thomas Gallagher's M900ie Ducati M944ie
	Information about Ducati 900SS carbs and manifoldscarb
	A short rant about 2 into 1s 2into1
	For some Pederzini ignition module results Ignition
	Dual plug tests 2-plug/cyl
	92 750SS ports and manifolds 750SS
	Drop-in piston/taper-bore/tuning Ducati 900SS drop-in
	Comparison between 92mm 11:1 kit and 94mm 11:1 kit 904/944

Other

	Cam comparison, 996SPS vs 748R & RS 916 SPS and 748R cams
	A bunch of Ducati pre-testastretta 4-valve cam charts. click here 4-valve cams
	Some thoughts on cam timing of stock Ducati 4V cams Strada Cams
	A (not so) recent commentary on the Ducati 'Testastretta' Narrow head
	907s and 916s and that 'torque' thing Torque vs HP