Guys,

I know you are consistently asked, and I have been reading until my eyes bleed for answers but cant find the answers I am looking for, so I'll be direct as possible with the questions, my bike needs to go in for the transmission recall, I have permission from the minister of war and finance to do the high comp pistons and put the dyna 3000 on. BAK and exhaust will have to wait until I save up with my own play money 3/4 months.

Have read mixed reviews on the pistons from you guys though so not so sure now aaaahhhh!....can I gain significant power gains without the pistons by going with a bigger carby (42mm), BAK, Exhaust, Dyna, Ported Manifold or is it all for minimum gain without the pistons.

Doc I read all your posts and know your not fond of messing with the internals and to buy another bike if its power I'm after, but I can"t help it I'm in love with her.....

Does a happy medium exist! what are your guys specs, what have you done that you would do again and how much can I get out of her without doing the pistons and how, no point in talking big bore etc I dont have that kind of cash and doubt I will convince the missus to allow it in the future this is the only time I'm going to get this chance I just dont know wether to take it. any advise appreciated.

Regards,


Brad

All these mods go hand in hand for the most part, If you look at the star website you will see the upgrades in 4 different stages..Getting it to breathe right is the first. if you don't do that, then the HC pistons won't make much difference. The 31 tooth drive pulley is a must IMHO...

Flashback is on the right track. You need to decide if you want noticeable improvement right now or is this a project that you are working towards and willing to wait. If you are willing to wait, there is nothing wrong with adding the HC pistons while the bike already apart. It is something you may want in the future and it will save a second tear down. If you want to notice it the next time you take it out.. then your money for a BAK and proper jetting to go along with it will give you an immediate bang for minimal dollars. The 31 tooth pulley will have an effect as well. putting on a different carb will not produce the results without opening the air up. Good luck in your quest.

Do the bolt ons and the 31 tooth, and you'll be one happy guy!

You've got to let it breathe, hit at least 5,000 rpm and lower the front pulley tooth number a bit, and it's a whole 'nother bike!

flashback is right,you have to let the engine breathe first. i've done pipes, BAK, rejet, &AIS removeal. I'M HAPPY. is it a world beater, no, does it put a smile on my face everytime i twist the throttle OH YEAH!!!

Well you have a dilema.

Engine coming apart so it makes sense to do the internal stuff but you won't get much benefit from it without an exhaust and airbox upgrade ... and preferably a 42 Mikuni carb.

Exhaust and airbox upgrade results in a noticeable improvement in performance on their own but you may want more and so you'll have the added expense to install internals later.

What to do ...

You're going to need to decide how far you want to take the performance.

More power on a budget is an oxymoron.

Doc

they are all correct, absorb the suggestions, make an educated decision.
remember everything you do that gets you more costs more somewhere. performance = $+time

compression builds HorsePower but at the cost of needing higher grade fuel and a lot of other support upgrading expenses.

firstoff, if you dont touch the inside, the airbox is very restrictive and the exhaust is sub par. the carb is perfectly adequate. the rev limiter and secondary drive pinion gear are also a common issue.

changing the gearing, from the stock 33 tooth
changing the ignition modual to increase the RPM limit
changing the intake before the carb & removing the AIS
changing the exhaust.
all these things can be done without tearing the engine appart.

also going with HC pistons without also doing the valves & cam, intake, exhaust, ign., is leaving a lot out of the equasion

31 tooth sprocket , and a 2/1 exhaust system. Very good power , Shop right and you can do that for about 500 buck. Less if the stuff is used. You will really like the difference. BB

When I had the recall done, asked the owner of dealership about HC pistons, he persuaded me against it, said would get more bang for the buck with a front pulley change 31tooth.

Now, far as performance, a good breathing air kit, a better flowing exhaust, and a properly tuned carb will increase hp by aprox 15% to 20%. and tq about 5 to 8%. And the Dyna3k all work hand in hand. If you want a bit better performance and an easier to tune carb the Mikuni 42HSR is the way to go, with the 42, I highly suggest you have the TPS mod done also, it does help in the low end performance and helps a little with gas mileage in city speed riding.

" PORT YOUR MANIFOLD " thats all I'm say'in. Try that and ride it first. You have absolutly nothing to loose....... but power........ if you don't do it!!!!!!
Best "free" power upgrade in the forum..hands down