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My 10cts

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The HEX EZcan is at customs. As expected the tax, handling charges + tax on that plus tax on the shipping do add up; 125€. Bl@@dy Brexit. Could not be helped though because bl@@dy BMW CANbus.

Also Chinese Ali had delivered the radiator cover at the pick up point. Fitted it and it does look more befitting.

Want to adjust the valve play before faffing with the sidecar fitting.
Therefor collected the hydraulic car jack and two axle stands from the farm. Those are just about essential for the fitting too.

Note to self; get spray cans from the Chinese shop. One gold (for the lead ingots), one matt black (for the inside of the tub).
 
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Noelpolar said:
The exhausts are fom a company in Perth in Western Australia called Rogue Motorcycles. They use "big mouth" 13 and 19inch cones they source from the USA.... https://lossaengineering.com/produc..._content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

After I loaded a Bren tune the bike ran too smooth with the stock fishtales.... these pipes made it fun again.... a mix of noise and vibrations (I still run the cats.... so only medium noise, but enough).
Click to expand...
Asking a fellow Aussie… I’m located in WA, as you know. How do I get a Bren Tune done, how does it all work and forgive me because I’m old, so go gentle?!
 
HUNTS said:
Asking a fellow Aussie… I’m located in WA, as you know. How do I get a Bren Tune done, how does it all work and forgive me because I’m old, so go gentle?!
Click to expand...
I have both a R9t and a R18.... both have a DNA air filter and free flowing exhaust with valve open/removed (but still have cats), and I always run 98 fuel.... so my experience is with that baseline.

Anyway, the simple stuff....
1. I waited to they had a 20% off sale.... as it is expensive ($900us plus postage).... generally each November (black Friday) they do 15 or 20% off..... they ship a handheld device that gets through customs duty/gst free. Maybe once a year somebody might organise a group buy on this site and get 10% off for 10 sales and 20% off for 20 plus sales.... but black friday is the easiest.
2. one receives the handheld device, hooks it up to a windows PC (harder with a Mac), initialises it then connects to bike through the obd port, downloads the bike map and then uploads that stock bikes map back on the Pc and it goes to the US Bren dudes who send a new performance map back next day and you upload that back onto the bike. Job done.
3. some issues can raise their head.... if BMW do a software upload to your bike at service/recall time this may over write the performance map and a new one has to be generated (Bren charge for this as it requires effort there end). There is a bit more to this, but it is best to do the bren tune once you know that the bike is unlikely to get updated BMW software loaded.
4. As a aussie with a 3year warranty on my R9t I waited well into the second year before tuning it, I have 5 years on the R18 and tuned it at the 2 year mark as well. I service my R9t myself now, but remove the tune when BMW service the R18 (I have the free 5 year service package on that fro the reverse recall freebee)....
5. both my bikes ran lean and responded well from the tune. I intend to keep both bikes long term so didn't worry about the cost so much. I was thinking of getting a local tuner (has a great general rep) to do it but I didn't think he knew the platform all that well.
6. Generally.... the R18 motor gets better as you approach 10,000km, and really is a 1500rpm to 4,500rpm motor...... I'd enjoy my first 2 years with it, and if keeping it then long term then, consider the BT along with the inlet/exhaust bit. My only disclaimer to the DNA filter (any free flowing filter) is that if you spend much time in the dusty outback (dust storms etc) then I'd stay with the stock filter.

as a 64yo (retired for 15 years) it did take some effort to do this (I'm a mac person).... but it is doable. After the tune the R18 ran better but not night and day. 8 months latter when I removed the tune to take the bike in for the reverse recall (200km round trip) the performance difference was day to night.... go figure.... i would pay $1500aud to get it back on again if I had to now.
 
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Noelpolar said:
I have both a R9t and a R18.... both have a DNA air filter and free flowing exhaust with valve open/removed (but still have cats), and I always run 98 fuel.... so my experience is with that baseline.

Anyway, the simple stuff....
1. I waited to they had a 20% off sale.... as it is expensive ($900us plus postage).... generally each November (black Friday) they do 15 or 20% off..... they ship a handheld device that gets through customs duty/gst free. Maybe once a year somebody might organise a group buy on this site and get 10% off for 10 sales and 20% off for 20 plus sales.... but black friday is the easiest.
2. one receives the handheld device, hooks it up to a windows PC (harder with a Mac), initialises it then connects to bike through the obd port, downloads the bike map and then uploads that stock bikes map back on the Pc and it goes to the US Bren dudes who send a new performance map back next day and you upload that back onto the bike. Job done.
3. some issues can raise their head.... if BMW do a software upload to your bike at service/recall time this may over write the performance map and a new one has to be generated (Bren charge for this as it requires effort there end). There is a bit more to this, but it is best to do the bren tune once you know that the bike is unlikely to get updated BMW software loaded.
4. As a aussie with a 3year warranty on my R9t I waited well into the second year before tuning it, I have 5 years on the R18 and tuned it at the 2 year mark as well. I service my R9t myself now, but remove the tune when BMW service the R18 (I have the free 5 year service package on that fro the reverse recall freebee)....
5. both my bikes ran lean and responded well from the tune. I intend to keep both bikes long term so didn't worry about the cost so much. I was thinking of getting a local tuner (has a great general rep) to do it but I didn't think he knew the platform all that well.
6. Generally.... the R18 motor gets better as you approach 10,000km, and really is a 1500rpm to 4,500rpm motor...... I'd enjoy my first 2 years with it, and if keeping it then long term then, consider the BT along with the inlet/exhaust bit. My only disclaimer to the DNA filter (any free flowing filter) is that if you spend much time in the dusty outback (dust storms etc) then I'd stay with the stock filter.

as a 64yo (retired for 15 years) it did take some effort to do this (I'm a mac person).... but it is doable. After the tune the R18 ran better but not night and day. 8 months latter when I removed the tune to take the bike in for the reverse recall (200km round trip) the performance difference was day to night.... go figure.... i would pay $1500aud to get it back on again if I had to now.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detail.
Wondering if you notice any difference between 95 & 98Ron. When I tried 98 in my XJR1300, it ran worse than using 95. The manual for the 18 says that 95 is good… or words that are nothing like that😉
 
HUNTS said:
Thanks for the detail.
Wondering if you notice any difference between 95 & 98Ron. When I tried 98 in my XJR1300, it ran worse than using 95. The manual for the 18 says that 95 is good… or words that are nothing like that😉
Click to expand...
..... mmmm..... I've ran both trying to see what difference there is during the 1st year of ownership....I came to the conclusion that 98 provides a better experience in the 1200 to 3,000 rpm range under load at higher throttle openings..... then just maybe 95 might have an avantage in the remaining 1500rpm or so of the rev range. I'm heavy handed in the lower rev range so 98 for me! So.... maybe a slightly slower flame front allows with more ignition advance in the lower revs where the R18 does thing.... or maybe I'm dreaming....
 
Noelpolar said:
..... mmmm..... I've ran both trying to see what difference there is during the 1st year of ownership....I came to the conclusion that 98 provides a better experience in the 1200 to 3,000 rpm range under load at higher throttle openings..... then just maybe 95 might have an avantage in the remaining 1500rpm or so of the rev range. I'm heavy handed in the lower rev range so 98 for me! So.... maybe a slightly slower flame front allows with more ignition advance in the lower revs where the R18 does thing.... or maybe I'm dreaming....
Click to expand...
I’m going to try 98.
 
Noelpolar said:
Worth a go, I think Petrus did and found it worth while. All my riding is rural and mostly hilly.. no or little highway .... all rock mode.
Click to expand...
I’ve got about 300ks until the first service and then I’ll change. The new air filter will also go in then and I’ll stop babying the engine.
 
That Bren Tune seems a little off to me. I live near their offices here in Massachusetts, USA and contacted them to do an install on my R18. They said they don't ever do that. Strikes me as odd. Plus expensive for software???
 
BAD MIKE USA said:
That Bren Tune seems a little off to me. I live near their offices here in Massachusetts, USA and contacted them to do an install on my R18. They said they don't ever do that. Strikes me as odd. Plus expensive for software???
Click to expand...
Looks like no to Bren Tune, just install air filter and try it on 98 fuel.
 
If they were facing forward maybe as you'd have a ram-air effect but the way they are now, no different than the stock setup I'd say.
 
Noelpolar said:
A couple of years ago when I saw them I assumed they were for show and not "vented" through to the engine case. No I wonder if the base is thicker and all "tubes" form a manifold through to the smaller rectangular case opening.
Click to expand...
regardless, the rectangular opening is the bottle neck for any extra breathing through these plates. Any angle, whether pointing forwards or rearwards will create a specific pressure difference. The simple honey combs I decided upon introduce the least speed dependent variables.
 
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