Performance Bikes — March 2018

94 PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK|MARCH2018

PhotographyChippy Wood

THE NEXTstep in knocking a few

of the rough edges off this

fundamentally sound 2005 R1 is

getting the throttle response right. It

wasn’t terrible – Euro 4 has produced a

fewbikesthatareworseoutoftheshowroom.Butsome

low-down snatch and other sub-optimal throttle

behaviour needed tweaking out, and the de-catted

exhaust(boththeguttedOEpart/Microncansandthe

proper Black Widow link pipe/cans recently fitted)

almost certainly required the air/fuel ratio correcting

fortheincreasedflow.

Talkingofextraflow,SpeedycomwerekeenforPBto

tryoneoftheMWRairfilterstheysell,whichcomes

with claims for superior performance from the unusual

deflector plate design over the more familiar foam

element. As the R1 was due some set-up time, it was

volunteered for this back-to-back comparison, too.

Ihadn’tlookedintheairboxintheeightmonthsorso

Previous owner had fitted a

Pipercross performance air

filter (inset, right). Boxfresh

MWR item now replaces it

that I’d owned the bike, so before it went to BSD for a

reflash I thought I best see what our benchmark filter is:

standard, pattern or aftermarket performance. It

turned out to be option three – a Pipercross in good

condition. A decent comparison – it’s fairly typical of

conventional aftermarket filters. It’s interesting that it

has it, though... I imagine the bike had a Power

Commander, too, at some point to complement the cans

• you’d have to be some kind of tit to open the breathing
  at both ends and not touch the fuelling. I gave it a clean
  and some filter oil to ensure it was at its best.
  It was then over to Andy at BSD for some ECU fettling.
  Reflashing is commonplace on newer bikes and their
  myriad electronic control restrictions, but it’s also
  applicable on bikes right back to the early 2000s. It’s a
  little more difficult for the Woolich software to ‘talk’ to
  the bike – the throttle position sensor has to be tapped
  into in order to access the data that is easily obtained
  direct from the ECU on 2018 bikes. But once plugged in,
  anything before around 2009 is a fairly simple prospect.
  BSD have already fettled a number of 5V Y R1s, so
  Andy wasted no time in dialling in their base map with
  tweaks commonly required already done. From there,
  it’s adjustment and trimming to suit the individual bike.
  So there’s no ‘before’ graph, but comparing numbers
  isn’t my aim – a clean, optimised curve is the priority.
  One advantage of a reflash is taking out restrictions.
  As standard, the first three gears have ignition curves
  running extra retard over the top ratios. BSD have

Old dog,

new fix

2005 R1 gets updated with some

2018-style fuel and ignition tweaks

2005 YAMAHA YZF-R1 CARL NEWBIGGING

STORY SO FAR

Carl’s 5VY takes the

softly, softly approach

to achieving future-

proof fitness.

PIPERCROSS VS MWR AIR FILTERS

REVISED IGNITION SEQUENCE

Reflash ditched a number of restrictions inherent in the 2005 R1’s ignition curves. Fuelling

is now leaner at the top end, but richer in the midrange for fitter throttle response. What

wealsolearnedisthatthedifferencebetweenairfiltersisnegligible–atbest...

50

75

0

10

12

14

16

18

2000 4000 6000 8000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000

100

125

150

175

25

Engine speed (rpm x 1000)

Power/torque (bhp/lb.ft)

Air/fuel

YZF-R1 with Pipercross

158.63bhp @ 11,500rpm

78.70lb.ft @ 8250rpm

YZF-R1 with MWR

158.20bhp @ 11,500rpm

78.51lb.ft @ 8250rpm