I have a couple of days off work and thankfully some relief from the weather today. I called-in to the local dealership today (Spectrum Ducati/Aprilia/MV) to see if some decals I ordered were in. Our buddy Aaron answered the phone, and he mentioned to me that they had just today fitted their red/silver 1000R demo bike with the race ECU and RG3 exhaust - it's the very same bike all of us down here demo'd before we bought our F4's. Without wasting much time, I went there to try it out!
When I pulled-up, the bike had just come out of the shop with the upgrades. I noticed the shinier RG3 exhaust (a little more "silvery" than the gold-tinted stock exhausts). I couldn't wait to give the bike a spin.
Here are some of my impressions, note that these are really just my comments from the limited time I had spent on it this morning. So these are more for "street" situations, rather than "high-performance" track commentary:
1) I started the bike, there is barely any difference in sound with the RG3 exhaust compared to stock. So mild, it's almost insignificant.
2) The RPM was at about 1,800-1,900, definitely higher and sounding a bit more "aggro" than stock. Ok...
3) I give the throttle a little snap, and wow... that's different, the response from the engine was nice and tight... instantaneous, unlike the stock bike which will lag a bit when you do the same. It's like the bike talked and said "oh, so you wanna rock?"
4) So I pull out. The little surge from the 1,200rpm mark to the 2,000 mark (common on all 1000R's) is gone. When you pull-out with a 1000R (I hear it is the same for the liter Sennas) for the first time ever, that little surge from 0mph is a bit surprising. Not a big deal when you are used to it though. But it's nice that it's gone now.
5) So I go out, ready to terrorize the streets of Irvine. I go to some of my favorite nearby empty stretches and see for myself what the big deal about this Race ECU is all about... and it doesn't take long to see why:
6) RG3 Exhaust: The difference in sound between the RG3 exhaust and the stock exhaust on the 1000R can be confused as "no difference" on unfamiliar ears, however, if you are familiar with the sound the stock 1000R makes, you will definitely hear the difference, which I like very much. It is subtle, and does not bastardize the MV into an obnoxiously sounding bike. I am still, however, not sure whether I will fork the cash for it. I also do like the light-gold-tinted tips of the stock exhaust more than the more 'silvery' tips of the RG3.
Although the 1000R is a tremendous bike right out of the box, I must say that once you have tried the 312 or a 1000R with the race ECU, you might be like me and think that the 1000R's stock fueling is pretty fucked-up in it's stock form in comparison to this, pardon my french.
It makes me wonder why MV didn't do this to begin with, but I suppose they have to comply with very stringent euro emission standards... or maybe they just want more of our money, lol.
When I pulled-up, the bike had just come out of the shop with the upgrades. I noticed the shinier RG3 exhaust (a little more "silvery" than the gold-tinted stock exhausts). I couldn't wait to give the bike a spin.
Here are some of my impressions, note that these are really just my comments from the limited time I had spent on it this morning. So these are more for "street" situations, rather than "high-performance" track commentary:
1) I started the bike, there is barely any difference in sound with the RG3 exhaust compared to stock. So mild, it's almost insignificant.
2) The RPM was at about 1,800-1,900, definitely higher and sounding a bit more "aggro" than stock. Ok...
3) I give the throttle a little snap, and wow... that's different, the response from the engine was nice and tight... instantaneous, unlike the stock bike which will lag a bit when you do the same. It's like the bike talked and said "oh, so you wanna rock?"
4) So I pull out. The little surge from the 1,200rpm mark to the 2,000 mark (common on all 1000R's) is gone. When you pull-out with a 1000R (I hear it is the same for the liter Sennas) for the first time ever, that little surge from 0mph is a bit surprising. Not a big deal when you are used to it though. But it's nice that it's gone now.
5) So I go out, ready to terrorize the streets of Irvine. I go to some of my favorite nearby empty stretches and see for myself what the big deal about this Race ECU is all about... and it doesn't take long to see why:
The big flat spot and the 5K rpm is competely and totally GONE. The progression of the fuel delivery is straight as an arrow and does not deviate whatsover from its mission towards the higher RPM. Damn, now this is a PROPER 1000R. It felt so damn good, I went straight into the parts department when I got back and bought the damn ECU... and I am usually careful with my expenses, especially on big ticket items like this!
Although the bike behaves much like the 312R now, it is still somewhat different in that the 312R tends to save much of its power for the top-end, whereas this 1000R tends to distribute the power more evenly. Where the 312R tends to be parabolic in its power delivery, this "proper" 1000R tends to be linear. This is the way I feel it is. Which is better? Shiiieeeetttt I'll take either one.
6) RG3 Exhaust: The difference in sound between the RG3 exhaust and the stock exhaust on the 1000R can be confused as "no difference" on unfamiliar ears, however, if you are familiar with the sound the stock 1000R makes, you will definitely hear the difference, which I like very much. It is subtle, and does not bastardize the MV into an obnoxiously sounding bike. I am still, however, not sure whether I will fork the cash for it. I also do like the light-gold-tinted tips of the stock exhaust more than the more 'silvery' tips of the RG3.
Although the 1000R is a tremendous bike right out of the box, I must say that once you have tried the 312 or a 1000R with the race ECU, you might be like me and think that the 1000R's stock fueling is pretty fucked-up in it's stock form in comparison to this, pardon my french.
It makes me wonder why MV didn't do this to begin with, but I suppose they have to comply with very stringent euro emission standards... or maybe they just want more of our money, lol.