Fuel efficiency I am guessing will be the same or drop just a bit.
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Hopefully my last mod for the bike. I decided on the FuelX Lite after reading about both the Pro and Lite versions. I picked it up online and fixed an appointment with RaceDynamics to get it fitted at their location. Once I was there, they tried up-selling the Pro version which I knew they would since my bike had both an aftermarket exhaust as well an air filter and from the reviews I had watched, the Pro version was worth it when it came to intake/exhaust mods and the Lite version for stock bikes. I didn’t want to go for the Pro version also because of the hassle of having to try different settings when riding and deciding on one or changing it always regardless of external conditions. The Lite version had just one setting which is calibrated as number 6, the stock setting being 3, and the FuelX would adapt to the riding style and other parameters for optimum efficiency in that setting.
With the exhaust and air filter being aftermarket, the 6th setting may be just right, but with the Pro version, I had the option to try different mixtures or even go back to the stock set at #3.
The differences between each setting are only marginal in terms of the actual mixture going in, but the difference on an engine that runs quite lean in stock, the results are quite noticeable. After fitting the device, I had around 12 kms to ride during mid-day in traffic to gauge the effectiveness. It was the same traffic and outside heat when I was riding there and I could feel the heat on my thighs towards the end, which otherwise doesn’t happen since I don’t use the bike much during peak hours. On the return, apart from feeling the heat only when I place my palm near the engine fins, there was no heat felt otherwise. I started off at the 6th setting since anything between 4-7 is good enough for city riding as per them. I rode on 6th and could feel the difference in the way the engine was eager unlike feeling that something was empty when it was in stock condition. The exhaust note had mellowed down as well, I was expecting it to get louder. The de-acceleration engine braking had reduced a lot since on my bike it was quite a bit.
I moved to the 7th setting after a few kms and that is when I could feel an obvious difference. The engine and gear shifts got much smoother, I was able to shift up quite rapidly on empty stretches without having to let the revs climb, and I was able to crawl without having to half clutch and open the throttle without any protest or jerks and get over speed breakers without having to slip the clutch. The downside I felt with the 7th setting and probably the higher ones was a feeling of over-fueling when cutting off the throttle. It happened when I up-shifted rapidly where the revs didn’t drop as quickly as in stock and once when I was crawling in traffic, the bike tends to lunge forward a bit with no accelerator input. It is probably a matter of time before I get used to it and it is also too early to give a full review since I rode very less and haven’t tried multiple maps.
Fuel efficiency I am guessing will be the same or drop just a bit since it depends on how my right-hand works the throttle. I have hardly gone full throttle or opened up more than 50% since I had this bike and that will reduce even more now with this device.
It took a while for the fitting which I am glad I didn’t try myself since I didn’t have the time or patience. I will update you on how the bike feels as I put in more miles. The bike has run 6900 kms.
The switch on the handlebar is used to change the mixture settings from 1-10. It blinks the number of times as per the level selected. As per RaceDynamics, they are going to come out with a digital readout device in their next version.
Update: Did a short 40 km ride within the city early this morning to get more of a feel of the FuelX Pro since I am not in town this weekend and have to wait another week if I want to do a ride.
Traffic was average, however, the summer heat had already started gradually by 7 am. I was shuffling between the 6th and 8th settings while riding and the DB killer which creates back pressure was also back in the muffler. When I had got the device fixed, I had the open DB killer which seemed to be what works well with the FuelX since the bike felt smoother with that, especially in higher rpms.
Coming back to the ride, I felt 7-8 were good when it came to riding in the city as it felt the torque that I have now is what a twin should have had from the factory to start off with, at least the BS6 bikes. In 5th and 6th, when doing around 40-45kmph, open the throttle and you are already at 70-80 km/h in no time with no gearshifts. You hardly need to go down to lower gears unless in a traffic signal or a jam. The higher gears are more than enough to cut through traffic. Earlier, that used to be 2-4th gear.
Came back home and parked the bike and kept my palm close to the engine and the heat was negligible. The way the bike picked up speed is different now and more enjoyable. If you ride hurriedly or relaxedly, it feels like the bike will pull way better now.
With the after-market exhaust and air filter, there is a nice mellow thrum as well.
Keyword: Installed FuelX Lite on my 2022 RE Interceptor 650: Review