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Do It Yourself !
DIY #1: "Power Now" replica
There is a hot new product going around called the "Power Now", offered by www.WorldPowerRacing.com. For 90 bucks or so you get a new air intake bell for the carberater, except it has a plate installed in the middle of it. The purpose is to create a smaller venturi at smaller throttle openings, which cuts down on turbulence and increases efficiency. It is like having a small carb (which equals more torque) for small throttle openings and a normal size carb (good for top-end power) for 1/2 to full throttle.

A few members of thumpertalk.com in the Yamaha forums inspired me to make my own. It is a very simple thing to do; just cut some grooves in the airbell and throw in a correct sized "T" shaped plate. I also used some JB Weld to keep it in place.



I just finished it today (Saturday, Feb 22) and have only started the bike with it on. So far I can tell that it does indeed increase throttle response, by quite a bit actually. I can leave the bike in neutral and snap the throttle almost wide open without it hesitating, it used to hesitate at anything more than 1/2 throttle in neutral. It does not seem to affect jetting, but next weekend when the weather clears up I will give a full ride report along with some pictures/video.

UPDATE: I totally forgot to do a riding report, now that it's july, so here it is...
This "Power Now" is really worth the time in my opinion. I have noticed a lot more "bark" off the bottom end power. It's great for trails or other stop-and-go situations, as it lets you "explode" out of that berm a little quicker without having to slip the clutch or downshift. It did make the pilot circuit a tiny rich, I just backed the fuel screw in a 1/4 turn (2 turns out now, 48 pilot jet) and it's perfect now. No hesitation, and lots more torque off the line. It doesn't affect top end power enough to notice anything at all, but it will build through the lower revs quicker when light on
the throttle even.

Conclusion: Go for it, if you don't like the results just pull the plate and be gone with it! I don't see how you wouldn't like it, although some have claimed to not notice a difference in power. If that's the case then just leave it in there, won't hurt anything.




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In the never-ending quest for more power, I looked for a cheap and easy way to gain more power and throttle response. Well as you can see, I got out the dremel and started hacking at the side cover panel and airbox.

The first thing I did was cut an additional 2x2 hole directly above the airfilter in the airbox. Next, I brought out the trusty dremel and traced out an (approx) 3x6 inch hole in the left hand sidecover. With some patience I simply cut out the pre-traced area, and used some steel screen to back the hole. This is to keep mud, water, dirt, and other trail junk out of your airbox. After chopping up the side cover, I went over to the right hand side of the bike and, under the sidepanel, drilled 25 3/8" holes in the airbox. All in all, these free mods took about 2 hours of my time. But now that you have a guideline, it can easily be done in about 45 minutes or less.

Performance: The instant I started the bike I could hear tons of air being pulled from the sidecover, she wanted to breath! On the trail, it revs considerably faster then with just removing the top "lid" or snorkel. The mid-top end range was most affected, it pulled a bit harder/sharper down in the lower RPM's as well.

After reading the spark plug, it turned out to be a little on the light side. Bumped the main jet up from a #160 to #165, and it cleared right up.
I definetly reccommend this cheap and easy mod to anyone who is not afraid to start chopping up their prized posession!


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DIY #3: Wicked Cheap "Seal Savers"


You may have seen ads for "Seal Savers". They work good, I have been using the same set on my drz now for well over a year with no problems. Except they don't hold up too good to sharp objects, as they are made only of neoprene (wetsuit material) and stretch over the forks at the seals, to keep the dirt out.
I ripped mine on a rock in a minor crash, and really didn't feel like dropping another for another pair, so I thought it might be a good idea to make my own! I found a site called www.foamorder.com who carries 3mm neoprene (same stuff as seal savers) and they can sell it by the "foot", where one foot is 12x51 inches, and only ! This is enough material to make SEVERAL sets of "seal savers"! All you have to do is cut the neoprene down to size and stitch it up good on a machine, or have it done at a drycleaning place.
I had enough material in one foot to make 2 sets of seal savers AND a seat cover for the KDX!

Qeustions? Comments? Shoot me an e-mail...
mttgrmn@aol.com



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