CB650R Removing the cat, and riding to the tuning shop

[alex.thailand]

Hello. I could not find the answer to this question anywhere. Partial answer, yes, but not full answer.

General consensus is that after removing the cat, you should not ride the bike at all until it's put on a dyno and fuel map tuned. My problem is, I live in a town where there is no tuning shop, and there are no options of mailing the ECU in. I'm thinking of removing the cat in the town where I live, and then riding the bike about 180 kilometers (about 80 miles) to the dyno shop that will flash the ecu and tune the fueling map.

Is this ok to do? I'm reading all sorts of answers, from no to yes, to "you will destroy your exhaust valves", or "just ride slow".

I cannot transport the bike, so i have to ride it.

Thanks,
Alek

 

[miweber929]

Hello. I could not find the answer to this question anywhere. Partial answer, yes, but not full answer.

General consensus is that after removing the cat, you should not ride the bike at all until it's put on a dyno and fuel map tuned. My problem is, I live in a town where there is no tuning shop, and there are no options of mailing the ECU in. I'm thinking of removing the cat in the town where I live, and then riding the bike about 180 kilometers (about 80 miles) to the dyno shop that will flash the ecu and tune the fueling map.

Is this ok to do? I'm reading all sorts of answers, from no to yes, to "you will destroy your exhaust valves", or "just ride slow".

I cannot transport the bike, so i have to ride it.

Thanks,
Alek

That is not a general consensus. Not sure where you are reading that but the bike will adjust itself (to a point) and should be just fine for that time.

How are you going to remove the cat, new exhaust or are you cutting the pipe apart? Akraprovic for example recommends remapping but it’s not necessary, several others also say it’s recommended but not needed.

 

[alex.thailand]

That is not a general consensus. Not sure where you are reading that but the bike will adjust itself (to a point) and should be just fine for that time.

How are you going to remove the cat, new exhaust or are you cutting the pipe apart? Akraprovic for example recommends remapping but it’s not necessary, several others also say it’s recommended but not needed.

If you google something like "is it ok to ride bike with removed cat" you will get dozen of links and in the comments there are all sort of opinions. Different sites, different opinions, including the self adjustment one.

No, was thinking of spending 2 3 hours and drilling it out. If i do it, will do it like that. If i take it to the local shop, im sure they would cut the pipe and remove it that way, but dont want to see welding on the exhaust really...so drilling it out and then hammering it out seem to be a viable option, albeit time consuming.

I invested a lot of money recently into bike, bike gear and trackdays...so trying to tighten the belt and do some of the work myself. Buying full system is better choice, but i just cannot afford to do that at the moment.

ecu flash and remap where i live costs about 150 usd. The idea is to adjust the fueling, smooth out power delivery and get rid of that dip in power around 6k rpm. If i gain 4 5 hp and some torque, thats a bonus.

Thank you

 

[Cláudio Nogueira]

If you google something like "is it ok to ride bike with removed cat" you will get dozen of links and in the comments there are all sort of opinions. Different sites, different opinions, including the self adjustment one.

No, was thinking of spending 2 3 hours and drilling it out. If i do it, will do it like that. If i take it to the local shop, im sure they would cut the pipe and remove it that way, but dont want to see welding on the exhaust really...so drilling it out and then hammering it out seem to be a viable option, albeit time consuming.

I invested a lot of money recently into bike, bike gear and trackdays...so trying to tighten the belt and do some of the work myself. Buying full system is better choice, but i just cannot afford to do that at the moment.

ecu flash and remap where i live costs about 150 usd. The idea is to adjust the fueling, smooth out power delivery and get rid of that dip in power around 6k rpm. If i gain 4 5 hp and some torque, thats a bonus.

Thank you

Hmm, I can imagine you will get that extra 5hp over 10krmp. I wonder how many times you will be on that rev zone to get real benefits from that number.
Doe it worth waste money on removing clever engineered stuff to get those 5hp? Will you ever get any real-world benefit from that fact?
Have you wonder that most of the buyers of used bikes run away from modified bikes? That means the price of that is still to be closed until that day!
Better get rid of it and get an MT09, that is what I'm considering doing.

 

[Motojack]

If you google something like "is it ok to ride bike with removed cat" you will get dozen of links and in the comments there are all sort of opinions. Different sites, different opinions, including the self adjustment one.

id be careful with googling questions, confirmation bias is real on the internet. Otherwise you will be out burning 5G towers to stop them emiting covid.

Id like to map the bike myself but not for power reasons but id be curious to understand if changing the fueling will make the bike feel nice in around the 6k range

 

[miweber929]

If you google something like "is it ok to ride bike with removed cat" you will get dozen of links and in the comments there are all sort of opinions. Different sites, different opinions, including the self adjustment one.

No, was thinking of spending 2 3 hours and drilling it out. If i do it, will do it like that. If i take it to the local shop, im sure they would cut the pipe and remove it that way, but dont want to see welding on the exhaust really...so drilling it out and then hammering it out seem to be a viable option, albeit time consuming.

I invested a lot of money recently into bike, bike gear and trackdays...so trying to tighten the belt and do some of the work myself. Buying full system is better choice, but i just cannot afford to do that at the moment.

ecu flash and remap where i live costs about 150 usd. The idea is to adjust the fueling, smooth out power delivery and get rid of that dip in power around 6k rpm. If i gain 4 5 hp and some torque, thats a bonus.

Thank you

Most answers only relate to that bike, this bike is a closed loop FI and will self adjust, again to a point.

I would highly suggest looking through this forum for good info on the 650 platform. There is no “drilling through the cat) on this system, it’ll have to be cut and welded. We have solid info here, info you can trust.

You will be spending a lot of time and effort to get very little reward.

Good luck!!!

 

[alex.thailand]

Im literally on a local track every weekend. I pay 30 usd on a Sunday with couple of my mates. Gaining some hp and torque is a bonus as i said, not a goal. I imagine the hp and torque would go up after 8k rpm, ane im in that range almost all the time.

I wanted an inline 4 all my life. I am not selling the 650r if i can help it. I might own an mt09, or a daytona or whatever, but i am not selling this bike. Adjusting the fueling to get rid of that dead spot is hardly a modification that people would run from, as for the cat...well... here its possible to buy second hand headers for 100 usd, so while cat delete is something people would run away from, i can always replace it the whole thing. Its an option.

Yes. I shouldve gotten an r6. But the thing is, i still ride the bike on the road ocassionally, short trips. For my budget, i had to find something middle weight, affordable, and versatile. Second hand Cb650r fits that bill. Great fun on the road and the track. Fits my budget and i love the bike.
A proper sports bike like an R6 is too much for me, and it's almost double the price of what CB650R is.

to clarify, my goals are:
* remove the "dead spots" / smooth out power delivery
* adjust fueling, i have a feeling this bike runs waay too rich actually, maybe cuz i have a custom mid pipe and a slipon since i bought the bike, but even if its too lean, this is still a goal. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not mapped properly.
* improve throttle on / off response
* gain some hp and torque as bonus

If i remove the cat, i will also stick a marble up that hose to block off the pair valve. Easy mod, easily reverted but apparently improves throttle on off at low reps.

Leaning at 45degree angle, getting on the throttle and bike jerking around is not a good feeling.

Thank you

 

[67ratrag]

You should block the PAIR system with a marble, cheap and effective. I would suggest a Power Commander 5 for your situation and avoid a tune at a dyno shop. There is very little hp to gain on this bike, the PC5 will let you adjust your fueling yourself and get rid if the slump in torque you feel around 5,000 rpm. You can use the fuel maps provided by PC5 to adjust for the mods you have such as exhaust, air filter, etc and if you drop the front sprocket by one tooth you will increase your acceleration and responsiveness but you will lose a SMALL bit on the top end. You are never reaching effective top end on the track for any length of time (if any) but the acceleration and responsiveness will improve coming out of the corners. Best bang for your money.