Accelerator Module

This is one of those difficult items to evaluate so I waited until I had a little over 1,000 miles on this device before writing my review.  I know opinions on these types of gadgets run from being pure snake oil to being a miracle cure for all that's wrong with a bike.  With that in mind...

I purchased this device for my 2010 R1200RT which I purchased new and currently have 67,750 miles.  I state this so that you know that I am very familiar with my motorcycle.  When you have that many miles on a bike you get to know it well and it's amazing what muscle memory and other sensory inputs play in the way you control your motorcycle.  I took the approach of riding my bike like I always do - doing nothing special.  Almost like a blind test is that can be done on a bike while riding it.  This device is meant to help the slow speed drivability of the motorcycle.  Don't expect power gains, more torque, extra mpg, etc.

I installed it (a very easy task - people say it takes 20 minutes... I took at least two hours) and went for a short test ride.  First thing I noticed is that while riding out of my neighborhood I found myself in a higher gear at my normal 20 and 30 mph limits.  I found that rather strange since I noticed that about 100 feet from my house.  When I got to roads that had posted limits as high as 45mph I noticed the same thing.  It made my RT feel more like my K1200S which I tend to short shift because it seems to have tons of torque.

The second thing I noticed was that I no longer had to feather, nudge, caress my throttle in order for the engine not to cough or stumble or hiccup... When you become one with your bike you know what I mean.  It's not obvious but it's there.  It's very difficult to put your finger on it but it's something that you learn to do automatically.  A thousand miles later and I still find myself NOT having to feather the throttle in those special cases that come up.  For example, when the engine is very cold I had to baby it for about a minute or about 1/4 mile so that it would take off from a standstill smoothly.  I no longer do that and just shift as normal.  In addition, it has a very nice feel while shifting and goes from a low gear to a higher gear in a way that doesn't have what I can only call a lag between gears.  I can only guess that the engine is not throttling down lower and faster than it used to with the module in place.  I need to say at this point that I have a full Remus system on my bike.  That means that if anything my bike was running lean (assuming the electronics don't make any adjustments on the fly).  The new Remus system retains the flapper valve - a good thing in my opinion.

Many riders have reported improved gas mileage with the module installed.  I wondered how more gas into the engine could translate into better miles per gallon.  At this point I have only used the trip computer to evaluate mileage but I have been very impressed with the numbers.  Today while riding mostly 2 lane farm to market roads and thru very small towns (no street lights but lower speed limits) I averaged 51.2 mpg and a average speed of 54.5 mph.  If I remove the last 20 miles which was against a head wind my trip computer was showing 52.2 mpg over a distance of about 80 miles.  Our highway speeds were a steady 65 mph and at times 70 mph.  I'll have to check mileage by calculation instead of using the BC function in the future but this too is not very scientific since no two road conditions are identical.  

Some riders have reported that since the engine is making more power at near idle speeds we are shifting sooner or at a lower rpm to the next higher gear.  In my experience I found this to be true.  Perhaps that's the reason for the mileage improvement although I don't know how that shows as improved mileage on a 100 mile ride.  My longest day ride was 688 miles with similar results.  Riding with me was my brother on his 2013 R1200RT and in all cases my bike used less gas.  (I weigh more than he does in case you're wondering.  Same tire air pressure)

Installation pictures on my R1200RT follow...

The old connector...

The module connected.

I placed the remote sensor up front.  You want it away from engine heat.

---

This is module is like others offered from several vendors.  If you search you'll see that I have another type installed on my K1200S with very good results.  This module is simpler and much cheaper than what I installed on the KS.  I was looking for something like this because the RT needed so little help making it run smoother (better?).  Smoother running with better mileage - what's there not to like!

tsp rating: 10/10

BMW-AF-XiED O2 Sensor Manipulator Review

BMW-AF-XiED

I've always liked my new to me K1200S.  There are several posts in this blog pertaining to my purchase and how I feel about the bike (especially since my main touring motorcycle is an R1200RT).  The one thing I found sub par on the KS was the rough idle and more importantly the fact that every once in a while the engine will die when cutting the throttle at slow speeds.  The latest firmware update improved the situation but it was still very present.  BMW NA - picture rolling to an intersection at night and the engine quitting on you in mid turn... release the clutch and risk a low side or use the starter and have your headlight turn off while cranking.

My desire was to correct or at least improve on that "shortcoming" and thus the reason for my purchase.  I think every review I read was positive so I decided to give it a try.  I like that the installation can be totally reversed without leaving cut or spliced wires.  If I didn't like it I could return it or sell it.

Review conditions: 

• Bike: 2008 K1200S
• Mileage: 7,200 miles
• My experience with the KS: 4,200 miles (purchased at 3000 miles)
• Bike modifications: Remus muffler and K&N air filters
• Typical climate: Rather hot most of the year with mild winters (snowed in 2004, 1967, 1953?)
• Test mileage on device: 260 miles
• Device setting: 7 flashes

Before boring you with the details of my review let me start out by saying that - so far - I find this device amazing.  I was expecting a slight improvement at best and perhaps only under certain conditions.  I was even suspicious of their claim to ride the bike with the AF-XiED installed for a couple of tanks of gas.  Another concern was the possibility of a big drop in gas mileage.  The bike is already a little weak for long travel having only a 5 gallon tank and mileage in the 40's.

I installed the device on my 2008 K1200S which required removing the gas tank.  And as chance would have it I was 15 miles short of a full tank!  I purchased a rubber hose at an auto supply store and siphoned nearly all the gas out of the tank (at least 4 gallons).  I didn't want to keep the gas... I put it in my wife's SUV.  Someone has an excellent write up in one of the BMW forums for installing this device in a KS so I'll skip those details in this review.

I have a GS911 but I did not reset adaptive values after installing the device.  I wanted to see how it felt just minutes after riding the bike before the installation.  I start the bike and it doesn't sound much different than before but it always runs rather smooth after a cold start.  Pulling away I notice it was easier starting from a standstill.  My block ride, which I always take very slowly to keep peace with my neighbors, was about 75% better.  It still had the engine bucking but not nearly as bad and hardly any jerking of the drive train.  Once on the highway the bike feels stronger in all the gears.  I continue to ride for about 10 city miles (low fuel light has been on since I started).  That evening and the next morning the bike died on me twice.  I was forcing myself not to work the throttle in an effort to prevent the stalling condition.  Not perfect but better than before.

That night, after riding 15 test miles, I fill up and ride 35 highway miles in 72F weather. The bike felt better than my earlier test ride but it was pass midnight so I park the bike for the night.  By this point I noticed the idle was much better than normal.  The following day I rode 135 miles.  It's so hard to tell but to me it felt so much stronger thru all the gears.  I wanted to make sure that the bike wouldn't miss or hiccup at higher speeds or RPM range.  Placebo or not but they bike felt much faster.  All riding modes felt good.

The next day I go for tank #2.  During this tank of gas I make the following observations:

• I like the idle rumble much better - Remus sounds meatier now
• Cold starts have a higher idle RPM (100 - 200 more)
• Adaptive changes have made a big positive difference
• Idle is 90+% steady now
• Engine has not died after the first tank of gas
• Slow speed running is about 90% better
• Running at 2,000 rpm is much easier now even in 6th gear
• I hardly apply any throttle to start from a standstill
• Pass 2500 rpm you can use any gear you want - normally use 6th when I used to use 5th
• Steady 60 mph yielded 47 mpg
• Steady 75 mph yielded 42 mpg

Like I said, I only have 260 miles on this unit but if anything it has gotten better the more I ride the bike.  In addition, I haven't tried it at any setting other than 7.  I want to see how it works in 6 and in 8 just to see what it does.  I'm more interested in setting #6 than #8.  So at this point what's not to like about it?

Pro

• Transforms the bike into what it should be
• Easy install
• Reversible installation
• Low cost for the improvements

 Con

• I read that it might harm catalytic converters due to enriched AFR
• Cost was about $220 for me.  Some may consider that a minus.  I don't.

tsp rating - 9/10  (I'm saving the 10 until I have more miles on it)

I want to try this device on my 2010 R1200RT.  Two considerations: the RT behaves a lot better than the stock KS and the device cost more because it requires two modules because it has two O2 sensors.  Can the RT engine get better?  Post a comment if you have this device on a camhead.

Thanks for reading,

tsp