Accelerator Module
Tomas Perez
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