CLIVE APRILIA RSV4 RF
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Fiddling with wires.”
For a little while now I have thought I’d like to treat the Aprilia to a Power Commander V and a Secondary Fuel Module. After all, Dynojet say every bike is unique and that to get the best they should be tuned accordingly. A PCV, I thought, would be a great way to enable us to iron out any minute fuelling issues that are maybe robbing a few bhp here and there, so I cracked on and ordered one.
Once I got the kit I had a good look through the instructions and I could see that the bike in the pictures was an earlier model as the stacks and the loom looked ever so slightly different. I hoped it wouldn’t matter too much, so I just followed them word for word and improvised where needed. The kit is really simple to fit, there is no need to cut anything out the loom; it just fits on as a ‘piggy-back’ system. They send some little round connectors but I didn’t like them so we’ve soldered it all in place. If a job’s worth doing, and all that! From start to finish it took a good four hours but a lot of that time is just messing around taking the tank and the seat, and bits and bobs off. I found it a bit daunting at first but now that I’ve done it I’d happily do another one myself. The only tricky bit really was putting it all back together and tucking everything in nice and neatly, it’s all so tightly packed in under the tank that there is barely even the space for one more wire. The PCV and the fuel module themselves are underneath the seat so it isn’t too bad for them.
The next job is to get it down to the boys at JHS for a mapping session on the dyno because I’m not sure how worthwhile it is running the PCV as it comes out the box, especially as they’re telling me every bike is unique, which I get. I hoped to get it done sooner but the plan is to take my standard exhaust down with me and see what it makes with that on, then stick the Austin Racing can back on, get it fuelled and see what we are like power-wise.
As for riding, other than a few trips out with the missus, I haven’t done a whole lot this month. It’s getting to that time of year when the nice days are too few and far between. I’ll be keeping an eye on the forecast though, because I don’t think I can go till spring without having a ride. I've never had a bike that I’ve loved riding so much so I don’t know how I’m going to cope when it’s sub zero outside and the tarmac has an inch thick layer of crap on it. I’m already having RSV withdrawal symptoms so I don’t imagine my restraint will hold out too convincingly, but likewise I’m not going to sacrifice this beautiful bike’s tender bits to the harsh road salt, that’ll absolutely muller it. Roll on summer.
I DON’T THINK I CAN GO TILL SPRING WITHOUT A RIDE.