[GaryK]

I put the header on using the OEM mufflers over the winter. We had some decent but windy weather yesterday so I got my first ride. I did Ivans in October and the bike has a front sprocket change.

Even after rain there was still a bit of salt on the roads so I was still pretty cautious which I think contributes to my review.

and the drum roll... I don't really notice anything. I didn't hardly notice the Ivans either though other than my little wheelies that I do more often.

So I think.. that I am not storming the throttle like I did on my gxxr. I think perhaps I hit about 8500-9500 rpm and I shift.. because it feels like I should. I think the power for the header probably comes in right around there so yeah.. not feeling it. Only did about 100 or so, so really not into it hard. Bike runs excellently as normal.

The volume of the bike is not much louder.. maybe a deeper more full sound.. not as mechanically suppressed. Going to wait until the new tires are on and bounce this thing off the limiter and review again. But at this point if you are sporty rider and not a recovering speed addict I bet you don't even need this.

I would still do it.. because that is what I do, I make things faster whether I can utilize it or not

 

[jtaliani]

Thanks for following up. I've been anxiously awaiting your thoughts on this configuration as I was considering the same. It's disappointing that the results aren't more dramatic than they were for your initial experience. Hopefully once the weather improves, and we get a strong rain or two to clean up the roads, you'll be able to notice it more. I was really hoping the tune and header would be more noticeable in the low and mid range.

 

[rcannon409]

Theres also the point of , "What did you expect?" Also, not running the engine past 8500 sort-of makes no sense. This engine is known for big low and midrange power, but if your not running it to even 10-10,500, thats not an equipment issue.

They make the zx14 if a person is looking for 200hp and Ivans kit is not a zx14 conversion kit.

If a person wants the most from a ninja 1000, then its the way to go. If you want a zx14, there might be better choices and easier ways to get there.

 

[Mark59]

I dont guess i need the ivans flash and header then if you have to spin the engine to 10,000 or better rpms to feel any difference, that will get you a ticket where im at, as i rarely see over 6000 rpms just riding around town or cruising normally more like 4,000 is the norm. Now i guess if your drag racing the ivans flash would be the way to go. I think if i spin it over 10,000 with the wife on back she would retire from riding with me lol. As for the fueling issue i dont have one i guess its my mild manner of riding the bike it seems no difference from riding my cbr 500. GaryK give a report on mpg now i would be interested in a better mpg average.

 

[Day Trippin]

Headers are always a trade-off. Usually bigger headers improve flow at high RPM at the expense of low RPM power. On the N1K, it was the hope that the built-in cat was killing pretty much everything.

Maybe in your instance if the diameter is bigger than stock, that you didn't lose any low end due to the removal of the cat but you might have a very nice topend hit now. Will be interesting to see once you can run it all the way to the rev limiter.

I am pretty content with my Ivan's/Brawler setup. Even with the taller countershaft sprocket I can do rollon wheelies in the first 2 gears and and now it actually starts to pull harder over 8k. Before it was just a steady pull to redline. Now it has a bit more sense of urgency to get to the red zone on the tach.

Since I am a power junkie I usually always want more but the N1K is a pretty good balance for a street bike that isn't going to get me into trouble every time I twist the throttle. By the time I get to a speed where it actually feels "deficient" to me I am already well into the losing my license area. So what is the point? I can resist anything but temptation. My modded ZX12R would go likely accelerate faster than 100-160 than my N1K for 0-60 but every time I had to make sure the road was clear before I unleashed it.

Anyway be sure to post more about how it is once you have a chance to really test it out. It might have a different result on your year than the 2014+ ones.

 

[rcannon409]

Gary, a while back you mentioned a 1 tooth larger rear sprocket, did you do this?

if so, thats where the snap went. Pulling low speed wheelies with a 1 tooth larger front sprocket? I think most would feel like this was pretty good.

 

[GaryK]

No only the front sprocket. I am going to put the 55 series on it shortly. It isn't really a lack of power.. it's just not a lot more power like I was sort of hoping for.

I was a bit harder on it today as I get my spring legs. I have some work to do.. apparently I have forgotten how to shift.. sadly I never use the clutch so it really its just coordinating the slight throttle lift with the kick.. but if you saw me dance you would get it.

I did explore the upper rpms more and it is definitely pulling hard. Harder? I can't tell because I am not used to it yet. As soon as the road is clean I will put up some go pros and do acceleration runs.

As for MPG, I never notice sorry, I never seem to fill up the same amount or at the same time. Looking at the active display the bike is usually between 38 and 42mpg.. but still not sure that is very accurate because aerodynamics and rider aggression have a lot to do with it. **** I even forgot and put 93 in it yesterday, and I was using 89 at the end of last year per Ivans instructions.

 

[Mark59]

What year model is your bike Garyk if its a 2014 model it has more power than the older models and might not show up as much as it would for the pre 2014, because by all the preaching thats been going on over ivans flash i figured they would be a big boost considering the amount of money spent for ll the components you need.

 

[GaryK]

Yes mine is 2014 .. sorry I missed typing that up top. Which does make a good point about power comparisons.

Another thing that may be factoring in is the cam profile of 14+ bikes AFAIK they are tuned for even more lower end so maybe the net effect of high rpm modifications is reduced compared to the older bikes.

As soon as the roads get better I will put the bike at redline in anger for a few gears and see what I get

 

[Mark59]

Be careful lol

 

[PeteBKK]

Hi all. I did a similar change, added Arrow headers, stock mufflers. The difference being the addition of a BMC air filter and a Bazzaz Z-Fi and NOT doing the Ivans upgrade (don't want to send my ECU away). I get more power all the way through the range. The exhaust note is a little louder at idle and has a louder, deeper growl going through the power range. Smooth acceleration all the way through as before, just more power. As noted before I had a gain of +12.48hp and +6.2ft/lb.

 

[bombim]

@PeteBKK, before installing the Bazzaz Z-FI did you experience a jerky throttle response?

 

[PeteBKK]

@bombim, do you mean jerky throttle response from the standard Ninja 1000? If so, yes, it's a little jerky when you power off. The engine breaking is on the more aggressive side. That hasn't changed with the Bazzaz, it has mostly been discussed that you need to work on the ECU to change that, or raise the idle speed.

 

[Johnmark101]

From what I could read on his website, Ivans results with the reflash and fuel mapping were a bit better for the 2011 ~ 2013 as compared to the 2014.

The biggest benefit is the improved throttle response. I noticed a huge difference in the on / off throttle response in corners. Fueling is super smooth and spot on with the upgrades. There is a definite improvement it power which I noticed from the first twist of the throttle. It is important to set it up properly with your laptop as per his instructions.

Yes, it is not cheap and the bike is still very good without it but since I am keeping this bike for a long time it was money well spent. I have to believe this is the way that Kawasaki would have made the engine perform if they did not have to deal with emission and noise restrictions.

 

[bombim]

@bombim, do you mean jerky throttle response from the standard Ninja 1000? If so, yes, it's a little jerky when you power off. The engine breaking is on the more aggressive side. That hasn't changed with the Bazzaz, it has mostly been discussed that you need to work on the ECU to change that, or raise the idle speed.

Thanks Pete, I thought Bazzaz was your fix for the jerky throttle response.
Because the Bazzaz intercepts the factory ECU signals, it should be able to control the system with the correct map, just like Ivan's reflash would. The main difference would be the fact that Ivan has a tried and tested map.

I find the idea of the Bazzaz intriguing. Should I want to sell the bike, I could remove the kit and have everything back to stock. I could then transfer the kit to a new bike and (hopefully) find a great map from Bazzaz for the new bike.

 

[angelo112233]

Hi all. I did a similar change, added Arrow headers, stock mufflers. The difference being the addition of a BMC air filter and a Bazzaz Z-Fi and NOT doing the Ivans upgrade (don't want to send my ECU away). I get more power all the way through the range. The exhaust note is a little louder at idle and has a louder, deeper growl going through the power range. Smooth acceleration all the way through as before, just more power. As noted before I had a gain of +12.48hp and +6.2ft/lb.

If you are skipping reflashing, you would have better luck with rapidbike evo or racing.
http://www.dimsport.it/en/tuning-line-service/download/1456503561_117173/

It's just a little more expensive than the reflash but you can work with your local tuner.

 

[GaryK]

The roads were a bit better today and I was able to hit the throttle on shittee* battleax.. tc 1 was still on because I wasn't riding with anger on my way to Lowes.

Anyways.. bike ran exceptionally well.. the rear engaged traction control and the front wheel did the little dance and she felt good. Wasn't looking at the tach but it wasn't a redline shift and it was nice....

My brothers is a stock 2014 we will line them up and give direct feedback.

 

[jtaliani]

Awesome and timely feedback! I almost bumped this thread earlier today to see if you were by chance able to test it out. I look forward to reading your more detailed follow-up as this is playing a big role in my decision about the header and tune.

 

[GaryK]

I think I can say that I think the header was a good mod. It is starting to gel. Something I realize about my riding style... I am think I am (or used to be). I think this comes from racing cars all these years where smoothness is king, but this realization has allowed me to change my style a bit and put a little more snap in the throttle and it appears that it is being rewarded with this combination of parts.

I think I will continue to extend the limits as I get new tires and road conditions improve.. but I would do both items (ivans and akro) again.

Good Luck!

 

[CheetahTurbo]

Hi all. I did a similar change, added Arrow headers, stock mufflers. The difference being the addition of a BMC air filter and a Bazzaz Z-Fi and NOT doing the Ivans upgrade (don't want to send my ECU away). I get more power all the way through the range. The exhaust note is a little louder at idle and has a louder, deeper growl going through the power range. Smooth acceleration all the way through as before, just more power. As noted before I had a gain of +12.48hp and +6.2ft/lb.

Is this the one with TC Control?