New exhaust/ECU tuner questions

[tmlicking]

Hey guys
 
Just bought an Akra carbon exhaust and Dynojet Power Commander V tuner for the bike, haven't gotten them in the mail yet, giddy to plug it all in... I have a couple questions about advantages/disadvantages of a couple things with the install.
 
1) Why remove the snorkel?  More airflow sounds good, but why would it be there in the first place if it's better to remove it?  And to remove it is it just yanking the thing off and you're good to go?
 
2) Same question with the O2 sensor.  I'm not sure what the thing does or what removing it does, would like to know.  How would I plug the hole if I removed it?
 
3) Is it worth getting a different air filter?  Seems like the stock one is pretty decent quality.
 
4) Mapping the tuner.  There are maps available for the Akra, stock air filter, with or without the snorkel.  What about the O2 sensor?  Would that require some tinkering with the map?  Anyone messed with the PCV tuner?
 
Would love any other input if I'm missing anything.  Thanks for the help dudes!

[sansnombre]

Good questions, and if you hunt around, you'll see lots of previous discussions on the same. Some different opinions, but here's my take:
 
1) The snorkel is there for two reasons, sound reduction and "shaping" the airflow, presumably. One can also make the case that emissions are involved. If you are going to install an EJK or Power Commander, you'll likely get more power (and sound roar) with it removed. If you are not getting "jetting" changes, leave it in, although you might think of taking some of the material off of the bottom (the part that's inside the airfilter) as it is VERY restrictive in there and almost goes to the bottom of the airfilter, closing off the passage.
 
2) You can plug the hole with a simple bolt, and that will work fine. Make sure you unplug it from the business end, otherwise it keeps "working" and messes things up. So close the hole in the exhaust with a bolt and unplug the sensor from the harness under the right-side cover. I removed mine completely. Why? There's LOTS of discussion on this, so take a look, but the end-result is that at idle, this thing is working and trying to maintain a setpoint, but if you have an EJK it too is trying to force a setpoint and they battle. The guys who sell the EJK have discussed this ad nauseam, so take a look.
 
3) Similar to question 1. It will flow more air, yielding potentially more power, but if your jetting is not appropriate for the increased flow, power will suffer. How was your power commander map configured? That has your answer on whether you should or should not.
 
4) It's my understanding that the O2 sensor wouldn't have anything to do with the mapping in that it's function is limited to idle or very low throttle settings. BUT, do what the mapping people recommend with a re-map. I'm sure they'll have a position.
 
One final comment: these (air filter, snorkel, 02) changes are incredibly subtle and not really doing anything of substance, so whether you do or don't, you will not be able to tell the difference from those changes alone. Look at some of the pipe dyno run charts - many of them show runs with some of the changes you are asking about and there is hardly any change at all by altering these components. So don't worry about them too much.
Cheers.

[AlbatrossCafe]

 
1) Why remove the snorkel?  More airflow sounds good, but why would it be there in the first place if it's better to remove it?  And to remove it is it just yanking the thing off and you're good to go?
 
2) Same question with the O2 sensor. I'm not sure what the thing does or what removing it does, would like to know. How would I plug the hole if I removed it?
 
3) Is it worth getting a different air filter? Seems like the stock one is pretty decent quality.
 

I have the Akra Carbon with an ECU Flash but no aftermarket fuel controller. 
1. Having the snorkel reduces intake noise by a lot. With a louder exhaust you may not care, but it is something to note. The Snorkel on the EU MT-07's is very restrictive, which is why aftermarket Air Box kits were first introduced for this bike. The US version FZ-07's snorkel is not nearly as bad.
Also, be careful about removing it if you plan to ride in the rain. If you ride in heavy rain the snorkel will help prevent water from getting into your air-intake. One guy did on here a test where he took our the snorkel, taped a paper towel over the air intake without the snorkel, and sprayed his with the shower nozzle of his hose. The paper towel, even that far under the seat, was wet. I ride rain/shine and don't want to risk getting water in their for marginal gains so I leave it on.
 
2. I left mine in, but I also got an ECU flash and don't have an EJK or Power Commander so it is different for me.
 
3. The stock filter is not the best, but it is not bad. There is a ton of debate on air filters. I have found that the reusable oiled cloth filter gives performance gains early on, but once it starts to get dirty it will function just as well as your stock paper one does. I get K&N's so that I don't have to buy new paper ones (you can reuse cloth filters as long as you clean & reoil them), not for performance. Anyways, air filters are cheap - I bought my K&N for $45. You could just get a K&N or whatever when your cloth one wears out, or not. Either way, you will not notice a difference unless you are racing and monitoring lap times.
 
All in all - I went from Stock Exhaust to Akra Carbon with K&N Air Filter and an ECU flash, and the power difference was nominal. The main performance benefits of the exhaust upgrades + the ECU flash or Power Commander is the smoothness & better throttle response, but as far as power goes you will notice very little if almost no change from stock unless you are going for lap times...
 

[tmlicking]

Thanks for the info guys. So what I've done so far is installed the PCV tuner (set up for stock exhaust, snorkel off for now), took off the snorkel (definitely is a little louder, kinda throaty which is cool), haven't installed the exhaust yet, and I bought a DNA air filter. I did notice on the MTs that the snorkel looked way more restrictive which is odd. The new filter has no snorkel, and I did wonder about water getting in, I'll keep an eye on it thanks. As for the O2 sensor, the PCV instructions mention nothing about removing it, but rather an "O2 optimizer" is included in the kit which apparently targets an AFR of 14.2:1, so I'll just leave it on.
 
I started to pull the exhaust off and stripped a bolt head, and I don't have the tools to get it off so I gotta take it to a shop, get it off, and get a replacement so the new exhaust is on hold for a bit. Bummer. Also, after riding around for a few minutes I got a check engine light and SD__39 code which I'm still trying to figure out. Sounded like only one cylinder was firing, and from what I gather so far it may be a short in the ignition circuit which would make sense I guess. I'm hoping it's just a loose wire harness. Anyone have a list of the SD codes? I can't really find a good list anywhere.
 
Thanks again dudes,
Tommy