Adding Discs to the SuperTrapp

Another Winter Gone By

Six months have gone by since the SuperTrapp 2:1 pipe had been installed on my bike. With less than 100 additional kilometers on the odometer since that day, I added six more disks to the muffler. Dropping as much power as I had when I switched from the previous 2:2 SE II exhaust was just too much of a sacrifice, and I wanted it back. One reason I purchased a tunable pipe was that I could change it to suit my need of the moment, and what I needed right now was what else but more power.

Just like the depressing weather back in the fall when I brought the bike back home from the shop, I headed out the door on a damp and cold morning to see what the 6 disks would do for me on the dyno. Even though the temperature couldn't seem to get past the 3 degree Celsius mark on the thermometer, most of me kept remarkably warm on the 40 minute ride to Ottawa HD. I've long appreciated the value of an electric vest, even on my old E Glide with its protective bat wing fairing, but at these temps, it would not be enough to compensate for the numbing cold my extremities would have to suffer at highway speeds.

In the past I've worn leather chaps over leather pants over jeans and still felt cold, not to mention very constricted. This time I had a new pair of HD's nylon touring pants on over my jeans, and what a difference they made. I was particularly impressed that my knees, hanging out in the breeze as they were, never became uncomfortable with the cold. Those "knee protector" inserts that I found so bothersome when I first tried on the garment sure proved their worth now by effectively insulating me from the biting wind. A pair of nylon FXRG gloves also did a commendable job of keeping my hands reasonably warm. Only my face experienced any real discomfort by the time I arrived at the shop, thanks to the heavy cross winds that my short windshield could do little about. I guess I should have held off on trimming the winter beard.

Runs #25 and #26 on the Dyno

Once at the shop, the bike was quickly rolled into the dyno room and strapped in place. I had two objectives that morning: to see what performance effect the 6 additional disks would have, and to see if the new programmable ignition module that had just arrived from Head Quarters would make any difference over the currently installed SE module.

Without any changes other than the disks, the first run (#25) resulted in an increase of actual, uncorrected RWHP for a maximum of 96.6 hp at 6000 rpm, and 102.2 ft lbs of torque (see dyno chart here). The new ignition module was then installed and the second run recorded a slight drop in both horsepower (96.1) and torque (99.7). I suspect this slight difference in figures can be attributed to variables in performing the test.