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Stock 2017 SuperDuke GT with fuel dongle review

29K views 96 replies 17 participants last post by  DaveAu 
#1 ·
What happens when $50 buck Rottweiler fuel dongles get put on a stock bike? So many various reports of SAS removal, de-cat, mapping, commanders, this exhaust that exhaust ... it gets exhausting!
Having "been there - done that" to so many bikes in the past I decided to keep this bike as stock as possible, aside from a K&N air filter and lithium battery.

Goal was to improve low speed tractability and maybe keep the heat down some.
Used a well travelled loop for the test. 10 miles of 50-55 mph followed by 4 miles of super slow 24 mph slugging thru a pedestrian flush tourist zone. In 10 miles the bike has pretty much reached heat saturation, oil temp is normally 197-200F on an ambient 80F day. The 4 miles of slow going is done in 3rd gear with cruise set to 24 mph. The SDGT hates this, it behaves but oil temp climbs 10 degrees to 207F.

Today it is 80-81F. Install fuel dongles, disconnecting O2 sensors. The 10 mile ride gets oil temp to 181F ... considerably cooler. Slow 3rd gear slog and oil temp is 193F, better than 10F cooler.

Bike now has impossibly smooth throttle action - and I thot it couldn't be better. The 3rd gear C.C. slow-mo has gone so smooth that the mild chain snatch that you get at that speed has disappeared. Slow going in 2nd gear (walking speed) is so nice now in traffic it is not needed to go to 1st. Going home with CC at 55mph in 5th (below 4 grand) there was no bucking, very smooth.

Results are in and I would recommend it to everyone with a stock set up ... fuel consumption it presently 37 for me .. will be back with numbers when available. Seemed to be less heat at my leg but this can't be qualified as my shins have not been properly calibrated. Best $50 bucks spent.
 
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#75 ·
remember its like rendering a picture, if the software is not so good your gonna fark around .
if you dont know the software your gonna mess about.

so its like the best is well known by the user , has all the tools , shortcuts and cheats and also the end result can be presupposed simply by know exactly what that tool does and how it comes out.

give the same guy a laptop and tune ECU which he never learnt and hes stuck why the cable driver isnt found on his pc.

its like that.
 
#76 ·
The simple cheap mods like dongles go a long way to improving the already good motor output.
The 02 dongles only work for part throttle , im almost certain theres no performance gain except the jump between the 02 mapped system and the actual engine load and throttle opening system which is your acceleration.


so if we race 2 new bikes from the lights, they should end up running the same even though one has the 02 dongles,

City cruising and blip jumps and general hooligan stuff where part throttle cruise is equally used as much at full throttle through the gears,then i believe what your feeling is a much nicer bike.The transition between part throttle and gunning it being one of the most important aspects.

Could always be wrong or over exaggerated the facts though.
 
#78 ·
so if we race 2 new bikes from the lights, they should end up running the same even though one has the 02 dongles,

Could always be wrong or over exaggerated the facts though.
Drag racing uses no small-throttle openings, so unless someone is shy about twisting the wick, I doubt if there's be an appreciable difference. I would think you'd already be on the open-loop when you left the line.

A slow race, now, that would be a different proposition. A smoother throttle at small openings would be easier than a jerky one.
 
#82 · (Edited)
An accidental discovery

:laugh2:...... todays short spin proved that placing a copper washer under the O2 sensor actually does much the same as the O2 fuel dongles.......

On the weekend the GT was almost as smooth at light throttle openings as with O2 dongles, and today, same fuel, Cu washers removed, the GT was back to the sensitive throttle I had prior to doing the O2 removal kit. Unfortunately, fuel cons only improved from 17.3 to 17.4 k/ltr so it's down to either crook fuel/injector cleaner time or the K&N airfilter causing the ecu to richen up the A/F ratio's....... didn't feel like taking the tank off this arvo.... read a bike mag instead... :laugh2:.

So the O2 dongles reduce header temp by 30C/60F from stock, but make the cat run noticeably hotter. The extra Cu washers under the O2 sensors work almost as well at smoothing the low rpm throttle and header temps were still cooler than stock, and the cat didn't seem to run hotter either..... :wink2:.. sort of a middle ground option.

PS I'm guessing the extra washer's raise the O2 probe's slightly out of the exhaust gas flow, which prob alters the signal sent to the ecu (now I'm really guessing)....... so this means that the fuel dongles are not really needed, unless you are fitting a full system that does not have O2 sensor ports in the headers. (sort of like not needing a dongle for the charcoal canister removal - if you leave the purge valve in place but plug the vacuum lines.... like I had to after my Ch dongle fried iteself).

Anyway, the car guys had worked this one out ages ago and I always wondered if it would work on our systems :smile2:......

:cheers:
 
#89 ·
Great..... but what are your performance & economy figures just for info?

I haven't got any problem with the fuel dongles..... just to clarify the story..... i just noticed a sudden change to my average fuel readouts over several recent top ups..... so I'm thinking it's a local fuel issue, but since it's a lottery choosing a servo that might have fresh 95 octane, i figure I'll do it properly and start with oem filter etc and then quickly add the mods once I've got a tank of fuel that is yielding the figures I observed over the 12,000kms I've put on my GT....... (I'm no newbie to riding a twin or monitoring consumption figs :wink2:..... and I'm not a slowcoach - except when the camera's are out or the road is slippery etc). Just curious and with time on my hands to play mechanic...... 0:).

Made one scientific discovery already eh:clap:....... the thicker washer under the O2 sensor....... pending independent confirmation :wink2:.

:grin2:
 
#87 ·
Dave or anyone, do you know the size of Cu washer needed to fit under the sensor? I want to try this!
 
#88 · (Edited)
Cheers Thumper...... The washers were the ones that came with the plugs for the O2 removal kit so out with the verniers & they are 12mm ID x 17mm OD x 2mm TH.

I put them onto the O2 sensors with the original washers - no idea what I was doing, but with both oem washer & the Cu washer from the plug kit it seemed to work as good as the dongles & plugs...... maybe I should have only used the Cu washer (?)..... I don't know, and I had the K&N filter in my GT at the time.

Be glad to hear if you find similar results....... and if anybody knows why this works or if there are any problems it might cause.

I was only looking for my usual fuel economy and the washers didn't change anything.... so once I get that economy back to normal, I might even give the washers another test...... it's all probably down to old fuel at the servo's but since I have reserve fuel weight i might as well play scientist and lift the tank :nerd:

:grin2:
 
#92 · (Edited)
I'm going with chicken blood next time.


BTW in all seriousness, we have revised mileage numbers since dongles.
Trip one - never touched since purchase 37 now 37.1
Trip two - reset when dongles first installed, mileage dropped at first but is recovering ... presently at 36.8

Like Hammy I pay little heed to the tach when shifting. I think we all know when you are in too high a gear, there must be a subtle change in shift points that are unconscious but also beneficial?

Pretty safe to say there was little net change in thirst but big change in heat at right shin and Dave reported a cooler header temp. With improved bottom end smoothness and pull there is no apparent downside.
 
#94 ·
:laugh2: Cheers Spartacus...... might be our local fuel suppliers are adding chicken blood to the brew :laugh2:.
 
#95 ·
Ok latest ride...... 200kms :wink2:

Paper filter and Cu washers under O2 sensors...... but, a half tank with injector cleaner through before a fill with Aussie Caltex 95 octane from a busy servo and - voila - 20k/ltr in 5th at 100kph as it always used to be...... dropping to 19.5 when in light traffic with some red lights. :grin2:

So my sudden drop in economy down to 17's (at best) was most likely stale fuel.

However, I intend to slip the K&N back in again as it wasn't over-oiled, and it feels free-er than the paper filter.

I'm happy to be back to my normal fuel readings and riding some good laps of my favorite roads again :grin2:

(Also happy that I am back to mowing the grass around home........ used to hate it, now I love it...... :laugh2:).

:cheers:
 
#96 ·
good that you found your problem there Super Dave. My fuel mileage returned to normal and then some as it sits and looks to be staying at 37.1 now. Oh and I have a lawn that can be heard growing ... get over here seeing that you love it so much!
 
#97 ·
Right-O...... oh, cat on lap, nuzzling my arms and pretending to be affectionate (when all he wants is more food :wink2:)....... :laugh2:

Had another ride yesterday.... bit cold and windy, but saw 18's on the dash...... I should lube my chain soon :laugh2:. Getting slack in my old age.......

Ps Sparty...... your grass is gonna be a jungle by the time my flight gets me there :laugh2:.

My buddy and I were chatting up a waitress at the Outpost Cafe..... she was saving up to go to London and works several shifts at the Cafe & the BP servo....... she was 17years younger than his 1981 GPz1100B1........ :frown2:

I feel ancient........ :laugh2:
 
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