Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback *PI

nychayabusa

Registered
Hey everyone – this post is about four months overdue but better late than never. As some of you may remember late last year I was on the fence about going Turbo. I’ve been through some vehicles where in the end I just kicked myself for not leaving the damned thing stock. We all know how this hobby becomes a quick money pit and you ALWAYS end up wanting more, plus for every upgrade you do a dependent part needs to be worked on. With that being said I had an 02 a few years ago that I sold which had all the basic upgrades, the bike was very fun and in the end the normal upgrades were easily several thousand dollars when all was said and done. When I landed the 02 a year ago I convinced myself that I was going to leave it stock and maybe just do an exhaust upgrade. Now, I started looking at all of the exhaust options and figured it would cost me close to 2 grand/installed for a full system that would have the sound I was looking for, and on top of that I would need a power commander to get it dialed in right. Around the same time I would browse the boards and salivate over the exhaust note that spewed out of a Turbo dump pipe setup. Once I heard it I knew in the back of my mind that all thoughts of staying conservative were quickly fading away. I have to say that I did a good job for a while since I usually cannot get these things out of my head until I submit and take the plunge, but I managed to bury myself in work and forget about it and stay off the forums (bait)! Of course that didn’t last long since every time I would ride it felt like such a plain bike especially knowing what a basic power upgrade Busa felt like and how terrible the stock exhaust is. At this time I came back to the forums to start doing some investigation work on what an entry level system Turbo system would cost and more importantly how much TLC would this thing need since the stockers need nothing and I loved that. After extensive reading and research the Stage 1 started looking pretty reasonable and then my searching moved to find an all-star shop in the NYC area that would treat the bike as their own and someone with an established business who would be there after the money was handed over. After some poking around I stumbled upon Frank Davis @ Powerhouse motorcycles in West Babylon, NY and saw that he had a great reputation. I used to be in the Ford Performance business so I knew that the internet would be the place to tell me of any bad experiences but I could not find anything negative on him or his business. Everything seemed to be positive!

So, a few weeks later I figured it wouldn’t hurt just to call up and test the waters and see what he had to say. I got Frank on the horn and spoke to him for about an hour and told him my concerns such as this being a 100% daily driver even in 20 degree weather, all the way to sitting in the Lincoln Tunnel at 115 degrees and riding in stop and go traffic in Manhattan. Oh, and of course wanting to have the same maintenance as a stock bike! I didn’t want much now did I? :) Right away he turned me on to the RCC Stage 1 kit. He assured me that this would meet all of my requirements and the bike would ride completely the same as stock up to 5K RPM and that everything would work out to be around 7K. Of course everything he said sounded too good to be true so I gave Richard @ RCC a call since everyone said he was a great resource to talk with. Rich basically confirmed the things that Frank told me and even recommended Powerhouse. I was pretty much convinced at this point that this was what I wanted to do instead of putting on a few bolt ones, it would just be quicker to get to this done off the bat instead of putting the money into the basic parts. I was still a little hesitant on spending the money on this since I just got the bike so another few months went by and Frank contacted me every now and then to see if I had any questions and he was not pushy at all. So, I sat on it once again and happened to stumble upon another person on here “Megawatt†who was doing his own RCC Stage 1 build and figured it would be great to hear another member’s feedback. Duh! I PM’d Joe and asked him if we could talk on the phone to which he promptly replied and said no problem. I ended up having two separate conversations with him and he was kind enough to answer all of my questions ranging from how loud the BOV is to if there was anything he would have done different and finally, was it worth the money. Joe gave everything a thumbs up and he pretty much sealed the deal for me. Joe, thanks a lot for the help!

I called Frank up and went over the final statement of work which is listed below. My bike was 100% stock, not one thing was modified.

• RCC Stage 1 Turbo Kit
• Clutch Springs
• Oil Pump Gear
• Powercommander
• Tial 50mm BOV
• Clutch Slave Support
• Block off plates
• Muzzy Fan
• Clutch Modification
• Full Installation and Dyno Tune 93 Octane Street Tune

Frank and I agreed on the price and the bill of materials and the bike was brought up to him. I pretty much left him alone and told him to take as much time as he needed as I was not in a rush (yeah right!!). The turnaround time was amazing as I had the bike back right around 7 days. So, I go to pick the bike up as his shop and my friend took a video of the first startup. You can check it out here
- Justin's Turbo Hayabusa Built by Powerhouse Motorcycles[/url] you can pretty much see my goofy reaction. It sounded incredible. To me the sound alone was worth the whole project! The ride home was amazing, I don’t think I will ever forget how much fun I had on the Belt Parkway getting into boost. Now, I see what everyone meant and could not imagine having one without a turbo. Just like Frank said the bike was normal as ever up to 5K but once you pass that mark the bike smoothly becomes a beast. The bike ended up with the dyno number that Frank promised. 250HP/142TQ to the tire (93 Octane).

So this was done back in March when the bike has 1500 miles. Today the bikes at 6000 miles. As you can see I can’t get enough of the beast. I look forward to riding it all week. Last week I finally felt comfortable enough to take it to Englishtown Raceway Park. It had been years since I went down the track and seeing how the bike is stock length, foot shifting , Turbo power with a Shinko Hookup tire I was telling myself that just getting into the 9’s once would be a good thing for me. I also didn’t realize how uncomfortable all the gear is. I rode to the track and the only prep I did was strap the front end down and lower the tire pressure to 25 pounds. First run I got a 10.2 :) Even though it was a hell of a rush I was a little disappointed in myself but determines to do better. Well my next three runs were 9.60’s @ 148 with 1.6-1.8 60ft times!! Seeing the 9.6 slip had me jumping for joy. I was shocked I did so well since the bike kept lifting up. I was tryingto leave the line at 5K and shift at 10,500 but the sheer adrenaline of being at the track for the first time in so long had me shifting at the wrong points or even hitting the limiter. I am hoping to get low 9’s or even 8’s. But I am very very happy with the turnout. I have one video here, sorry for the terrible quality but I forgot my Flip so someone took this on a Droid. You have to fast forward to 1:20 to see me, didn’t crop the video sorry. 1/4 Mile Run

I hope this long detailed post helps anyone else who is thinking of going the same route. I can tell you that you will not be sorry! I have not thought of the 7K once. Every time I ride the bike or look at it I just smile. I am an instant celebrity when riding in the city. I’m amazed to see how many tourists know that it is a Turbo bike as I didn’t expect anyone to notice. The bike rides amazing and I cannot thank Frank enough for dialing in this thing perfect. Powerhouse gives you a nice folder with all of the information in it with many dyno graphs, a wallet card with your graph and other cool stuff. They are detailed, organized, and knowledgeable and I am willing to pay the extra money knowing that I have experts taking care of my bike. Frank has been available for any question I have had since. I just spoke with him on moving up to 300+ HP :) I think I will master this thing first before moving up. I am hooked!!! I will post a bunch of pictures below! Thanks to everyone for their help and patience. Sorry for the long post! This whole thing has just been an amazing experience.
 
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Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Pics!

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Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

that is really cool:thumbsup:
if i ever wear out the one i've got, im goin turbo.:beerchug:

thanks for the report! :cheerleader:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Interesting Read!

Thanks for sharing.
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Very cool... nice bike :thumbsup:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

What's not to love about it? Beauty of a Beast ya got there! :thumbsup:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

sounds amazing and looks good as well
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Thanks for a nice write up. Something to think about in the future.

I have a question though. Do you have a problem inspecting the bike? They will say, Mmm.. exhaust is missing, no pass. And without the inspection sticker, NYC cops can impound your bike. They've been doing it a couple of seasons ago.
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Very cool! :thumbsup:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Nice bike.........:bowdown:...........Good run!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Congrats once again. Keep riding it for another two years like it is.

I still smile every time I go for a ride on the shredder.
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Thanks for a nice write up. Something to think about in the future.

I have a question though. Do you have a problem inspecting the bike? They will say, Mmm.. exhaust is missing, no pass. And without the inspection sticker, NYC cops can impound your bike. They've been doing it a couple of seasons ago.

The exhaust is not missing . . . and, a New York State Motorcycle Inspector cannot fail the bike because it has a turbo on it. It could be failed for how loud it is, which is totally at the discretion of the inspector. If some knucklehead dealer is going to fail your turbo because of what it is, it is time to move on. I've been a N.Y. State Motorcycle inspector for over twenty five years, and I will be more than happy to put a sticker on that bike . . .:beerchug:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

The exhaust is not missing . . . and, a New York State Motorcycle Inspector cannot fail the bike because it has a turbo on it. It could be failed for how loud it is, which is totally at the discretion of the inspector. If some knucklehead dealer is going to fail your turbo because of what it is, it is time to move on. I've been a N.Y. State Motorcycle inspector for over twenty five years, and I will be more than happy to put a sticker on that bike . . .:beerchug:

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Sticker an inspection problem in NY SOLVED!!!!
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Well the bike is actually registered in NJ. They no longer require inspection anyway. :cheerleader:

Not like I was even going to go. :moon:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Congrats... :thumbsup:

Looks great and nice writeup! Now send off your pegs/rearsets to get powder coated black to match the rest of the bike... ;)

:beerchug:
 
Re: Finally – My First Turbo Experience – 1/4 Mile and Powerhouse Motorcycle Feedback

Great writeup . I felt like I was there .
How much did all things on that list cost for us dreamers if you don't mind me asking you or Frank ?
And Frank if you read this . Is his bill close to what a GenII would cost ?
Same list on a GenII what would power be ?

Also all looks great except those yooogly factory warning stickers :bowdown:
 
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