My review of Frank and Powerhouse Motorcycles

[Trainerdave]

This is just the beginning of a long review that I have to update when chicago gets out of the 40's and 50's raining all day and night.
It's taken me a while in between 2 knee surguys, rehab(my knee) selling my house, cleaning all the **** one accumulates in 10 years, on one leg etc...

So here we go, I had my motor built at a shop in Chicago, that is known for their work on making solid motors, the motor turned out great, but there was some work done that I didn't ask for, such as o-ringing the head, slight porting of the head, replating the block(wasn't needed) and being charged $500 to change brake pads that I bought.
So I got bent over but, the motor is stout.

Here's where things went sour, the shop that built the motor didn't specialize in the turbo part of it or tuning a turbo,
Now off to another shop who was recommended , after 2 full years of the bike sitting there, let's just say I'm glad I got the bike back in January and didn't ride it, it was sure to blow, the top notch motor I paid an arm and a leg for.

When I got it to my garage I started it and it smoked so much you couldn't see the person next to you, the scavenger pump was put in totally wrong, oil was literally pissing out the wastegate and dump pipe.
There is a laundry list of the other things that were wrong, I literally have this man 7 grand for nothing, everything he did was replaced, it was initially a velocity gt30rdbb kit, but he was only running 4 injectors and tuned with a PC5 and ECU.

I have a high HP supercharged viper, and have owned 8 second fox body's I knew right off the bat I knew I would be in trouble if I rode it. My brand new Rc component rims were covered in layers of gunk as the tuner didn't even bother cleaning them.

Enter Powerhouse and frank, I had had enough with the incompetence , and shipped it to powerhouse in New York , basically the only thing that was carried over on my bike from the turbo side of things was the new turbo, fuel pressure regulator, I ended up going all RCC, ultra plenem, 4 bar microtech, and some other things I'm sure frank will fill you in on.

On just 6lb wastegate the bike makes 240rwhp and 132 rwtq (I'll use this if I have a passenger)

On 18lbs of boost on 93 pump the bike makes 380 rwhp and 221lbs of rwtq

On C16 and 25 PSI the bike makes 450 rwhp and 267 rwtq

The bike has more in it but that is more than enough, it nice and safe, as Frank told me ,I just want to put gas in and go, change the oil when need be.

Franks professionalism is second to none, he was in constant contact with me as the build was going on, he wrote up a very nice personal letter to me with all the dyno sheets.

I have had to call him about a few things I didn't understand on the boost controller and other questions, and has taken his time, making sure I knew what I was doing before we would hang up.

I only got one good day to ride my bike(I just wrapped the **** out of my surgically repaired knee) the bike drives just like a stock bike, I got on it an 1/8 throttle for a second(lots of traffic on spring) and I can already tell, this bike is going to give me a big smile on its face(it already has) , when it finally decides to not rain and be cold in chicago I will have more to review.

What I can say is everything looks great, as unlike the dip**** who kept my bike for 2 full years, the bike came back detailed, the workmanship is top notch, and I look forward to feeling all the power once it warm.

I suggest anybody in the states to not hesitate to send your bike to powerhouse motorcycles, you will get it done the right way.

More to come.. Stay tuned

 

[bigjack7679]

Glad you got it worked out. Frank is highly regarded around here.

Post some pics

 

[Quiksilver]

Glad to hear you got everything straight. +1 on the pics

 

[Fastfrog007]

Frank strikes again!

 

[POWERHOUSE]

Necking the turbo drain down to 1/8" and locating a scavenge pump under the throttle bodies with 1/4" fish tank hosing dumping into a hole somebody drilled in the starter clutch housing just didn't seem to work, did it? Especially on a kit that didn't need a scavenge pump in the first place! Every year we get at least ten screwed up builds that we end up redoing from "reputable" shops that shouldn't be in business at all, based on what we see. And we usually end up doing double the work to get it right . . .

 

[POWERHOUSE]

We are waiting for the RIDE REPORT!!!

 

[jch364]

And this is one of the reasons the org is so great. great resources

 

[Trainerdave]

We are waiting for the RIDE REPORT!!!

Sorry for the delay on the ride report Frank, you can blame God for the weather in chicago being 50's and raining, also blame me for competing in contact sports, as you know I had an MCL tear in my right knee, that had to be surgically repaired , which I'm still recovering from, but at about 80% now.

Yesterday was the 1st 80 degree day we had in chicago(it was actually 90) SO HERE IS THE RIDE REPORT!!!!!!!

What can I say? I rode it on 380 rwhp pump has mode, this thing accelerates faster than Thor's f@cking hammer!!!!!!', I have huge balls when it comes to things fast, been 8.80's in my old fox body mustang , have been well over 200 mph in my supercharged viper, I can't even put into words how fast this bike is, insane?
It did a 50-150 mph hit 3/4 throttle, i don't think I blinked twice and I was at 150, I've never worn a helmet, but now I know I need one because once that turbo hits, my ears feel like they are being ripped off, along with my face feeling like its being sucked into a black hole.

The greatest thing about the bike is when you want to suck the eyeballs out of your head you can, but when you want to just drive it normal, it rides just as well as any stock bike, there is zero compromise , like you get with a high hp car, the intercooler does its job nicely,even beating on the bike the temps never went above the half line, even sitting in traffic.
Cruising temps are just under the line just like a stocker.

When I'm done with all that has been going on, surgery , rehabbing knee to 100%, just sold my house! and am closing on June 9th(my house sold in 4 days) so things are more hectic , I still haven't found or decided where I want to live, I'm seriously considering vegas, but rest assured I will buy a helmet, do 100% throttle blasts from all gears! and the 450rwhp race gas setting.....to be continued......

 

[Trainerdave]

Here are some pics, more to come

 

[Quiksilver]

Thors hammer......... I never heard that one I like it. Nice bike man.

 

[bigrod1330]

 

[Poppy]

That's nice, glad you got it all straightened out. Kudos to Frank and Powerhouse!

 

[GNBRETT]

very nice. impressive. who's this Frank guy anyway?

 

[oldgixxer]

Wait,you ride a turbo Busa without a helmet?

 

[IG.]

Ah... the acceleration! Feeling alive! There is nothing like it!

As to Frank - a rear combination of human and professional qualities which we should not take for granted, but truly appreciate as a rare gem. Hey Frank, if you are ever in a bind, and need, I don't know, take the garbage out of a shop, pick up an urgent package, or move something heavy, or just a pair of hands, whatever... just give me a holla and I'll be there.

 

[frisbee]

Very nice bike and great numbers!!!

 

[RYC1966]

I have bought several items from him and he has told me to not buy some things that I don't really need...to me the shop that doesn't push parts has a better reputation... If he had a truck like the pic he may go door to door install and dyno bikes...(just a joke)...

 

[HayaWakened]

My Review of Frank’s Powerhouse Flash in the Form of a Tribute

I know nothing about them. An electronic component that makes everything else work, meaning, the bike doesn’t work without it.

There.

That’s the extent of my expertise regarding ECUs.

I got the flash because everyone said get the flash!, but have nothing with which to compare it. A GSXR1000 owner/friend said, “Well, you know, when you smashed on it before, but now when you smash on it with the flash, you notice a big difference, right?” …I had never smashed on the bike before. I certainly did after the flash, and, predictably, the bike is amazing. Jaw-dropping.

So, here’s a very unprofessional, non-technical after review:

The bike feels more together, seems to accelerate more efficiently, effortlessly; the decel is more predictable. I never really noticed a sweet spot on the rev band with this bike before the flash, and now, after, such a sweet spot seems even less evident. I’d have to say the sweet spot covers 3k to 10.5k (comparing that to my ’14 FZ1 and its 3k rev sweep of power band). It’s a smoother ride, more connected, a sense of reliability built into that feeling, or maybe it’s a predictability, I don’t know…the bike just feels sweeter. I wish I had stomped on it – I mean seriously – before getting the flash, just so I could genuinely appreciate whatever it is that Frank does. As far as I’m concerned it’s Bike Voodoo, and I am now an ardent believer.

I am in the cult.

Brainwashed.

If Frank asked for the blood of my grandchildren, I would drain their bodies, overnight it to Frank in vials, and THEN ask why he needed it, and when he said Don’t Worry About It, I’d say, YES…MASTER.

Thank you, Frank.

 

[fallenarch]

Huh?