Jim Rashid, owner of 4 & 6 racing and Crew Chief for AMA roadracing team Safety First Racing answers your questions

Q:  For the average track day rider and amateur racer, is removing a bike's autonomous starting system a worthwhile modification in order to reduce weight and lower the center of gravity of a bike?  Is the inconvenience of not being able to start without external components worth the savings in weight?

If the modification is worthwhile, what's the best way to go about doing it (are additional voltage regulators necessary go in place of the battery?), and how does one start the bike after the modification has been made (especially important for bikes with anti-back-torque clutches, where push-starting could be difficult)?  Also, in situations where the bike has been started but the race is delayed and the rider is stuck at pit-out, should he turn-off the engine to prevent overheating and then have the starter brought out to him, or just let it run to avoid the inconvenience in case the event starts before he is ready?

Jim: I don’t think removing your starting system at the track day/amateur level would benefit you. First, there is probably a lot more time to be gained in other areas of your bike, i.e.: suspension, tuning, tires and riding skill. The amount of weight savings would not be as beneficial to you as the ability to restart your bike quickly would. You are also won’t have to worry about pushing your bike in full leathers when it’s 90degrees outside.  

Q:  I have felt this on my bike a few times now and just wanted to get confirmation of what it might be.

On a few occasions I have gone WOT in 3rd gear on an open road...not squiding it up just the occasional burst.

What I found is that at WOT the bike pulls super hard, but as I roll of there is a spot rolling off about 1/8 of an inch off where the bike pulls REALLY hard, almost lunges as I am rolling off.

My theory is that at WOT in 3rd gear I am actually spinning the real just a little and as the tire slows down (and I roll off) the tire regains some traction and the bike lurches forward slightly even though I am rolling off.

I have experienced such phenomenon in a turbo sand rail before, but that was in the sand using paddles and I know for a fact I was spinning the hell out of the paddles.

Would the same thing apply here? Anyone know?

It's not a sputter or a problem I don’t think, but I am curious to know.

Jim: I would have to guess that your bike is too lean and rolling off closes the throttle plate which helps richen it up. It sounds like you have no pc3 or any other means of modifying your FI system. If you can, take your bike to a tuning center and have them check and adjust your bike’s fueling on the dyno.  

If you can’t, purchase a Power Commander and download the appropriate map for your bike and setup. This should be close to what your bike needs and improve your throttle response significantly.

If you already have a Power Commander, make sure you have the right map loaded.

Q: Is removing the HTEV and doing the flapper mod going to negatively affect the power curve on a 2002 CBR 954? The throttle is already sensitive without a PCIII...will performing such mods on my bike make it worse?

Jim: I would not remove the flapper till you get something to alter your fuel mixture or you will create more problems with tuning. You already know the throttle is too sensitive now, why make it worse?

Removing the flapper valve usually only pays dividends at higher RPM. If you ride mostly in crowded areas or in congested traffic, this may actually make the bike’s throttle response far worse.