Post-camping trip update...
I really need to put that cam in. I feel like the bore kit isn't doing as much as it should, it feels like it's choking. A better cam = more airflow = more boom = more power, so I think that will make a huge difference. I'll do basic performance tests before and after to get metrics to compare the worth of the cam. The trip put about 600 miles on the new top end. I can comfortably cruise at 60-63 now, with a max around 70mph. The max is strained though, so I really only gained 5mph tops. The speedometer reads a bit low now too -- the final gearing change makes it read about 5mph lower than it should. My riding buddy that went on the trip with me on his Bandit 1250 said that I kept with him MUCH better uphills than I did before. I noticed that as the main improvement with the kit -- I can accelerate from 45 to 55 up steep inclines, whereas before the bike would just bog down. I have WAY more power out of corners too. I was passing much larger bikes on the inside when the road was tight, simply because I could put it in harder and pull out quicker.
I tracked my MPG for two of the seven fillups over the trip, using a GPS instead of the speedometer since the speedo is now off. The bike got 73mpg highway, cruising for a whole tank at 55-60mph. Not great, but not bad -- certainly better than most bikes. Riding the PCX hard in the mountain twisties, I got slightly better mpg at around 83mpg. I attribute that to spending way less time near redline. In either case, I was loaded with at least 50lbs extra of dog and gear, which didn't help the figures. I think that, once the kit is broken in, I will probably average around 80-85mpg for typical mixed city/highway driving.
I think I can do the cam and get the idle lobe on the new cam. We'll see though. I need to do the how-to first.
I'm taking two classes, have a four-month old, and working full time, so it might take a bit. Life's busy but it's fun!
Some quick pics from this weekend:
Bike loaded up. I have my armor draped over the back, and got an adventure-style helmet recently. You can just see the LED foglights on the front forks, they are each twice as bright as the headlights and INVALUABLE on mountain roads at night. We're stopped at Bojangles "fried chicken" (in quotes because I'm not sure if it qualifies as food) for lunch.
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Maddie patiently awaiting a piece of chicken. I didn't want her to get the poops, so I gave her the biscuit that came with the meal instead. She LOVES biscuits anyways.
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Stopped at a gas station because IT STARTED TO FRIGGIN HAIL ON US. Little bits of hail the size of marbles fell for about 10 minutes, then it was clear. We had freaky weather the whole trip, it was about 25 degrees (F) colder than it usually is this time of year. The dude in the shot is my friend Freeman.
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Stopped at the campsite, dude in pic is Freeman again. I don't think there's any photographic proof I rode actually...
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And the hammock tent set up at the site. We didn't even end up using the tents -- it got down to 39F / just over 0C that night. Since my gear is good down to 50 degrees at worse, we ended up crashing on the floor of the lodge in the background of the previous picture. At least it was less cold that way.
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