Dr Rossi / Gabro / Forza Aprilia Falco chip

[flatlander]

Ok update time as I have switched to Ed Elliot's Forza Aprilia chip

Please remember I am not trying to give a detailed technical appraisal just a general impression based on a mixture of conditions whilst doing my nosl commutes. These involve a mixture of airfields a roads B roads flat bits hills B roads etc etc

So onto chip no 2 on day 1
Definitely notice a difference between this and the dr Rossi even on installing. It may be that the Rossi was second hand and more worn but the prongs and the EPROM itself feel a little more robust on the FA chip.

So started the bike and the start was not as sharp as the Rossi but definitely seems to still be better than standard. Then set off with a quick stop off for a run round the airfield where there is a point as I said I have set a waypoint at about the half mile. I try to take off at between 30-40 and use only combination of 3/4th gears for the first few times

Now the short route getting there made me wonder whether there was any real change over standard

Then I went for the waypoint and very surprised I was too. I achieved the same top speed as with the Rossi a lot earlier. So decided to pay a bit more attention to what was going on.
From what I could tell the getting to a speed was generally smoother than with the Rossi now you do have to factor in my stuffed rear sprocket has been changed but it was more about the power delivery and engine pull I am referring to rather than just whether one is faster than the other.

I've only done jar over 100 miles today on this chip but felt pretty confident and comfortable with it very quickly and happy to go into normal riding mode.
Again factor in that today was a nice day and that traffic was light so encouraged a positive outlook :)

That said my overall first impression is that the FA is a much smoother and progressive delivery across a wider band whereas the Rossi was more urgent and more great big gobs of power. In no way unpleasant and definitely better than standard with a massive grin factor when unleashed.
The FA is far far smoother and you don't get the same sense of urgency and stomp yet even after a day I find myself intrigued to persevere as and again first impressions but I found it easier to get to the top end with the FA.

It seems that the Rossi I have is most effective between say 40 and 90 whereas the FA leaves you still feeling like you have plenty of pull if not more top end at speeds quite a bit in excess of those numbers ... Allegedly ...

So just on today's first impressions which would I choose well I think the best way I can put it is that if I had a streetfighter style that would definitely have the Rossi in it. It just feels a bit more instant and a bit more mental for everything else and on a day to day basis yes I would choose the FA chip. It feels most in tune with the original character of the bike. It feels pretty much like a proper falco chip just more so.

Ill have more idea of mileage etc over the next week or so bit the sim nary so far looks good for the FA chip from me anyway



As before HTH

[D-Rider]

Good feedback so far.

So .... what are they like down at the other end of the rev-range - particularly the bit between 2 and 3K rpm? Smoothness there is important for those times when stuck in town.

[flatlander]

So far the FA is smoother than the Rossi especially lower down. Ill go for a mooch round the town before parking up this morning

[flatlander]

summary so you don't have to read the whole thread

OK all so my idea was to compare the Gabro and Dr Rossi but I thought that it would be churlish, with the FA chip from Ed to not compare the three together All the chips will be set for open air box and cans which I figured was a good halfway point between obsessive over modification and standard

Please remember I am not trying to give a detailed technical appraisal just a general impression based on a mixture of conditions whilst doing my usual commutes. These involve a mixture of airfields a roads B roads flat bits hills B roads etc etc I figured about a week for each chip which is normally about 400-500 of your actual shitty weathered riding would give me a good idea.

My thoughts were to use the three one after the other in similar circumstances and report comparative feel for each one. Commuting means I will be using the same routes in similar circumstances and have an "airfield" section I can use to compare revs etc. Not very scientific but then not meant to be as that would open up far too many specific questions and scenarios

So the simple things I am looking for

Half mile rolling start with way point on a nearby airfield strip which gets entered at about 35-40 and check the roiling pick up in a combination of profiles:

So at least one run in just 3rd gear, (if anyone has one try this on a bandit it’s a hoot!)

Same but using 3rd and 4th

Same using all gears

really I am looking at the pull through the gears - i.e., start at 30 mph in 6th then open throttle hard to accelerate to “70” - see what pick up is like

I was also asked to see if you can force an over run ... as some people like / hate that

So for example :

Dr Rossi

It has good instructions on RSVR.NET but a bit fiddly to fit (and I work in IT) as some of the prongs were a little flimsy I have to be fair though as this may be the age of the chip as this is a second hand one.

I find this chip sharpens start up so that the bike starts quicker and needs less choke, and immediately feels more urgent. I am told it uses some timing mods so this may be ignition advance?

I find that most of the benefit or noticeable difference is from 50 mph upwards and certainly in what I would call the usable speed and power range. I have "estimated" that the revs would equate to between 7 and 8 k for the 100-110 range when riding steady and the whole feel is similar to having overdrive on a car. In that it feels like it revs less for the same torque / power. (I remind you that I ma not citing technical stuff here so please don’t bother telling me whether the revs can change or not I am just talking about how it felt; which was as if it was delivering more oomph for less revs. so should allow for at least an informed opinion and you know how we all live an opinion:)

Acceleration can be deceptive and more rapidly than normal find yourself in licence loosing area if not careful. It did seem to reduce the sharpness of the roll off when decelerating which can be a little surprising at first. Fuel economy I would say slight improvement despite more looning about taking place.

I have to mention that I am firmly in favour of the overrun noise and the Rossi does have a fairly nice crackle and pop at times. It is not highly consistent but it’s there if you look for it.

I have done the airfield tests from a rolling start of between 30-40 ish up to a ½ way marker. One thing I do notice is that being less revvy at higher end makes the prospect or long trips at higher speeds seem more comfortable. If any of you have ever used overdrive on a car (yes it changes the gearing not the timing) it’s just a similar feeling I can only tell you it feels less revvy. It just feels like having overdrive on a car. That silent push when it drops about a thousand revs as you drop the overdrive on is the closest I can think to describe it .... it’s not a bad thing it smoothes the ride out especially at higher speeds and feels like the response is improved without necessarily increasing top end

But keeps you feeling like you want to accelerate more in a good way .... Overall would I buy one again oh yes lots and lots of fun

Without trying the others but assuming there will be some similarity then I would say of nowt else get any of the chips they're great ! Lol

OK update time as I have switched to Ed Elliot's Forza Aprilia chip

So onto chip no 2 and on day 1 with The Forza Aprilia or FA chip from Ed Elliot I Definitely noticed a difference between this and the ‘Dr Rossi even on installing. It may be that the Rossi was second hand and more worn but the prongs and the EPROM itself feel a little more robust on the FA chip.

So started the bike and the start was not as immediate as the Rossi but definitely seems to still be better than standard. Then set off with a quick stop off for a run round the airfield where if you recall the way point marker is (at about the half mile)

I try to repeat the take off at between 30-40 and use only combination of 3/4th gears for the first few times Now before I comment on the test itself I should say that the short route getting there made me wonder whether there was any real change over standard ... Then I went for the way point and very surprised I was too. I achieved the same top speed as with the Rossi but a lot earlier like a ¼ mile earlier!.!!

Now at this point my befuddled brain thought that’s a bit odd ... So I decided to pay a bit more attention to what was going on. From what I could tell the getting to a speed was generally smoother and at the risk of sounding knowledgeable more progressive than with the Rossi.

To be fair to Alain you do have to factor in my stuffed rear sprocket has been changed but it was more about the power delivery and engine pull rather than the actual speed that I am referring to not just whether one is faster than the other.

I've only done several hundred miles so far on this chip and felt pretty confident and comfortable with it very quickly and happy to go into normal riding mode. Factor in that day 1 was a nice day and that traffic was light so encouraged a positive outlook :) day 2 a bit grim but still enjoyable and day 3 well.... let’s just say that I played with the traffic to my hearts content. Day 4 was the Buxton Sheffield run where the FA was a hoot!
On day 4 and even today on day 5 I found myself menacingly uttering “unleash the dogs” (if you know me it wasn’t that menacing) as I joined the Mway and proceeded to have an absolute hoot. I should explain that the weather has been kinder to the FA chip even on the Buxton run but there has been some rain involved just not as much temperature wise pretty similar. The Sheffield run showed to me that the more outstanding characteristic was the city riding. Don’t get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed the ride over but found it a little easier to lose a bit of concentration as the chip is so smooth whereas the Rossi demands more attention. In town the progressive nature of the performance really did stand out.

That said my overall first impression is that the FA is a much smoother and predictable power delivery across a wider band whereas the Rossi was more urgent and dumped lovely great big gobs of power. In no way unpleasant or disconcerting and definitely way better than standard with a massive grin factor when unleashed.

The FA is far smoother and you don't get the same sense of urgency and stomp yet even after a day I found myself intrigued to persevere as and again first impressions but I found it easier to get to the top end with the FA. It seems that the Rossi I have is most effective between say 40 and 90 whereas the FA leaves you still feeling like you have plenty of pull if not more top end at speeds quite a bit in excess of those numbers ... Allegedly ...

So just on first impressions which would I choose? I think the best way I can put it is; if I had a Streetfighter style bike or a Tuono that would definitely have the Rossi in it. It just feels a bit more instant and a bit more mental for everything else and on a day to day basis yes I would absolutely choose the FA chip. It feels most in tune with the original character of the bike. It feels pretty much like a proper Falco just more so.

The fuel consumption mileage over the week looks good for both the Rossi and the FA chip from my viewpoint anyway and I would add that the FA figure may be adversely affected because I am more prone to forgetting to use top gear as much as the bike is very smooth on that chip especially on three lane filtering. The other area I prefer the FA and where it is smoother than the Rossi is lower down especially around town but I don’t do too much town riding compared to other miles it is a low percentage of what I do so not as much information to feedback on with that.

An odd thing that I may be imagining and may be coincidence and I am sure someone will have the urge to tell me can’t be possible is the roll off feels distinct with both chips. I get more crackle and pop on the over run on the Rossi AND I am one of those that likes this so that is a big plus!! Whereas the FA is harder to get any of this but ... and this is the odd bit... the FA feels like it encourages stronger engine braking whereas this wasn't as noticeable with the Rossi.

At this point I can really sum up as before which is that

Standard chip yup great cut the wire release the beast

FA ... oh you meant that beast!! (Although it would be a beast wearing a lounge suit)

Rossi oh you meant the beast’s hairier part werewolf brother

Gabro that comes next and I may also have a street fighter chip to hand hmmnnnn J

(edited to remove spaces for Andy, update details and correct some spelling )

[D-Rider]

Hey Flatlander !

I've just seen the length of your last post.

I think your account may well have been hacked by Howard.

[flatlander]

I'll edit some of the spaces out later that'll make it shorter :)

[Kwackerz]

No need. a great writeup. Keep going as you do.

[Cathcart]

Come on the gabro write up...
Good stuff so far!

[wayofthedarkhand]

Nice write up.

I've got a gabro, with the suitable mods, but thinking of going back to standard.

My bike mostly gets used for going to the supermarket, and the odd long journey.

[Cathcart]

Well, if you do then sell me your gabro....
My falco is just gonna be end cans and k&n (bmc if possible)... Let me know.

[flatlander]

Doing the gabro as from tomorrow it's fitted now

[flatlander]

based on first impressions I would say sell the Gabro buy the FA one it would suit you more or even the Rossi...
So what are the first impressions recall this summary ??

At this point I can really sum up as before which is that

Standard chip yup great cut the wire release the beast

FA ... oh you meant that beast!! (Although it would be a beast wearing a lounge suit)

Rossi oh you meant the beast’s hairier part werewolf brother

Gabro Oh what do you mean you leant the FA chip to the spirit of Simoncelli before he started calming down his riding style

its mental not for anyone who didnt sleep well last night feels like it wants to get you everywhere quicker ... much faster throttle response provokes the feeling of stop i want to get off....

In fact if I could do these gentlemen a branding favour I would call the Rossi chip The Stomper or just stomp
The Gabro chip something like GO! or just go
The FA chip would be something a bit more like IS (as in it just IS)

first impressions which may change as I get used to it is its like having the whole flask of extra strong coffe in one go there's no relax I not only went past the motorway exit I wanted I didnt even notice.

Behaves well low down though just seems to be when the revs get above say 6k that it becomes nuts... not sure I am looking forward too much to the sheffield run ;)

[Cathcart]

In what way does it "go nuts" when talking about above 6k revs? Power comes in heavy and fast or do you mean more that the bike runs odd, lumpy or surges of on/off power?

[D-Rider]

In what way does it "go nuts" when talking about above 6k revs? Power comes in heavy and fast or do you mean more that the bike runs odd, lumpy or surges of on/off power?

We await with interest but based on what others have said who have had Gabro chips, I expect he means that it is still smooth but the power comes in big and fast.

Of course, Gabro will put together chips the way you want them so if you prefer a milder top end I expect he'll do you one if you talk to him and tell him your requirements.

[Cathcart]

I'm dying for this outcome!!
I'm more than happy with the power coming in thick and fast! Its exactly what I want, need a gabro.... I love the feeling of a surge of power.