Gabro Chip - a mini review!!

[hornetrider]

Before - airbox mod/SL Carbons
After - airbox mod/SL Carbons/Gabro chip

First impressions = OMG!

Right I shall qualify the following review. I'm no guru on chipping/mapping engines, so I'm just talking about a riding perspective. My bike history is Cagiva Canyon 500 (single thumper), Hornet 600, Falco. So I've just fitted the chip and been for a quick half hour spin round some local A roads.

I thought the natural characteristic of a twin was that it would just shake itself to bits < 4-5k rpm. This is how my Falco behaved prior to the chip, to a certain extent so I thought that was just how it was. Quite rough at lower revs, you know.

Now however it is buttery smooth all the way through the rev range. It certainly feels a LOT more eager - but the main thing is just how creamy smooth it now is. This chip has transformed the bike. In 4th gear it pulls absolutely cleanly with no judder from under 3k rpm.

Does anyone know what it's actually done to my fuelling? Will I now be running rich perhaps or ruining my fuel economy? I'll be able to comment on economy further over the next week as we are doing Le Mans next weekend and I'm doing about 300 miles before then up and down the M4.

So - first impressions are awesome. 3rd best mod I've done to the bike.

1st = OZs
2nd = Ohlins
3rd = Chip

[Kwackerz]

Normally there's a dip in the power curve at 4-5k (funnily enough), this is for meeting the sound levels more than anything, so the bike will be legal in it's country/ies of sale.
In effect its gone from the 'dip' to a smooth power curve, which youve felt, as well as probably raising your power curve higher at top end revs.

Impressed with the drive from below 3k, normally above 3k youll notice a difference, below 3k is idle and with performance, everything is about above 3k, as racebikes 'dont do idle'...

Fuel economy? depends how much you delve into your new found butter mountain.. it'll provide smoother delivery, so in essence, you could save fuel... although if youre going to be howling along on the crest of a buttery wave, i doubt it!

do a search for before and after dyno results for mille and falcos and youll see the curve with the dip and afterwards without. there can be gains, can be simply a smoothing of the curve, but it's what comes out on the road that counts, not on a dyno. If your arse dyno says its better, it is.

[AJFalco]

They come out of the factory with "quiet spots" for noise and emissions resulting in rough running. The performance chips smooth out these bits and get a more accurate fuel/air ratio everywhere. You should find you use the same amount or less fuel once you stop ragging the daylights out of it Watch out for the wheelies
The Factory Pro one on my old Falco (now Ricks) has two maps. One gives more top-end and the other gives more bottom-end (thats what is being used) No need to rev the pants off a twin

[Kwackerz]

thats a tuono with gabro and airkit and cans as an example

red lines being standard, i believe

[arizonabay]

I contacted Gabro to get more info about his chip and he sent me the dyno below.

Its from a Falco with a Blueflame. Red is with chip and blue is without.

[Kwackerz]

Baffles in (which explains the dip still being there) reckon it'll have smoothed that 5k dip out with the baffles removed.

Nice healthy increase over standard

[hornetrider]

Update.

Holy shit, talk about scalded cat! I don't think there is much (if any) extra at the top end, however it picks up so well through the mid range now. It makes the bike feel far quicker. Can't believe I went so long without a chip, it's like a different bike!

I'll report back later in the week with some sensible riding fuel consumption figures.

[GregD-UK]

Hi all,

OK, I have been looking at the chip thing of late. I have a renegade air kit and renegade aprilia chip, with Carbon SL Cans fitted. My PCIII will obviously void the increase of the chip. So, will I have to take out my PCIII to make the chip fully effective? Before the vultures descend, I won't be selling the PCIII if I take it out yet

I read the comments D-Rider put on the recent renegade chip topic...

So, seeking some advice, cheers.

[Aladinsaneuk]

well as i hope to have acquired a renegade chip myself when it arrives I will be removing the power commander.... and yes I will sell it on

(I will be looking for around 100 quid i think to folk here - if no one wants it i will evil bay it for more)

I may remove it before as I currently have an AF1 chip.....

[D-Rider]

My view is that unless you have the complete configuration in which the chip was designed to operate (ie, same bike, same exhaust including cans and same airbox), it's not going to operate in the way it was intended.

Therefore, unless you are lucky, you will still need to sort the fuelling out - and the easy way to do that is with a PCIII and a custom map. The map will be different to the map you would have for the PCIII on top of the standard chip, but the net result will be the same.

So why fit a chip as well as having a PCIII?
For most chips there is no benefit - but the PCIII does not alter the ignition timing and some chips do (eg FP1314, Gabro and Renegade).
For this reason there can be benefits in running both together - the chip to increase the ignition advance and the PCIII to set up the fuelling for your bike.

Of course, if you happen to have the right kit on your bike to allow the chip to work optimally, you don't need the PCIII.
It seems that Gabro is very good at making chips for whatever setup you happen to have (maybe if I didn't already have the PCIII, this is the way I'd go).

[Aladinsaneuk]

i have emailed gabro to get his take on it - and do not forget that I have 54mm throttle bodies so i need to add that to the equation

[D-Rider]

Pete - I wasn't replying to your post - that appeared while I was still replying to what went before.

[mangocrazy]

i have emailed gabro to get his take on it - and do not forget that I have 54mm throttle bodies so i need to add that to the equation

I'm pretty sure that Gabro said on AF1 that 54mm throttle bodies do need alterations to the mapping; i.e. the optimal map is different to that for 51mm throttle bodies.

[hornetrider]

Update: fuel economy improved! 140 miles and no fuel light yet. That was mostly motorway at around 90. Usually the light would pop on around 125 miles.

I repeat, I cannot believe I've ridden this bike so long without a chip! It's like a new bike, perfect!

[Kwackerz]

Excellent!



Amazing what a bit of electronikkery can do.