UPDATE - New K&N Filter, Emgo Muffler, and Carburator Mods

[David Bo]

OK, I'm finally finished... My new filter and muffler came in last week The air filter was very easy to replace. The muffler was a little bit difficult but only because I was fussy about positioning it. I ended up cutting the muffler's mounting bracket a bit to position the exhaust pipe as close to the bike as possible. I bought the extra long reverse cone muffler just like the one Blackbird put on Raven. It sounds SWEET! I also did all three carburator mods (idle screw adjustment, added washers to the needle valve, and switched from the factory "120" jet to a 145)... The bike really moves now. I really notice a BIG change in the acceleration. As the folks at Nissan would say- "ZOOM ZOOM"! I also added some green LED lights underneath the gas tank. I'll have to take some additional photos tonight. - Dave Bo

[primal]

Maybe you addressed this in another thread, but where did you find the chrome door trim? I remember looking for that stuff back when I had my GZ (to do the same thing you did) and was unable to find it anywhere.

[David Bo]

Advanced Auto Parts. There are a bunch of locations in WV. It comes in 10' coils.

[primal]

Huh... that was the first place I checked, too.

[dannylightning]

i may try out these mods and see what happens, big improvement huh.. i was reading the how to post and it don't seem all that hard to do.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by David Bo

OK, I'm finally finished... My new filter and muffler came in last week The air filter was very easy to replace. The muffler was a little bit difficult but only because I was fussy about positioning it. I ended up cutting the muffler's mounting bracket a bit to position the exhaust pipe as close to the bike as possible. I bought the extra long reverse cone muffler just like the one Blackbird put on Raven. It sounds SWEET! I also did all three carburator mods (idle screw adjustment, added washers to the needle valve, and switched from the factory "120" jet to a 145)... The bike really moves now. I really notice a BIG change in the acceleration. As the folks at Nissan would say- "ZOOM ZOOM"! I also added some green LED lights underneath the gas tank. I'll have to take some additional photos tonight. - Dave Bo

All right ... looks great. I glad you enjoy the changes. You'll be glad you spent the time to do this. Dave, did you add a 16 tooth front sprocket yet?

[masterkeosk]

Isn't mazda zoom zoom? Anyway I was thinking about modding my carb or carb and intake. Has anyone that's done these got their bike on a dyno before/after? I called a local shop and if I buy a jet kit from them and have it installed it's gonna cost about $350. Does this seem worthwhile?

[Sarris]

Brother, here is reality. Yor GZ puts out about 18 hp, maybe 20 on a good day. Most post-factory performance mods average a 5% to 7% improvement.

If we assume that you have the acumen to up the GZ horsepower 10%, you'll gain 2+/- horsepower for a grand total of about 21 or 22 hp.

Seems a bit pound wise & penny foolish (to me anyways) to spend $350 to add 2 hp to the GZ and it just isn't going to make that much of a difference in the way it runs.

What I get from most folks who mod their GZ, is that they won't be keeping it long so it doesn't matter. (it does to the next guy), it's just a stepping stone to a bigger bike, blah, blah, blah. A lot of folks feel "relegated" to learn on a GZ or that it's just cheap transpo. If you use it as a primary suburban ride, or your secondary bike, it functions exactly as it's supposed to. You won't find me interstate riding or putting more than 100 or so miles at a time on the GZ, for that I have a HD. Just like the mechanic who has the right tool for the right job. Using the incorrect tool, or modifing that tool, can cause damage or injury.

If you were looking for a high horsepower speedster with a lot of available options, I'm afraid you've bought the wrong bike. I suggest you ride your GZ as is and save that $350 towards your next bigger & better bike.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by masterkeosk

I called a local shop and if I buy a jet kit from them and have it installed it's gonna cost about $350. Does this seem worthwhile?

Outrageous. The actual jets only cost about $10.....so that means they are charging you about 3-1/2 hours labor.....for a job that should take an experienced mechanic about one hour.

Even a total rookie should be able to do it in about 2 hours.

They DO know you are talking about only ONE carb, don't they?
The price they quoted you is high even for 4 of them.

[Water Warrior 2]

Before and after dyno time costs quite a bit. Save your money and put it toward a larger bike in the future. The GZ is what it is and serves it's purpose very well.