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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:41 pm
by Kal
jfeaz wrote:Everybody told me the same thing - start with the 650, so I did. One note though...I bought my v-star 650 in L.A. while I was visiting at L.A. Yamaha Aprilia in Marina del Rey. I rode around in L.A. for the 2 weeks I was there and put 750 miles on the bike.
When I got it home (by trailer) to where I live in Colorado at 7,500 feet, the reduction in power due to thinner air was very apparent.
So if you live at a high elevation, a larger displacement might do you a little better.
Isn't there a mod you can do to make the engine breathe easier at altitude? I'm sure I read something along those lines...
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:40 am
by flynrider
Kal wrote:
Isn't there a mod you can do to make the engine breathe easier at altitude? I'm sure I read something along those lines...
Bikes sold at high altitudes are usually set up at the dealership with leaner jets in the carbs. If you take a bike that was bought at sea level to your home at 7,500 ft., it would probably benefit by having a jet kit installed. It's almost certainly running too rich.
That said, other than turbocharging, there's not much you can do about the inherent power loss, due to altitude. There's a lot less oxygen by volume. This gets even worse in the summertime. As the air gets warmer, it gets even less dense. On an average day, you're looking at a 25% power reduction at 7,500 ft. On a warm summer day, it'll be closer to 40%.