My name is E.Z. (really, my initials). The photo is current, having been taken early in October. That’s me, on my scoot. Built ten years ago around a 96-inch S&S package, with a Mikuni carb, roller rockers, enclosed belt drive, RC wheels, rotors, pulley, WP inverted fork, PM forward controls, Kraft Tech frame and on & on.
After it hit the road the bike was tested on the dyno. At 2200-rpm torque, it came on big & climbed strong until 3500 rpm, where it measured 106.7 ft-lb of torque. Rear wheel horsepower documented at 90.8. Nothing to make my hair stand on end, but not a slug either!
The bike remained the same for all those years, that is, until a couple of weeks before this photo. That’s when I stepped up for a serious change. I knew I would encounter some performance increase, but I was “blown away” by just how much…like, a lot!!
What I did was simply put an entirely new fuel/tuning system on my bike. In a single afternoon I removed the Mikuni manifold & carburetor…then I installed what turned out to be the biggest single improvement to my motorcycle’s performance…Pegasus fuel injection. That’s correct, not regular fuel injection but “PERFORMANCE FUEL INJECTION.”
Listen, I wasn’t born yesterday. I have a ‘46 Knuck w/sidecar, nearly bone stock. It, of course, is equipped with a Linkert carb. I have cages too, a ‘71 El Camino with a big 4-barrel Edelbrock carburetor, a late ‘73 Porsche 911 Targa with Porsche’s first CIS injection system and, finally, a late model injected Chevy Suburban. I’ve work in the American custom motorcycle industry for almost 40 years, around some of the best builders or our time.
Knowing how well the fuel injected vehicles perform, always & without fail, I often wondered why it seemed so difficult to adapt injection to the V-Twin style mill. In fact, this particular story began over 16 years ago. That’s when my bro, Mil, and I met Stewart Prince. Stu was employed at a university in their engineering department and was particularly interested in fuel injection. Having successfully introduced some special applications to EFI systems, he was eager to make somethin’ happen with these V-Twin types. What we all wanted was “useable power,” more power to the ground at lower rpm’s. Grab a handful & go, right now, anytime and anywhere!
Well, science progressed slowly, in part due to the V-twin motor’s distinctive firing pulse, as well as some other quirks. We all came from chopper backgrounds and needed to insure this system would perform and look cool.The early days led Mil and Stu out of the ‘90s and into the new millennium. They envisioned an injection system that was totally self-contained, relying on nothing accomplished to date, one that could perform better than the competition, and was bold and unique in many ways. The Pegasus system was designed to allowed you, the rider, the opportunity to“fine tune,” that big, powerful engine with “one fuckin’ finger” …yes, I’m speakin' about your finger, the one you use on a personal computer.
You can plug this bitch in and talk to it, and we’re going to show you how, with the help of the Bikernet staff and their 5-Ball racing team. Trust me when I say r-e-a-l-l-y talk to it, and if you don’t like any part of what you’re finger did, simply don’t save the new map & revert back to the original one installed in your unit. From fuel enrichment, fuel pump parameters, injector timing, the ignition map, rear cylinder trim, warm-up diagnostics, etc. it’s all there. In fact there are 256 points of speed & throttle position capabilities offered. Use some or none, that’s the beauty because when you receive this system it’ll already have the map best-suitedfor your ride installed! Should you want to “tweak-it” further, go for it.
My bike came alive. I can tell you that fuel delivery was instantaneous. No 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi and so on, I mean right now! It pulled hard, real hard. My recommendation: start squeezin’ that rubber ball in your spare time for enhance wrist strength!
Power is right there when you want it, but amazingly with better fuel mileage and at lower operating temperatures. My first test ride of any substance was over 95 miles, nearly all freeways. I left at 6:30 in the morning, 80-90 mph, no less. Returned mid-afternoon in 87-degree temperature, after running 85-95 mph. Motor performed flawlessly, fuel economy calculated out to 45 mpg and my oil temperature was 210 degrees Fahrenheit!!!!
The system only uses two sensors, engine rpm & throttle position. The throttle position sensor is mounted on the throttle body & measures the butterfly angle. The rpm sensor uses a stock ignition pick-up, but the small wheel behind it has been replaced with their “special wheel”, one having six teeth with a long slot between tooths six and tooth one.It’s the next tooth after the big tooth that tells the brain where top dead center of cylinder # 1 is. It’s real important, since the brain must know where this point is to perform sequential fuel injection and single fire ignition.
The brain then uses the sensor information to determine how much fuel & ignition timing to output to the engine. There’s a knob on top of the brain that adjusts fuel mixture and also serves as a choke. Alongside the knob two LEDs turn red & green. Red indicates the brain is on; green means the ignition pick-up sensor has detected a tooth on the wheel.
The brain controls the injectors, coils & the fuel pump. After turning on the main ignition switch, the brain turns on too. It starts off by activating the fuel pump for approx, .4 second, then turns it off until the engine starts. It then sits & waits for inputs from you. If you turn the throttle, it thinks you want to prime the engine before starting and injects fuel.
Pressing the starter button will turn the engine over as well as the pick-up wheel. After a couple of revs, the brain will detect the first tooth on the special wheel and “synchronize” the system. Then and only then will the injection system start the engine. It’s then that the brain injects fuel and fires the coil(s) based on the engine position determined from the pick up wheel’s teeth…this is the key to how such accurate control over the engine takes place!
Again, the Pegasus system delivers…. more torque over the entire rpm range, better fuel economy and all this at lower operating temperatures!!! Shit, what else do you want? Maybe one thing…a better, badder clutch set-up. Pegasus PERFOMANCE FUEL INJECTION will likely drive right thru your existing clutch assembly. Be prepared. Shit, I didn’t care. What’s a few more bucks when you get the enormous rewards that this set-up brings with it! In fact, how much fuckin’ bread have you dropped over the years to get a little bit more, and sometimes nothing at all?
Once again, I wrote this blog(?) because it just happens to be the only other product besides my ol’ lady of 30+ years that did a bunch more than expected! (And, I felt it was worth sharin’ with ya.) Watch in the near future as Bandit and the Bikernet gang takes you through installation, tuning and understanding the Pegasus system from the bottom up. This is the only system on the market designed for bikes without EFI. This is a complete system, all in one, with the throttle body, the fuel pump and all the electric components.
RIDE HARD !
–E.Z.
P.S. I know that once my bros, Mil & Stu, see this (they always comb “Bikernet”), they’ll wonder why I failed to mention their website, full of way more pertinent info, parts, itemizations, costs & such. Go to performancefi.com, Pegasusfi.com or call 714-398-2360.
