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Cobra Speedster Pipes and Fi2000 Fuel Processor

Unrestricted Thunder.

As originally appeared in Cruising Rider.

Really a Bolt On?

Another relatively easy bolt on, the Fi2000 looks something like a small cell phone. Not that it matters too much since once you attach it, you don’t see it. Installation is another user friendly operation, requiring about 30 minutes of wrenching.
 
     
 
Likely the most frequently upgraded component of a motorcycle is its exhaust system. The reasons for the transplant usually involve improvements of appearance, sound, performance, and to some extent weight loss, though the latter is more associated with sport and competition machines. However there is one common denominator – stock “cans” are, well, cans. Some are big enough to flow oil from Alaska and some sound like they’re suffering from some form of moto-cholesterol blockage. In other words, they don’t look so hot and the sound they make is on the faint side of restricted. Seeking to replace wimpy with whomp while adding some svelte to our cruiser, we opted for a set of Speedster pipes from Cobra. Ease of installation was also a factor. A Cobra spokesman claimed simple hand tools were enough to handle both the pipe switch and the recommended fuel-injection processor upgrades (the Fi2000 digital fuel management module) in about 2 ½ hours (or less) in the comfort of your own garage or living room. In this case, the makeover was directed at a 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000, although Cobra offers both pipes and Fi2000 modules specifically tailored for a variety of metric cruisers and Harley-Davidsons. Note: Changing the pipes usually requires carb rejetting or redialing the fuel management of a fuel-injection system. Pipe and fuel mixture compatibility is a prerequisite for smooth function and thus the inclusion of the Cobra Fi2000 in the pipe swap. Fortunately, it’s basically a bolt-and-go, no-adjustment-needed component, as we shall see. Keep in mind that adding a performance air filter should be factored into the equation as well. The Big Part Since a major component of a pipe change is aesthetically motivated, we found the company’s Speedster pipes have high gleam thanks to triple-chroming, including the chromed aluminum billet tips. Keep in mind that what you’re seeing in the completed makeover is not the pipes themselves but their heat shields. The shields have equally good fit and finish. They form a 222-degree cover over the pipes. It’s basically seamless and you can’t tell them from the pipes beneath. The look is sleek, slim and sexy. What about any weight savings? Weighing the stock and Cobra pipes showed the Cobra units to be about seven pounds lighter. Whether that really affects an 800-lb. bike is a moot point. A significant improvement, besides the visual impact and subsequent power gains, is in the audio department. Riding the VN2000 with the stock exhaust is certainly a pleasurable experience. But it doesn’t make the music. While the stock pipes don’t entirely mute the sound of the big V-Twin, it does lower the octaves. Call it conservative if you’re nice. Call it a bit constipated if you come from the school of unrestricted thunder. Bolt off the big stock mommas and bolt on the Speedster sleeksters and the tunes change appreciably. The throaty, resonant rumble becomes very obvious – the beast is released. Blipping between gear changes now makes you smile. Riding close along a wall creates your own surround sound experience. It’s a major personality change. Where there’s additional sound, there’s often additional fury. Cobra tells us that their pipes do harness additional ponies, the specific amount varying from bike to bike but in the case of the VN2000 their dyno tests showed a gain of about three to six hp over stock. And when the Speedsters were used with the Fi2000 and a high-performance air filter, the total gain increases from six to 10 hp. In stock form, the VN2000 dynoed out a 95.8 hp and with the addition of the Speedsters, Fi2000 and performance air filter, it went up to 102.5 hp. It also gained more torque. The stock system dynoed at 123.6 ft-lbs. While the Cobra set-up produced 135.1 ft-lbs. of torque. Yeah, more is better even for an already torquey bike like the VN2000. Dyno-testing has also shown that Cobra’s PowerPort feature, aka their particular cross-over pipe design, provides the kind of power increase you normally experience with a two-into-one system but with the Speedsters you keep the clean, classic lines of a two-into-two pipe. When riding the bike, the perceived affect of the Fi2000 installation is translated into no lag on throttle response, smooth roll-on power and a distinct response crispness. There was definitely no hiccupping or stuttering. A metal baffle, rather than fiberglass, is used so there’s nothing to wear out that would change the pipe’s sound or performance. You can also remove the baffles, which will give you more decibels, but the bike won’t run nearly as well. Really a Bolt On? The Speedster system does bolt on, but of course you have to first bolt off the pre-existing stock system. Take off the floorboards and the rear brake assembly, the pipe mounting bracket (itself a good half-pound) and the pipes themselves. Simple hand tools as promised, and especially a careful reading of the instructions, accomplish this task. Installing the new pipes requires no drilling, bending or cursing, but you will be cinching down several clamps and various bolts, so if it’s your first time at bat allow about two hours leisure time. Remember that Cobra does not make a generic anything that fits everything. Each pipe set is designed specifically for a certain bike model. Cobra has put the crossover in the muffler body section along with adjustable clamps so that you can put the headpipes on individually then slide the whole muffler section on as one piece. Call it the “wiggle factor.” It just makes installation easier. So it’s, one, bolt on the headpipes; two, slip the muffler bodies on; then finally put on the heat shields, which go on top and are held in place via integrated clamps. Once the heat shields are on, you then slip the billet muffler tips into place. Done deal. An Important Part Cobra recommends installing their Fi2000 digital fuel processor module with their pipes. This makes sense since most bikes come from the manufacturer with the air/fuel mixture already set lean that if you put on a different set of pipes and an air filter, you’re flowing a lot more air so the bike is running even leaner. As a result, it’s not going to run right, mostly at low rpms where it will backfire and hesitate when you get on the throttle. To resolve the problem with a carbureted bike, you’d just put on a jet kit and that would clean it up. It wouldn’t give you any more top end power but it made your bike much more rideable. With fuel-injected bikes you have to make changes, too. So basically the Fi2000 is an electronic jet kit that adds fuel at low rpms so backfiring goes away and it’s smooth sailing. Each unit comes preset, which means no computer downloads or remapping required, for whatever specific bike it goes on, in this case the Vulcan 2000. Recently, Cobra added a third tuning pot that allows tuners more adjustability for engines with significant performance modifications, like if you’ve gone for a big bore kit for your Vulcan. In other words if you want to go racing or whatever and want to fiddle with the fuel ratios, you can. (Note: The Fi2000 will also work just fine with about anybody else’s pipes as well.) Really a Bolt On, II? Another relatively easy bolt on, the Fi2000 looks something like a small cell phone. Not that it matters too much since once you attach it, you don’t see it. Installation is another user friendly operation, requiring about 30 minutes of wrenching. The Fi2000 features color-coded precrimped wires/connectors and clear-cut instructions. It’s basically a plug and play deal. About the most challenging thing for owners adding the module is figuring out how to take off their bike’s seat. You also need to remove the side cover and battery cover. To make things simpler, remove the battery itself because some of the wires you have to get at are down under the battery and near the bike’s computer module, onto which you attach the Fi2000 via Velcro. Like we said, no drilling. STP Analysis That would be Seat of The Pants. The Speedster pipes dramatically transform the sound of the bike. The looks are slimming, clean and purposeful and on the elegant side of attitude. Installation is painless. The Fi2000 digital fuel-processing module does what Cobra says it will do. People trapped in their cars look out enviously at you when you rumble up to a light. Small children salute. And a gain of almost seven hp and about a dozen more ft-lbs. of torque adds to the party. Final score: Two thumbs up. The Speedster pipes for the Kawasaki Vulcans are $520 for the short version, $540 for the longer style. Speedster exhausts in the same price range are available for most metric cruisers, as well as Harley-Davidson Softails and Dynas, according to the company. The Fi2000 Digital Fuel Processor runs $200 and is available for various Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and Harley Davidson models.