R18 Louvered Performance Plates

[HUNTS]

Bottom line is, it’s hard to live when you are afraid of dying. Don’t worry about opening up your sideplates.

You have an air filter to filter dust and crap that is what it is for. If you want to protect your air filter you can put some frogzkin over your existing factory filter. If you want to protect that frogzkin protecting your filter you can put more over the existing air intake. If you want to protect your frogzkin, protecting your frogzkin protecting your filter you can leave your bike in the garage.

So no frogzkin (whatever that is), just do as I want and then ride the bloody thing.
Asking a bunch of questions due to my lack of mechanical knowledge and the varying info being expressed. A stupid question is the one not asked… although some people are just stupid, so everything they say falls into the category of ‘stupid’!!!
I think Lennstang’s dyno report gives a good balance.

 

[Gr8adv]

So no frogzkin (whatever that is), just do as I want and then ride the bloody thing.
Asking a bunch of questions due to my lack of mechanical knowledge and the varying info being expressed. A stupid question is the one not asked… although some people are just stupid, so everything they say falls into the category of ‘stupid’!!!
I think Lennstang’s dyno report gives a good balance.

From their web page.

HOW IT WORKS​

The Frogzskin Mesh repels water, dirt, dust, etc. while still allowing air to flow freely. The Frogzskin Mesh is a woven polyester material. It is also hydrophobic, meaning it will repel water and splashes of water.

Frogzskin's are a peel and stick adhesive mesh application. Our product allows air to flow through our patented hydrophobic mesh liner to decrease the amount of water, dirt, snow and debris that enters your machine's ventilation system.

 

[Lennstang]

From their web page.

HOW IT WORKS​

The Frogzskin Mesh repels water, dirt, dust, etc. while still allowing air to flow freely. This patented technology is displayed in the image to the left. The Frogzskin Mesh is a woven polyester material. It is also hydrophobic, meaning it will repel water and splashes of water.

I'm very familiar with Frogzskin. We have been using it in the snowmobile world for over 20 years. All the air intakes on snowmobiles use Frogzskin from the factory. But it does restrict the flow a little bit. It would be easy to incorporate it into the performance plates but it definitely will add to the cost because it's not cheap.

 

[HUNTS]

I'm very familiar with Frogzskin. We have been using it in the snowmobile world for over 20 years. All the air intakes on snowmobiles use Frogzskin from the factory. But it does restrict the flow a little bit. It would be easy to incorporate it into the performance plates but it definitely will add to the cost because it's not cheap.

I just googled it. In Australia it’s bloody expensive.
If I’m going to remove the snorkels and want to fit something breathable over the air filter intakes, there must be a much cheaper option… what happened to the good old days of cutting up a pair of stockings?

 

[Gr8adv]

I just googled it. In Australia it’s bloody expensive.
If I’m going to remove the snorkels and want to fit something breathable over the air filter intakes, there must be a much cheaper option… what happened to the good old days of cutting up a pair of stockings?

Hell you an Aussie? My guess is you will create something impossible from random material found in the attic.

 

[HUNTS]

Hell you an Aussie? My guess is you will create something impossible from random material found in the attic.

No, I can… honest.
Now I’m going outside to pat my pet kangaroo, then wrestle a ‘gator. Afterwards, I will then attempt to source some lizard to use as a skin over my filter air ducts.
Of course, the lizards are kept in the attic… that’s if we had attics.

 

[HUNTS]

Walked into the garage, drill ready, tools ready, stocking socks and cable ties ready…. Then said “F**k it” and went for a great ride instead.
There’s always this coming rainy week

 

[Petrus]

To the dust/critter fobic: Before the roads grew a black hard top motorbikes used to have nó air filter or at best a course gauze.

The Nimbus type C has a véry rudimentary gauze pad one yet several go round the word trips over unmetalled tracks. Dust intake not being a worry. First hand info as I have one.

The not so modern Vespa 2 strokes had (has) such a thee strainer untill, well today. The PX150 is still for sale in some South American countries and used on caminos. Now get thát please: 2 stroke, meaning the air swirls through the crankcase. First hand info as I have several.

Ergo; zénnnnn.

 

[HUNTS]

To the dust/critter fobic: Before the roads grew a black hard top motorbikes used to have nó air filter or at best a course gauze.

The Nimbus type C has a véry rudimentary gauze pad one yet several go round the word trips over unmetalled tracks. Dust intake not being a worry. First hand info as I have one.

The not so modern Vespa 2 strokes had (has) such a thee strainer untill, well today. The PX150 is still for sale in some South American countries and used on caminos. Now get thát please: 2 stroke, meaning the air swirls through the crankcase. First hand info as I have several.

Ergo; zénnnnn.

And in the ‘good old days’ carbs existed and constantly went out of tune, kids worked in mines and Toyotas rusted… knowledge is power. Change for good is exactly that. Caution can be a blessing. Dust and critters have never been good for old and modern cars & motorcycles.

 

[Star-Lord]

It looks as though the dyno shows an approximate increase of 4 to 5 HP; I'm surprised, that folks aren't feeling those results who have already implemented the changes...?

 

[Lennstang]

The horsepower game was about two HP but the torque gain was six foot pounds. It's not a lot but it proves that the hot air in the airbox area needs to be vented so that the engine can gulp cooler air. I think with mods such as a catless exhaust, they'll be even more to gain due to more cooler air flow.

 

[Petrus]

I'm surprised, that folks aren't feeling those results who have already implemented the changes...?

ah well

 

[KAus]

Here's the results of my dyno session yesterday. I went to Vintage Performance in Sandown NH. https://vintageperformanceproducts.com/ Vinni is an engineer by trade. He's an expert on vintage 2 strokes. We had very good results. The airbox area in the engine does get very hot. Vinni inserted a temp probe up into the airbox area to record the temps during the dyno pulls. (shows up as EGT temp on the dyno chart) My performance plates worked....the gains were more than expected. 20 degrees cooler with letting the air flow through the upper engine cases. See for yourself. Blue is with the stock 1800 emblems. Red is the gains with my performance plates. Video to follow shortly.

Well done! Some empirical data and a solid confirmation of what you've been saying. Much appreciated.

 

[KAus]

You sir, are a genius!
View attachment 21654

Not really, just copied off some genius up the front of the engine plate fashion curve. I have a 2021 R18 in stock form, hence the original Nm. If I ever change the exhausts, delete the cat flaps, change over the air filter, and add a tuning flash I'll need a new 163 Nm plate and will keep you company in 163 fashion stakes. Until then, I'm just follow in some other blokes footsteps.

 

[KAus]

View attachment 21700View attachment 21699


I forgot how much crap there is blocking the side vents. Also as a +1 to the idea presented by OP @Lennstang, some of the plugs inside on the right side are wrapped in heat protective insulation which should provide notice of how hot that air gets in there. I painted the silver insulation black

Again +1 on providing a way out for the air. This is really a requirement with the DBA air filter stage two as it uses the entire cavity as an airbox. And it’s hot.

Here is a pic of mine ‘open’ behind BERLIN

Now that's a cool engine plate! Love the chromed bolts. Well done.

 

[KAus]

I can see the logic to it and it’s a great idea. My only concern is what debris (dust and bugs mainly) would enter through the front of the plate whilst riding.

I blabbed on about this in one of my earlier posts. I reckon that no matter which way in the air comes, its still got to be pulled through the air filter, which is there to fliter all that kind of gunk out before it gets ingested into the engine. Shouldn't matter whether air comes in via the front plate and the snorkels, or the engine plate holes on the side, or the cable and frame hole in the top. Yes, when changing the air filter I might have a bit more grot and bits of dead critters inside the covers, but I reckon it will be much less than the shredded butterflies, bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and the odd bird feather on the oil cooler. And no, I haven't yet found a mouse inside my bike, but I'm not ruling it out.

 

[Gr8adv]

The horsepower game was about two HP but the torque gain was six foot pounds. It's not a lot but it proves that the hot air in the airbox area needs to be vented so that the engine can gulp cooler air. I think with mods such as a catless exhaust, they'll be even more to gain due to more cooler air flow.

Important to note: These results, as explained to us at this point, compare a system not operated the way it was designed to operate. The DNA upgrade requires the bike to be moving. Possibly there is more information not shared with us yet.

-The DNA airbox stage two changes the BMW design of pulling cooler outside air (via the snorkles), to using the hot air inside the new virtual big metal airbox (not typical). This is a significant change to the design. In this new system the intake air gets VERY HOT when the bike is not moving. Like on a dyno. Thus, this is not a typical of dyno run comparisons, and def not how the DNA system was designed to work.

-The results as shown does nicely show that with the changes associated with the DNA upgrade and the bike not moving, opening up the sideplates provides better results.

-The results may or may not correlate to a bike moving at 30 mph with cool air being pushed into the airbox via the existing (but snorkelless) intake at front thru the breastplate. Even as it sits behind the fork and wheel the wind blowing in it is significant.

-I would donate to another run with three large fans blowing 30 mph to better simulate reality. At a minimum a strong household fan located right in front of the case. Maybe he did this idk.

 

[HUNTS]

Important to note: These results, as explained to us at this point, compare a system not operated the way it was designed to operate. The DNA upgrade requires the bike to be moving. Possibly there is more information not shared with us yet.

-The DNA airbox stage two changes the BMW design of pulling cooler outside air (via the snorkles), to using the hot air inside the new virtual big metal airbox (not typical). This is a significant change to the design. In this new system the intake air gets VERY HOT when the bike is not moving. Like on a dyno. Thus, this is not a typical of dyno run comparisons, and def not how the DNA system was designed to work.

-The results as shown does nicely show that with the changes associated with the DNA upgrade and the bike not moving, opening up the sideplates provides better results.

-The results may or may not correlate to a bike moving at 30 mph with cool air being pushed into the airbox via the existing (but snorkelless) intake at front thru the breastplate. Even as it sits behind the fork and wheel the wind blowing in it is significant.

-I would donate to another run with three large fans blowing 30 mph to better simulate reality. At a minimum a strong household fan located right in front of the case. Maybe he did this idk.

Good point. I always thought that they had fans running when doing Dynotunes?

 

[Noelpolar]

Good point. I always thought that they had fans running when doing Dynotunes?

For the most part, I'd assume at best a couple of fans pointed at the cylinders.... not so much replicating flow over the front and sides of the bike to replicate real life conditions (as a wind tunnel might).

 

[Noelpolar]

If I don't get controll of my thoughts, I can see myself looking at the two top panels whilst thinking about what metal in them can go..... like maybe lengthen the slots behind the side pates, cut some away at the top.....