Rocket IIIs are coming thick and fast! It seems they’re getting a bit of a cult following – maybe it’s because they’re not going to be around much longer, or perhaps (more likely) it’s because they are a beast.
In more than one sense of the word – the Rocket engine is beefy and the handling needs a firm hand. So it has gathered a reputation of being a real man’s bike… and owners like to mod it with all sorts, especially exhaust pipes. Which means they arrive here for an ECU remap in all sorts of situations. Generally though, we start by switching off the lambda and restrictions and then build a custom fuel map.
One popular mod is the removal of the airbox and filter and the addition of a ram-air pod over the inlets. This however leaves the engine perilously close to not having enough injector capacity – if we were looking for outright power we’d have to swap out the injectors for something that simply pumps more gas. In the past we’ve experimented with a different regulator to run higher fuel pressure, but that makes ‘em feel snatchy.
Without swapping injectors we can still achieve maximum torque, but pay for it by losing 4-5bhp at the very top end. Our remap will also work with the ram-air setup. In truth it’s hard to hold on to the handlebars flat out on one of these things, so the owners seem keener on the sort of instant grunt that’ll send it sideways on the way out of roundabouts. EEK!