BoosterPlug vs. Rapid Bike Easy

Jeff · Apr 12, 2021

I've noticed my 2013 Hyperstrada throttle is inconsistent at low rpms, such as when pulling away from a stoplight or during low speed maneuvering (compared to my 2006 Monster which had smooth power delivery at low speeds). I read about this problem on a site called Motofomo and they recommended either a BoosterPlug or a Rapid Bike Easy to smooth out the fuel delivery.

It looks like the products try to solve the same problem by different means - the BoosterPlug intercepts and alters the air intake temperature readings going to the ECU, and the Rapid Bike Easy intercepts and alters the O2 sensor readings going to the ECU.

Any opinions on whether these products work, or which one works better?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

gatdammit · Apr 13, 2021

I have a RB Evo. Couple on here run this tuner in some form. The bike is tuned pretty lean from factory for all the typical reasons new vehicles are (noise, emissions, etc.). RB's autotune feature does the trick. Assuming the Easy has this feature. The Evo has some basic tuning features and a member on here made a decent map years back (Kuksol). It certainly helps with low end throttling but, for the 821/939 at least, they just don't like going slow. Below 3K is always a chore.

Can't speak for the plug. They sound too much like the gimmicky car boosters you plug into a cigarette lighter.

nickwst4 · Apr 13, 2021

The Booster plug is a bit cleverer than that, in that it is a gizmo that sends an altered temperature reading to the ECU, making the fuel mixture more like the OEM warm-up value. However, I found it didn't help the behaviour of my 821 at all and my Ducati guru confirmed that it couldn't. Maybe if you have a BMW GS, for which it seems to have be popular, it would be great. The maker puts out yards of clever guff on it, including all his experiences of fuel injection, and supplies them for many makes of bike including the HS, but be wary!

So now I have a surplus Booster plug that anyone in the UK can try if they like. I did finally go for the Rapidbike Easy and with said guru's tuning, the bike is a pleasure to ride. I have to say that mine was never really bad. I was just curious as to how much better it could be!

Nick, UK

N4teTheGreat · Apr 13, 2021

Rapid Bike Easy is the way to go between the two. Rapid Bike EVO if you want to be more hands on.

Jeff · Apr 13, 2021

gatdammit said:
I have a RB Evo. Couple on here run this tuner in some form. The bike is tuned pretty lean from factory for all the typical reasons new vehicles are (noise, emissions, etc.). RB's autotune feature does the trick. Assuming the Easy has this feature. The Evo has some basic tuning features and a member on here made a decent map years back (Kuksol). It certainly helps with low end throttling but, for the 821/939 at least, they just don't like going slow. Below 3K is always a chore.

Can't speak for the plug. They sound too much like the gimmicky car boosters you plug into a cigarette lighter.

Thanks for the advice gatdammit. Yaman from Rapid Bike has been responsive to emails, and says these bikes simply have bad fuelling that his products can't completely solve.

Jeff · Apr 13, 2021

nickwst4 said:
The Booster plug is a bit cleverer than that, in that it is a gizmo that sends an altered temperature reading to the ECU, making the fuel mixture more like the OEM warm-up value. However, I found it didn't help the behaviour of my 821 at all and my Ducati guru confirmed that it couldn't. Maybe if you have a BMW GS, for which it seems to have be popular, it would be great. The maker puts out yards of clever guff on it, including all his experiences of fuel injection, and supplies them for many makes of bike including the HS, but be wary!

So now I have a surplus Booster plug that anyone in the UK can try if they like. I did finally go for the Rapidbike Easy and with said guru's tuning, the bike is a pleasure to ride. I have to say that mine was never really bad. I was just curious as to how much better it could be!

Nick, UK

Thanks for the input on the usefulness of the Booster, Nick. I'll avoid that one.

Jeff · Apr 13, 2021

N4teTheGreat said:
Rapid Bike Easy is the way to go between the two. Rapid Bike EVO if you want to be more hands on.

By more hands-on, do you mean creating my own custom map for closed and open loop fuelling? I think that's beyond my skills...

N4teTheGreat · Apr 13, 2021

The install is a bit more complicated for the EVO, it has an autotune feature and you can do custom maps as well.

gatdammit · Apr 14, 2021

Yes, Evo is a full-spec tuner. You could pay a shop to dial it in. The Race version has some track features like pit lane mode, maybe full up-down quick shift function, IIRC. The Evo allows for one-way quick shift, which I'm totally in love with.

You have to splice some leads through most of the main harness connections. Requires pulling the tank and air box, which I still consider the worst part of any heavy work. But, good skill to hone if you plan on doing anything beyond an oil change. If you go this route, get a high-flow air filter kit since you can only change this with the tank off. A pipe is also recommended to unlock full gains. Mind the main fuel line when reseating the tank. You don't have to mess with the O2's, which is nice.

I have a detailed install thread if you search. As per usual, I found most of the major pitfalls so others don't have to. I'd probably recommend an AIS kit if you dig this far into it.

N4teTheGreat · Apr 14, 2021

Taking the tank and airbox off is certainly a PITA. I think my highflow filter is recommended to be cleaned every 6k so I'll have to get in there pretty soon.

gatdammit · Apr 14, 2021

I'm seriously researching basic servicing on the next bike I get after the trauma I've suffered just getting to the air filter on this bike.

Jeff · Apr 15, 2021

gatdammit said:
I'm seriously researching basic servicing on the next bike I get after the trauma I've suffered just getting to the air filter on this bike.

That's brutal to hear. My bike had a K&N sticker on it when I bought it a week ago, so I'm assuming someone put in a high flow filter. I'm not sure how long since it's been cleaned though. I used to clean the one on my Monster, and it required lifting up the gas tank, but not removing it.

N4teTheGreat · Apr 16, 2021

Monster's have a great design for servicabilty. The Hyper... no so much. That said, most modern bikes are gonna be a pain unless they are completely naked. To be honest it isn't a hard job, it's just a lot to remove and replace and getting the tank in and out can be a bit fiddly. Easier if it's near empty. Also, there are some videos out there which show a method to proper the tank up ont he handlebars instead of fully removing it if you just need to get to the filter for cleaning which might make things easier.

hyperbruno · Apr 17, 2021

I find it’s harder to get to the to screws that fix the air filter that removing the tank.

The two at the front are bellow the rectifier and it’s a pain to reach.

gatdammit · Apr 17, 2021

It's all awful. Anyone that says removing the tank and air box isn't that bad has brain worms. It's not the most difficult maintenance I've done, but the level of effort required every 4,500 miles (me) is insane. I have great luck with bending/ crimping/ breaking something each time, too.

Araitim · Apr 18, 2021

hyperbruno said:
I find it’s harder to get to the to screws that fix the air filter that removing the tank.
The two at the front are bellow the rectifier and it’s a pain to reach.

Only the 2 rear screws need to be pulled from the rectifier mount. The front slides into rubber mounts. I made a star bit to fit in there to remove the 2 forward screws ,messed with it for hours only to see that the whole assembly pops off the rubber grommets once the 2 rear are removed.

hyperbruno · Apr 19, 2021

That’s good to know. Air filter check/cleaning need to be done soon (and the valve check, change fork oil, change spark plugs... )

segascott · Apr 20, 2021

On my old S4R I could have the air filter out in about 5 minutes, or the tank off and on a blanket in about 10. It was twice as easy to service, and I think it looked twice as good as the Hyper... but I have 4x as much fun riding the Hyper. I'm still trying to work out the math

N4teTheGreat · Apr 20, 2021

Obviously you need both bikes :-D

segascott · Apr 20, 2021

N4teTheGreat said:
Obviously you need both bikes :-D

Heh! What's funny is at the time I had the S4R and a 996 in the garage... 2 bikes with almost the same frame, engine & suspension, which got a little old. So sold the S4R, but now the 996 is currently in pieces as I need to deal with the dreaded flaking rockers

Actually the Hyper replaces the S4R and an f700gs. The S4R was miserable to ride 2+ hours to good roads, but fun once you got there. The f700gs was the exact opposite. And the Hyper really feels like a great replacement for both.

Though I do want to grab one of those Rapdibike EZ thingies... had a boosterplug on the f700 which worked quite well, hoping to get something that gives similar performance on the Hyper.

BoosterPlug vs. Rapid Bike Easy

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