Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Performance Mods Freak comparison

I had a chance to ride a TBA with a Freak setup this weekend. Wow! What a difference. I rode with a local RAT group this Saturday, and a guy named JD had a Freak setup. He told me to take it for a spin. (BTW, I met some really nice people and we saw some beautiful country along the St. Croix River that splits Minnesota from Wisconsin.) JD's bike had high bars and footboards, so it felt a lot different than mine so I didn't really feel comfortable taking his bike too far, but I could tell the throttle response was a LOT more aggressive than mine. JD kept saying, 'You gotta let it breath!' Now I am convinced that getting rid of the airbox is the key.

Here is what I noticed. The Freak gathers air like a ram air device, under the formerly fake chrome filter guards. Then the air only has a short, direct path to the carb throat, maybe 2 or 3 inches, with positive pressure pushing air into the carbs. Contrast that to the stock air box. The air has to find its way under the seat, and could actually be fighting a venturi type vacuum from the air pocket behind the rider's legs. It flows into the snorkle, or the hole in the top of the air filter and then experiences an energy robbing pressure drop as it expands into the volume of the airbox, not to mention all the twists and turns and friction along the way. The air has probably traveled 20 inches or so through twists and turns and different cavities before it reaches the carburators. It's no wonder the engine has a hard time pulling anything in with the stock setup.

I'm looking at my setup. I'm running Staintunes and 138 main jets with no snorkle and a drilled out bottom. I've tried 140 main jets but I felt like the power was dying off on the top end, so I backed off to 138s. By going with the Freak and the recommended 160 jets, I would be jumping up 22 notches in jet size. That's about a 16 percent increase in flow through the engine. It's no wonder that JD's bike crackled and popped, and mine seemed to putter after that ride.

Well, the bottom line is that ride on Saturday is going to cost me a Freak kit this winter.

Ride safe, and oil your chain.
Cody

I'm thinking about the Freak mod for this winter also. That and some more chrome. It just never seems to end....

I ended up with the Freak using 145 mains and 45 pilots. Granted, I run Triumph Short Offroad pipes, but I had the carbs set up with the aid of a dyno and the results were very pleasing. 160's are just too much juice. The Freak and rejetting were definitely a worthwhile investment. She's a different bike when breathing better.

Another convert! Welcome!

I'm glad you got that chance so you can see and attest to the fact that fudging with the airbox is just not good enough to get all you can out of these motors.

With you Staintunes, the 160s will probably be just right. Leave your pilots unless you see issues with the bottom end. I did not and still have the stock 42s.

You are going to be very happy soon!

Don't forget the TBS needles...

Here's another convert. I put the Freak on just a couple of weeks ago and wonder why I didn't do this earlier. So far the 160 mains are in. Maybe a dyno will tell if they're the best. My own built-in dyno likes it...

I've order mine, but they are on back order through newspeedmaster.com hearing these stories is making the wait harder, yet more exciting.

Cody,

I have "The Freak" installed. And I have the Staintunes installed as you do. Before I switched to the Staintunes, I had the Bub Megaphones (and "The Freak"). With that set-up, the 160 main-jets worked well, - but after I got the Staintunes I had to retreat a little with the mains (the Staintunes are a bit more restrictive). Right now I run 150 mains and it's running great.

Big changes are in store for my Speedy though.

-BT

Thanks for the info BikerThug. That's good to know. I'll probably do the Freak upgrade in late winter when cabin fever is really starting to set in.

What do you have in store for your Speedy?

Cody

Cody,

Well, I just purchased the Weisco 904cc Piston kit (it was on sale at bellacorse.com), so I'm going to start with that first. I also want install these. I have a few other things in mind too.

We'll see.

-BT

Hey BikerThug It's Angelis. Have you seen the edelbrock carbs? They look neat and seem to really wake up our motors.Also give davinci carbs a call and they can make a setup the way you want

Hey Cody - It was cool riding with you last Saturday with the RAT group. I got to ride JD's bike also, and besides the goofy handlebars being turned up (and almost laid her down pulling out of the parking spot, DOOOH!) it was incredible. He had Bub slash cuts also and it sounded good.

He claims he paid like a hundred and a half for the freak?? Anyone know where this deal exists? Brent wants $300.

Actually I told JD I didn't want to ride his bike because I knew it would hurt my wallet in the long run.......and I believe this will be a fact.......

Looking forward to the next run.

Jeff

okay newbie question .... freak? what is that?

Hey Jeff,
Yeah, Saturday turned out to be a great day for a ride. Clear, warm, and the hardwoods along the river were just starting to turn red and gold. We kept up a brisk pace, but I think our group leader Ty was just idling that Rocket III. I know what you mean about JDs handlebars. I was searching for the brake when I hit the end of the parking lot.

Jeff, how did you survive the rain last night. What a downpour! You guys up north have been getting hammered the last couple weeks. Last week it was tornadoes and straight line winds and then last night it's record rainfall. I saw some local news pictures that looked like New Orleans.

I know that the Freak was cheaper at one time than it is now. It seems like it might have been $150 when I first heard about it, but I just can't remember. Maybe I'll search the archives. For sure the price has been creeping up. I think it's called 'Freak Creep'.

Cryption, In this context FREAK is a pseudo acronym for Airbox Removal Kit. Not sure how the 'F' plays in there. It might stand for one of those optional scatalogical modifiers that can be a noun/verb/adjective. Here's a link to Brent's offering. Back in my heyday the word freak meant something entirely different, as in the participants of the Woodstock festival. These days it could refer to anyone who rides a Vespa.

Cody

thanks for the learnin!

Hey everyone,

If memory serves me correctly, there was a barebones Freak kit offered at one time for about that price. I cannot remember what it consisted of.

The complete package was $270 almost three years ago when I bought it (I still have the spreadsheet detailing my purchases for that year). It's $300 right now and an increase of $30 over that time is not very much at all considering the prices of everything that goes into that kit had to have gone up too...

So if you are comtemplating the Freak, quit whining and just get it!!

Phil - You could have your own dealership by now with all the mods you have made. Hee Hee

Ryan

Yeah Ryan,

Hum. OEM spare parts.
We'll have to ride down to Sunrise next time Phil is in the district. Let's hope Janet isn't there wielding a baseball bat!

Hardy-har-har, you'se guys are SO funny...

Note to self: put all them parts in my huge, bolted to the floor, 875 pound safe!!

a Browning safe?

Was definitely considering doing the freak this winter. This post prettymuch convinces me. I gotta do sprockets and chain as well this winter. I got paint and a bunch of chrome last winter. I guess this year is going to be performance mods. I have Epco long slash cuts. Are these close to the Staintunes or might I need to consider other jet sizes?

A quick google on "The Freak Kit" reveals some sort of super kit for the "sport of paint ball". Oh brother.

Winchester