OK gents, I ride an 07 KX 450F as my off-road mount since some freakin' thief stole my 05 250 EXC(2T) back in OCT of 09. This is not an apology, because I still have my 08 450 XCR-W which I have kept as my road mount. I love both bikes, but, sorry, KTM suspension doesn't match the Kawi IMHO and Orange riders want too much dough for used KTMs....go figure. I digress..
I added the Leo Vince X3 a couple of months back and really like the enhanced low and mid that it provides....sounds pretty good too. Still looking for the magic bullet, I bought the Scary Fast Power Now and Power Now Plus in January and installed them yesterday.
The Process: Not too much to it, really. I don't fancy myself as any kind of good mechanic. I do bolt-on stuff that I think will take less than 2 hours, otherwise, I'd rather pay someone else and save my time for riding. Removal of the sub-frame, IAW the instructions, is a must. I used my KTM tools exclusively except for the loosening of engine brace on the Left side of the frame(necessary to get to front of carb). My recommendation is to do the Power now(front of carb) first, due to clearance at rear due to proximity to shock. Instructions were decent, although, for the Power Now, it says to refer to owner's manual for carb removal. I did get the "Now" in without taking the carb out...would have been easier without "Now Plus" already installed. Whole process, take down, install, put back and crank...about 1.5 hours. By the way, go ahead and remove the airbox from the sub-frame; when you put it back together, getting the airbox boot on the carb while it's still attached to the sub-frame is a pain.
The Gains: I immediately noticed an off idle response gain, though, they don't completely eliminate all hesitation. The real gain seems to be in the mid-range. She will carry the front tire much easier and much quicker than before. I wouldn't use the word "snap", but response time and throttle sensitivity were definitely enhanced. Since I have only ridden on my own 12 acres, I never got her into the top end, but the claims are that they increase power across bottom mid and upper. I can personally attest to the first two.
Recommendation: Would I recommend these products to people on a budget? Absolutely. I believe they are well worth the money and plan on purchasing both for my XCR-W soon.
Hope this will help somebody else.
Tank
