IRC Blipper Up/Down Quickshifter

Wildmtn

New member
Posted this on another forum as well:

So I decided to give the IRC a try. I have a QS on my other bike and love it and hated not having it on the FTR. I really enjoy the FTR as my sportier bike so going with something else isnt in the cards. I have limited experience actually riding it yet post installation as I just threw in a low-ish RPM test run around the block. Bottom line, it works both up and down but I may want to adjust things as it was a tad notchy. Ill do more higher RPM blasts when time allows first to get a better feel for it first.

Let me say this, you have to take a whole bunch of the bike apart to access the various connectors and it is a royal pain in the ass. Examples include seat, tank covers, fuel tank, airbox, rear subframe, chain guard, random plastic covers, etc. etc. I would have paid $1-1.5k more from the factory to not have to go through that as it was easily a 5-6 hour job excluding the runs for extra tools. I would be faster the second time around knowing what I know now and could possibly avoid a bit of time trying to figure out what wire goes where and where the connectors are. While the instructions did tell you what to do, I think they could have been more explicit in what is involved/removed and where some of the actual connectors are. Think I spent at least half an hour just trying to figure out where the connector was down behind the transmission and how to actually get to it. I also think it would be much nicer if the control box with the buttons had wires only coming out of one side and if there was a bit more length between it and the little black box to allow mounting options.

Edit: I forgot something as well. The heim joints that go in the load-cell caused the whole shifter linkage to be too long by roughly an inch with the joints bottomed out completely in the load cell. I cut the threaded portion of the heim joints down to reduce the overall length and got it very close to the stock position. Darren Shaw mentioned this as well from his installation.

Ill post again after some proper outings testing it out!
 
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Wildmtn

New member
I had the opportunity to ride some more today and a bit more spirited. The upshift with standard settings works great. Very smooth enabling nice full and partial-throttle upshifts. Similar behavior to my other bike with a factory quick-shifter. The blipper is also fully functional but feels slightly notchy even with a very deliberate downshift on standard settings. The blip in throttle also feels slightly delayed especially at lower RPM where the bike feels as though it recieved the throttle input slightly after the downshift. Overall a great addition and I will be looking at potentially adjusting some of the blipper settings after spending a few more miles on it. I am used to how my other bike responds to auto up and downshifts so it may just be me getting used to it. I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to add this capability.
 

Cruskall

New member
As i posted already in my thread:
IRC Quickshifter with Blipper from HPS (England) are working very well!
Thanks to your encouriging post!
Riding the FTR R is even more incredible fun now!
 

u20230122

New member
I had the opportunity to ride some more today and a bit more spirited. The upshift with standard settings works great. Very smooth enabling nice full and partial-throttle upshifts. Similar behavior to my other bike with a factory quick-shifter. The blipper is also fully functional but feels slightly notchy even with a very deliberate downshift on standard settings. The blip in throttle also feels slightly delayed especially at lower RPM where the bike feels as though it recieved the throttle input slightly after the downshift. Overall a great addition and I will be looking at potentially adjusting some of the blipper settings after spending a few more miles on it. I am used to how my other bike responds to auto up and downshifts so it may just be me getting used to it. I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to add this capability.
Same experience with having to cut the threads down on the joints due to being too long. Agreed on the install it was involved - not hard just time consuming and you basically have the entire top part of the back apart front to rear. I too spent a long time trying to find and access that connector on the very bottom.

I have a 2019 S stock ECU, Akro pipes w/o baffles and a Toce link pipe, stock rear sets, and RSD shifter. I tested mine blipper today (did no changes and just installed it). I need to adjust the settings in the manual and go through checking each of the values. Here are my un-tuned results.

Stock no tuning post install observations:
- wide open throttle can quickshift through the gears
- soft upshifts sometimes find false neutral RPMs fall and you go back to the previous gear
- downshifts jerk and push the bike if you're in the ~60% RPM range (the docs say how to adjust this out)
- downshifts while lugging in lower RPMs don't really work
- slightly touching the shifter in the down position cause it to blip up and surge
- low 3000ish RPM upshifting is a little less certain feeling (I guess notchy) than if you get a solid upshift high in the RPMs
- pulling in the clutch and downshifting has a nice autoblip you get for free
- casual quickshifting up (instead of being racey with it) is a little clunky
- prior to installing the shifter the RSD shift lever I installed is nice looking, but very hard and stiff and feels the same with the blipper
- I could not figure out a way to install this is a GP configuration. I had the RSD shif lever and stock rear sets in GP mode before the install

Having said all the above this is a really fun and great product. I iniitially though I may have spent money unnesarily until my first ride today. After that ride I came away with a huge smile and it made an already fun bike even more fun to ride. I need to go through the setup and tune it from the defaults.

Wildmtn, what settings did you end up using? I'll post defaults and what I changed later.
 

nailbeater

Member
That unit doesn’t include an auto blipper for downshifts.
It cuts out Ignition. And From the people I have spoken with that have this Say that they really enjoy it and it works well. I will know more when March is here. No it does not blip the throttle.
 

Snorkelface

New member
Same experience with having to cut the threads down on the joints due to being too long. Agreed on the install it was involved - not hard just time consuming and you basically have the entire top part of the back apart front to rear. I too spent a long time trying to find and access that connector on the very bottom.

I have a 2019 S stock ECU, Akro pipes w/o baffles and a Toce link pipe, stock rear sets, and RSD shifter. I tested mine blipper today (did no changes and just installed it). I need to adjust the settings in the manual and go through checking each of the values. Here are my un-tuned results.

Stock no tuning post install observations:
- wide open throttle can quickshift through the gears
- soft upshifts sometimes find false neutral RPMs fall and you go back to the previous gear
- downshifts jerk and push the bike if you're in the ~60% RPM range (the docs say how to adjust this out)
- downshifts while lugging in lower RPMs don't really work
- slightly touching the shifter in the down position cause it to blip up and surge
- low 3000ish RPM upshifting is a little less certain feeling (I guess notchy) than if you get a solid upshift high in the RPMs
- pulling in the clutch and downshifting has a nice autoblip you get for free
- casual quickshifting up (instead of being racey with it) is a little clunky
- prior to installing the shifter the RSD shift lever I installed is nice looking, but very hard and stiff and feels the same with the blipper
- I could not figure out a way to install this is a GP configuration. I had the RSD shif lever and stock rear sets in GP mode before the install

Having said all the above this is a really fun and great product. I iniitially though I may have spent money unnesarily until my first ride today. After that ride I came away with a huge smile and it made an already fun bike even more fun to ride. I need to go through the setup and tune it from the defaults.

Wildmtn, what settings did you end up using? I'll post defaults and what I changed later.
Since then, has IRC fixed the linkage length issue? I'm not keen on having to cut up parts that were designed for the bike.
 

Max Kool

Well-known member
It cuts out Ignition. And From the people I have spoken with that have this Say that they really enjoy it and it works well. I will know more when March is here. No it does not blip the throttle.
That would be the primary reason for me to -not- get it... the blipper on shifting down....
 

Wildmtn

New member
Same experience with having to cut the threads down on the joints due to being too long. Agreed on the install it was involved - not hard just time consuming and you basically have the entire top part of the back apart front to rear. I too spent a long time trying to find and access that connector on the very bottom.

I have a 2019 S stock ECU, Akro pipes w/o baffles and a Toce link pipe, stock rear sets, and RSD shifter. I tested mine blipper today (did no changes and just installed it). I need to adjust the settings in the manual and go through checking each of the values. Here are my un-tuned results.

Stock no tuning post install observations:
- wide open throttle can quickshift through the gears
- soft upshifts sometimes find false neutral RPMs fall and you go back to the previous gear
- downshifts jerk and push the bike if you're in the ~60% RPM range (the docs say how to adjust this out)
- downshifts while lugging in lower RPMs don't really work
- slightly touching the shifter in the down position cause it to blip up and surge
- low 3000ish RPM upshifting is a little less certain feeling (I guess notchy) than if you get a solid upshift high in the RPMs
- pulling in the clutch and downshifting has a nice autoblip you get for free
- casual quickshifting up (instead of being racey with it) is a little clunky
- prior to installing the shifter the RSD shift lever I installed is nice looking, but very hard and stiff and feels the same with the blipper
- I could not figure out a way to install this is a GP configuration. I had the RSD shif lever and stock rear sets in GP mode before the install

Having said all the above this is a really fun and great product. I iniitially though I may have spent money unnesarily until my first ride today. After that ride I came away with a huge smile and it made an already fun bike even more fun to ride. I need to go through the setup and tune it from the defaults.

Wildmtn, what settings did you end up using? I'll post defaults and what I changed later.
I will have to check the actual settings when I get back to the bike. For me the upshifts are fine even casually and at low RPM with the stock settings but, I am also used to an agricultural gearbox with a factory quickshifter on my GS. I am continuing to reduce the settings for the timing on the downshift. It works OK at high RPM but at lower RPM I get "pushing" following the downshift. I think I have reduced the settings a few MS on each but will verify once I get back to the bike. It is workable as it is but I want it a bit smoother and I followed the instructions on how to reduce the pushing effect.

I also find that if you apply a slight bit of pressure to the shifter in prep for an upshift inadvertently without actually comitting to a shift it will cut the ignition which may be the false-neutral you are feeling. I think the pressure setting is also adjustable from the load-cell to reduce this but havent adjusted myself yet.
 

u20230122

New member
Okay I got around to changing some settings after getting the Lloydz ECU tune and discovered a few things.

  1. The downshift blipper works better if you close the throttle. Leaving it open/slightly open will result in a forward surge.
  2. Changing the 2/3 3/2 timing in SL smoothed things out.
  3. This is really a product meant for using all the power the bike has going through the geabox not for Sunday drives to church and back. The clutch is better for church runs and you still get a nice down blip for free.
  4. My box has two additional menus not listed in the manual 1C and 6U.

You need to do a few tests and make observations on preferences:
  • lower gears 2/3 & 3/2 3k-6k RPM
  • lower gears 2/3 & 3/2 8k RPM
  • lower gears 2/3 & 3/2 revlimit RPM
  • upper gears 4/5/6 & 6/5/4 3k-6k RPM
  • upper gears 4/5/6 & 6/5/4 8k RPM
  • upper gears 4/5/6 & 6/5/4 revlimit RPM

Default settings my unit had out of the box (note the manual has some default values where mine was different from the factory).
T = 65 (manual says default 60)
RL = 02 (manual says default 02)
SL = 45 (manual says default 45)
L = 10 (manual says default 10)
S = 00 (manual says default --)
TS = 80 (manual says default 90)
LS = 08 (manual says default 09)
1C = 00 (does anyone know what this value means?)
6U = 00 (does anyone know what this value means?)

CE = C (manual says default C)
OC = C (manual says default C)
1A = 03 (manual says default 03)
RR = 08 (manual says default 08)
tt = 17 (manual says default 17)

Changes and sequence I tried:

First test
TS to 75 was 80
L to 8 was 10
LS to 10 was 8

Second test
L to 9 was 8
LS to 11 was 10
RR to 10 was 8
SL to 50 was 45
1A to 04 was 03

I kept the settings in the second test and the bike is much smoother at lower RPMs. I did not observe the false neutral or it slipping back in the previous gear but I did not do a lot of testing. The default values and the first test resulted in 2/1 lower RPM downshifts catching then going back to neutral a second or two later and lower RPM upshifts where I was not hardfooted on the shift finding a false neutral then going back in the previous gear.

blipper1.jpeg
blipper2.jpeg
 
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Wildmtn

New member
It cuts out Ignition. And From the people I have spoken with that have this Say that they really enjoy it and it works well. I will know more when March is here. No it does not blip the throttle.
I do not have access to the actual code but this absolutely does do some blipping on downshift. Thats the reason there is "pushing" on the auto-downshift as described in the post from u2023122 above. It pops in some throttle that with factory settings is more prominent at lower RPM where you can feel the bike push forward post downshift as described in section 4.2 in the pictures. I suspect the reductions in the settings to reduce this push are reducing the duration and/or opening of the throttle "blip". In my experience at RPM above say 5K the auto downshift is good and smooth where the RPM match as the shift is made and it feels seamless. Lower than 5K does need a bit more adjustment and I have personally reduced the TS and LS settings a bit accordingly. My Ts is 60 and my LS is 9 currently and ill drop LS more as I still get low RPM pushing (open throttle or too long a blip) post downshift. I often am auto-downshifting as I come in off of the freeway or to a stoplight and want that sub 5K shift to be a bit smoother. It absoultely works but as said above pushes a bit post shift. I will note that the pushing is not due to me holding the throttle open as I have consciously held the throttle closed completely and still experienced the same result when testing.

That said, as to the post above, with a 9K redline testing at 10K and 12K RPM even with a tune seem a bit optimistic and these instructions seem written for a I4 sportbike with a much higher RPM capability than the FTR. If indeed U2023122 did testing of downshifts above 12K rpm I would love to know how things held up...
 
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u20230122

New member
I do not have access to the actual code but this absolutely does do some blipping on downshift. Thats the reason there is "pushing" on the auto-downshift as described in the post from u2023122 above. It pops in some throttle that with factory settings is more prominent at lower RPM where you can feel the bike push forward post downshift as described in section 4.2 in the pictures. I suspect the reductions in the settings to reduce this push are reducing the duration and/or opening of the throttle "blip". In my experience at RPM above say 5K the auto downshift is good and smooth where the RPM match as the shift is made and it feels seamless. Lower than 5K does need a bit more adjustment and I have personally reduced the TS and LS settings a bit accordingly. My Ts is 60 and my LS is 9 currently and ill drop LS more as I still get low RPM pushing (open throttle or too long a blip) post downshift. I often am auto-downshifting as I come in off of the freeway or to a stoplight and want that sub 5K shift to be a bit smoother. It absoultely works but as said above pushes a bit post shift. I will note that the pushing is not due to me holding the throttle open as I have consciously held the throttle closed completely and still experienced the same result when testing.

That said, as to the post above, with a 9K redline testing at 10K and 12K RPM even with a tune seem a bit optimistic and these instructions seem written for a I4 sportbike with a much higher RPM capability than the FTR. If indeed U2023122 did testing of downshifts above 12K rpm I would love to know how things held up...
@Wildmtn, I think @Nailbeater was referring to a low cost $250 ADDITORI RACING quick shifter according to the photos posted. The IRC quickshifter/blipper we have is the same one used in the MotoAmerica Super Hooligans series according to Ryan@Lloyds.
 

u20230122

New member
According to IRC: "don't enter into 1C and 1U menus. The firmware is general for many bikes and in the case of the FTR1200 1C and 1U are not relevant. However if you entered, it's better if you go into 1C, put 1st gear and go out, then enter into 6U, engage 6th gear and go out."
 
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