What's an ECU?
It's the electronic control unit or the motorcycle 'brain" The ecu controls everything to do with engine performance:
fuel injection parameters according to temperature, pressure, altitude, rpm, throttle position, gear selection
engine timing for each gear, throttle opening and engine rpm, engine load
secondary throttle plate opening rate for individual gears
fast and slow idle rpm
soft and hard rev limiter control
top speed limiter for most models
Those are just of the few things an ECU does. The bike won't run without the ecu functioning properly.
I thought I needed a Power Commander.
The Dynojet Power Commander has been king for about 10 years. Dynojet makes lot of engine performance electronics. The company even makes chassis dynos to measure engine hp and torque at the rear wheels. This is a more accurate way to measure actual vehicle performance. There are motorcycle dynos and 4 wheeler dynos.
There is the PC or power commander to set the fuel injection parameters, the ignition module to set timing, the auto-tune module to automatically adjust the fuel map on the fly, various map switches, quick shifters, lcd displays and all kinds of performance enhancing parts. Dynojet pretty much has a monopoly here.
What's so Good about Flashing My ECU?
If you get your ECU flashed correctly by a pro, you won't need any of this dynojet stuff anymore. Uh Oh. You will need access to a motorcycle dyno ,though, for the best results from your final Flash settings. All the settings you see up above in the What's an ECU subtitle? That's what a reflash will reset.
All those engine parameters can be optimized for maximum performance. Emissions will take a 2nd row seat. This is a mod for racing. Course if the bike happens to end up on the street occasionally, well, you know. You can specify where the rpm limiter to come in. You can specify what type of fuel you will be running. When do you want those secondaries to open? What gear? Do you want to specify what the engine timing should be? Or let your tuner/flasher decide. Do you want to get rid of the 186 MPH speed limiter? Hmmm?
Can I flash any manufacturer's model sportbike?
Short answer is no. Not yet. This service/modification is in it's infancy. There are only a few reputable tuners doing this now. There are also some scammers online doing this. Suzuki started doing this a few years ago. The factory actually designed the OEM ecu on some of their bikes so a few of the engine parameters could be easily modified by hooking up a special computer interface cable and getting rid of the top speed limiter or changing the max rev limit.
Kawasaki has been making easily modified race ecus for 10 years. They are very expensive. Ducati makes special race ecus pre-optimized for special exhausts and racing applications. Aprilia does the same thing. Some other manufacturers make special race ecus that really aren't practical for street riding. Custom ECUs like the Nemesis is available. This is pretty much a blank ECU that is completely customizable. A pro needs to set this up. This new technology makes optimizing the OEM ECU affordable for the average sportbike rider.
Is flashing my ECU Safe?
It's safe if you have done your homework and trusted your ECU to a tuner with an excellent reputation. If you give your ecu to just anyone advertizing on the internet, you may pay the price. The price is an ECU turned into a BRICK. Use it for a doorstop now.
Will this MOD Void My Warranty?
Yes it probably will. I would suggest doing this. Buy yourself a good used ECU for your bike or buy a new one. Shop around. When you get it, test it on your bike. This ecu or your OEM ecu will be a spare. If you have to take your bike in for warranty work, just swap out the ecus. It's an easy swap out.
Dealers can void your warranty for a lot of reasons if they really want to. Have you installed a full exhaust? The Dealer can void the warranty. Missed a regular service? Dealer can void. Experienced riders will tell you to be friendly with the dealer. Don't go to the dealer except for warranty service. Maybe buy some stuff from their retail shop.
When you do your own service, always save the receipts. Write the mileage down when you did the service. That's all you need to show the dealer if the motor blows up or the tranny goes bad. The stealership is a necessary evil. Maybe I'm too cynical. Many of us riders with a little experience feel the same way.
Where can I get this Reflash done?
You will have to send the ecu off. Guhl motors is excellent for Kawasaki models. AF-1 racing is the one for the Aprilia. Check online for others. The best references you will find will be on sportbike national forums. You should be a member of at least a couple forums, one national and one local. These forums are fantastic places to learn about your bike. You might make some life long friends. I believe I have.
How much is this going to cost me?
Plan on $475.00 for the original flash and a reflash optimization. There are other options available. You might consider buying that 2nd ECU just in case. If you compare the cost of flashing to the cost of a custom map and a PC, the flash will be a little cheaper and the results will be far far better. Who wants a bunch of ECU add-ons with wires running all over the frame? This is the dynojet setup. Who wants engine starting delays because of the electronics in the power commander? The ECU reflash is the way to go.
OK, How do I do this?
Start your research. Might take you a few weeks or a month. Learn all you can. Call the tuner on the phone. The tuner wants this to be successful. Word of mouth could mean a lot more business for his company.
Consider doing this: Ride your bike over to a dynojet chassis dyno. Have the operator make some runs on your bike and print out the information. This should not cost you much because the dyno operator is not creating a custom map for a power commander which takes some time.
You want to send this pull information to your ecu tuner along with your ecu in the mail. Of course tell your tuner what mods you have made to the bike. This will really help him out. It may save you the effort of having to do a reflash in order to fully optimize the ecu settings for your bike. Contact your tuner for his exact recommendations on what to do.
When you get the ECU back, test the bike out thoroughly. Then give the tuner some feedback. Talk to your tuner personally on the phone. He wants to talk to you. Maybe you will need a reflash tweak. There are services out there that will allow you to reflash the ecu the 2nd time by yourself at home. This service is being perfected now. How convenient would that be? Find out more about this from your tuner.
Conclusion:
Did you learn something? Maybe I bored you to death. if you want to be on the cutting edge, this procedure is for you. It's state of the art stuff. If my next bike turns out to be what I plan, I'll be buying a pre-flashed race ECU from AF-1 racing. I'll have my OEM ecu as my spare. If you read the article, you know what I want as my next bike. It's the Factory model.
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