ECU reflash - results only in this thread

[Tobers]

The other thread is now so full of vitriol and bollocks that it's hard to find any facts. So, for those that have had the flash done, I suggest using this thread to post your results.

Please include:

- Who did the flash for you
- How much it cost
- How long it took
- Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled)
- Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off
- And most importantly, the results

No slagging off, personal nit-picking or any of that crap thanks very much. This is for people who have had the flash done and want to help others with their experience.

I'll go first:

Flash done by: Off-The-Road in Germany (www.off-the-road.de and http://www.off-the-road.de/XT-1200-Z/ECU-restriction-removal/)
Cost: Euro459 excl outbound postage
How long it took: 2.5 hour turnaround. 5 days door to door
Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No
Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: Yes
The results: taken from my post in the other thread:

My ECU arrived today from Off-The-Road.de in Germany. Sent on Monday morning, back on Friday morning. Turnaround time at Off-The-Toad was under 2.5 hours before it was on its way back to me again. I reckon they should do a "next day" return courier option which might cost more but I'd have been happy to pay for it as it would result in a 3-day turnaround.

First things first - the ECU came back in my original packaging, plus a sticker on the ECU itself which I have removed, some leaflets and a small pack of chewy sweets. Yum. No holes drilled in the ECU or anything like that - it looked just the same as I sent it.

Installation was a 15 min job - just the reverse of the instructions they give on their site here: http://www.off-the-road.de/out/media/Ausbau_ECU_XT1200_final(1).pdf

Obviously I had to reset the clock as I'd disconnected the battery before removing the unit.

Would it start? Yes it would. Whoop. I decided to go for a ride and use T-mode initially and then S-mode after I'd made sure T-mode was good.

The first obvious and hugely appreciated improvement is the pickup when pulling away from stationary. It is now much much smoother than before. That really annoying "stumble" you get as you pull away is now eradicated. Awesome. It really annoyed me and even the tweak of "that screw" didn't get rid of it. Now the bike is as smooth in that off/on throttle situation as my old carb'd KTM 950SM, and that was beautifully fueled. No more excessive clutch slip to get a smooth & fast pull away. So in T-mode there is a very definite improvement to throttle pickup which is almost worth the re-flash alone! Other than that, T-mode remains pretty much as before.

Now on to S-mode. OK, so I want to avoid hype here, but the bike is now just amazing. Pickup and pull is significantly improved. Acceleration is now very strong in the 1st 3 gears. Roll-on acceleration (e.g. for an overtake) is much improved. It is notable just how smooth the engine as it revs through from nothing to the red line. Again, in comparison to my KTM 950SM which I sold to get the S10, the S10 now feels nearly (but not quite) as responsive as the KTM. For a big dual-sport bike that is quite something. I did miss the "zap" of the KTM when I sold it, but now I've got comfort, wind protection, long range and a super-brilliant engine.

Previously I hadn't really noticed the crippled that much power as there's nothing really to compare it to. It just felt a bit "weird" when opening it up in the lower gears - somehow a bit disconnected from your throttle hand. However, now the bike feels simply "right". It's not "an animal" or "obscene" or "gut wrenching". It's just simply superb. Seasoned riders who are mechanically orientated will know how an engine should feel. It is a bit like when you've been riding with a passenger for a long tour, and then you get home and they get off, and you take the bike out and it feels lithe, responsive and agile. It's as though a veil of sludge (can you have a veil of sludge?) has been washed off with jet-wash.

Needless to say I am impressed. I am amazed Yamaha crippled the bike in the way they did if this is what it was like to begin with. Their engineers must be weeping in a corner somewhere.

Note that the bike remembers what mode you were in when you switch it off, so if you were in S-mode, when you turn the bike on again it's still in S-mode.

Summary: highly recommended.

 

[Tremor38]

Flash done by: Diapason Racing, through Motoshop Yamaha Parma, Italy (http://www.motoshopyamaha.com/)
Cost: Euro 305 (postage and customs vary upon your location)
How long it took: About 2 months via USPS Parcel Post!! I've heard that UPS takes only 2 weeks, good thing I was in no hurry.
Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No
Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: NO (defaults to T mode).
Performance Mods: None
The results: To be gathered when the snow melts Stay tuned.

Comments about service: I was one of the guys who sent my ECU early-on. Now that price point competitive options are available worldwide through ECU unleashed, I envision most of the business shifting their way because of the much quicker turnaround time and flexibility of customizing the tune file to the modifications on your bike.

Thanks for the thead and info, Tobers.

**3/9/2012 UPDATE** Ok, the pavement around the building where I work was free of snow and ice today, so i did a few laps around one of the larger buildings. Can't say I could get much evaluation done, but I did notice more pull from the bottom and a noticable rise in trust from the lower mid range up. By just opening the throttle (no snapping) in second gear, the front gets airborne when you start coming into the power band. Didn't dare look for the TCS light because the limited amount of space kept my focus in front of the bike.

Another thing I noticed in that in S-mode, as you slowly bring the throttle closed, there is a certain point just short of completely closed where the injectors cut to idle fuel. This is the exact same thing the stock ECU does, and it's there for emissions purposes. Bikes can be controlled more smoothly at slow speed without the sudden cut to idle; however for me this might be a blessing because in Japan we get smog checks every 2 years. From what I hear about the ECUunleashed flash, the cut to idle is eliminated.

**4/11/2012 UPDATE** Took'er on a couple of mile-munching trips (mostly on the expressways) and felt the difference in 6th gear that Fredz43 was talking about. Top gear roll on is WAY better. Sixth gear now feels like 5th felt prior to the flash 8)

I'm waiting for the roads to clear in the mountains, so I can give the lower gears a proper check.

** 1/3/2013 Wow, I've left this hanging for a awhile!
I agree with what others have said about there being noticably more pull off of the low-end in the lower 3 gears. I also agree there is much more of a connected feel when making throttle inputs. Again, as mentioned in other threads, 6th gear power must have also been limited in the OEM flash because the difference in sixth-gear roll-ons is very noticable.

After weighing all of the plusses and minuses, I wouldn't go with Diapason if I had to do it over again, because:

-On/off throttle response is a bit too abrupt
-Defaults to T-mode on shutdown
-Flash is not customizable for aftermarket pipes, etc.
-Diapason/Motoshop Yamaha is 'slower than molasis in January,' and their communication is poor to almost non-existent. I waited for months to get my ECU back.
-Don't get me wrong through. I would never go back to the stock flash; however, I feel that there are better options now that more companies are reflashing the Tenere ECU.

 

[simmons1]

Please include:

- Who did the flash for you: ECUnleashed 91-95 octane map by AF1 Racing. AFI provided great service and continues to answer any question I have.
- How much it cost: $449 + Shipping
- How long it took: 4 days including shipping time
- Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No
- Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: Yes
- Mods AKRA, Arrow Header, K&N, PCV (currently turned off) with Autotune (currently turned off)
- And most importantly, the results:

Mine is installed and I am riding the bike daily.

Bike starts up just like the stock flash did.
The off idle stumble and slight surging I had at very low RPM's is gone in both S and T.
The overall fueling in both S and T feels much improved through out the RPM range.
It feels like a different bike in the lower gears in S. The Revs much faster pulls much harder. It actually feels like your right wrist is connected to the throttle. Hard describe in words.
Much more pleasant to ride knowing when you give it big handful of throttle and it expect it to go it actually goes.
As expected it doesn't feel a whole lot faster in the high RPM ranges. Based on my pre-flash research I didn't expect it to.
I have fun one tank of gas through bike this week. I ran 87 octane to see how it behaved with the new flash. In the cool winter weather we are having I have had no pinging. I expect to have to run higher octane fuel in the hot summer months here, just like I do in my other bikes.
Lastly, I filled the bike up with gas a couple nights ago and calculated the mileage. 45 mpg on the tank. The tank included a 75 mile highway loop with a bunch of lower gear full throttle blasts to feel the changes of the unleashed ECU and a couple days commuting to work in stop and go rush hour traffic.

In my opinion, and I have have both installed on my bike, the flash works much better than the PCV and Autotune because the PCV setup can only partially fix the fueling in the Closed Loop Area and does nothing to remove the lower gear restriction. At some point in time I will most likely remove mine.

In closing I give the flash ::008:: ::008::

As always YMMV.

 

[RMac]

- Who did the flash for you: Diapason, Italy / Motoshop Parma
- How much it cost: Euro 299.75, includes shipping back from Italy with Euro 2500 insurance (excludes outbound shipping and insurance ~39 Euros)
- How long it took: 3-weeks, door to door. Motoshop had ECU for exactly 1-week. 2-weeks for the total shipping time. I enquired with DHL, but their price for shipping plus insurance was prohibitive
- Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No.
- Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off. No. It defaults to T-mode.
- Mods: None. I am hoping that flash will be only performance enhancement I make to bike.
- And most importantly, the results. Proper testing has to wait until ice/snow/road salt are gone. In my part of Sweden this is usually at end of March / beginning of April. The bike did however start without any issues and throttle response seems snappier in S-mode compared to T-mode when revved in neutral. I am not expecting my results to be that much different to others who have had the same flash and have already provided ride reports.
-Additional notes: Diapason/Motoshop claim that Yamaha warranty is maintained despite this flash. I have this stated in an e-mail from them, but do not have any other written proof.

EDIT: First ride report:
Managed to get out for a 30km or so run today due to recent mild spell followed by dry, windy weather. There was grit, dust, salt residue and occasional small pathches of ice on the roads so I had to be careful, but still managed get some decent testing done.

I started off in T-mode / TCS1 and took it quite easy for a few km's as I haven't been on the bike for 3-months now. Previous winter breaks have always lead to that "better/faster than before" feeling on the first day of the new riding season, so little bit of a shame that I couldn't get to feel the differences with the flash back to back. I did, however, get the impression that there is a little bit more steam in T-mode now compared to before the flash and I was thinking to myself I could be quite happy with this alone.

When I had got comfortable with things and had been able to check out the overall road conditions, I dropped the throttle and popped into S-mode (still TCS1). At that time I was on a lazy, curvy 70km/h country road and couldn't really gun it, so I just spent the time getting used to the feel of S-mode whilst driving a little bit harder. It didn't take any getting used to. It didn't feel radically different in any way to before the flash, no snappiness, unpleasantness, nothing dramatic, very rideable as before.

Now for the bit we are all interested in - gunning it in S-mode. This next part was all done in TCS2 as I didn't feel like pulling any wheelies and scaring the crap out of myself. First gear didn't seem radically different compared to before, however 2nd gear in particular and 3rd are quite, quite different. In 2nd and 3rd there is no sign of mid-range torque dip whatsoever. It is completely eliminated. The best way to understand this is that you would normally feel a bit of a sag starting from 4k and then a surge in torque at 6k. This is completly gone. The engine response now feels perfectly linear. Really, really nice. In addition to the linear feel the mid-range is significantly stonger than before and the entire range feels stronger for that matter, starting from low down on the scale. The power is now truly on demand. I can't really think of the best words to describle, but feels like a high performance turbo-diesel on steroids. You have to have pretty good grip on the handlebars . I never really opened it up fully on this ride, but several time I could feel my rear tyre kick out during hard acceleration and these were dry roads.

Some other points. It feels that there is probably a bit more roll-on grunt in 6th gear at highway speeds and I did note what seemed to possibly be better 1st gear pickup when taking off from junctions.

Conclusion. So far so good. Nothing scary, just feels great! I never really quite got the OMFG feeling that others have reported, but this is probably because my bike is all stock with exception of the flash. Maybe if I run TCS OFF I might get the OMFG feeling though...That remains to be seen ;D

 

[simmons1]

In closing I give the flash ::008:: ::008::

As always YMMV.

I just got home from a 300 mile ride. I may have to give a couple more. ::008:: ::008::

I got to ride a bunch of twisty roads today. I forgot to mention in my first post how much better the throttle response is when rolling it on off on while riding through corners. Much, much better than the stock ECU settings.

Today's ride included some easy highway riding, a few 0 to 100+ mph bursts and some lazy narrow twisty back roads cruising 40 to 50 mph. Gas mileage for today was 46.3, YMMV. The whole ride was done in S mode.

 

[Tremor38]

I just got home from a 300 mile ride. I may have to give a couple more. ::008:: ::008::

I got to ride a bunch of twisty roads today. I forgot to mention in my first post how much better the throttle response is when rolling it on off on while riding through corners. Much, much better than the stock ECU settings.

Today's ride included some easy highway riding, a few 0 to 100+ mph bursts and some lazy narrow twisty back roads cruising 40 to 50 mph. Gas mileage for today was 46.3, YMMV. The whole ride was done in S mode.

Sounds good. PC/AT still off?

 

[Tobers]

I forgot to mention in my first post how much better the throttle response is when rolling it on off on while riding through corners. Much, much better than the stock ECU settings.

Yes, I concur with this - it's an absolute joy to ride as a result.

 

[coastie]

Bump so I can follow. Thanks for the Post Tobers. This is great! ::022::

 

[Bigbore4]

- Who did the flash for you: AF1 Racing / ECUnleashed 91-95 octane map
- How much it cost: $449 + Shipping
- How long it took: 8 days including shipping, AF1 turned it the day after delivery
- Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No holes no stickers
- Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: Yes
- Mods: Arrow Header, Two Brothers Racing slip on
- And most importantly, the results:

Wont be riding for probably another month, but it sure sounds sweet.

 

[simmons1]

Re: Re: ECU reflash - results only in this thread

Sounds good. PC/AT still off?

Yes, still off.

 

[RMac]

Ok, I now have some actual ride results with Diapason flash and I have edited my original mail to include those. See above.

 

[Tobers]

A brief update from me after 300 miles with the off-the-road.de flash.

Fark - it's brilliant!!!

 

[AlsoRan]

Please include:

- Who did the flash for you: ECUnleashed 91-95 octane map by AF1 Racing. AFI provided great service and continues to answer any question I have.
- How much it cost: $449 + Shipping
- How long it took: 4 days including shipping time
- Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No
- Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: Yes
- Mods AKRA, Arrow Header, K&N, PCV (currently turned off) with Autotune (currently turned off)
- And most importantly, the results:

In closing I give the flash ::008:: ::008::

As always YMMV.

What AF1 location did you use to have the ECU unit reflashed?

 

[Tremor38]

AF1 only lists one location for their ECU unleashed tuning center at their website.. *New Braunfels Texas* (corrected). O0

 

[fredz43]

AF1 only lists one location for the ECU unleashed flash at their website.. San Antonio TX.

Close, but no cigar.

699 W San Antonio St.
New Braunfels, TX 78130

 

[simmons1]

Close, but no cigar.

699 W San Antonio St.
New Braunfels, TX 78130

Correct

 

[Longboard]

Flash brand: ECUnleashed
Flash done by:
Knology Tuning
1351 N. Kraemer Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: 714-745-3208
Email: Jun@KnologyTuning.com
Cost:$449 Dropped off and picked up
How long it took: 1day
Did they physically modify the ECU unit (e.g. holes drilled): No
Does the bike start in the same mode it was in when you turned it off: Yes
Mods: Arrow header, Arrow slip on, PC+AT, K&N
Bike color:Bitchen black

Results:

Start up and idle just like stock. My test ride was 100 miles from sea level to 3000ft. I don't use T mode and went straight to S with TC off. First thing I noticed was the stumble at take off was gone and slow speed throttle modulation was much smoother. Power through 1st-3rd was now transformed to what this bike should have had from the factory. You can now feel the TQ down low (think tractor ::012:. Shifting threw the gears I just feeling the bike felt soooo much smother. The power band was now nice and strong from down low till red line. The strange engine vibration in the mid range is now gone. Now no matter what gear your in, grabbing a handful of throttle at low RPM's bring's a nice grunt of Tq that just pulls you alone. In 5th to pass cars I don't find the need to drop down into 4th. Just grab a handful and go.

Over all I find it outstanding and would do again in a second. One thing of note is I have the PC+AT on. After talking to Jun (owner of Knology) he explained why that running it will only enhance the flash and that I should keep running it. I'd explain but I would only screw it up. Please call or email Jun for the download.

Longboard

 

[Big Blu]

P L E A S E... lets keep this thread pure and only post results as requested. NO CLUTTER, the other ECU thread would be a good place for all the B. S.

Regards, Paul

 

[Tobers]

P L E A S E... lets keep this thread pure and only post results as requested. NO CLUTTER, the other ECU thread would be a good place for all the B. S.

Regards, Paul

Thanks. Well said!

After 2 fill ups and varied riding of the same sort that I did before my reflash, my average mpg (imperial gallons) is now at 51.9 from 48ish. Not scientific I know, but interesting. I will keep tabs on it over the next few weeks.

 

[spasm]

Thanks. Well said!

After 2 fill ups and varied riding of the same sort that I did before my reflash, my average mpg (imperial gallons) is now at 51.9 from 48ish. Not scientific I know, but interesting. I will keep tabs on it over the next few weeks.

im getting 55 mpg, in sport mode, after flash, pcv, autotune, arrow headers, end can, unless of course im on the hammer ::022::