FZ1 ECU Tuning

Here's an update. This is a part of an email exchange between the AF1 guys and me this morning. I'm really looking forward to the outcome. My bike is number 550 btw.

"The guys in CA and Italy are still playing with the tune file for your ECU.....apparently you have a ECU version that is a very early one and needs a different communication process. They're excited to add this ECU version to their database.

Just giving you an update....just spent 20 mnutes on the phone with them....they said it will be MUCH better than the 2010 Euro tune you have....they said those 2010 EU ign maps could be better, and will be noticeably better on this ECU reflash."
 
ballmead said:
Sounds good. What options did you ask for in the tune/reflash?
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Fix it!!! LOL!

Just what they normally do, fuel, ignition, fuel cut, un-govern 1st to 3rd. I think the un-governing will be one of the biggest changes. If I was tracking the bike I'd have them raise the idle, etc. but this is strictly a street bike. If I like the changes I may have them take a crack at the R6, which I love the fueling on that bike, it is spot on, but maybe it can be made that much better? We'll see, as this mod has eaten my "play" money for a couple of months. :)
 
This is a very interesting thread mate.

I'm so keen to see how it all goes, good luck with it all.
If it works like they say I'll be selling my PCV and giving it a go as well.
 
I'm very eager to hear how this goes as well. I'm holding off getting a PC3, FCE, and ignition module to hear how this works. Would ECU tuning correct the speedo after a sprocket change as well, eliminating the need for a speedo healer?
 
rossy said:
I'm very eager to hear how this goes as well. I'm holding off getting a PC3, FCE, and ignition module to hear how this works. Would ECU tuning correct the speedo after a sprocket change as well, eliminating the need for a speedo healer?
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I don't know, I'll ask.
 
Rossi, I highly doubt that is possible. Unless that the stock gearing is loaded in there and set for that, but in which case you could only change it to another setup and if you ever change again you will need a SpeedoDRD.

Easier to just pay the 70 shipped for the SpeedoDRD and be able to play with it yourself, plus the top speed recall is a neat feature.
 
PapaGeno21 said:
Rossi, I highly doubt that is possible. Unless that the stock gearing is loaded in there and set for that, but in which case you could only change it to another setup and if you ever change again you will need a SpeedoDRD.

Easier to just pay the 70 shipped for the SpeedoDRD and be able to play with it yourself, plus the top speed recall is a neat feature.
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good point geno
 
PapaGeno21 said:
Easier to just pay the 70 shipped for the SpeedoDRD and be able to play with it yourself, plus the top speed recall is a neat feature.
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This logic can be applied to the other parameters of the reflash as well. It certainly will be nice to remove the gear limitations to power, deceleration fuel cut off and in general to start with a baseline much closer to optimized for proper performance. That said, a power commander (perhaps also an ignition module) might still be necessary to finish the tuning process to the individual bike and its modifications. . . .
It would be particularly interesting for those of us who already own a PowerCommander and IM if we could combine the optimal PC fuel/ignition "trims" with the stock map to create a roadmap for the reflash of the fuel and ignition parameters. The large collection of existing maps or the results of custom dyno tune could get you that much closer to the perfect ECU tune . . . .
 
I wish I had the energy to take this mod on, but I simply have too many irons in the fire. I wish you all the luck in the world with this on. If you run into any issues that are causing you grief, feel free to contact me. I may be able to help.

AW
 
I wish I had the money to take on this task... ;)

After this is installed by Pete, no map out there would do should he apply a Power Commander and it would be necessary to performance tune the bike on a dyno. This ECU will totally change the game and I think existing maps would counter the changes applied using the new mapping. Of course the purpose of this mod is to not NEED a Power Commander though. ;)
 
FZ1inNH said:
I wish I had the money to take on this task... ;)

After this is installed by Pete, no map out there would do should he apply a Power Commander and it would be necessary to performance tune the bike on a dyno. This ECU will totally change the game and I think existing maps would counter the changes applied using the new mapping. Of course the purpose of this mod is to not NEED a Power Commander though. ;)
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What I am suggesting is to use the "trims"(pluses and minuses to fuel delivery or ignition changes) of a PC map that works well for a particular bike (whether it is a downloaded map or a dyno generated one) and then somehow apply these trims to the stock map to create a new fuel (or ignition) map which is flashed to the ECU. The Power Commander would become a tuning tool to create the correct reflash. After the job is done it would no longer need to be installed on the bike and could even be sold. . . .
Although it is certainly debatable, there are strong arguments in favor a customized dyno tune particularly when it is done with quality equipment and an experienced operator. With the absence of the option to take your bike in to an actual location where the reflash is being done and have a custom tune performed with the end result applied to the bikes ECU, I am perhaps wishfully hoping for another approach to getting quality custom results . . . .
 
FZ1inNH said:
I wish I had the money to take on this task... ;)

After this is installed by Pete, no map out there would do should he apply a Power Commander and it would be necessary to performance tune the bike on a dyno. This ECU will totally change the game and I think existing maps would counter the changes applied using the new mapping. Of course the purpose of this mod is to not NEED a Power Commander though. ;)
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. If it works well for hellgate, i'll probably try it too prior to getting a PC, FCE, and the IM. From what little literature I could find on the ECUnlimited tuning, it looks like some do get the ECU tuning, and the PC for added benefit.

This article is about an R1, but they do the tuning and use a PC5:

Yamaha YZF-R1 Graves Exhaust, Power Commander V and ECUnleashed - Sport Rider Magazine

I also haven't modded the flies yet, and it looks like that won't be necessary either with ECU tune. This blurb mentions it too, and claims a 15 HP boost:

ECU Tuning for 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R
 
When I was on the Triumph forum there were several riders who were working with product called "Tune Boy" from Australia, I blieve, which allowed the rider to get into the software of the stock ECU and modify many of it's settings. Some thought it was the berries and some didn't care for it too much. I think the biggest aspect that caused trouble with it was the lack of understanding of exactly how it worked. If I remember correctly, there were instances of not being able to get things back to original after making changes because they weren't sure what the orignal setting was. Another thing that seemed to hamper a good understanding was that different bikes had significantly different settings. When I left the forum a little over four months ago there were still some members who thought a PCIII or PCV was easier to work with and some thought the Tune Boy was the way to go. In any event, it appeared no matter which path was taken, a good dyno workout was necessary to get things really tight. Maybe this will prove to be different.
 
for those that didn't want to scan the whole article, here are the relevant parts:

You’re probably asking (as we did), why would you need the Power Commander as well as the ECU reflash? To account for changing conditions such as other modifications, weather or fuel, the PCV and AutoTune can be used to subtly adjust the fuel injection as needed, rather than continually reflashing the ECUa costly prospect. An additional symbiotic relationship is that because the reflashed ECU disables the stock closed-loop injection function, the AutoTune is not constantly fighting the stock ECU and over-compensating. As such, the AutoTune function works better and is more accurate. So, we headed to our SuperFlow dyno with both installed on the R1.

This Serial Suite tuning kit from Piasini Engineering is what’s used to perform the reflash. Wired into the ECU’s connector, the new software and maps were uploaded to our R1’s ECU in eight minutes. The small USB stick contains maps for a number of different motorcycles and tuning combinations, which are constantly being updated.
First up, we ran the bike with the stock ECU and no Power Commander, and saw a healthy increase in power across the range with six more peak horsepower from the exhaust alone. The midrange is nicely filled in, and there is slightly more power past the peak. Reflashing the ECU bumped peak power by an additional four horsepower, now 10 more than stock and even more past the power peak. You can see on the dyno chart that the rev limit is higher on the reflashed ECU (raised from 13,750 to 14,200 rpm), but a nice touch is that the limiter is softer, gradually cutting fuel and spark rather than abruptly. Adding the Power Commander on its own did not noticeably increase power on the dyno, but note also that the ECU reflash did not increase power below the original power peakafter which the stock bike is restricted. Using the stock ECU and the Power Commander did fill in the small dip in the power curve at 5000 rpm, almost exactly as the reflashed ECU did.

Following the dyno session, we set the AutoTune unit to gather data as the bike was ridden, and used that to tweak the fuel map accordingly. Our modified R1 is definitely more powerful than stock throughout the rev range, and riding it showed that it is more responsive as well, with no jumps or dips in the power. While the bike is now so responsive to throttle inputs that even more than usual care must be taken on corner exits, that care is not so much to ease the stock bike’s sudden lurch in power as the throttle is opened, but rather to keep the front wheel on the ground and the tires in line! The modified R1 is an impressive package, with the Graves exhaust, Power Commander and reflashed ECU combining for some potent results. Now we just have to scrounge up some more modifications so we can keep this bike in the test fleet for a while.
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And more detailed info regarding how the ECU tuning works:

ECU Reflash
How It’s Done
As you might imagine, it’s a difficult thing to send your ECU off in the mail along with $449, and get in return what looks like the exact same thing. But while the actual reflashing of your stock ECU may take only a few minutes, many changes are made and it requires a huge effort to get to the point of actually making those changes.

Inside the Yamaha R1 ECU are three CPUs (Central Processing Units), each essentially a tiny computer complete with memory. One CPU manages only the YCC-T ride-by-wire throttle, while another looks after everything else: injection, ignition, the YCC-I two-position intake stacks and all other operations. The third CPU oversees the other two, making sure everything works properly and ensuring that the YCC-T doesn’t malfunction. Because Yamaha, along with most other manufacturers, does not disclose the exact internals of the ECU or the CPUs’ programming, the ECU must be hacked in order to find the maps—a lengthy process. First, the ECU is cut open and the circuit board potting—a coating that protects the internals but also covers and hides everything—removed. This reveals the circuitry and components, and from here a way into the CPUs can be found. The R1 ECU, for example, allows access through debugging ports that are wired to its external connectors. Other ECUs, however, may require a different avenue or even additional wires soldered directly onto the board.

Once the CPUs are accessed, the internal memory containing coding and data can be downloaded to a computer and examined. But rather than an obvious program and maps, the output is simply a vast array of numbers that must be deciphered. There is software available that helps with this decoding, but it’s still a lot like looking for particular clumps of hay in a haystack. Even once a map or bit of software is discovered, some detective work is required to find what each does—for example, a piece of coding that points to what looks like a map may also point to a port on the CPU; that port may in turn be connected to a pin on the ECU’s connector that routes to the throttle position sensor, indicating the map relates to the TPS. As you can imagine, the entire process can become very involved and lengthy. Beau Braunberger, who looks after this code work for ECUnleashed, revealed that the R1’s ECU contains 80 maps in the YCC-T CPU and another 230 in the EFI CPU. These maps cover everything from the crucial injection and ignition functions for each cylinder to mundane operations such as the AIS valve. The R1 has every map duplicated; in U.S. bikes these maps are identical, but in Japanese bikes, for example, one complete set of maps is unrestricted while the other is the 100-horsepower restricted version.

With access to all the maps as well as the programming and even whatever unused parameters may be available, some interesting modifications can be considered. ECUnleashed is working on a quickshifter using the stock ECU, while Braunberger’s personal R1 is set up with cruise control, all through the stock ECU. The possibilities for tinkering are almost endless, especially with as powerful an ECU as the Yamaha has. The Yamaha’s ECU is made by Hitachi and the two main CPUs inside are made by Renesas—a company owned by NEC, Hitachi and Mitsubishi. Similar CPUs can be found in various Suzuki and Kawasaki models, meaning most can be dissected and reflashed in a similar manner. Honda ECUs, however, are made by Keihin; Braunberger calls them throwaway ECUs as there is no easy way to access the internals to pull out the coding and maps—that’s not to say it can’t be done at some point, however. Interestingly ECUnleashed closes any access to the ECUs it reflashes, meaning the changes made by the company cannot in turn be extracted.

Sportbikes may be a few years behind the automobile world in this area of performance modifications, but companies like ECUnleashed are rapidly making progress. Expect this to be a more common modification in the years to come—provided the manufacturers continue to allow some form of access and/or innovative programmers continue to work their magic.
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I can't wait to hear the FZ1 results!
 
Lonerider59 said:
When I was on the Triumph forum there were several riders who were working with product called "Tune Boy" from Australia, I blieve, which allowed the rider to get into the software of the stock ECU and modify many of it's settings. Some thought it was the berries and some didn't care for it too much. I think the biggest aspect that caused trouble with it was the lack of understanding of exactly how it worked. If I remember correctly, there were instances of not being able to get things back to original after making changes because they weren't sure what the orignal setting was. Another thing that seemed to hamper a good understanding was that different bikes had significantly different settings. When I left the forum a little over four months ago there were still some members who thought a PCIII or PCV was easier to work with and some thought the Tune Boy was the way to go. In any event, it appeared no matter which path was taken, a good dyno workout was necessary to get things really tight. Maybe this will prove to be different.
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Tune Boy is okay. You have to very patient, and send lots of time to dial it in. Most tuners at the retail level don't care for it because it takes so long to dial in that they can't make any money at it. Shade tree guys with a wide bands love it because you can fiddle with it forever.

I had a similar program for my 1125R; an app from Ohio Sport Bike. I spent hour after hour on the dyno trying to get it work correctly, many more hours on the phone with the software author, of course I was the beta test mule, again... I was so happy once the PCV came out. We had a map completed in a couple of hours and my 1125R was very happy.

As far as putting my PC3 back on this, I'm not sure. I think the reflashed ECU will be very good and I won't need it. I have several other moto projects I need to get going, like the rebuild of the suspension on my R6, and I'd like to rebuild the forks on the FZ1. Too many projects, not enough time and money. :shaking head:
 
eurban said:
What I am suggesting is to use the "trims"(pluses and minuses to fuel delivery or ignition changes) of a PC map that works well for a particular bike (whether it is a downloaded map or a dyno generated one) and then somehow apply these trims to the stock map to create a new fuel (or ignition) map which is flashed to the ECU. The Power Commander would become a tuning tool to create the correct reflash. After the job is done it would no longer need to be installed on the bike and could even be sold. . . .
Although it is certainly debatable, there are strong arguments in favor a customized dyno tune particularly when it is done with quality equipment and an experienced operator. With the absence of the option to take your bike in to an actual location where the reflash is being done and have a custom tune performed with the end result applied to the bikes ECU, I am perhaps wishfully hoping for another approach to getting quality custom results . . . .
Click to expand...

I agree that piggybacks will refine everything that much more, but if this is a 95% solution I'll be happy with it. Dyno time gets so damn expensive, about $350 a map, and down time of about two weeks; scheduling time, hauling bike, waiting in line, picking up bike, etc, etc.
 
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