Otters Pocket
Active member
Having researched a lot of the options of reflashing the ECU, including the usual Power Commander add-ons which I've used in the past, I've finally decided to get the FTECU harness that allows reflashing the ECU at home straight off the laptop.
The reason I went for this is my alternative options were:
1 - Send my ECU in for a reflash and then get it sent back - I'd be without use of the bike for a short while, and call me paranoid but I really don't like the possibility of the ECU going missing or getting damaged in the post. While it's unlikely, it's not without possibility and the insured postage doesn't cover the grief of trying to get a new ECU sorted.
2 - Ride to a company to let them take out the ECU for a reflash. This was going to be the route I went down, but the negatives here are the added cost of petrol to get there, and then you only get one flash. So change something in the future or decide you don't like a particular aspect of the reflash and you either have added costs to get an update or at the very minimum the hassle of another trip to have the bike pulled apart again.
3 - Power Commander - a possibility, but the functionality is limited and doesn't address a lot of the issues that are the reason for looking at a reflash.
4 - Get a "home gamers" set up with a licence that allows unlimited reflashes and updates, even to the point of setting back to stock without hassle.
Option 4 was initially looking the most expensive, but after weighing up the added costs associated with the others (postage, petrol, hassle etc), it actually comes in about the same if not cheaper, but with the added bonus of not being a one off flash, but unlimited changes.
Nothing against other methods or companies, and no affiliation to Velox Racing, this is simply the one I chose to go for and for information if anyone's looking into them and wants a little more background on my experience with them.
So I got the kit, registered it online and have installed the hardware - basically taking the plugs off the ECU and wiring in a few wires into the back of it - much easier than it sounds. You then have a harness permanently connected which runs under the seat and you can simply plug the laptop into whenever you want to do a reflash in the future.
The software comes with 3 maps:
Stock - so you always have the base map if you ever want to simply go back to stock
Unlimited - all the limiters etc taken off
Aftermarket exhaust map - made for stock filter with aftermarket exhaust (from reading up it's a pretty good map).
Also gives you the ability to control all the additional functions like engine braking (to smooth out the jerkiness), fan temperature etc etc.
I haven't yet carried out the reflash so will update when I get to that stage, but at the moment it seems a good option for anyone in a similar mindset.
The reason I went for this is my alternative options were:
1 - Send my ECU in for a reflash and then get it sent back - I'd be without use of the bike for a short while, and call me paranoid but I really don't like the possibility of the ECU going missing or getting damaged in the post. While it's unlikely, it's not without possibility and the insured postage doesn't cover the grief of trying to get a new ECU sorted.
2 - Ride to a company to let them take out the ECU for a reflash. This was going to be the route I went down, but the negatives here are the added cost of petrol to get there, and then you only get one flash. So change something in the future or decide you don't like a particular aspect of the reflash and you either have added costs to get an update or at the very minimum the hassle of another trip to have the bike pulled apart again.
3 - Power Commander - a possibility, but the functionality is limited and doesn't address a lot of the issues that are the reason for looking at a reflash.
4 - Get a "home gamers" set up with a licence that allows unlimited reflashes and updates, even to the point of setting back to stock without hassle.
Option 4 was initially looking the most expensive, but after weighing up the added costs associated with the others (postage, petrol, hassle etc), it actually comes in about the same if not cheaper, but with the added bonus of not being a one off flash, but unlimited changes.
Nothing against other methods or companies, and no affiliation to Velox Racing, this is simply the one I chose to go for and for information if anyone's looking into them and wants a little more background on my experience with them.
So I got the kit, registered it online and have installed the hardware - basically taking the plugs off the ECU and wiring in a few wires into the back of it - much easier than it sounds. You then have a harness permanently connected which runs under the seat and you can simply plug the laptop into whenever you want to do a reflash in the future.
The software comes with 3 maps:
Stock - so you always have the base map if you ever want to simply go back to stock
Unlimited - all the limiters etc taken off
Aftermarket exhaust map - made for stock filter with aftermarket exhaust (from reading up it's a pretty good map).
Also gives you the ability to control all the additional functions like engine braking (to smooth out the jerkiness), fan temperature etc etc.
I haven't yet carried out the reflash so will update when I get to that stage, but at the moment it seems a good option for anyone in a similar mindset.
