ECU Flashing Just a heads up
 

I had a several very frustrating hours yesterday. After riding the B King over to GIXERHP place to install a Back off Module, a new tire and install the ECU Flashing Kit I bought from Boost by Smith (BTW Greg was great about taking calls on a Saturday morning and walking us through the install , he is a good guy to do Business with) After the install we John , His Friend Kent and myself) downloaded Petriks Ecudicator software and made a first run at Flashing the ECU. First we verified the ECU. Software says yes it there, make the a few changes (pulling the timing retard out of the 2nd 5th and 6th we run the flash. Verify the flash is complete. Try to start the bike, The starter tuns but nothing, the fuel pump doesn't cycle and the bike won't start. So at the moment and the next several hours I own the worlds ugliest 500 lb paperweight. We made multiple attempts to reflash the bike back to stock called Greg again who having a life of his own with his partner and new baby didn't answer. I poured through every post I could find about Reflashing a B King used every magic word I could think of in at least 3 languages. Then John stumbles across a reference to a difference in the Euro and Ozzy bike and the US ones. We go back out on the web and find an Updated version of Petriks Software which has a separate section of Base maps for US bikes Install it , The Bike starts right up two click later the the timing retard is out the bike is running great. (As is most cases User Error was the problem)
As near as we can tell the Euro and Ozzy Bikes use a Anti Theft Key and the ECU appears to disable the fuel pump circuit if the Key in not Present. (Please feel free to correct me if someone has better data)
Well despite the lost afternoon, I am very impressed with this setup. The Kit I got from Boostby Smith for $199 was a simple install that amount to plugging tow wires into empty spots on the ECU harness and connecting them to two empty spots on the Yoshi Plug (you have to push out the factory rubber plugs they use to keep moisture out) Plug the Boost by Smith Harness into the Dealer service plug and the Yoshi plug under the seat plug eight pin connector into the switch box and the box into a USB port. You now have control of the fuel injection, timing , timing retard, and on newer bikes with an Oxygen sensor give you instant feedback on fuel air mixes (lean or rich). All of this with no need to use up Space on the bike (there is damn little on the B King)
No Power Commander, no Power Commander timing module no TRE just wire I plug my computer into.
Can not say enough good things about Petrick's free software (he does not make a dime on this stuff but he and his fellow developer have given us an amazing tool)
I have run on a bit here but let me summarize
ECU Flashing Good
Not Researching and Getting Latest Software BAD!
Boost by Smith ECU Flashing Harness Great Product
Boost by Smith Service (taking calls on a Saturday at home with family) Superb !

Yikes about the software, cool about the customer service, and Good God man: paragraphs! :lol:

Agreed!

That's some scary shit, having your ECU completely fouled up. Much safer to use the PC IMO.

I don't think so, I have a PC with a Timing module as well as a TRE on my Busa. (roughly $800 in additional electronics) to do what the ECU Flashing unit can do.
Yesterday BTW was proof that you can't Toast the ECU. The truth is that if I had had the foresight to save the map that was on the bike to the computer I would have been back to stock in 10 minutes.
Once I had the Correct base map it was a cinch. I have to say that this is one of the nicest setups for my kind of use I have every run across. More and more of the Dynos are running this rather than PC's

That's the thing though- getting back to stock. You won't actually fry the ecu, but you could get stuck with a useless map. Then how do you get back? With a PC, you just unplug it.

Nah, unless you are this cat, you save the stock map to file. If there is a problem, you just flash it back... this isn't "new", Yoshimura used to sell a race kit that did this for my 2001 GSXR.:idk: I'm glad that he figured it out anyway.

As I said I was the Problem it I had taken the minute to record my Base Map The frustration would have been avoided I am amazed at how much of an Idiot Kit this has evolved into. Amber you are right it is not new but Yoshi Boxes when I priced them a year ago were well North of $700. I actually at that time put out feelers to see if there would be interest is forming a limit trust in my area to buy the whole Yoshi set up to share between a group of us and had no takers
This kit offers the 98% same functionality for $200. Again had I followed directions I would not have flashed it without Recording my Base map.
We are Clear that I was the souurce of the frustation which is why I title the post Heads Up.
I think this offer a good value for those of us. Interestingly this kit is being used by Schnitz and quite a few other racers. Letting the ECU control boost and Secondaries something stock bikes never did. THere are of course Lots of other ways to edit the ECU Benchtop Kits If you are technically inclined you can build a Kit. But we are no longer to High Price Reflashes at StealerShips or Adding another box to the bike every time.

Sweet, good to know.

So I can have two separate maps, and just flash them with a laptop?

I would wonder what mapping software I would use up here(I think our bikes are euro spec, but they could also be US Spec).

Yes you can have multiple maps saved to you laptop and if you are setup correctly as I understand it you can actually do data logging so you plug in do the flash (This take 5 to 10 minutes longer than the PC) make a couple of runs come back, check the data and adjust accordingly.