[Patmo]

So this past winter I took the ECU out of my 2019 650 Versys and sent it off to Steve to get the flash done. First off, he turned it around to me in just a couple of days. All told from the time I took it out boxed it up and shipped it to him, until the time I got it back was less than a week. All through the process the communication was first rate. Steve let me know when he got the ECU and when he had shipped it back to me, along with tracking information. Superior service.

Today the weather finally warmed up enough to actually ride it and test it. The roads are mostly clean and the only snow left around here is where it was piled high and the sun doesn’t hit it much. So off I went. So how does it work? In a word...Fantastic! I couldn’t be more pleased. The power increase is very noticeable. It accelerates like never before amd builds power all the way to the red line. It’s like a totally different bike and reminds me more of my old Ninja than anything else. Tons of fun! Love it!

 

[twowheeladdict]

Will the fuel economy change?

 

[Patmo]

Will the fuel economy change?

I’ve been told that it will decrease it by a couple of mpg. I’d say that pretty accurate, but possibly that s because it’s so much fun now to rev the bike out in the gears.

 

[fasteddiecopeman]

i e been told that it will decrease it by a couple of mpg. I’d say that pretty accurate, but possibly that s because it’s so much fun now to rev the bike out in the gears.

Also because it's NOT running so lean.

 

[Patmo]

Well, yeah I’m sure that’s part of it too, but I really don’t care...LOL. It’s just so much more fun now than it was. Ain’t that what it’s really all about?

 

[onewizard]

Yes it is hard to believe , when it comes down to it, do you budget fuel for your bike for the year?? What about insurance cost while it sits in the garage? Take two identical V650, one with the flash one without, get someone to test ride it, I will guarantee no matter what your riding style is, the flash will come out on top. As to fuel mileage, I did a post earlier , below 90/KM per HR I get over 450 to 500 KM on a tank on my 2015.

 

[saltspring]

I

Yes it is hard to believe , when it comes down to it, do you budget fuel for your bike for the year?? What about insurance cost while it sits in the garage? Take two identical V650, one with the flash one without, get someone to test ride it, I will guarantee no matter what your riding style is, the flash will come out on top. As to fuel mileage, I did a post earlier , below 90/KM per HR I get over 450 to 500 KM on a tank on my 2015.

I agree with Patmo and onewizard 1000 %.
I got my ECU flashed by shoodabeen last year on my 2015 V650 and it COMPLETELY improved the whole riding experience!!!! Engine performance now feels totally different/better than before ECU flash!

I have never cared about fuel milage on a bike, and I care less now...I TRY to twist the wrist as much as I can at every single chance I get...as safety permits of course.
And as onewizard says, the V650 gets excellent milage anyway.

I did have to pay CND customs a bunch of cash to get my ECU back on the return shipping as they charged me duty/fees on 1000.00 ECU value instead of the "repair fee" of 300.00, but I appealed it successfully and got correct $ back. Shoodabeen requires insurance to ship/return, which is a good thing.

JUST DO IT, you wont be disappointed, guaranteed!!!!!!!

 

[hwit cniht]

Will the fuel economy change?

2019 V 650 - hindle full system with custom ECU flash. Mileage dropped 5%, give or take.

 

[mbjenkins]

What did it do for throttle smoothness in low gears. My only real complaint with my 2019 Versys 650 is throttle response at low speeds - how jerky the throttle is when downshifting to second to take turns and when throttling back up at low speeds. (I also have a Honda CB300F and the Honda is really smooth compared to the Kawi.) I've been toying with the idea of a power commander or booster plug or even an ECU flash, but figured I'd give it another season. I'm also curious about any serious change to fuel efficiency. Thanks.

 

[mbjenkins]

BTW - I've taken to re-setting Trip A and snapping a photo of the odometer and fuel pump most times I fill up. Here's a table of my actual mileage, US gallons, stock engine configuration. Note, with the 2019 Versys 650, it starts flashing E when there's still 1.5 US gallons remaining. The tank capacity is 5.5 US gallons. I tend to drive a lot of twisty roads interspersed with small highways. Might get slightly better mileage if I did more highway stretches.

	1999 Kawasaki Versys 650
Miles	US Gallons	MPG
192.1​	3.652​	52.60​
156.4​	2.813​	55.60​
127.1​	2.298​	55.31​
200.7​	3.687​	54.43​
172.1​	3.293​	52.26​
139.1​	2.569​	54.15​
141.6​	2.969​	47.69​
	Average MPG:	53.15​

 

[Steve in Sunny Fl]

What did it do for throttle smoothness in low gears. My only real complaint with my 2019 Versys 650 is throttle response at low speeds - how jerky the throttle is when downshifting to second to take turns and when throttling back up at low speeds. (I also have a Honda CB300F and the Honda is really smooth compared to the Kawi.) I've been toying with the idea of a power commander or booster plug or even an ECU flash, but figured I'd give it another season. I'm also curious about any serious change to fuel efficiency. Thanks.

Do you do facebook? I did a write up on my Shoodaben Engineering FB page that specifically addresses the technical differences between the ECU flash, booster plug, and power commander. No tricks, no smoke and mirrors. An educated consumer is the the best customer.
During my testing I recorded no loss in fuel economy. The problem is that the bike runs better and there's a tendency to "enjoy" it more.

 

[Fly-Sig]

What did it do for throttle smoothness in low gears. My only real complaint with my 2019 Versys 650 is throttle response at low speeds - how jerky the throttle is when downshifting to second to take turns and when throttling back up at low speeds. (I also have a Honda CB300F and the Honda is really smooth compared to the Kawi.) I've been toying with the idea of a power commander or booster plug or even an ECU flash, but figured I'd give it another season. I'm also curious about any serious change to fuel efficiency. Thanks.

It did magic! I had the exact same complaints with my 2015. Jerky throttle when riding mildly around town. It also stumbled between about 2000-3500 rpms with a steady throttle. The ECU flash totally cured it all.

MPG seems to have dropped slightly. I rarely get over 50 now. But I also ride with square box luggage most of the time now, which I didn't do at first, especially on the highway. The flash gets rid of the super lean low rpm low throttle regime, which is where I rode a lot, so I am not surprised mpg went down.

I live at high elevation in the mountains, above 7000 ft, fwiw.

For me, the flash turned the bike into a joy to ride. I was seriously considering selling it and getting something completely different. Losing 2 mpg is well worth the tradeoff. Also, it confirms the root problem, a too-lean factory program.

 

[Ddan]

Hello. I would like to chime in as another who got my ECU flashed by Shoodabeen. This quickly corrected the twitchy off idle throttle, and it sure seems to run better throughout the rev range. I would gladly do it again. Very quick turnaround from Steve as well.

 

[Kris]

So this past winter I took the ECU out of my 2019 650 Versys and sent it off to Steve to get the flash done. First off, he turned it around to me in just a couple of days. All told from the time I took it out boxed it up and shipped it to him, until the time I got it back was less than a week. All through the process the communication was first rate. Steve let me know when he got the ECU and when he had shipped it back to me, along with tracking information. Superior service.

Today the weather finally warmed up enough to actually ride it and test it. The roads are mostly clean and the only snow left around here is where it was piled high and the sun doesn’t hit it much. So off I went. So how does it work? In a word...Fantastic! I couldn’t be more pleased. The power increase is very noticeable. It accelerates like never before amd builds power all the way to the red line. It’s like a totally different bike and reminds me more of my old Ninja than anything else. Tons of fun! Love it!

You wrote that the bike can reach the red line? I can never reach the red line on the 6th gear. on the 5th gear, the bike can reach red line and the speed recorded is 180km/h. This would mean, that you are able to reach 200km/h on the 6th gear? It is kind of unlikely. From my email exchange with Steve, he wrote not to expect an increase in power, but rather an overall better performance.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

You wrote that the bike can reach the red line? I can never reach the red line on the 6th gear. on the 5th gear, the bike can reach red line and the speed recorded is 180km/h. This would mean, that you are able to reach 200km/h on the 6th gear? It is kind of unlikely. From my email exchange with Steve, he wrote not to expect an increase in power, but rather an overall better performance.

Hope you are joking. The OP never claimed he reached red line in top gear. Is this your first bike??? If so, be aware that generally speaking, bikes don't hit red line in the top gear(s). What he meant is that when he is in gears capable of maxing out RPM, the power continues to build better all the way up to red line, as opposed to plateauing before the cut off.

 

[Patmo]

You wrote that the bike can reach the red line? I can never reach the red line on the 6th gear. on the 5th gear, the bike can reach red line and the speed recorded is 180km/h. This would mean, that you are able to reach 200km/h on the 6th gear? It is kind of unlikely. From my email exchange with Steve, he wrote not to expect an increase in power, but rather an overall better performance.

i don‘t know about reaching redline in 6th gear. I will tell you that I’ve gotten into triple digits in MPH and there was still some left when I let off. It was still accelerating. Its accelerates much quicker in the lower gears than in top gear, of course. I’ve found that I’m traveling the back roads in the same speed range that I was able to do with my Ninja 600, and it feels I’m doing it just as easily, but a lot more comfortably.