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ECU / Shoodaben Engineering ECU Flash....Thumbs UP!

12K views 32 replies 12 participants last post by  Kris 
#1 ·
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!
 
#6 ·
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.
 
#7 ·
I


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!!!!!!!
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
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.
 
#10 ·
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
MilesUS GallonsMPG
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​
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#15 ·
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.
 
#22 ·
now it seems that this time customs in Thailand are annoying me. "
A clearance other than standard Customs entry is required for this shipment.
Next Step
Further processing will occur as instructed by the regulatory authority. A DHL representative shall attempt to contact the importer or shipper if further information is required"
 
#23 · (Edited)
ok, so I was completely ripped off my customs. a little bit in Germany, and in Thailand A LOT, I basically payed the price of a new ECU. and there is no way make an appeal, as there is a complete mafia here.

the question is - was it worthy it? I sent 2 ECU's 650 and 1000 and the latter one is still stuck in customs. It was my mistake that I insured them, because it gives customs an approximate what they are worth so they can rip me off. If anything, insuring them for half price makes more sense.

All what I got from 'being said from 'repair' is that they these crooks were holding them ECU's for one week, while giving me the quota for new ECU's being imported.

if you live in USA, there is no doubt that you should go for that upgrade. considering what you get is certainly worth the expense. if you live somewhere else, I would not be so sure. depending how much money you have. I spent 1250 euros (for 2 ecus's) for the import taxes.

The difference with my 650 is noticeable, but not huge considering that I had my O2 sensor removed and BP installed. there is not doubt that Steve did a great job. I need to test the bike further. I go tomorrow for a long trip, so I will gather more experience. I did notice so far that the transition between gears is smoother and engine braking softer. i am sure that many of you guys are more sensitive in these matters.
 
#24 · (Edited)
the thing that I am wondering is that according to Steve, the rev limiter was reduced to 9500 rpm. it is not really important as I don't like to stress the bike anyway, but after the flash, my rev limiter kicked in at 1000rpm, as the factory one. I had to get there by riding on 5th gear, but still.

by the way, in the ECU flash in Versys 1000, I feel more increase in power than in 650, not just smoothness.
 
#27 ·
I recently went through some writings of Steve, and what puzzled me is him saying it is not true that modern bikes run lean from the factory. It is kind of against what everybody else is saying. In my carb bikes, I check the colour of my spark plug after riding 10km, and it should be light brown (one checks it in different throttle position, as carburators have 3 main fuel delivery systems). But in modern bikes it is difficult to access the spark plug and every spark plug eventually becomes dark. I did check the spark plug on my KLX230, which is easily accessible (after 1000km) and it was indeed on the darker side, even too dark (but it is an air cooled bike so it makes sense) which made me conclude that fitting any fuel enricher would be counterproductive.

if indeed the modern bikes do not run lean, so fitting EJK or BP would just make them run too rich. On the other side, my CRF250 with EJK does run stronger, and people do report improvement with BP. It is also possible that in certain range of rpm or while accelerating or decelerating the bike may run too lean. And it begs another question, does having an open exhaust leans out the air/fuel mixture? Any thoughts?
 
#30 ·
Y'all ought to datalog with a WB02 sensor... that might change your opinions about what is really happening. Plug reading is seriously outdated, and yes, a rich mix might feel "stronger" because there's more fuel on tap from the initial throttle tip in, but it wastes fuel in everything but the initial throttle opening.
 
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