If we’re honest we had a few teething problems when we started remapping Kawasaki’s ZX-10R – but we’ve got it all sorted now and have turned out quite a few. And do you know what? This is a great bike to remap and it responds well. Firstly, we can switch off the dreaded lambda – with an 02 Eliminator kit you end up with all sorts of lights lit up, and early on with Power Commander there were misfires and other issues.
So by accessing the ECU directly we’ve got around all those problems and can turn off the flap-valve for the exhaust and anything emissions related. Also we’re able to switch the traction control to manual, which means you can select modes while riding (rather than at standstill). All the normal stuff, fuelling and ignition tables are also fully adjustable.
There’s a trim table in the ECU, which is handy if you’ve just got a can fitted and the engine needs a little more fuel. We can also change the top and bottom injector balance.
Just a bit of advice; most people leave the standard titanium downpipes on and take the catalyzer out of the link pipe and put a can on. Put the longest can on you, er, can. They run better. We do notice quite a variation in what these engines end up making but post remap with an open end-can you’ll end up with an extra 7-8bhp up top with a nice gain in the midrange. And when we say midrange we mean from 5,000rpm upwards (these things come on really strong at 8,000rpm). They do get better with a few miles on too – these engines are tough, although earlier bikes did suffer some gearbox weakness. At least it’s cassette and pulls straight out.
Kawasaki’s ZX-10R has a monster motor that responds well to an ECU remap.
