Alex Milne is a development engineer for Bentley – so it’s fair to say he’s got a better grasp than most on all things technical! He recently brought his Suzuki GSX-R750 in for an ECU remap, and when he got back took the time to put fingers to keyboard and record his experience. Cheers mate!
Alex’s GSX-R – remapped!
Dear Mark and the team at BSD,
I can’t speak highly enough of you and how happy I am with my bike, what a fantastic and professional team you lot are! I would like to write about my whole experience, not just the re-map, as I thoroughly enjoyed coming down to you for an excellent job well done and fantastic company and service. So I have taken the time to write a review. So here goes:
After a very miserable, wet and windy 200 mile ride two’s up from Manchester, Unfortunately me and my brother rocked up an hour late and nearly missed our slot! But not to worry you made the time and fitted us in any way!
As we entered the reception, wet and cold, we were met by a lovely lady, who straight away offered us a cup of coffee and made us feel right at home. Looking around the reception, I knew I was in good hands, not only from the previous reviews I had read, but to see the years of motorcycle memorabilia, trophies, articles about BSD and specifically Mark, further eased my apprehension about my baby being played with. I needn’t have worried as you only need to speak to them to know their exuberance comes with years of passion and time served knowledge.
Now, as an engineer in the automotive industry myself and having dealt with systems such as Motec, PI, Aim, Bazzaz and having spent years spannering cars and reading telemetry data for race teams. I knew I had a good grasp of what was about to be done to my bike and why, but let me tell you, what mark did far exceeded my expectations.
As he rolled my bike into the workshop to be prepped for the re-map, a young apprentice took the reins and prepped my bike. After the prep work had been done it was onto the dyno to be live mapped by utilising Woolich Racing’s Log box Pro. Now I knew, this was just the software needed to get into the ECU, the talent lies with what Mark can do with it! So I left him to work his magic and after which he called me in and explained fully what he had done.
Now, my understanding was that Suzuki engines are built for the best they can possibly do, before emissions get hold of it and strangle its neck, so by removing the emissions restrictions, you are actually enabling the engine to perform as Suzuki intended.
I was not disappointed! In the prep work the secondary air had been blanked off, (which is a system to bleed more air into the exhaust to trick the emissions test at certain RPM) so this was a good start! Then Mark explained what he’d actually done any why, and why choosing this route far exceeds anything a piggy back system, like a Power Commander can do.
From the software Mark was able to adjust the following and to suit my bike, live as it ran on the dyno – he can adjust a hell of a lot more than what I have listed with the software, but for road use he stuck with the following:
- IAP Fuel Maps (Inlet Air pressure)
- TPS Fuel Maps (Throttle Position Sensor)
- Ignition Timing Maps
- Secondary Throttle Plate (STP) Opening Maps
- Adjust RPM Limiters
- Disable Top Speed Limiter
- Disable Stock O2 Sensor
By adjusting all these parameters and amalgamating my fuel maps and gear maps, of which I have 1 for each cylinder and 1 for each gear, again for emissions, he simplified what was going on in the ECU. Taking away all the unnecessary rubbish that’s needed for emissions such as Lambda input and focusing on rideability.
He eliminated the snatchy throttle, that plagues Suzukis from idle and setting off. He adjusted the fuelling to suit the lack of catalytic converter, K&N race filter and open pipe that was now on, adding more where it was needed and taking some away where it wasn’t. He adjusted the IAP and TPS maps along with enabling the secondary butterflies to open sooner give really smooth progressive power curve and eliminate the 6000-8000rmp bog that again is mapped in for emissions.
He also disabled the top speed limiter 😉 and adjusted the idle RMP so that it aided the hunting that Suzukis do once a pipe is fitted. This meant a true 133bhp at the rear wheel was achieved on the dyno.
Now I came expecting bigger numbers that that to be honest and it didn’t really impress me just looking at a number, but I quickly realised how wrong I was and that it’s not ‘Pub talk’ BHP that matters, it’s how it rides and how you can actually use it on the road…!
Well I was ecstatic to ride it back and what a pleasure it was. The bike just sounded so crisp and proper, I could tell the fuelling was sorted! The exhaust note had changed from a boggy ‘burrrrrrrr’ with clearly too much air going in and the ECU struggling to sort it with in it’s parameters.
It was also lean backfiring all over the place, It changed to a crisp and angelic ‘whaaaaaaaaaaa.’ Not only that but with the butterflies opening sooner, it made it so much more progressive and useable to ride, enabling you to roll on in a higher gear without having to downshift and giving you more usability of the power generated.
And when you do use that power and take it to the redline and click into the next gear, it chirps with the shift sound you only expect to hear on a race track. Just to clarify, that is not because it’s running lean, it isn’t, Race bikes sit about 13.6-13.9 AFRs so crack as they change gear as fuel in banged out the exhaust. For road mine was sitting at 13.2, perfect for road use and day to day! And just gave a lovely sounding chirp as I changed gear.
Well I was over the moon with the transformation, it was like riding a new bike, sorted, sounding great and pulling like a train! Fantastic! To summarise why I’m writing this review, is to tell fellow bikers who read it, my experience from a customer point of view and to tell you, if you are considering it, just get it done, it’ll be the best money you’ll spend and you won’t regret it.
Mark and his team are bikers to the core with enthusiasm that’s infectious and gives you that feel good feeling just being in their company, and for the ones who genuinely understand all the techy stuff and mind boggling numbers and for the ones who don’t, you will both come away having learnt something as I’m sure Mark will take the time to explain, as he did in detail to me.
What a fantastic place! Well worth the ride anytime come rain, snow or shine!.
I wish you all the best and I will definitely be seeing you again soon!
| Alex Milne |
