A stock, but nice and loose KTM 990 SMT in for an ECU remap.
With all of these ECU remaps we make a point of riding the bike as it comes in, and when it goes out to have a ‘real world’ reference point. Next job is to plug into the ECU and download its map so we can get to work. Switching off the lambdas was first (we’d rather remap to open cans, but they can be left in place) but we didn’t fuel it as heavily under 4,000rpm to protect the cats.
Next up, the secondary butterflies which do have a major impact on how these bikes run. You can’t remove them completely, but we modify the map to open them earlier. There are four main fuel maps, four Manifold Air Pressure maps and five ignition maps to adjust so there are no quick fixes here. Looking at the ignition map of this particular ECU we could see things that simply weren’t good for a roadbike ridden in general road situations; from an outright performance or race perspective it may be good, but not on the road. We spent a lot of time in this particular area of the map, in order to deliver much more on/off throttle civility and useability.
The owner wasn’t interested in extra rpm, so we left the limiter set where it was stock. Riding the bike after the work had been done showed a noticeable, and very positive, difference; it had gained midrange power thanks to the tailored ignition map and the sharp, harshness of the power delivery was smoothed. And as far as peak horsepower, this one’s the winner – 119bhp at the back wheel! They usually come in around 114bhp. A properly used engine, we reckon…
The winner! 119bhp at the back wheel, a BSD record.
