First time on the dyno? Motorcycle tuning maps give you insight into where your bike is performing well and where it needs improvement. Your dyno tuner will provide you with some charts that show how performance parts behaved under different circumstances. From there, you can decide if you want to tune your bike (make sure it’s operating at its best under the manufacturer’s settings) or ECU Flash (rewrite those settings and tune specifically to your needs).
ECU Mapping on the Dyno vs with an ECU Flash
On the dyno, your ECU maps are responding to the conditions in the dyno tuner’s studio. These can’t account for humidity, altitude, the way you ride, traffic, terrain and other key factors. The result? The map adjustments done on the dyno won’t necessarily line up with your ride on the road. With an ECU Flash, you can adjust the maps yourself as often as you like. You can also use Woolich Autotune to generate maps in real-time, based on the data you gather while riding. You can then make manual adjustments to optimize your ride and tune your bike to its limit.
Learn More About Advanced Motorcycle ECU Mapping
What’s Involved in a Dyno Tune?
- Generally, before you head to the dyno tuner, you should check the bike’s condition to make sure there are no issues with seals that could impact the results of the tune. Fill up your bike with high-quality fuel, and make sure your tyres and battery are in good shape.
- Once at the tune shop, your dyno tuner will warm the bike up to operating temperature and do an initial run of reports to establish the “baseline” to be improved.
- You may then review the results and give feedback on where you most want to see improvement and any issues you’ve noticed that you’d like to overcome.
- Your dyno tuner will then begin adjusting the motorcycle tuning maps to improve performance.
- They’ll then do multiple runs to simulate different conditions and get consistent data over all RPM ranges.
- Once completed, the dyno tuner will regenerate your maps so you can see improvements in power and torque curves and key data points.
- You should then take your bike for a test ride so that you can feel the differences out on the road.
What To Look For On Your Dyno Tune Charts
Power and Torque Graphs
These should be smooth and consistent. Check for any ranges that are underperforming.
Power Graph: The power output (rate at which the engine is working) across different RPMs.
Torque Graph: The torque output (amount of force produced by your engine) across different RPMs.
Air-Fuel Ratio Graphs
By default, these should be as close to 14.7:1 as possible across all RPM ranges. Your dyno tuner will discuss the benefits of tuning your bike rich (more fuel) or lean (more air), depending on how you ride. Learn more about motorcycle air-fuel ratio.
Lambda Value Graph
This measures the difference between the air-fuel ratio going into the combustion chamber and the output of the chamber. This tells you if your bike is burning fuel efficiently. The standard number is as close to 1.0 as possible. However, your dyno tuner may discuss the benefits of higher or lower numbers.
How To Use Your Tuning Maps
Once you have your motorcycle’s tuning maps, you’ll begin to understand why your bike performs the way it does. From there, you can make decisions about improving or changing its performance.
Air-Fuel Ratio Adjustments
Learn more about your Motorcycle’s Air-Fuel Ratio.
One of the most important parameters for performance, this measures the mixture’s air-to-fuel ratio. This will determine how well the spark plugs fire and impact all areas of motorcycle engine performance. Generally, your motorcycle will target an air-to-fuel ratio of 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel for stoichiometric combustion. A bike running rich (more fuel) or lean (more air) will perform very differently.
The benefits of tweaking your air-fuel ratio:
- Improved performance
- Less engine wear and tear
- Enhanced power and more consistent engine output
The issues:
- Air-fuel ratio adjustments can do more harm than good and should be carried out by an expert.
- Some air-fuel ratio adjustments may violate local or national emissions laws.
- Can result in poor fuel efficiency.
- The air-fuel ratio needs to change depending on altitude, terrain and humidity, so the performance on the dyno may not match performance in the real world.
- The air-fuel ratio may need to be adjusted before or even during a touring ride if the ride includes mountain peaks or low-lying and very humid areas.
Adjusting Your Ignition Timing
Your ignition maps will tell you if your engine is firing too early or too late. Even a split second can create knocking and other problems with performance.
Measuring Throttle Position vs RPM
This measures how the bike responds to you when you open the throttle. If your bike isn’t giving you the power you need, accelerates sluggishly, or is burning too much fuel, you can use your mapping to redefine this parameter.
How To Assess Your Dyno Tune
Once your dyno tuner has gathered all the information from your engine, they’ll make adjustments to improve any poor results or to allow for your requests as the rider. Then they’ll re-map to make sure that the bike is now running at optimal “dyno tune.” On your second round of reports, you should see improvements across the numbers and curves on the charts.
How To Assess It On The Road
Here’s the thing: what happens on the dynamometer is all about the dynamometer. Once you’re out on the road, on the track, or on an adventure, the impact you saw on the dyno may not translate. Your bike’s performance is impacted by the weather conditions, barometric pressure, altitude, road conditions, and how you ride (not how your dyno tuner tests). So, consider the different conditions in the tune shop before testing your newly dyno-tuned bike out on a ride.
Here’s what you should notice after a dyno tune:
- More power across all RPMs
- More torque across all RPMs
- Changes in fuel efficiency
- Better throttle response
- Smoother all-round ride
- Any specific issues you raised with your dyno tuner should now be sorted.
ECU Flashing vs Dyno Tuning
Motorcycle ECU mapping and remapping can be done on different levels. A dyno tune, like a mechanic, should be part of your motorcycle maintenance.
ECU Flashing allows you to deep dive into your bike’s performance. You can start with a clean slate, addressing fine details and tweaking performance parameters well beyond what can be achieved on the dynamometer using manufacturer settings.