motorcycles, technology, music, business

Riding in on my way to work this morning, the question danced across my mind: Have I finally found the bike within my bike? That bike that is smooth, predicable, and ride-able?

Perhaps I have.

I first rode my step-father’s 2008 Yamaha FZ1 and loved it. It was the sportiest bike I had ever ridden to that point and it, by comparison to my 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, was sporty. Yet it was also practical for around town and long(er) trips.

After returning from that wonderful trip, within a week I had posted my Sportster for sale on Craigslist, and within a month or so I had purchased a used 2006 Yamaha FZ1 from a nice gentlemen in upstate New York via eBay. I was very excited to get the bike and really enjoyed its power and handling.

Relatively soon after buying it I started playing with the suspension and geometry to get it to handle better and at the beginning of the next season I did my best to set-up the suspension right. Also, soon after I got the bike I noticed that the throttle response at roll on was rather snatchy. I thought, and had hoped, the Ivan’s FCE (Fuel Cut Eliminator) would resolve this. After receiving an FCE via a generous Christmas gift, I installed it and liked what I felt.

Within just a few months of having this bike I had taken the time to adjust the suspension and geometry and also try to make some fueling modifications. My tweaks would work for most of that season, but as I got more experienced riding a sport bike, I started to want a better cornering experience. It took some time, but I figured out that I couldn’t trust my bike while it was leaned over because the throttle was so snatchy that I was afraid it would push me right out of the turn when I rolled back on the throttle. With that feeling, I couldn’t lean over as far and I would drive one or two gears higher than I wanted in order to not be in the meat of the power range when I rolled back on.

I began to question the FZ1. And I listed it on Craigslist several times but (perhaps thankfully) was unable to sell.

At some point I couldn’t take it anymore, I either needed to fix the problem or sell it. Since selling it and buying a new bike was out of my budget, I decided to try the ECUnleashed service. They should really advertise more, because I think I came across them rather accidentally on an FZ1 forum. The result was bike-saving, in that I didn’t feel the need to immediately sell my bike any more. It even seemed to increase my fuel economy while increasing the power and smoothness.

It was a lot smoother. As I got still more comfortable with it I still felt some of that snatchy throttle though. So, one morning before work I decided to put my FCE back in.

Got the bike opened and reinstalled the Ivan’s FCE in under 50 minutes. I could almost open that thing blind folded now. #FZ1 #fb

— Jeremy Blanchard (@jeremyblanchard) July 13, 2012

Three commutes later, with some rides through the Blue Hills, brings us up to the question posed at the beginning of this post. It seems, at least for now, that the combination of the ECUnleashed ECU and the FCE has resulted in a much smoother power delivery throughout the rev range of my 2006 Yamaha FZ1. I wish I could have sold my FCE to cover some of the cost of the ECU service but alas, I will take a better behaved bike.

My initial thoughts are that the FCE removes a bit of the Unleashed-ness making the bike feel a little less raw. This means that the bike is slightly less exhilarating, but much smoother and predicable mid-corner, which is what I have been shooting for all along.

In short here is my evaluation of the 2006 Yamaha FZ1:

1. Stock – Sell it!
2. FCE – Keep it for a while
3. ECUnleashed – Keep it for a longer while
4. FCE + ECUnleashed – Keep it (at least until your needs or wants change)

I now feel that I have a nice, predictable, yet powerful platform on which I can continue to fine tune various aspects to hone in on a better riding machine for my needs. Before, I didn’t want to try to build on top of a faulty foundation, but now I feel better about the idea of spending some money on certain accessories since I should get some return out of them.

Thanks for reading and happy riding.

A little over a week ago I quickly sent the ECU of my 2006 Yamaha FZ1 out to California to a little company called ECUnleashed.

For those of you who like to read the ending first … as a quick review of ECUnleashed I offer you this:
Website = ok/poor
Service = good enough
Product = bike saving (I’ll explain later)
Price = $100 more than I would comfortably pay, however, I paid it so maybe their pricing structure is good too

Why did I describe the product as “bike saving”? As you may or may not know, the 2006 Yamaha FZ1 was the first year with the Electronic Fuel Injected (EFI) engine. This was Yamaha’s first attempt and mapping the engine to correctly while still adhering to EPA emission standards. Let’s just say that they, Yamaha, got it wrong. They got it terribly wrong.

The throttle was incredibly “snatchy” on both roll off and roll on. This made the bike very untrustworthy in corners, not to mention uncomfortable at low speeds in traffic or around town.

I installed an Fuel Cut Eliminator (FCE) by Ivan’s and that helped but didn’t completely resolve the issue. The FCE made enough of a difference to help me keep the bike another season, but as I gained in rider sophistication I found it still lacking. I could still not really trust the bike to not slide the rear tire out from under me upon roll on in a corner.

If you have read this blog you are aware that I fancy a Triumph Daytona 675R and that I have even listed my current FZ1 for sale several times. Well, this is largely due to the above throttle problems. I began to notice it more and more. It was sucking the enjoyment out of riding, which isn’t easy to do and when done is a total downer.

I don’t remember the first place I came across an article or, more likely, a forum post which mentioned the ECUnleashed re-mapping service, but I was instantly intrigued as I was becoming desperate.

After reading several posts on the Yamaha FZ1 OA forum and doing some additional research I reached out to the ‘local’ Connecticut dealer. Well, let’s just say that I was quite underwhelmed by their response and level of service. They said they didn’t have a file for an FZ1 and made no offer or mention of obtaining one.

After that disappointing interaction, I reached out to ECUnleashed directly asking them which dealer had an FZ1 map to which I could send my ECU. After a week and a half of silence, I reached out to them again asking if they were still in business. That question got a much better response. After some back and forth, they instructed me to send it to them in California.

Even though I was waiting on their response to some of my questions, I sent my ECU off anyway as the forecast showed rain for the next week. All in all I only missed two days of great riding weather but it was torture all the same. ECUnleashed was kind enough to foot the bill for the expedited return shipping.

After receiving the package I spent the next fifteen minutes hooking it back up to the bike.

1. gathered tools
2. disconnected battery (may not be necessary)
3. connected ECU
4. connected battery
5. connected thing on top of the airbox
6. turned the key

After the longest 5 seconds of my recent past there were no error codes or warning lights, which meant it was time to proceed to the next stage.

1. tighten velocity stacks
2. replace airbox cover
3. start the bike

It started right up and idled nicely, and a bit higher than before the re-map (expected result). On to the final assembly stage.

1. tighten airbox cover
2. lower and tighten gas tank
3. tighten fairings
4. replace seats

After all that, I remembered that I neglected to replace a zip tie securing the dust flap. It is still in place but is not “secured” by the second zip tie. I’ll replace it the next time I open her up.

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I tried to pace myself while getting my gear on. After putting on all my gear I checked the tire pressure and proceeded down the driveway.

As soon as I left the driveway I could feel a significant difference, mostly reduced engine breaking, as I slowly drove past the neighborhood kids on their big wheels, the bike wasn’t fighting me like it normally is at slow speeds. Coming to the stop sign it was obvious that the engine braking had been dramatically reduced for the better.

It wouldn’t be until my first significant turn when I would be able to really tell if it had the desired effect. After my first turn I became outwardly excited and almost giddy as the throttle “snatch” did not raise it’s ugly head. I filled up the tank and was off into the Blue Hills hoping people wouldn’t get in front of me. I had one or two turns before catching up to a car. I was getting more excited with the smoothness of the throttle. I began to trust the bike more.

Advancing to my favorite little stretch I was able to ride a few more good fast turns. I have never had this much confidence in this bike.

ECUnleashed also claims to remove restrictions in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear and I can attest to this, but my main reason for buying the re-map was not for added power but for smoother controlled power, and after my short rider I am very pleased with the result.

I will be paying more attention in the coming weeks to give more detailed feedback. There is still significant engine breaking and a bit of an abrupt roll-on above 6k rpm, but that could be that no engine likes to rev that high without being fed a fair amount of gas.

Lastly, while on my ride, I came across another rider fully decked out head to toe in Ducati Corse gear riding a Ducati Corse 1198, with his buddy taking his photo. The photographer took a few of me as well, but it started to rain so I did not stop and inquire further. It would be fun to see how the photos turned out though, so if you happen to come across this post, drop me a line.

Thanks for reading and happy riding.