Hi guys,
Just thought i'd put my 2 cents in about the MyECU. I've had the usual stumbles and tried the usual fixes including alternate chips and pro/dyno tunes with AF sensors but it seems unless you can get your hands on a FIM chip they all have shortcomings when it just doesn't have to be that way when fundamentally it shares the same hardware as bikes 15 and 20 years newer. So I went looking for a tuneable fix. Many of the big name aftermarket ECU companies could offer me a solution but only their top of range models would cope with the Ducati’s “odd fire” firing pattern. To be fair megasquirt said they might be able to help but it wasn't a plug in solution.
Then I came across the MyECU
http://www.myecu.biz/MyECU/index.htm in our glorious forum. MyECU can replace the Marelli P7/P8 (generally early 90’s), Marelli 16M (late 90’s) and 15M (early 2000’s) using the factory sensors as a plug in replacement for your factory ECU. The MyECU has more features than the factory unit such as the ability to run closed loop O2 correction and supports some easy (user / rider based) tools to optimise the tune of the bike. All this for AU$660 inc GST (so AU$600 for you non-Aussie people not including shipping but fully assembled). I've put the myECU in a later and smaller M16 box which handily gave me more space for the O2 controller.
Against about $500 for a power commander that would need to be wired in plus dyno tuning this is pretty good value for money. And if you are good with a soldering iron Cliff will even sell you the components and instructions to convert your box into a MyECU for AU$200.
I was keen to use the closed loop functionality of the MyECU (not offered by Powercommander or the factory ECU) as this helps you tune your MyECU to a map custom to your specific bike – regardless of what changes you make. Once I had fitted the wide band O2 sensor getting the bike started and running better than it ever has only took a couple of hours. Of course I’ve since spent another couple of hours tidying up various bits and pieces.
Going down the path of wide band O2 sensors was not quite as simple but still straightforward. I chose to use a Spartan 2 by 14point7
http://www.14point7.com/products/sparta ... ntroller-2 . These are pretty good value (AU$220) and compared to some of the competitive wide band products using the latest Bosch sensor the features I liked about the Spartan 2 unit are the fact that they unit is compact and that the long cable tail is easily trimmed to length on a bike (not pre-terminated with custom plugs on the ends of unnecessary cable length) and also it is self calibrating so that provided you follow the instructions it’s plug and play. It also includes a bung to weld to your exhaust.
My O2 sensor was fitted after my exhaust collector on the inside right hand curve of the exhaust pipe under the engine. It’s a compromise position balancing distance from head (away from too much heat), distance from the end of the muffler (a source of oxygen that might cause misreading on the sensor), aesthetics (you can’t see it unless you get under the bike) but still retains the preferred amount of “drainage” tilt. Getting this welded in at the local exhaust shop was about $40.
Now the bike starts and runs like modern injected bike. And until I had ridden it with the new set up I hadn’t realised how much bottom and mid-range performance I was missing. All I can say is that I should have done this first up and not mucked around with alternate chips and trying to tune out the worst of the “flat spot” with the air bleeds etc.
I reckon it is well worth checking out.
