This is my review of Ivan’s Concours 14 ecu flash.
I am not a techie.
Although graphs, tables, and charts are available on Ivan’s web site to support my experience, I won’t be referencing them because I don’t completely understand them and it would be disingenuous for me to use them as evidence for my riding impressions. Also, although I’ve been riding for decades and I’m used to big bikes – after years on a Yamaha XS1100, I put 150k on a Honda ST1100 before moving on and rode around Europe on a BMW R1200 RT – this is my first Kawi.
That having been said, there’s a huge positive difference between the behavior of the ecu on my 2016 C14 before and after the flash. The first thing I noticed was the throttle response, which went from lagging and slow to immediate and zippy. It made the bike feel more nimble. I was surprised that the flash could and would affect handling. Acceleration went from labored to light speed. It feels like a different motorcycle. Subjectively, riding it post-flash is a lot more fun. How’s that for a technical analysis? I mean, what’s the metric for fun?
Low-speed handling improved dramatically. No more surging, herky jerky throttle in slow traffic – a definite plus on my frequent trips into Manhattan. Lower gears smoothed out considerably. Way less stress on me in stop-and-go situations. Deceleration also smoothed out by a lot. No more engine grab when I let go of the throttle.
Shifting is easier and smoother, especially from 1st gear into 2nd, and downshifting is smoother as well. Maintaining speed and accelerating in top gear feels effortless like it’s not working hard anymore. Vibration is substantially reduced too, almost like an electric motor.
The bike runs cooler. By a lot. No more ‘bake the rider’. Grateful for that.
Gas mileage improved considerably. And it seems that there’s more hp at any given speed so the engine revs lower to achieve the same speed as before the flash, hence better mileage. Since this bike sucks up premium gas like it’s going out of style, I appreciate that.
The engine catches more quickly on cold starts. It was pretty quick before the flash, but it’s another thing that I have noticed.
All things considered, the ecu flash was definitely worth the bucks. And it only took about ten minutes. And I got a hat and t-shirt, so swag to boot. Not bad.
I am not a techie.
Although graphs, tables, and charts are available on Ivan’s web site to support my experience, I won’t be referencing them because I don’t completely understand them and it would be disingenuous for me to use them as evidence for my riding impressions. Also, although I’ve been riding for decades and I’m used to big bikes – after years on a Yamaha XS1100, I put 150k on a Honda ST1100 before moving on and rode around Europe on a BMW R1200 RT – this is my first Kawi.
That having been said, there’s a huge positive difference between the behavior of the ecu on my 2016 C14 before and after the flash. The first thing I noticed was the throttle response, which went from lagging and slow to immediate and zippy. It made the bike feel more nimble. I was surprised that the flash could and would affect handling. Acceleration went from labored to light speed. It feels like a different motorcycle. Subjectively, riding it post-flash is a lot more fun. How’s that for a technical analysis? I mean, what’s the metric for fun?
Low-speed handling improved dramatically. No more surging, herky jerky throttle in slow traffic – a definite plus on my frequent trips into Manhattan. Lower gears smoothed out considerably. Way less stress on me in stop-and-go situations. Deceleration also smoothed out by a lot. No more engine grab when I let go of the throttle.
Shifting is easier and smoother, especially from 1st gear into 2nd, and downshifting is smoother as well. Maintaining speed and accelerating in top gear feels effortless like it’s not working hard anymore. Vibration is substantially reduced too, almost like an electric motor.
The bike runs cooler. By a lot. No more ‘bake the rider’. Grateful for that.
Gas mileage improved considerably. And it seems that there’s more hp at any given speed so the engine revs lower to achieve the same speed as before the flash, hence better mileage. Since this bike sucks up premium gas like it’s going out of style, I appreciate that.
The engine catches more quickly on cold starts. It was pretty quick before the flash, but it’s another thing that I have noticed.
All things considered, the ecu flash was definitely worth the bucks. And it only took about ten minutes. And I got a hat and t-shirt, so swag to boot. Not bad.