| Author | Message | ||
     Orangeulius |
My 2008 Uly never had the oomph of my 2006. I have been intent on fixing a few gremlins and have the bike running pretty well. My seat had been hitting the stock ecm connector so I figured the last of my electrical gremlins might be fixed by a new EBR ecm. I installed it after work today and only had time for a short ride but here are my early impressions. I mounted it near the front of the battery to avoid stress on the plastic. I did my TPS reset which is super easy on the 08 models and then started it up. Quick to start, no stalling,smooth idle. Turned it off then restarted. Rode it up my long steep driveway with no pops,stutters or complaints. On the road I felt it was much smoother with the powerband nicely distributed. Didn't try a wheelie but the power was there. Compared to the stock ECM it's a marked improvement. Will,post an update after a longer ride I have planned for Saturday. zoom, zoom! | ||
| Tootal |
That sounds great Mark. I tried the EBR on my 06 and it made more power but man it pinged so bad I had to take it back off. The 08+ bikes do have an advantage in the ecm arena. I think the cam type throttle pulley on the 08's makes the power feel softer since the throttle doesn't open as quickly as the older bikes. The thing is, the older bikes would benefit from the cam pulley but the 08's seem to run so much smoother they probably don't need it! | ||
| Ourdee |
You did the most important thing when converting to the "RACE ONLY" ecm. Relocate it from the stock ecm mounting location. Harley was responsible for replacing an OEM ecm mounted in the original position if it broke. "YOU" are responsible for replacing the "RACE ONLY" ecm if it breaks mounted in the original mounting location that the OEM ecm resided at. EBR was more than generous with me in the offer I received of assistance when I broke the one I bought. I just went ahead and fixed it myself. Anyone running an EBR ecm on a low seat XB12XT needs to relocate it to protect the plugs that connect it from suffering failure do to side loads. I cut an angle under the mounting tabs on mine to clearance the plugs. Then epoxied an aluminum plate on it for more insurance. The improvement it made over the OEM programming was spectacular and made it able start at 0* F. At the low temps I would stuff a rag into the oil cooler and try not to run it for short trips. Colder the air, the more power it makes. Be warned. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Greg, my 06 pinged almost all the time. I never could reduce it or eliminate it. I think it got a little better when I tried a buell pro race pipe and Buell's race ECM. The thing I hated most about that setup was the deceleration popping. I was concerned when I bought the EBR for my 08 about whether it would continue to work if my exhaust valve crapped out since it already has once. EBR says their ECM will work either way and that no error code is thrown. Same goes for the BAS. It works with or without. Ourdee, no doubt about it. The spot where my low seat rubbed on the connector was very visible. I would have never thought to check if I hadn't read all the posts on BadWeb. Mounting it in front of the battery was quick and painless. The small but big fix I did on my bike was cleaning and reseating the ground connectors. It was doing some weird stuff until I figured that one out. When things were at their worst I was getting 32 miles to the gallon and had electrical gremlins. My last ride before the EBR ECM was 45.5 miles per gallon. My speedo still goes dead on me occasionally but we'll see if the ECM has any impact. A recycling of the power and all is good for the rest of the ride. | ||
| Rcf2 |
Orangelius, I'm ready to do the same, to place an EBR race ECU on my 08 Uly. However the fuel in Brazil have ethanol in large proportion and not many have taken this step. I'm very interested on your reports on this change and will do the same after mine is running in case anybody is taking this path. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Ricardo, I'll be interested to hear how you're 08 runs with higher ethanol content. I'm currently averaging 45 mpg with 10% ethanol. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Ok, here's my update after riding 260 miles with my new ecm. Starting the bike on a cold day used to take me 3 to 4 tries. It now starts first time every time. Idle is solid. The new ECM eliminated my last electrical gremlin. On each ride my speedometer would stop working. I had to stop the bike and recycle the ignition. This would happen 2 to 3 times per ride. Because the speedo stopped working, the check engine light would come on. The EBR ecm totally eliminated this problem! It's important to note there were no visible cracks in my old ecm but I did have a rub spot on the black connector where my seat pressed down on it. The bike runs beautifully, the best it has ever run. I know this isn't an inexpensive solution and may not be right for everybody, but after spending hours trying to find breaks in my wiring harness this is a welcome solution. One other note, the fan no longer runs when I turn off the bike. No more hair dryer jokes when I park. | ||
| Etennuly |
One other note, the fan no longer runs when I turn off the bike. No more hair dryer jokes when I park. .....but on the other hand.....it is still too clean to be riding with the likes of the rest of us Ulyites!  You are either going to have to clean our bikes, or just let yours grow a little character. Damn thing absolutely sparkles in the sunlight! | ||
| Rcf2 |
Orangelius, I use to do 22km/liter which is about 49mpg (20% ethanol) will let you know how it's running with the EBR ECU asap (I'm on a business trip). | ||
| Orangeulius |
Yeah Vern, but you look good in shades. | ||
| Smac |
Orangeulius, I have an 08 XT with ~30k miles with stock exhaust and stock ECM. No issues until about the last 3k miles....seem to have the same issues you speak of. Doesn't want to start up initially and idles rough. I even have the periodic speedo issue. Also, I had throttle roll on spudder/stumble issue. I initially thought I diagnosed the problem as an intake leak. Once the intake seals/gaskets were replaced, the problems seemed to go away but after about 500 miles, the issues all came back. Your post got me thinking....maybe I have an ECM issue. I've also double checked mine for cracks but never paid much attention to the connector. Mine has a plastic standoff which should eliminate an interference issue....I assumed this was a fix for initial issue everyone was having. Now I just have to determine if I should pony up the $305 and give it a try. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Sean, before you buy the ecm, make sure your ground wires are clean and tight. If that doesn't help then an ebr ecm may be the solution. I figured it this way, my 2008 seemed constrained compared to my 2006. So even if the new ecm didn't fix my issues, I figured I'd have a better performing bike. FYI, I had the black stand off piece too but my ecm still got compromised. Good luck. Let me know what you end up doing. | ||
| Arry |
Smac, That plastic block was supposed to be a fix, but it doesn't eliminate the issue. Your seat may still be pressing against the connectors. | ||
| Smac |
Yeah, I followed all of the ground/electrical wires during the same time I was messing around with the intakes...cleaned 'em up and made sure they were all tight. I'll give the ECM/connector another once-over to better evaluate it. Although it's March, in Michigan there's still about 3 ft of snow showing & were just now getting into the 30's! Also, installed the OEM tall seat awhile back (which I LOVE)...not sure if that makes the ECM interference issue any worse or better. Thanks for the feedback! | ||
| Rcf2 |
After a voltage regulator failure I had the bike in good order for a short ride this Sunday. Everything smooth, basically I noticed a more vigorous punch of power from the low RPM but also a more progressive deliver. Surely more friendly to drive in town and faster anywhere. Next weekend will try to hit the road for a longer evaluation. Seems money well spent. | ||
| Baybueller |
I also have an 08. EBR ecu and Drummer pipe. Bike has not run right for a year, Cold idle is all over the place and mid range wot gives poor response. Oddly 5k plus runs great. Replaced plugs, did many tps resets and do not see any stress on the ecm. Thinking of trying the stock ecu. I know i will get an exhaust error but do any of you see a problem doing this? | ||
| Baybueller |
To be specific the motor feels like the injectors are clogged or the timing is off. Exhaust tone is off and you can feel the bike surge when going full throttle. | ||
| Nateba |
Baybueller- I have an '08 with an EBR ECM and a drummer and I have had the same problem since I installed it a few months ago. I had an ignition coil fail since I put it in, but no problems otherwise and the bike runs exatly like you describe. The cold idle jumps erratically for 2 or 3 minutes until it warms up and throttle response is crappy. Ive kind if given up on it lately. The idle when I plug in the stock ECM is right where it should be, but it obviously does t run right because its not tuned for the mods. Ive been wondering if its just the race map on the ECM. | ||
| Baybueller |
Nateba, my bike ran well when I installed the ecu. My problem came up later. I hope wiser men than we might have an idea. Love the bike but it needs more help than I can come up with. I have the good fortune of living 60 miles from a Buell specialist but am trying to work it out myself. | ||
| Baybueller |
Stay tuned. Put the stock ecu in and ran well, left loose and not in the mounts. Put EBR ecu in loose, not in mounts and ran well. I am hoping the pressure from the mounting position was causing the problem, will update. | ||
| Baybueller |
Did a quick 10 mi ride with the EBR ecu loose in the area. So far so good. The witness marks were not extreme but it looks like a little pressure pisses off the ecu Happy guy now! | ||
| Orangeulius |
I've probably ridden close to 500 miles now with the ebr ecm. The only issue is the cold idle is high. Kind of annoying but all is good once it warms up. FYI, I have the stock pipe. | ||
| Uly_dude |
The EBR ecm is supposed to idle higher at cold start than the OEM ecm. It's something they did on purpose. I'd say your bike is running perfect. Now if EBR would just do something about those fan settings for the 06. Hate those fan settings! | ||
| Rcf2 |
Same here, cold idle is high. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Glad to know it's just not me experiencing the high idle. | ||
| Simond |
How high is high? | ||
| Orangeulius |
1600 to 1700 rpm's vs 1100 when it warms up. | ||
| Etennuly |
I wish my '06 had a cold start high idle. It would sure be easier on the plugs. On cold days it has to struggle the first couple of minutes until it starts to warm up. Cold starts don't sound like "potato-potato-potato".....more like "cucumber-rudabaga-tomato-cucumber". | ||
| Orangeulius |
Vern, are you talking about your bike or when you get up in the morning?  | ||
| Etennuly |
 You're on to me! It's both. |
