Roger,
Thanks for your in depth analysis. For me, I have learned a lot about this bike and in particular fuel injection in general. As I delved into this project I found myself straying off to read other articles and information.
We discussed lambda spread in our last email. Do you feel that if the spread was further that would help the MM stabilize and do fewer oscillations?
Failing a working GS911 for our bikes it looks like we have likely hit the limit as to what else can be done regarding what the MM is doing. Having said this I think that everyone that is following this thread wants to know what I am going to say about the bike and how it responds now.
First I will say that the AF-XIED device gets the bike fairly close to proper driveability. It worked for me but I wasn't satisfied with the occasional stumble I still got. The major difference is that the AF_XIED allows "approximate" AFR targeting and the LC2 addresses targeted AFR values very precisely and that difference led to what I believe to be, the "optimal" fueling mixtures for the TR650 (YRMV). My conclusion regarding the two devices is hands down in favor of the LC2. This may change if the GS911 device becomes available so that further analysis can become available.
Why not a Power Commander? The Magnetti Marelli ECU exhibits characteristics unlike other ECU's exhibit. It does learn like others and seems to exhibit some advanced characteristics in that regard. So until the hex code is broken throttle position values used in the PCV are really sort of mute.
I will attempt to chart the differences between the the AF-XIED and the LC2
AF-XIED
1. Plug and play and easy to use on our bike, basic knowledge required and very little expertise required to use it.
2. Adjustability for increasing fueling is somewhat vague because you cannot target specific AFR's, change o2 sensor voltages or Lambda spreads.
3. Provides some remedy to lean stumble and may work well for some of our bikes. Mine didn't happen to be one of them.
4. What did it do for my bike? It stopped lean stumble on all but the hottest days. When I hit temps of around 95* the lean stumble returned (I don't fully understand why). It also gave me a taste of the real torque this bike produces. If you put one of these devices on your bike you will notice it almost immediately.
LC2
1. Plug and play (kinda). Yes, it is a standalone plug and play unit, but NOT on our bikes.
To make it play nice the the MM ECU it was necessary to build some components that are added into the total integrated installation to keep the ECU from throwing codes. Notably the resistor bank shown in my build log. This is not difficult but it is time consuming and as such the LC2 should not be done by someone who is not familiar with electronics and soldering. IE: You can't end up with cold solder joints and shoddy workmanship. You must also find an old narrowband bmw o2 sensor and scavenge plug parts from it to complete this build. The build log begins with post #90 found
HERE. As you will read and see it takes some gyrations to make it all work. This is especially true of finding a place to stash all the components.
2. Adjustability for increasing fueling is precise. You can target specific AFR's, change o2 sensor voltages or Lambda spreads. You can also download this information for analysis and make adjustments (to a point) for enhanced driveability and performance.
3. Does it address the lean stumble and off idle stall? Your results could vary but In my application and in my opinion, yes it stopped the stall and stumble quite handily.
4. What did it do for my bike? It stopped lean stumble and lean stall altogether. Since installation this has not happened once. It woke the bike up! What I mean by that is that, the entire experience of riding this bike changed upon installation and proper calibration of the LC2.
When I first got this bike and started riding it I was disappointed that the engine didn't feel like my friends XRL 650. I was expecting lots of torque and a machine that would transport me comfortably to the worst gravel I could throw at it. I was disappointed. Sure it had torque but not what I expected. It also had a snatchy throttle that was very non-linear.
With the LC2 the bike turned into a gravel chewing machine! This thig is powerful now. It is full of torque from first gear off the line through 5th gear. Torque everywhere across the entire power curve.
Conclusions
First, I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I am a neophyte at FI and as such these are the observations of a rooky. Until we have a hex code broken on the MM or until we have a working GS911 there is no way to know what the MM is doing. If you are saying to yourself "the LC2 and AF-XIED are just masking the problem" then you would be about half right. Yes, they do mask the problem, kinda. They both address fueling issues, they both address driveability issues and therein is the fix, for now. At this point we don't know anything of significance about the MM ECU.
If you spend the extra money on a PCV (IMHO) you are throwing your money in the wrong direction (at least for now). Why? You are paying to do the some of the same things that this project has addressed and you are doing for nearly $300 more than I paid for this project. Again, this is just my opinion. Addressing the very specific issue of lean stumble and off idle stalls the AF-XIED did abate them some. And for someone not looking to do a "project" and is an occasional rider it will provide you much improved driveability.
If you want to increase the overall performance of your bike please take the time to learn from this project. I am pleased for now. I will play with o2 sensor voltages and lambda spreads in the near future but my fueling will stay and 7% richer than stock. This is the right fueling for this bike. The Logs from my runs prove that.
At seven percent extra fueling the bike just plain wakes up. It makes it feel like a tall sport bike when you ride on the highway. It turns it into a fire breathing gravel chomping beast on two track.
Lastly I cannot make these comments without acknowledging my friend and mentor Roger. He has been golden. He has put up with many stupid questions from me and has remained consistent in his support and patience while I muddle through this project trying to make sense of something that looked and felt completely foreign to me from the start. Thank You Roger!
I hope this helps to clarify what the project was/is and will help others in their quest to make the bike run like it should have out of the box.
I'd also would like to get some comments and discussion from the other inmates following this thread. It would be valuable to get some banter regarding the project and toss around ideas about where to go next.