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Removing The Cat...changing Ecu


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Hi there,

 

I have a technical question. I am intending on removing the cat on my s1000rr to put a full exhaust line (bike will be track only), simply changing the mid-pipe. Guys at BMW tell me that I should get the HP Race ECU...which is not exactly cheap !

 

Now the question is...Does removing the cat for a race mid-pipe actually REQUIRES a switch in ECU ? Or can I change the mid-pipe and then wait to have some more $$$ to change the ECU ? Is running the bike with a cat-free line with the OEM ECU damageable to the bike ?

 

Sorry for the naive question...still learning !!!

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OK, below is an answer from my husband who did a full exhaust on his 2010 S1000rr. (He had to remove the cat to get ANY race plastics to fit - the cat is too big to fit under most race plastics plus it gets really hot and would cook the paint off any fairing that would fit tightly to it.)

 

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I don’t know for sure but my understanding is the mapping will be wrong if the cat is removed without making map modifications. The stock ECU doesn’t have the capability of map changes. It would most likely be damaging to run the bike at track speeds with incorrect mapping, the question should probably be is it significant. There would also most likely be a loss in performance.

 

If he is looking for performance he should do them together. He could look at another mapping option such as a Power Commander V that costs less - but the BMW race ECU offers a lot more adjustment to the bike.

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Damien,

Do you need the full system or do you just want a full system?

It's cost vs performance. Will you fully utilize the extra power gained from the expense from the full system and other components that will be required? Or....

 

It's the age old question: Wants vs Needs!

 

Best of luck which ever way you decide.

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Hi ScrmnDuc,

 

That's a very good point and very good question...the answer is very simple and honest. I don't want a full system. I bought a second hand s1000rr, which has a complete HP4-like line, with the cat. I was not planning on changing anything. I was happy with the way it is. Then I realised that most race fairings, which I am definitively installing (OEM fairings are way too expensive to replace if I go down), are not compatible with the cat, as Hotfoot also mentioned. So my option was to simply cut a bit the fairings to adapt it. But then I also realised that just changing the mid-pipe for a non-cat mid-pipe is actually decently cheap ($400 or so here), and would save me all the hassle of adapting the fairings every time (buying this bike was a huge investment for me...so I intentd to keep it long and will very likely have to change the fairings sometimes over the years). I was ready to cope with the extra costs to get the luxury of flexibility (imagine I go down on a track during a track week-end, damaging the fairings. I then have to have a spare one, because I cannot borrow it from anybody who would be nice enough to lend me one, as most people riding s1000rr on tracks where I ride have non-cat exhaust lines and lots of them have extra fairings (they obviously have bigger budgets than mine :)). And from a friend of mine racing for a long time, it seems people on tracks are nice enough to help each other out...so borrowing a piece of fairings is something quite normal, he told me. So all in all, not convenient if none can be used on my bike.

 

So I thought I would go for a mid-pipe without cat. But that's the only reason. Not because I fancy to have a super race system...because I already don;t use the bike to its full capacity...I need to progress (that's why my level 3 and 4 with CSS are coming ! One more month !). I don't need the bike to offer more performance or be more powerful. I don't have the skiils to enjoy more performance..today, the limiting factor is not the bike but the rider: me ! The idea of changing the mid-pipe was driven by convenience for an acceptable cost...hence my question regarding the ECU...because if I really cannot use a non-cat midpipe without the costs of a race ECU...well...then I prefer adapting the fairings and keep my money for more track time !

 

So final answer: neither really need...nor want !

 

Thank you for your help

 

Damien

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So here's my spin on this. I was much in the same camp of just wanting rid of the cat. My purposes were more cosmetic than they were for fitting race bodywork. I fitted the Techbike Belly pan and never had to look at that ugly cat again.

 

Then I stumbled across a bike that was being sold by a friend with the Race ECU and the full exhaust. The differences between the bike and stock are amazing. The Midpipe and ECU boost the midrange and give the bike power where you really want it. The TC settings and ABS settings are also more optimized for the track and are much less intrusive and make the bike a pleasure to ride. It's quite intoxicating how smoothly the power comes on in the low rev band for effortless corner exits.

 

Until I rode the second bike I never really realized how much I was fighting against the stock ECU TC settings.

 

The Race ECU is expensive but is well worth the upgrade. It's not just a boost in power. It completely transforms the entire bike and makes it much more usable on the track. Add in the Race Calibration Kit and you have amazing control over the bike.

 

Here's a video on the HP parts for the S1000RR. Hopefully it will give you some additional information so you can decide what is best for your needs. I'm not exactly "one of the fast guys" but after riding a bike equipped with the BMW HP upgrades it's the only way to fly in my opinion.

 

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