Bad Way to Start the Day

Ken, may be you consider to mount a shorter side stand...

I've been planning to do so. At the moment, I just have to be careful where I park. But for this tipover, the sidestand didn't play any part. I just let the bike lean a little too far to the right while rolling it off the lift, and couldn't pull it back.

Ken
 
Did I mention that one of the features of the ECU and software is a provision for turbo boost control? Just think of all the crazy possibilities:D.

Ken

What!!!!

Ken,

A straight swap out replacement for the original Norton unit?
Does it light-up the 961 right out of the box without any tuning necessary?
How much did is cost with the software?

Wait, I'm hyperventilating, need to breathe into a paper bang.
 
Actually, after I posted the picture, I discovered that the handlebar did get tweaked a bit. I may try straightening it, or might just order a new one, if I can find a dealer who will order one for me and ship it to me. It's a long drive through Southern California traffic to get to the nearest dealer, and then I'd have to wait for it to be shipped, and go back again to pick it up. This is one of those cases where you really wish Norton hadn't stopped selling parts direct to owners. I could replace it with a universal chrome bar and new mounts, but I really like the look of original.

Ken
I have an on line account with AF1 Racing in Austin. I ordered counter shaft O-ring, seal and lock washer from them along with some in stock items. They had to order the countershaft parts from Norton. Had my order in 9 days.
 
What!!!!

Ken,

A straight swap out replacement for the original Norton unit?
Does it light-up the 961 right out of the box without any tuning necessary?
How much did is cost with the software?

Wait, I'm hyperventilating, need to breathe into a paper bang.


It is a simple replacement, and the bike does start up and run. The idle was a bit erratic when cold, but settled down when warm. I calibrated the ECU to my throttle position sensor (TPS), because the settings weren't quite right for it, and that fixed the idle. Other than that, I've done nothing, and it seems to run ok. I have only ridden it once, and am now waiting on some parts to do more riding, but it seems to work ok. I think it's set up for open exhausts and de-cat, so might not be quite right for my bike, which still has the cats, and the South Bay pipes. I'll know more when I have a chance to get it back on the road. I'm thinking of fitting the fuel/air ratio meter and data logger from my race bike, just to see what's going on. That should at least let me adjust the map settings for leaner or richer, as needed. Lots of possibilities, but it will take some time for me to get some more experience with the software, although it's pretty straight forward.

The ECU was £650, the CAN USB interface cable and box was £125, and the shipping was £35, for a total of £810. The software is free for anyone to download. More info at www.scs-delta.co.uk

If you want to contact them, the contact info for the person I have been dealing with is

Matthew Payne
Sales and Marketing Director
Specialist Control Systems Ltd
+44 (0) 1603 881558

Ken
 
Oh man. I've not been on while vacationing in Finland. Sorry for your tipover. These Nortons seem to hold up quite well to a fall. My buddy dropped mine, nothing more than the shifter peg damaged. When I wen down at some speeds to avoid the arschloch that cut in front of me and stopped, it was just cosmetic. Handlebars bent and a few other items. Damn, poor Ducati. Show it some love for saving your Norton. Keep us posted on that ECU.
 
It is a simple replacement, and the bike does start up and run. The idle was a bit erratic when cold, but settled down when warm. I calibrated the ECU to my throttle position sensor (TPS), because the settings weren't quite right for it, and that fixed the idle. Other than that, I've done nothing, and it seems to run ok. I have only ridden it once, and am now waiting on some parts to do more riding, but it seems to work ok. I think it's set up for open exhausts and de-cat, so might not be quite right for my bike, which still has the cats, and the South Bay pipes. I'll know more when I have a chance to get it back on the road. I'm thinking of fitting the fuel/air ratio meter and data logger from my race bike, just to see what's going on. That should at least let me adjust the map settings for leaner or richer, as needed. Lots of possibilities, but it will take some time for me to get some more experience with the software, although it's pretty straight forward.

The ECU was £650, the CAN USB interface cable and box was £125, and the shipping was £35, for a total of £810. The software is free for anyone to download. More info at www.scs-delta.co.uk

If you want to contact them, the contact info for the person I have been dealing with is

Matthew Payne
Sales and Marketing Director
Specialist Control Systems Ltd
+44 (0) 1603 881558

Ken

Ken,

Sounds a bit pricey, but hell if you get access to modify map settings- that's cool.
Do you know yet whether the software can access the idle air control area of the ECU?
That's what we really need to adjust the dodgy factory start-up and cold idling settings on these 961's.
 
Ken,

Sounds a bit pricey, but hell if you get access to modify map settings- that's cool.
Do you know yet whether the software can access the idle air control area of the ECU?
That's what we really need to adjust the dodgy factory start-up and cold idling settings on these 961's.

Yes, it has full access to all the idle control parameters, including IAC. I've been playing with that area a bit, but don't have it quite sorted yet, but I will eventually. Calibrating it to properly read 0 and 100% on the TPS helped quite a bit, but it still has the tendency to die at idle after starting, so I have work left to do.

If you're curious about the software, just download it and install on your computer, then run it. When not connected to the ECU, it will still show you all the maps and calibration parameters that you can change, but there won't be any values in them. There's a lot there, and I'm still low on the learning curve, but I'm enjoying the process.

Concerning price, if your bike has the SC-Delta ECU, like mine did, you can also send it to them and they will unlock it for £250, and then you can use the SCTune software to access it. I'm thinking I might just send them my old one to unlock, and maybe use it to build an engine management system for my MK3. I'm sure I really need another project that I won't get around to finishing:rolleyes:

Ken
 
Bummer. It's not just age, Ken, as you know, the newer bikes tend to have higher CGs. I imagine that that is so with the 961s too.
 
My 961 has the SC-Delta ECU so maybe unlocking would be better for me.
My tuner has experience trying to adapt a PC to the 961.
He found the only issue was the IAC that couldn't be accessed because of the locked ECU.

This definitely opens tuning possibilities.

Thanks for the info.
 
Bummer. It's not just age, Ken, as you know, the newer bikes tend to have higher CGs. I imagine that that is so with the 961s too.

I think given your physical proximity to the bike, and the degree to which you allow the bike to lean, you can easily reach a point of no return with any bike where you are unable to stop the bike from falling.

However, I posted sometime ago that I was very surprised how easy it was to lift my 961 back up after dropping it in my garage.
I've dropped machines before, 4 cylinders. twins, even a wankel. The 961 appears to carry its weight (490+ lbs) pretty low because I had less trouble lifting it then my Triumph Bonneville.
Some of the big 4's required technique to lift back up.
Definitely something to avoid.
 
total sympathy mate my mates and i go for a ride out on Sunday morning two weeks ago 29 bikes on my drive and i dropped mine no damage whatsoever going for first service Friday
 
My dad has found putting a ball bearing in the hose to block the IDLE AIR MOTOR from doing its job and then adjusting the buttery fly to idle at full engine temp solves many of the idle issues where the TPS and ECU try to take over. Back to Pure mechanical like a carb. Try it. You’ll like it. Only thing is cold starts mean hold the throttle for 5 seconds and takes a minute or so to warm up before take off. Minor negative for the amount of plus gained.

DISCLAIMER: only do this if you are an experienced tinkerer!!!!
 
Turns out that the muffler/passenger foot rest bracket was also bent, moving it in far enough for the end of the foot rest bolt to put a gouge in the side of the swinging arm. Fortunately, the steel tubing used is very easy to bend, so I was able to straighten it by clamping to a steel table and bending it back until it had the same measurements as the left side bracket. It's now back together, and looking like new, except for a very small scratched area on silencer. The bike is rideable as is, but the bent handlebar is still apparent to the rider. Waiting for a new aftermarket bar to arrive that I think will have better bar end angle for me. If not, I'll be back to ordering a new replacement from Norton or a dealer.

Bad Way to Start the Day


Ken
 
Back
Top