New TPS Tool goodies just arrived from the US.
I’ve been having some exhaust popping on deceleration and TPS Tool (http://www.tpstool.com/) is a handy tool for adjusting the throttle position sensor. Bringing up its voltage should result in decreased popping and also perk up opening the throttle.
The other option for the popping would be to add a little more fuel into the bottom of the injection map, but that’s out of my skill set.
TPS Tool also has waterproof emergency capacitors which will enable the bike to run even without a battery. I’ve only ever managed to fully deplete a bike battery once. It was on the 690, right on the border of Mongolia. Luckily Juha Tapiola was there too on his 690 and with jumper cables. Had I been rolling solo, it would have been a different story.
Looking forward to testing these out.
Hey mate,
Love you work!
So we’re saying the TPS tool effectively allows the bike to start when the battery is completely dead?
I had this happen to me on my EXC450 in the scrub in Australia I couldn’t believe the bike wouldn’t start without the battery having charge why even have a kick-start on it! Lucky I had a mate with some rope so we towed it out..
Thanks Greg! The TPS Tool is for adjusting the position of the Throttle Position Sensor for improved low rev performance and throttle response. They also make the Backup Capacitor, which works exactly as you said. It will allow the bike to start even without a battery. This is an issue with FI bikes; they need power to the fuel pump or they will not run….
As I’m following your lead in building my 2017 EXC-F, I purchased this tool. Like you, I also run my bikes in both developed and developing countries where the octane and other fuel qualities can be lower. I was wondering if you considered running a programmable engine mapping tool to accommodate fuel quality and also to have some choices on changing fuel consumption. For example, if you know that the next fuel point is many kilometers away, you could change the mapping to sip fuel, but if you have lots of fuel but need maximum engine power for some reason, then you could select that setting and get the high speed or power you need to solve some other problem.
On the other hand, there are more electrical connections which necessarily means more potential failure points.
Here is one such tool; I suppose there are several:
https://www.jdjetting.com/xcart/home.php?cat=23
What are your thoughts?
Hi Bob, I have an ignition map switch rigged to my handlebar. I normally use the standard setting and flip it to mellow if the fuel is of dubious quality or low octane. On my 690 it worked pretty well when we rode in Mongolia on 80 octane fuel for some days. I’m not sure about how the 500 would handle it though, but I’m guessing it’ll be pretty similar.
As for controlling fuel consumption, the wrist is pretty handy and comes fitted OEM in most humans. 😉 Low speed to reduce wind resistance, high gear, low revs, even speed.
I fully agree with your view on extra failure points. I prefer to try to keep everything as simple as possible. If you do end up going the injection mapping route, please keep us informed on how it goes, as well as your EXC-F build. I’d love to see some pics.