Gregory Bender
 

ECU programming

Moto Guzzi Quota 1000 and Quota 1100 ES models

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Thanks to Shaun Laughy who posted this information on the old Yahoo! Guzzi_Quota news group. In Shaun's own words:

I'm a lurker, as I don't have a Quota, but I can tell you something about Guzzidiag, and what it can do. I have used it successfully, to some degree, on my Norge, Stelvio and V11 Le Mans (contemporary to the Quota). There are four programs (Guzzidiag, Reader, Writer and TunerPro), and the names clearly indicate their functions. The were created by a gentleman named Beard, and are free to use, but I would strongly encourage sending Beard a donation if you find they work for you. They are a godsend for the Guzzi community, IMHO.

Many people use just Guzzidiag as a tool to check the health of their machines, and do things like resetting the TPS, on bikes that allow it (the Quota doesn't). A lot users make use of Reader to backup their original ECU map, which I strongly recommend. Should anything happen to your ECU, you can pick up any cheap WM15, load your original map in, and be back to functioning in very short order. That's where Reader comes in, and a lot of people use it to load maps created by others into their ECUs. Finally, TunerPro allows users to manipulate their own maps, which some people do out of need, community spirit, or just for fun.

Based on my understanding of the Quota, the easiest thing to do, if you have a Gen 1 ECU, would be to back up your original map with Reader, and load in the later map with Writer. Nothing to lose, there, but DO create a backup, and store it in a few places to ensure that you will always have it.

For those a little more daring, there are lots of people out there who cam help you understand how to tune your map in a safe, responsible way. Yes, there is always an element of risk involved, just as there would be in tuning a set of carbs, but if you proceed carefully, with the proper tools, it's certainly possible. I have not yet done this, as I was able to obtain maps from others that made my bikes run very well. My V11 didn't need a map, as it has always run well, but a map provided by Beetle (Mark) in Australia literally transformed my Stelvio. He also kindly sent me a new map for my 2V Norge, which Phil now has, but we have waited to load it until he gets some seat time on that bike and can evaluate the difference the new map makes.

Which brings us to Mark, a saint of a guy that his helped countless people improve their Guzzi experiences by spending many, many of his own hours and Aussie dollars creating maps for various models, and various exhaust systems, based upon hands-on testing and data-logging. Credit also goes to Pete Roper, who has unselfishly contributed his own hands-on mechanical knowledge to compliment Mark's technical strength, and Paul Daytona who has been a tremendous pioneer in working with with Beard to bring these marvelous tools to the Guzzi community (they were originally for Ducati, I believe).

Please note that Mark has not charged anything for all his hard work, fuel burned, or tools procured to make these tremendous maps. Most have been for the newer CARC bikes with the 5 AM ECU, but Mark does seem to have some understanding of the earlier maps. I don't have any idea if he would be willing to help create a map for the Quota, but you could certainly ask him. That said, if he does, I would strongly encourage that you provide a reasonable donation to compensate him for his efforts. I was deliriously happy to do so, although he refused to accept anything until after I has, and was completely happy with my Stelvio map.

For those interested, I recommend reading one of the excellent tutorials that Mark has created:

Get the cables at the recommended source, if you want to avoid potential hassles, and then get at it! Risk is almost non-existent with Guzzidiag and Reader, and Writer is fine if you know what map you are putting in. Move on to TunerPro if you so desire!

Nothing against Cliff's excellent MyECU, but I couldn't justify changing the ECU now that the original can be easily reprogrammed. For some earlier bikes that Guzzidiag doesn't work on, I can see that it makes a lot of sense, or as a project just for the fun of it, but you will still need to build a map for that ECU.

Hope this helps.

Shaun

Thanks to Guy who posted this information on the old Yahoo! Guzzi_Quota news group. In Guy's own words:

I've been talking to Bruno Scola last September and he is able to re-program the ECU. He puts a blank one in parallel and through this one he is able to alter the existing ECU. You can either ship him your ECU or order a new one. The existing packages listed are for the newer models (griso, breva, norge and 1200S. see also http://www.millepercento.com) but he is able to alter the older ones as well. Best practice would be that Tommaso Ravaglioli send him an e-mail as Bruno only speaks Italian and see what he can do for us.