In short
Remapping a motorcycle means adjusting the software in its ECU: injection and ignition maps, throttle response, rev limiter and, if the bike has them, riding modes or quickshifter. The most common request isn't more power, but smoother throttle response low down and a map to match a changed exhaust or air filter. We don't remove the restriction from a motorcycle restricted for the A2 licence if the rider holds that licence: it's a requirement of the licence. We work on all makes and engine sizes, scooters included. Price on request depending on the bike and the job; the bike has to be brought to our workshop in Alcalá de Henares, because we don't offer a mobile service for motorcycles.
How it differs from a car
What goes unnoticed in a car, you feel in your right hand on a motorcycle. Four differences shape the work:
- Electronic throttle (ride-by-wire). More and more bikes have no throttle cable: the twistgrip is a sensor and the ECU decides how far to open the throttle body. That allows the response to be adjusted very precisely, and it also explains why some standard bikes feel abrupt when you open the throttle from closed.
- Weight and traction. With so little weight, abrupt torque delivery in first and second gear means instability, not fun. That's why on motorcycles smoothness gets as much work as power.
- Demanding emissions regulations at low revs. To meet them, many bikes run very lean mixtures at low revs and part throttle. That's where the jerkiness and the snatchy response in town come from.
- Changed exhausts and air filters. On motorcycles it's common to change the silencer or the whole exhaust system, and that changes the air the engine moves.
What can be adjusted on a motorcycle
| Adjustment | What you notice | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Mixture at low revs and part throttle | Less jerkiness when opening and closing the throttle | Riding in town and slow corners |
| Throttle response | A more progressive or more direct twistgrip | Bikes with ride-by-wire |
| Injection and ignition maps | Better cylinder filling in the mid and upper rev range | With a changed exhaust or air filter |
| Rev limiter | Where it cuts and how it cuts | Track use |
| Riding modes | What each of the bike's existing modes does | Bikes that already have them |
| Quickshifter | Cut time on upshifts | Only if the bike has the sensor |
| Cooling fan | Temperature at which it switches on | Bikes that overheat in traffic jams |
What we don't do: remove the catalytic converter or lambda sensor from a bike used on the road (that would be a delete) or remove the A2 restriction for someone riding on that licence.
Exhausts and filters: the map has to follow
An exhaust changes the back pressure and the way the engine empties and fills on each cycle. If the change is significant, the mixture calculated by the standard map is no longer correct: the bike may run lean in some ranges (higher temperatures, jerkiness) or rich in others (fuel consumption, backfiring). The map is adjusted to what's fitted.
Two things to bear in mind with the exhaust:
- Type approval. An exhaust for use on the road must be type-approved for that bike. The ones marked "competition only" are not.
- Noise. The Reglamento General de Circulación (Spain's General Traffic Regulations, art. 7) prohibits riding above the noise limits or with an incomplete, unsuitable or damaged silencer; removing the baffle ("dB killer") falls squarely within that. And changing the exhaust may be a vehicle modification (reforma) that must be legalised under the Real Decreto 866/2010 (Spain's regulation on vehicle modifications).
Motorcycles restricted for the A2 licence
What we can do on a restricted bike is improve its response within that restriction: smooth out jerkiness, adjust the throttle or adapt the map to a type-approved exhaust, without exceeding the permitted power.
How we work with motorcycles
Details of the bike
make, model, year, what has been changed and what you'd like to improve. With that we can see whether its ECU can be read and how.
Reading and copying the original
through the diagnostic port if the model allows it, or by removing the ECU, which on many bikes is under the seat or the tank.
A map for your bike and your riding
with WinOLS and our EVC WinOLS licence (verifiable at evc.de), starting from the exact software in that ECU.
Writing and testing
we check that no faults remain and that the response is what you were after.
We work on motorcycles of all makes and engine sizes, scooters too. The bike has to be brought to our workshop in Alcalá de Henares: unlike cars, there is no mobile service for motorcycles. How to get here is on the service area page.
Price
It's price on request, because it varies a lot from one bike to another: how the ECU is accessed, whether fairings have to be removed and what gets adjusted. Our remaps start from from €200 + VAT (€242 including VAT). You can ask for a fixed price using the quote form.
Tell us which bike you have, what has been changed on it and what you'd like it to do better. We'll tell you whether it can be done, how and how much it costs.
Official sources
- Royal Decree 818/2009, General Driver Regulations, art. 4 (licence categories, A2) (BOE, Spain's official gazette)
- Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015, Spain's Traffic, Motor Vehicle and Road Safety Act, art. 77.k) (BOE, Spain's official gazette)
- Royal Decree 1428/2003, General Traffic Regulations, art. 7 (BOE, Spain's official gazette)
- Royal Decree 866/2010 regulating the processing of vehicle modifications (BOE, Spain's official gazette)
Reviewed on .