# Motorcycle ECU remapping

> Motorcycle ECU remapping: throttle response, maps, rev limiter and exhausts. How it differs from a car and why we don't remove the A2 restriction.

- URL: https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/motorcycles/
- Index for AI (llms.txt): https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/llms.txt
- Versión en español: https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/motos/
- Reviewed: 2026-10-15

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A motorcycle isn't a small car. Throttle response is far more noticeable, exhaust changes are almost the norm and there's a restriction, the A2 one, that doesn't depend on what the owner likes but on their licence. This is what can and can't be done on a motorcycle's ECU.

**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](https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/deletes/)) 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

**The A2 restriction is a licence requirement, not a setting**

The A2 licence only entitles you to ride motorcycles with a maximum power of 35 kW, a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg and that are not derived from a vehicle with more than double their power (art. 4 of the Reglamento General de Conductores, Spain's General Driver Regulations, RD 818/2009). If you remove the restriction from a bike and someone with an A2 licence rides it, that licence no longer entitles them to ride it, and riding without the corresponding licence is a very serious offence (art. 77.k of the RDL 6/2015), as well as causing a problem with the insurance.

**We don't remove the restriction from a motorcycle that will be ridden by someone with an A2 licence.** If you already hold the full A licence, let's talk, and we recommend finding out about the procedure for updating the documents beforehand.

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

1. **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.
2. **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.
3. **A map for your bike and your riding**: with WinOLS and our verifiable EVC WinOLS licence, starting from the exact software in that ECU.
4. **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](https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/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](https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/quote/).

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.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you get rid of the jerkiness at low speed?

It's one of the most common requests and it can usually be solved. Jerkiness when opening and closing the throttle at low revs often comes from a very lean mixture in that range, designed to meet emissions regulations, or from very abrupt throttle response. It's smoothed out in the map, provided there's no mechanical cause (a slack chain, play in the transmission).

### If I fit an exhaust, do I need a remap?

Not always. A type-approved silencer that replaces the standard one often works fine without touching anything. A full exhaust system or a higher-flow air filter changes the air going in and out, and that's where the map does need to follow so the mixture stays correct.

### I now have a full A licence. Can you derestrict my bike?

The software side, on many bikes, yes. But if the restriction is recorded in the bike's documents, undoing it also involves paperwork so that the documents show the real power again. Ask at your ITV station (Spain's compulsory periodic vehicle inspection, similar to the UK MOT) first, and see our page on [legality, ITV and insurance](https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/legality-itv-insurance/).

### Do you do Pop&Bang or quickshifters on motorcycles?

If the bike allows it, yes. A quickshifter needs a sensor on the gear lever; if the bike has one, the cut time can be adjusted. Pop&Bang has the same noise implications as on a car: we explain it in [custom functions](https://www.reprogramacionesmbv.com/en/ecu-remapping/custom-functions/).

### Do I have to bring the bike to the workshop?

Yes. We don't offer a mobile service for motorcycles: you need to bring it to our workshop in Alcalá de Henares. There we read it through the diagnostic port or remove the ECU, depending on the model.

## Sources

- [Royal Decree 818/2009, General Driver Regulations, art. 4 (licence categories, A2) (BOE, Spain's official gazette)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2009-9481)
- [Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015, Spain's Traffic, Motor Vehicle and Road Safety Act, art. 77.k) (BOE, Spain's official gazette)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-11722)
- [Royal Decree 1428/2003, General Traffic Regulations, art. 7 (BOE, Spain's official gazette)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2003-23514)
- [Royal Decree 866/2010 regulating the processing of vehicle modifications (BOE, Spain's official gazette)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2010-11154)