When someone wants to improve the behaviour of their motorcycle, one of the options they find is an ECU remap. It is normally advertised with a dyno chart and a higher peak horsepower figure.

SuperFlow takes a different approach. Its purpose is not simply to gain a few horsepower at the top of the rev range, but to improve throttle response, low- and mid-range performance, smoothness and engine control under the conditions in which the motorcycle is actually ridden.

There is also another fundamental difference: an ECU remap overwrites the original ECU software. SuperFlow does not modify it.

This difference has important consequences for official manufacturer updates, reversibility, long-term cost and the rider’s dependence on the remapping company.

What really happens when an ECU is remapped?

The ECU contains the software that controls the engine. When a remap is installed, part of that original software is replaced by a modified file.

Depending on the ECU and the work performed, a remap may modify fuel injection, ignition timing, electronic throttle behaviour, internal limiters and other engine-management parameters.

On paper, this offers many possibilities. The problem is that using those possibilities correctly requires specialist knowledge, suitable equipment and many hours of development for each individual motorcycle model.

Most commercial remaps focus mainly on producing more power at full throttle. The motorcycle is tested through acceleration runs on a dyno, the file is modified and the customer is finally shown a chart with a few additional horsepower.

During these tests, the engine passes through the rev range, but it does so mainly with the throttle fully open. This allows peak power to be measured, but it does not reproduce many normal riding situations:

• Opening the throttle gently from low RPM.
• Riding with small or intermediate throttle openings.
• Closing and reopening the throttle through a corner.
• Accelerating without changing down a gear.
• Controlling traction on dirt, rocks or mud.
• Riding smoothly at low speed.
• Climbing a difficult trail or technical section.

To work correctly on all these areas, many hours would have to be spent on each motorcycle model, testing different combinations of RPM, engine load and throttle position.

This type of individual calibration exists, but it is much less common and considerably more expensive. Many commercial remaps use a previously prepared file that is then installed on numerous motorcycles of the same model.

The result may be more power at the top of the rev range, but this does not necessarily mean better response, smoothness or control at low and medium RPM.

In fact, because SuperFlow is specifically developed to improve throttle response and usable torque at low and medium RPM, the improvement in these areas can often be greater than with a typical commercial remap focused mainly on peak horsepower.

What happens when the dealer updates the ECU?

This is one of the most important disadvantages of an ECU remap, and it is often not explained before the customer pays for it.

When a remap is installed, the original ECU programming is overwritten with a modified file.

If the manufacturer subsequently releases an update and the dealer reprograms the ECU, the opposite happens: the new official software overwrites the remap.

The remap is lost.

The motorcycle returns to the official factory programming, and the money invested in the remap no longer provides any benefit.

To recover the remap, the owner must return to the remapping company and have the work performed again using the new software version. This will normally mean paying again, either fully or partially, unless future remapping has been expressly included in the original price.

Simply reinstalling the previous modified file is not necessarily advisable. Doing so could remove the patches, corrections and improvements that the manufacturer has just introduced with the official update.

Every important ECU update may therefore force the owner to choose between:

• Keeping the remap and not installing the official update.
• Installing the official update, losing the remap and paying to have it done again.
• Reinstalling the previous file and losing the manufacturer’s latest corrections.

As more motorcycles receive software updates during their service life, this technical and financial disadvantage is becoming increasingly important.

SuperFlow leaves the original ECU software untouched

SuperFlow operates externally and does not overwrite the original ECU firmware.

This means that the dealer can install a new official ECU version without deleting the maps, settings or firmware stored inside SuperFlow.

The motorcycle retains the corrections and improvements released by the manufacturer, while SuperFlow continues to operate as an independent system.

If an official update significantly changes the behaviour of the ECU, we can adapt SuperFlow through its own firmware updates. There is no need to purchase the product again or pay for the maps to be reinstalled.

The motorcycle ECU and SuperFlow can evolve independently:

• The manufacturer updates the motorcycle’s original software.
• We update SuperFlow’s maps, functions and compatibility.

The user does not have to pay again every time the dealer updates the ECU.

Where does SuperFlow focus its improvements?

SuperFlow is not designed to produce an impressive peak-power figure at an engine speed that is rarely used during off-road or normal everyday riding.

Its purpose is to improve the areas in which the motorcycle is actually ridden:

• Faster response when opening the throttle.
• Stronger low- and mid-range performance.
• Better acceleration and recovery.
• A fuller and more progressive power delivery.
• Reduced ON/OFF throttle behaviour.
• Better control at low speed.
• Less need to use the clutch constantly.
• The ability to remain in a higher gear.
• Greater control on low-grip surfaces.

Every SuperFlow is specifically developed, configured and tested for the motorcycle model for which it is sold.

We do not use one universal configuration for every motorcycle. The system’s behaviour, connections and maps are adapted to the specific characteristics of each model.

The rider remains in control

A conventional remap normally leaves one fixed configuration inside the ECU. If the owner wants to change it, compare it with the original motorcycle or adapt it to another setup, they will normally have to return to the remapping company.

With SuperFlow, the rider can make these changes directly from a mobile phone:

• Select different riding maps.
• Increase or reduce the intensity.
• Adapt the behaviour to the type of riding.
• Activate or deactivate the system.
• Immediately compare the original motorcycle with the selected configuration.
• Install new firmware versions.
• Add improvements and new functions when available.

A configuration that works well on the road may not be the best choice for a trail, a technical climb or more demanding off-road riding. SuperFlow therefore allows the rider to adapt the motorcycle’s response to different situations.

Adapting to air filters and exhaust systems

SuperFlow is designed to work correctly with a standard motorcycle, including the original air filter and exhaust system.

It also allows fuel enrichment to be adjusted when a high-flow air filter or a properly developed aftermarket exhaust is installed.

If the motorcycle’s configuration is changed later, the rider can adjust SuperFlow from the mobile phone or install a compatible firmware update.

On a remapped motorcycle, any significant subsequent change to the filter, exhaust or intake system may make it necessary to revise the calibration again. This means another visit to the remapping company and potentially another charge.

True reversibility

Returning a remapped ECU to its original condition requires the ECU to be written again using the correct file and specialist equipment.

SuperFlow can be deactivated from the mobile phone or removed from the motorcycle. The ECU retains the original manufacturer software at all times.

This allows the rider to:

• Compare the original and modified behaviour.
• Perform checks and diagnostics.
• Change the configuration without programming the ECU.
• Recover the original behaviour without paying for another intervention.
• Remove the system or sell the motorcycle easily.

Initial cost and future costs

The cost of an ECU remap does not necessarily end on the day it is installed.

The owner may have to pay again when:

• The dealer updates the ECU and overwrites the remap.
• The manufacturer releases a new official software version.
• The exhaust, air filter or mechanical configuration is changed.
• The owner wants to change the original remap behaviour.
• The motorcycle must temporarily be returned to its original software.
• The modified file has to be rebuilt using a different software version.

In addition to the financial cost, the owner remains dependent on the remapping company and on that company retaining the correct files.

SuperFlow is purchased once. Its maps can be adjusted from a mobile phone, and its firmware updates can be installed without reprogramming the ECU.

The investment is not lost when the dealer updates the motorcycle.

Direct comparison

Are all ECU remaps the same?

No. Very different services are sold under the term “ECU remap”, and they should not be treated as if they were the same product.

The most common commercial remap, typically costing approximately €300 or €400, normally starts with a file that has already been prepared for that motorcycle model. It is then checked through several full-throttle acceleration runs, and the customer receives a chart showing the measured power gain.

This type of remap may increase peak horsepower, but the improvement is normally concentrated at full load and towards the top of the rev range. This does not guarantee that initial throttle response, partial throttle openings, low and medium RPM or the transitions that produce ON/OFF behaviour have been properly developed.

A genuinely individual calibration is a completely different type of work. To improve the motorcycle throughout its real operating range, the engine would need to be held at numerous combinations of RPM, load and throttle opening. Measurements would then have to be taken, each area corrected and the tests repeated.

This process can require many hours on a braked dyno and can easily cost close to or more than €1,000. It has very little in common with installing a generic €400 remap and performing a few acceleration runs to check peak horsepower.

Even when paying for an expensive remap, the customer should not automatically assume that low- and mid-range behaviour will be improved. The calibration must have been specifically developed for these areas, and the specialist must have the necessary time, equipment and knowledge.

If someone is seeking maximum performance for a competition motorcycle, a deep individual calibration may be necessary. However, the owner should understand that:

• It is not the typical commercial remap.
• Its price is considerably higher.
• It requires many hours of model-specific development.
• Peak horsepower does not guarantee better low- and mid-range performance.
• An official ECU update may still overwrite all that work.
• The calibration will then have to be rebuilt using the new software, with the cost paid again unless this service was expressly included by the specialist.

SuperFlow is not intended to replace an extreme competition build. Its purpose is to provide, at a much lower cost, an improvement specifically developed for throttle response, low- and mid-range performance, smoothness and real-world control, while leaving the motorcycle’s original ECU software untouched.

A different way of understanding performance

For us, performance is not only about reaching a maximum number on a dyno chart.

Performance is also opening the throttle and receiving an immediate response. Climbing a hill in a higher gear. Accelerating without the engine struggling or juddering. Controlling traction more precisely. Linking corners more smoothly. Or riding for hours with a fuller, more predictable and more enjoyable power delivery.

SuperFlow is developed to improve precisely these conditions, while preserving the original software and giving the rider control over the motorcycle’s configuration.

An ECU remap modifies the central unit and may be lost when the manufacturer updates it.

SuperFlow improves the motorcycle’s behaviour without overwriting the ECU, without losing official updates and without forcing the owner to pay again every time the motorcycle software changes.