How to remap your Harley's ECU with your mobile phone: Fuelpak FP3

Previous articles have discussed the need to adjust a motorcycle's carburetor or fuel injection system if you change exhausts, filters, or any other component that changes the amount of air entering or exiting the engine.
When performing this task on an injection motorcycle, the process would be:

1. Connect an interface to communicate with the motorcycle's ECM (control unit)
2. Download a pre-programmed map based on the engine characteristics
3. Adjust and fine-tune the map based on our needs

Only for experts?
Traditionally, the first two points have always been easy to resolve (in fact, they are the only things that are done in some "professional" environments), but the adjustment and tuning part requires personnel with advanced training, real-time data collection systems, and a significant amount of time for testing, all of which significantly increases the cost of proper installation.

Fortunately, more and more manufacturers of ECUs are offering autotune software, which makes it possible to perform a complete, acceptable tune-up quickly, easily, and effectively.

Squeezing technology
Vance & Hines technicians have leveraged their racing experience to develop automatic remapping software for Harley-Davidsons using a small, powerful multitasking touchscreen computer with GPS location telemetry and a built-in accelerometer: our smartphone.
Indeed, by making the most of the mobile phone's features (I'm not referring to WhatsApp), we can record data in real time, measure different parameters, and make map corrections on the control panel.

FP3
The device in question is called the Fuelpak FP3 , and consists of a Bluetooth interface that plugs directly into the motorcycle's data connector, receiving communications and power at the same time.

Once the interface is connected, all that remains is to download the software directly from the Play Store (for Android devices) or the App Store (for Apple devices).

If we want to work more comfortably, we can also install a handlebar mount for our specific phone model, which will allow us to have all the sensor data in real time (speed, temperature, RPM...)

Configuration
After installing the program, we enter it and then turn the motorcycle's ignition to "On" (it's not necessary to start it. Important: verify that the "Run/Off" button on the handlebar is in the "Run" position). After this step, we must pair our terminal with the FP3 via Bluetooth, and from then on, we can communicate with the motorcycle.

On the first screen we can see the main features of the software:

• Map Lookup: Remapping and tuning area.
• Read Trouble Codes: From here we can read engine fault codes (DTCs) and erase them.
• View Sensor Data: Configurable screen to view the different sensor parameters in real time.

Case study
Let's review the steps to follow when performing a remap and "autotune":
• We go to Map Lookup and select the most appropriate map based on the scopes, filters, etc. that our model has.

• We program the map ("reflash").

• Once programmed, a new option will appear in the menu: Autotune; enter.

• We select our map, and we go for a ride on the motorcycle, while the program records data (we will see how some boxes are filled depending on the areas (RPM and engine load) we pass through.

• Next, we tell the program to save and reprogram the new calibration ("apply learned values") and we're done: We have a custom calibration for our motorcycle.

Conclusion
It's recommended to repeat the Autotune process several times and under different driving conditions to ensure that the maximum number of cells is filled. This will indicate that the map has self-corrected to a greater extent, providing even smoother driving, better fuel economy, and greater acceleration and power.

Frank Burguera

#harleymechanics