Yamaha YZF-R1 YEC kit ECU vs ASBK MoTeC controller | Comparability

We talk YEC and MoTeC with racing engineer JD Jon Falzon

Jon, after so many years of campaigning for the YZF-R1, perhaps few people in the world know Yamaha and the YEC kit inside and out like you do.

Now with your recent switch to MoTeC, it’s clear you’ve come somewhere. The proof is in the amazing results Daniel has achieved at Phillip Island, despite his recent lack of cycling time and injury.

However, I would think that compared to how much you’ve used on the entire YEC kit, you’re probably still scratching the surface of the MoTeC setup? What do you feel is the most obvious fundamental difference between YEC and MoTeC systems?

“The YEC ECU is a great package out of the box. It’s a very high performing and working plug’n’play solution with minimal development. However, we’ve been using it for seven years and we’ve used it to its full potential. This is where MoTeC has taken over. Its capabilities far exceed what the YEC system can do and we are only just beginning to develop the surface.

“We don’t really plan to use MoTeC bikes at Round 1, it’s still very early in development and Daniel’s injury is still fresh. But Daniel’s response was that it was easy to ride and gave him an easier lap, so that was the bike we entered. Turns out that was just what we needed to get him through races with respectable lap times.

“Obviously we are very pleased with the fifth place because we only have three days of testing with the MoTeC system before the round. Having said that, it was three days of follow-up testing, and four months of late night before that. The whole team did a great job putting everything together before Round One. ”

I know a lot of development has been done with Liam (Wilkinson), with Daniel being inactive for so long, but what was Daniel’s initial feedback on the difference?

“Liam has always been a great addition to Team JD as a suspension technician, but he really showed his worth last month. Not only did he understand the bike mechanically, but he was also reasonably agile on two wheels. He became the perfect test-driver to take the MoTeC system from its rather troublesome initial location to a complete package before handing the reins back to Daniel on day two. Daniel’s initial response is how smooth the throttle response is. That’s a bit of pride for me because I developed that ETV map through a bunch of calculations around 2am the night before.. ”

I believe the ASBK firmware is allowed with MoTeC traction control, which I believe mostly slows or cuts the ignition, so it’s actually still light years behind the Ducati, Honda and BMW kit available to competitors. How does MoTeC traction control, with its ASBK spec ‘limited capabilities’ firmware, compare to how well you can tweak the YEC system’s traction control?

“Adjustment of the YEC’s traction control is very limited. It allows a number of trim and gain settings to be applied, but with no associated formula for these, it’s difficult to tell if the changes you’re making are in the right direction.

“The MoTeC system excels in this area as all the base formulas are provided so I as Team Engineer can know the rear wheel slip speed at which the traction control system will initiate. intervene or how strongly it will react before the bike can. go in the right direction. This just takes a lot of time in development.

“Of course, the performance of complex systems like this is only as good as information is entered into the system, so if your tilt sensor reads it incorrectly or your tire size is out of proportion, the system will Traction control will behave unpredictably.”

So how did you get that tire profile information? Have you worked with tire manufacturers or completed 3D scans of the tires yourself to come up with the correct dimensions?

“We’ve been working with tire manufacturers on this and have been for years, but that data is just a baseline. There are too many variables that affect dimensions from the data provided to what we see along the way, so it provides a starting point, but we need to refine it from there.. ”

I believe wheel control in MoTeC uses throttle modulation rather than ignition?

“The wheel control system can be operated in two ways, either it can slightly close the throttle to bring the front wheel down to the rear, or it can perform cut or brake ignition through the traction control system. The system has proven effective in controlling the wheel, but I have yet to see enough data to make the call it provides for a faster lap.”

Do you think the ASBK spec’ firmware will open up the full capabilities of the system in regards to traction control? Or do you think we should run like a BSB and have all traction control capabilities locked out of the system? Personally, I feel that it should be unlocked at this stage, when you are competing with other bikes that have a much more complex throttle-controlled traction control system, but then we can discuss removing traction control if we switch to a fully controlled ECU. on the board on all bikes?

“I have a strong opinion here and probably not one shared by everyone. I consider traction control to be more of a safety system than a performance system. The sport is dangerous, everyone understands that, but our love for the sport makes us go back and look past the obvious risks involved. We’ve all seen Troy Herfoss go down in Darwin and everyone in that clearing was hoping to see him rise and make it through. I understand this was an accident that the electronics are unlikely to save, but Daniel probably wouldn’t have made it past the opening round at The Bend last December if we had clicked the controls. His traction goes up a few more levels. Today he will go very differently. We have such sophisticated technology at hand that can detect and act faster than a rider can, so it would be almost irresponsible to restrict its use.

“I understand the influence of the audience and the excitement on the viewers, but for me the excitement comes from a close race, not a red flag, so look at the parity between the cars. pedal before anything else.”

What is your opinion on the possibility of switching to a wide-ranging control ECU for next season?

“I think because of the championship, it has to happen. At the recent Phillip Island season opener, at the start after Race 2, I found Rob (Head Supervisor) only had the time and equipment to verify the firmware in an ECU of 25 bikes. . Don’t get me wrong, he’s done a great job in his role, he’s just facing an uphill battle.

“There are simply too many ECUs from MoTeC, to kit options, to OEM Flashed equipment. It is impractical for testers to have the cable, software, and know-how to connect to each of these various electronic packages and determine if it is legitimate.

“If everyone was running the MoTeC M130, then checking each ECU would take 10 seconds. Every bike can be verified before Impound opens. This only deals with the benefits of a control ECU.

“Machine parity is now more important than ever as we seem to have a bike or two that separates us in terms of performance from the rest of the field. While ASBK assures us that the Magneti Marelli and Bosch packages are both controlled, there will always be differences and there will always be gray areas, so let’s take the electronics out of the case. equal number and go to the same pack of electronics across the board.. ”

Can you compare the costs for us? Some say it’s a 20k claim to fit a Yamaha true to MoTeC?

“For us, it’s about $15,000 per bike for our MoTeC system including the ECU, loom, sensors and data logging package. It’s certainly a bit of an investment, but it has transformed the racing bike from racer of the day into the Australian Superbike level. ”

Thanks for your time Jon and we’ll see you at the Queensland Raceway!

“At this stage, Daniel is getting married on Saturday night in Adelaide, but we’ll do our best to be there!”

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