I picked up a 2016 KTM 500XC-W in sumo trim for no good logical reason and am going through it in prep for racing this year. It came out just after KTM stopped allowing US dealers to load EU maps onto XC-W ECUs, so no map switch, no 'wild' map. It's been de-smogged, SX muffler and has a fuel only Power Commander V with a generic slip on map. I plan on getting it mapped, would it be worth my while to get a fuel and ignition capable PCV to try and get closer to the EU 'wild' map or would I be chasing unicorns at that point over using what it has now?
Ignition tuning can often find some power, and greatly increase throttle response. I find it well worth tuning, but you do have to have a dyno and experience to do it properly. You can have a tuner tune it to max power, and then use the PCV to adjust down to mellow it out as you see fit. That said, if there are any ways to hack the ECU or get a tunable replacement ECU, I always prefer those to the piggyback systems like PCV or Bazzaz as it reduces an additional failure point and are more accurate in their adjustments. Not sure if the KTM has that available as an option though... My KTM Chinese clone does
There are a couple aftermarket ECUs out there, I've always preferred Power Commanders as nearly any shop with a dyno can usually produce a viable baseline map for one. The stock ECU on this bike can't be reflashed as KTM dealers are no longer able to unlock them for this particular bike line, but others can. If I had a hook up in Europe I'd consider having someone buy an ECU, have it unlocked and then shipped to me... But then I'd still need to find someone in my area that could dial in the mapping from there and I don't know anyone on the east coast doing it at the KTM ECU level.
Twisted Development has done good work for some of my customers. I have never sent them an ECU, but customers have gone direct to them for reflash services, and reported being happy with the outcome. http://td-racing.com/index.html
I thought the XCW had the good map already and it is the EXC that has the detuned map. I could be wrong... I have heard good things about the GET ecu. Might check with Chris Blais at https://www.blaisracingservices.com/ also.
The XC W has a 'less choked up' map than the EXC in the US, but it's still EPA lean. Unlocking the ECU and loading the EU XC W map gets a bit more fuel and also access to three ignition curves including the 'wild' curve that my digging implies is somewhere around 2 degrees advanced-ish compared to EU normal, and is closer to the SXF curve?
I believe I could, if I could find one. (If you buy a new ECU it's blank, dealer has to flash it for the bike in question, and cannot do so without a VIN.) If my memory is correct SXF ECU firmware isn't setup to run the radiator fan, possibly a couple other minor details but otherwise I believe it'd work.
As noted above, Vortex and Athena both make ECUs. I don't know of anyone local with tuning experience on them.
Put a vortex on my buddies 2020 CRF450L. Totally transformed the bike, it was dangerously lean before.
