Help! Immobilizer won't let me start her!

That's a good idea for best life out of your ballasts and capsuls anyway.

I use the Euro spec switch and I always keep the lights turned off when starting or shutting down the engine, maybe it helps. I am still waiting patiently for a TuneECU fix.

not intending to hijack the thread. Catalina38 where did you get the euro spec switch from?

I got mine at Munn racing, here is the KTM part # 60011074000
I think BlackDog has them and so does KTMtwins.
http://www.ktmtwins.com/ktm-european-headlight-switch
It's plug and play, and takes about 15 min to install

I'd like to use the head light flasher switch on the left as a head light off switch when pulled in so I can start her without the HID ballast starting at the same time. thing is, that switch has the reversed function as in 'on' when pulled. I'd need it to be 'off' when pulled. Has anyone done this or can help otherwise?
I've started a new thread here:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15699653#post15699653

thanks and outta here with this issue!

Suncruiser, I'd like to add a comment.

I just came back from a journey in Utah. 2500 miles from Quebec City, Canada, to Hurricane, Utah, in only 3 days, the Adventure 990 2009 (no fog lamp) sitting in a good trailer all way down.

After a good night, I finally start the engine. My wife and I were smiling and hoping for a wonderful 2 weeks of biking in the backcountry of Utah. 10 miles after, we stopped at a gas station to fill it up. Try to restart: NOTHING, except the 2 codes you encountered.

Hopefully, after 10 minutes of waiting and trying, it started. The nearest dealer was at 350 miles. So we decided to ride the bike but stay on good paved road, and near cities.

The problem happened each day of this travel. And it restarted each time, after we wait. I think the problem in my case is related with the hot temperature.

The journey we planned in the canyons never happened. 5000 miles and all expenses for nothing. 2 vacation weeks completely wasted. And a lot of money too.

Now, we are back here in Canada and my confidence in this motorcycle has gone completely. I will bring it to my dealer and I will see what he has to say about it. Something like "I never saw it".


The motorcycle is completely stock. We really don't need this type of device on what it is supposed to be an adventure bike. Now, I'm sure that adventure means adventure just to own this KTM, not adventure of riding it.

I simply hope that KTM will listen about the too many problems of reliability of this model: oveheating, immobiliser default, and so on.

Again, I think the bike is great when it works, but is it really reliable?

2011 rc8r same problem

31 immobilzer error code and 81 error code

Crap I whish I would have found this sooner !

mine turned out to be a map problem.

tune ECU cable malfunctioned while writing a map. it stopped connecting altogether. after dealer reset CAN BUS error and loaded a new map the problem went away. it was all software.

I had the bad luck of breaking 3 keys in 2 months on my 09 model. At near $90.00 each It was starting to eat up my tire fund. I was told that I could use the 08 map to get rid of the smart keys. I havent tried it yet but it sure would be nice to use 8 dollar keys.

I recently purchase a 2011 Adv 990R from a Mercedes Tech.
He loved the bike but just had some financial issues to take are of.
He said NEVER leave the key in the ignition if you disconnect the battery or when connecting to a battery tender.
He said it can mess up the chip in the key and then your stuck.

Side up: that sounded like an interesting comment/suggestion from your former 990 owner and Mercedes Mechanic....

"He said NEVER leave the key in the ignition if you disconnect the battery or when connecting to a battery tender."


I didn't see any more response to it though. What have you heard or confirmed since then?

Thats the ticket, exept that there is no software that will allow you to load the old map to the new ecu's. The only way to do this is at the KTM factory with inhouse, very unavailable to us or dealers, software.

Would be real easy for tune-ecu to modify their software, but they dont want to. Would be a nice tool for bandits too of course then, thats why they wont i guess..

Ok boys and girls. My 2010 R`s immobiliser crapped out and as I have heard of others doing the same I wanted to get rid of it as well as not have to pay for the complete ECU/RFID/Key/arial/locks combo that the KTM dealer was suggesting

So...
Removed the antenna
I bought a 2008 ECU, it was the same part number as the 2010 unit apparently
Loaded a 2007 std map

Hey presto, it runs with the same original keys as the software is not looking for the immobiliser signal I guess.

Other inmates have expressed surprise it runs with the 2007 std map, due to timing and cam changes, but it does albeit with the typical 2007 throttle glitches. It is probably down on power but not so much that I would notice.

I am told I cant reload 2009 on std maps as this will look for the immobiliser signal, so I am working on copying and pasting the 2010 R map into the 2007std map. I tried it once but the bugger would barely run so I reverted back pronto. This is my first time fooling with tuneECU so I probably made a balls up somewhere. I want to go to the Dakar this weekend so I am not going to fool with it again until I get back

As it stands I still have an unstable idle issue to resolve, but I know that is unrelated to the ECU/map change as it was like that with the std items after an engine rebuild. Current wisdom is that it is related to dodgy TPS's so those are on their way from the US now.

Hope this helps and if anyone has any good step by step suggestions copying the 2010 map tables I would really welcome that

Cheers - Martyn

Apparently you cant do this, the signal is CANBUS signal so you cant just set up a simple dummy voltage/resistance on the circuit. If only it was so simple

Anymore progress on removing the immobilizer feature on the 2010 990r? Anyone figured out a way to reflash the ecu to kill that "feature"?

Has anyone talked to the folk over at ecuhacking.activeboard.com or www.pvtech-ecu-research.com/ about digging into a +10 990 ecu and see if they can turn off the immobilizer stuff?

I just replaced my entire 2010 adventure lock set, immobilizer, ignition. bike runs great...but man does it suck to have to spend that money because of the immobilizer/key/ECU issue. Would love for some 10lbs. Brain to find a work around we could all go around the world with and not not be anxious about the bike quitting. I am pretty confident in the bike now (matter of fact I ran it off a cliff last weekend and it still runs great....seriously I did). I am also confident in basic economics.....supply and demand. Someone will figure this out and make some change.

It should be doable to turn off the immobiliser given that the ecu is exactly the same part for 07 and 12

I think it should be your job Rharr to get on one of those sites and find someone to do the hack

Has anyone opened up one of these ECU's to see what chips are inside? Anyone have any EEprom info?

trying to talk to some ECU guys and get their interest in digging into the system.

What really got me thinking about the tune ecu software being locked down and not the ECU was a discussion about various maps for a '10 KTM 990R. There are several maps for the bike, a EU and US map. The US map will throw a CEL if you disconnect all the emissions stuff and deactivate it in the software (SAI). But if you load the EU map disconnect the emissions stuff and deactivate (SAI) it the CEL will go off.

To me that seems like the hex/map file does a lot more than just control fuel and ignition curve and I would love to do a side by side comparison of what makes them different, then maybe you could find what makes a 08 different then a 10 and newer and focus on making the differences more options to select from.

Anyone have a ECU they don't want. I will try depotting it to see what is inside.