15 minute idle clarification....

[Thule]

The 15 minute reset works but you get different results if you do it yourself or have the settings cleared by the dealer before doing it.

If the you do it on your own, the ECU goes into “Learn” mode which can take up to 500 miles before finally settling in. This is probably why some people have to do frequent resets – the bike runs pretty well with at the reset settings, but as the ECU starts making adjustments performance deteriorates. This is also why you should have a fully run-in ECU before trying to tune the bike with a Power Commander or a TuneBoy. This also jibes with what 9nine0 posted.

Now, if a dealer clears the ECU and then does the reset, the ECU goes into “Quick Learn” mode and it doesn’t take nearly as long for the ECU to settle into it’s final ‘learned’ settings. Not sure how long it takes though.

The above is what I have gathered from talking to my KTM tech, my own experiments and lots of reading over on the Super Duke boards, so take it FWIW

[orange spy]

I just tried it and it does work. Its not a placebo effect. the difference is huge in both idle consistency and smoothness of the ride.

[DirtJack]

You can do a reset with TuneECU. Also, when you load a new map with TuneECU a reset is done by TuneECU which means you should do the 15 minute idle when ever you load a new map. 690's have the 15 minute idle sequence too, but have an additional calibration where you turn the ignition on and smoothly turn the throttle grip from closed to full throttle and back followed by turning the key off. TuneECU works on the 690's, most Triumphs with Kehin ECU as well as several other brands of bikes.

[laramie LC4]

i thought this was toatl BS myself but after talking tot he KTM mech, he said it was true and does work. the catch is you have to disconnect the battery and leave the system "dead" without any power for 15 minutes prior to the reset. so the whole process from start to finish is going to take at least 30 minutes.

laramie

[Steveman]

Originally Posted by laramie LC4

i thought this was toatl BS myself but after talking tot he KTM mech, he said it was true and does work. the catch is you have to disconnect the battery and leave the system "dead" without any power for 15 minutes prior to the reset. so the whole process from start to finish is going to take at least 30 minutes.

laramie

sorry, but this is not true. as it is not true that you need to do a ECU reset before the initial idle run. whatever people say who know ktm and ktm mechs and have access to blahblahblah...or are you going to tell me a dead battery resets your ECU. come on...

cold engine
bike upright
enuff fuel
start it without touching the throttle
look at your stop watch and turn engine off using ignition key after 15 minutes +59 seconds/ -0 seconds
done
if engine dies during initial run, just restart but dont touch throttle and proceed till 15 minutes are reached.

if you have electronic or semi-electronic throttle (some 690 SMC, SMC R and other 690ies) turn ignition on, roll throttle open, close throttle (dont let it snap back), turn ignition off.
done

the whole procedure was available to public from KTM west in Germany as pdf but only in German but has been removed from website.

doing the initial run in cool temperatures has improved fuel consumption on some bikes, but KTM west did not state why.

cheers
steve

here is the german version for LC8 from KTM Sommer (now KTM west) http://www.produkte24.com/cy/ktm-som...278-gross.html

[HeatXfer]

Originally Posted by Steveman

...here is the german version for LC8 from KTM Sommer (now KTM west) http://www.produkte24.com/cy/ktm-som...278-gross.html

Here is the above "SOMMER KTM" tip translated to English. I kept the paraphrasing to a minimum; the content is the same (comments are mine).

990/990 S Summer tip!

Petrol consumption reduction
Long term inspections
Smoother throttle response

It’s good if you can solve several problems with one answer. Those who are interested, please keep reading:

- For those of you who must service your 990cc when no KTM dealer is near.
- Fuel consumption: If you have unusually low gas mileage, and you think it’s because of your driving style, you should perform the following procedure.
- If your idle is too high or too low, this can procedure can help with this issue. Other positive results can be achieved for engines that die when you are stopped or at low RPM or have high idle.
- If you have to constantly rev the engine during cold winter starts just to keep it running,
this procedure can help.

The solution may lie in a new acquisition of parameters

May sound complicated, but it is not. The low cost is out of proportion to the possible improvement.

- A new comparison of the acquisition parameters needs to be performed at each inspection or re-mapping.
- Should the procedure be incomplete or faulty, it must be repeated again 100% accurately or you can take it to the KTM dealer for a faster resolution.

Prepare for the procedure:

- The tank must have several gallons of gasoline.
- The procedure is performed outdoors (safety precaution probably).
- Do it somewhere where it won‘t disturb your neighbors. (lol)
- The vehicle and the owner should be in shadow. (stay cool, man)
- A clock must be present
- The bike must be on the center stand.

* We, SUMMER KTM, did it indoors on a dyno in our workshop in Oberhausen. The advantage is that we can keep the room cool and test the bike right there.

What is to be done:

- The 990 is on the center stand and vertical.
- The engine must be cold,.
- It should be cool when performing the procedure. (Don‘t do it in July at noon in Tucson).
- Start the bike and let it idle for 15 minutes.
- Do not touch the bike while it’s idling: Do not operate throttle or other functions.
- Do not let the bike idle for less than 15 minutes or more than 16 minutes.
- If the bike stops, restart the 15 minutes again.

That's it. But you guys already knew that: this post was just to reassure the doubters.

[ciedema]

Originally Posted by HeatXfer

- Do not touch the bike while it’s idling: Do not operate throttle or other functions.

Just a quick one on this point, how are you supposed to shut it down?

[HeatXfer]

Originally Posted by ciedema

Just a quick one on this point, how are you supposed to shut it down?

"You" aren't: Get your neighbor to do it of course

[ciedema]

Originally Posted by HeatXfer

"You" aren't: Get your neighbor to do it of course

[orange spy]

Originally Posted by laramie LC4

i thought this was toatl BS myself but after talking tot he KTM mech, he said it was true and does work. the catch is you have to disconnect the battery and leave the system "dead" without any power for 15 minutes prior to the reset. so the whole process from start to finish is going to take at least 30 minutes.

laramie

well apparently it worked for me with clear and distinct positive results without the battery disconnection. I guess there is no catch

straight forward process just as steveman and heatXfer's quote described

[laramie LC4]

easy there tigers, im just passing along what i was told by the KTM rep. if you don't agree or have proof of something else please post it up. as for the battery disconnect, i have many electronic devices that require a total loss of power to reset, so it's not unheard of for this to be the process.

laramie

[Hipster]

I've done the 15 minute idle trick (didn't disconnect the battery) and it does work however, within a few weeks time it does relearn its bad habits. Don't know if disconnecting the battery would make the improvements longer lasting/ permanent?

[orange spy]

Originally Posted by Hipster

I've done the 15 minute idle trick (didn't disconnect the battery) and it does work however, within a few weeks time it does relearn its bad habits......

interesting, ...

I'll keep you posted (not that it makes any difference ),

however if that happens, wouldn't it mean that there is a problem somewhere else? (mapping, Λ sensor?)

I have the acra / dna / sas removed combo. However even before the sas removal the problems were there (except idle consistency).

[StevenD]

disconnecting the battery is BS.

The ecu is disconnected from the battery every time you shut the key to off .

Way to many people shouting with no idea what they shout about when it comes to efi.

[knobbyjoe]

What is with the mystical 15 minute idle? And yes I’ve done it!

I'm just saying that if this is a REAL technical process why is this not specifically described in the KTM manual. There should not be any guessing about something important to tuning the engine. I'm thinking that whoever created the ECU programming would make sure that owners had very good instructions.

Am I wrong? Is there any writing documentation from KTM about a 15-minute idle process to tune the ECU?
KJ