Power Commander VS ECU Flash. What’s The Difference?

Have you ever wondered if you could use your motorcycle to its full performance potential? What if we told you there’s more than one way to get there? The answer? A Power Commander or an ECU Flash. These devices manipulate your engine’s parameters to act in a set way.  So what’s the difference between the two and why don’t bikes come with them in stock? Well, here’s where things get a little more complicated. Join us as we break down the myths, benefits and shortcomings of this tech.

Before upgrading any components on your motorcycle, you should read through the user manual to make sure you’re in compliance with all safety requirements and warranty policies of your bike. Additionally, you should also consider consulting with a mechanic or other expert to find out if the upgrades are right for you and your bike.

What Are Power Commander or Custom Tunes?

Power Commander or an ECU Flash are both aftermarket performance tuning tools used to adjust the fuel and ignition settings of a motorcycle or car engine. However, there are some key differences between the two.

• Power Commanders

  

A Power Commander is an external component or in most cases a module that sits between the engine’s ECU and fuel injection system, allowing for adjustments to be made without physically altering the ECU. These units are often referred to as piggy back modules because of their orientation.

The wiring of these units is fairly simple and straightforward. The power commanders wiring plugs directly into the injectors and other sensors like the crank position sensor and gear position sensor. The module alters the signal and the ECU makes the required changes to the fuel and ignition lines. Powertronics and DynoJet are some of the biggest names in the game for these modules.

The Powertronics website offers preset maps that you can download and install on your motorcycle, ranging from aggressive race ready tunes to more efficient stable tunes. You even have the ability to create your own map that best suits your purpose. Powertronics has modules for specific  manufactures and bike models ranging from KTMs, Kawasaki’s, Yamaha, Hero,  Royal Enfields and Bajaj.

• ECU Flash

  

However, an ECU flash is much more complicated than a plug and play model. Flashes involve reprogramming the engine control unit (ECU) directly. It means wiping off the set code of the manufacturer and writing a code of your desire. ECU flash is generally considered to be a more aggressive approach for performance optimization as it can affect various parameters such as throttle response, rev limit, and ignition timing, while a Power Commander focuses on fuel and air adjustments.

Some of the few things that you can do with an ecu flash is change the fuel and ignition ratios, remove the rev limiter, add a quick shifter, calibrate the speedometer, set what temperature the cooling fan switches on and even disable the exhaust valve. The best part of this is, it does it all with stock components without any extra wiring nor components. So it’s safe to say that ECU flashes are a lot more comprehensive, in depth and technical than power commanders.

What’s best for your motorcycle?

Unfortunately, there aren’t ECU flashes for every motorcycle out there. This tech is generally for japanese sports bikes and can only be done by specialised individuals. Furthermore, if you don’t have a specialised repromammer  near you, you’ll need to mail your ECU across your state to get it set up and so your motorcycle would be down for a few weeks.

On the other hand, a Power Commander is a portable device that can be easily installed and removed at any time, making it more convenient for those who want to experiment with their bikes.  With ECU flashes, you have a high probability to cause major problems if you attempt to make major changes yourself without enough knowledge.  So in other words, ECU flashes unlock your bike’s existing potential to the maximum if done right while power commanders just add a little more spice to the mix. Overall, power commanders look alot more attractive than ECU flashes. Their competitive price point on Custom Elements make it so much more sweeter.

So why don’t bikes come with them fully unlocked from the factory?

Well, simply due to emissions, noise restriction, efficiency and accelerated wear and tear. With your bike running an aggressive tune, you’re putting a lot of loan on the system which in the long run makes it less reliable and far less efficient. All this is a NONO for public roads. Many states even banned this modification on public roads and only legalised it for track use.

How to Purchase Performance Components  for Your Motorcycle on Custom Elements?

If you want to unleash your bike’s full potential and get a competitive advantage over other motorcycles, you might consider purchasing some high-quality performance improvements from a reputable online marketplace like Custom Elements. You may discover a broad range of parts from leading manufacturers such as PowerTronic ECUs There are also a few search filters that you can use to narrow your viewing to find the perfect module for your motorcycle. Once you find the right product, proceed to check out.

 

If you have any comments or questions – drop it in the section below & we’ll get back to you!