Gearing Recommendations for 630 SMS

Discussion in '610/630' started by rocko, Jul 18, 2011.

  1. Ketek Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Germany
    Giving the SM less power than the TE through a different ECU? For whatever reason Husqvarna would do that.. it doesn't make sense to me.

    Well try switching the ECUs and report back please. :thumbsup:

    Edit: Just called my dealer and told him I rode a TE which was way faster than my SM and asked if there could be some ECU differences. But he told me there are 5 ECUs, 2 of them being for Germany only. And of those two, there is one for a curbed version with 25kw (which is for guys who are under 21 years old.. stupid law around here^^) and the other one is for the normal version of the bike and should be the same on TE and SM. So he didn't know anything either.. :confused:

    This is starting to look like a crime thriller and we're the detectives :D

    Edit: looks like the interesting number that can also be found in the parts catalogue is at the back of the ECU, there's another sticker and mine states: 8B00 H1643

    Parts catalogue also says that there are different ECUs for SM and TE indeed. The TE's have a H1642 instead of the H1643.
  2. rocko Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    San Diego
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    630 SMS
    Other Motorcycles:
    SV650
    What is the octane of pump fuel in South Africa?

    Here the best is 91 so I guess it makes sense that I have to use a different ECU than in Europe where they have 98. If Ketek was able to get the claimed number of horsepower with the stock equipment at least they're not lying about the bike's power. But I guess they have to detune it to run on our crappy 91 octane. European riders get more power, but we pay 1/2 as much for gas. I guess it's a trade off. I will put the full leo vince system on my bike and get the power surge and however it runs that is the best it can be. I'll just be sure not to ride any TEs or Euro models so I don't know what I'm missing :banghead:
  3. MrClean Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    So Cal
    I agree completely. The SM630's throttle response is not very aggressive at all.

    I'll bet Husky did that intentionally to keep the front tire on the ground. And yes... To make it a little more mello than the TE630.

    The Power Surge 6x can deliver a much more aggressive throttle response. It did for me. Therefore, the ECU must be the limiting factor in terms of how the throttle responds.

    Let's face it... The SM630 is just not intended for the hooligan crowd the way it rolls off the showroom floor. (That's what the SM510s were designed for.) My guess is that Husky intended the SM630 to appeal to a wider market. (IE - Casual European commuters. Did you see the video I posted???) You can't blame Husky for trying to sell more bikes. If you want to Hooligan your 630, Husky kindly offers you a different ECU. Of course, it's packaged with the Arrow cans making for a tidy little profit.
    terrencem likes this.
  4. Ketek Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Germany
    I'd take cheaper fuel instead of 1,60€/l of 98 octane every day :D
  5. rocko Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    San Diego
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    630 SMS
    Other Motorcycles:
    SV650
    That's $9.12 per gallon. I pay about $4.00 per gallon.
  6. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    Here in SA we have 91 & 95 octane.
    I run 95 on everything I can.

    While the JD Power Surge 6x is a very very nice to have on the SM, it does NOT close the gap to the TE.

    TO the guys who have access to the parts catalog, can you please see to what countries my ECU Numbers apply:
    SM ECU part No: ECU181A001A 9X21 0163000.
    TE ECU part No: ECU181A001A 0125 0181000.

    This is so that we can start narrowing down the possibilities.
    Also do any countries use the TE ECU ( ECU181A001A 0125 0181000 ) on the SM ?

    Husqvarna see themselves as competing with KTM and Husqvarna see the KTM 690 as the 630's competition.
    So why they would detune the SM630 when it has to go up against the 62hp KTM 690 Supermotto is anyones gues..
  7. RDTCU Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '11 630SMS
    I've got an SMS with ECU181A001A 8325 0138000.
    What does that tell me, how is it different?
  8. willie Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    NS Canada
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE 630
  9. Russ Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sydney
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE250i & 701 Enduro, 501 & 630 sold
    My 2011 Aussie TE's standard ECU no is ECU181-A001A 8000B0564. It is sitting in a box under my house as I had the Arrow pipes and ECU fitted.
  10. MrClean Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    So Cal
    Maybe swapping-in a 41t sprocket on the SM would close the gap with the TE? (Along with the 6x, of coarse.)

    I know you said that the different wheel/tire sizes should make the two bikes perform about the same with the stock gears on each. But damn... The SM really lugged below 10/15MPH with the stock 15/38 combo. Does 1st gear feel equally "too tall" on the TE?
  11. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    I know exactly what you mean by the SM lugging.
    Don't have that on the TE.
  12. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    Today I swapped ECU's between the SM and the TE.
    Both of my ECU's are the European versions.

    In summary, and to a large extent, after swap, the TE took on the personality of the SM and the SM took on the personality of the TE.
    The SM performed much better and the TE performed worse and lugged more.

    So what does this mean ?
    We know from the part numbers that the ECU's are physically and functionally very much the same.
    In my opinion, the only differences between the different ECU's is the software maps.

    As we know software maps take into account numerous factors such as fuel grades, altitudes, average ambient temperatures and emission regulations etc etc.
    So to begin comparing the ECU's of different countries is pointless.

    The ECU's are made by Mikuni and iBeat is their software application for Tuning their ECU's.

    So first prize in sorting out your SM is to have it mapped on a Dyno using iBeat.
    Second prize would be to take the software map of a well performing 630 (TE or SM) and upload that map into you SM's ECU using iBeat and then you can either live with it as is or make further modications to it to suit your particular bike and circumstances (altitude, fuel grade, ambient temperatutres etc).

    Husqvarna's approach to the 630's has been very cautious and conservative.
    It took them some 9 months of having the 630's out there in the market before thay felt confident enought to release the PU kit and let the engines run at full power.

    And so it would appear that the SM's were similarly conservatively mapped, maybe in the interests of fuel economy because the SM is a road oriented bike

    WTF :confused:
    julienl likes this.
  13. Ketek Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Germany
    Thanks for the info. So basically my dealer should be able to change the software of my SM ECU to the TE map?
  14. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
  15. MrClean Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    So Cal
    HuskyBrutha -- I cannot thank you enough for confirming my suspicion. The thought has been burning in my mind for quite some time now.

    On several occasions I have come very close to purchasing a TE ECU for my SM . But I haven't been sure if the TE ECU would unlock any performance that can't be unlocked with the Power Surge 6x.

    If I understand you correctly, your SM's performance is noticeably better with the TE ECU than it was with the SM ECU *plus* the Power Surge 6x. Is that correct?
  16. Fast1 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    How did you compare the performance between the two after switching ECU's?
  17. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    Yes.
    That low rpm lugging is substantially reduced.
    The TE ECU on the SM seems to provide a little more torque and I think that is what accounts for the roll-on acceleration and the transition between on and off throttle being soother and stronger.

    I think the TE ECU is different in areas other than fueling ( which is what the Power Surge 6x covers).
    I suspect the TE has a different ignition timing map amongst others.

    It is hard to quantify the differences between the SM and the TE's performance.
    The difference is sufficient to be able to say "I would definitely rather be riding the TE"

    During the test I swapped ECU's back and forth repeatedly to track the differences and to ensure I was not imagining things.

    Seat-of-pants is always somewhat difficult - So let us say for arguments sake that the TE is 10 points better than the SM, then seat of pants told me that SM + TE ECU made up 8 or 9 of the 10 points. I could not quite convince myself that the SM + TE ECU made up the full 10 points.

    Just one caveat here.
    It could be that the TE's ECU happend to work well for me in my environment i.e. Altitude, fuel grade, ambient temperatures etc
    Your environemt may be different and so the TE ECU have different results for you, However, if you stick to the same country version of ECU's you should still get benefits.
  18. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    I only had 1 hour to test - not enough to do comprehensive testing and there is so much tesating that could have been done
    My testing involved riding the SM between 5 and 60kmh around the same suburban route - f e e l i n g the bike and focusing on specific areas that I knew i could tell the differences on like low rpm lugging, on - off throttle, acceleration pickup etc.

    I swapped ECU's back and forth to make sure that I was not imagining things.
    Seat-of-pants is always somewhat difficult - So let us say for arguments sake that the TE is 10 points better than the SM, then seat of pants told me that SM + TE ECU made up 8 or 9 of the 10 points. I could not quite convince myself that the SM + TE ECU made up the full 10 points.

    At the end of the test I did one ride on the TE with the SM ECU and the TE performed and even sounded like the SM.

    One thing interesting thing is that the starting behaviour follows the ECU.
    The TE always starts half a crank sooner than the SM when warm.
    The SM+TE ECU now started half a crank earlier than the SM+SM ECU.
  19. organ donor Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Berlin
    Can still feel the apprehension when I signed the purchase document got my 630 SM. All the bikers who knew me were having a good laugh. And I knew how right they were.The bike really was a PIG! Just the p/u plug would have done the trick. But after spending a lot more than I´d bargained for (bling carbon, twin Arrows etc. etc) I think it´s definitely a keeper and hope that I´ll be hanging on to it for as long as I kept my previous (CCM).
    PS
    Am I right in thinking that just fitting the p/u plug re-sets the ECU in power up mode? If so, what effect would the other ECUs have?
  20. HuskyBrutha Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    690 R, 500 EXC, XR250
    From what I have read, it is the resistor plug that puts the ECU into B mode.
    However the dealers usually always perfom some recalibration of the ECU using iBeat following the PU kit installtion.
    This is something that the DIY PU Kit misses out on.

    I never regretted purchasing my SM630, even in the four months i had it prior to PU.
    This is because the 630 is a great bike in many respects over and above performance ( Yeah we all want great performance).

    Before I got the TE, I was, and still am, very happy with my SM with PU ( and JD Jetting for a few cherries on the cake).

    The TE just has some improvements which would be nice to have applied to the SM. But it does not detract from all the other great aspects of the SM.
    Even without the benefits of the TE, my SM is very quick and very enjoyable to ride.
    A keeper, the SM is.