Booster plug

Has anyone tried this?
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Review
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Just wondering what you all think.  My 1100 could use some help.

You really want my opinion? Without malice or prejudice.

Start Opinion:

It's a piece of crap. All these fuel injection modifiers are kludges that can potentially feck-up your bike. The guy who wrote that review is an ignorant Luddite with no clue as to how fuel injection works.

End Opinion.

Who wants to punch him?

Really, these are just another 'orrible kludge and although I'm not personally familiar with this particular turd-on-a-string it will be some form of sensor fooler or signal interferer.

Buy some cables from Lonelec, download the Guzzidiag suite of tools, make sure your bike is properly tuned and hasn't been messed with by an idiot and tell us of any modifications that have been done to it and Mark or I, (When I get back from holidays.) will be able to send you a map that will make your G11 sing.

If, it has been buggered around with by a previous owner or a shop that doesn't know what they're doing? Well, we'll have to sort that out first! But I STRONGLY advise against this horrible device. No matter what wonderful plaudits it has attracted.

Pete

Beat me to it!

Smoke and Mirrors only - get a map from Mark/Pete - that is the solution and much cheaper

I'll go one step further Tony.
Smoke and Mirrors only - get a map from Mark/Pete - THIS IS THE ONLY solution and much cheaper.

Being honest, I don't own a GRiSO but I watched Al go thru the process and have ridden his bike, I've also ridden Gil's fettled 8V, both are a major improvement in smoooothness and torque over the factory impression of "fine tuning"

Only thing I would add is that if this 1100 is really, truly awful then there is a good chance it has been screwed with. While they can be made a lot better it is rare for an 1100 owner to think their bike is ghastly!

Let's get a bit more history and detail. No point in suggesting another map to a bike already fucked-up.

Pete

Brilliant product matey. Go ahead, don't listen to what's been said here since who knows when.

Facetiousness aside, I wonder how this works with the O2 sensor and closed loop as it only modifies the intake temp signal? Fuck it, I don't want to know.

The Saint wrote:

Fuck it, I don't want to know.  

Good. That way madness lies.

Pete here are the specs;
2007 GRiSO 1100 that I bought from Moto International with less than 1500miles and Factory warranty . Everything stock. At real small throttle openings like riding in a parking lot  bike is jumpy when given even a little more gas. Idle is a bit wavy when warm and seems a bit low (1100 RPMs?). My other concern is that last year I got stuck in mostly stop stop and go traffic for a good 1/2 hour and when it cleared up it ran really ragged. The air temp was mid 70's.  This is my first fuel injected bike  (my other bikes are a 75 850T and a 71 Norton)so I’m on a bit of a learning curve about what is proper for how it should run. Nearest dealer is 100+ miles away and not sure if they would remap the bike if it needs it. I know my start post is a bit naive and it did seem too good to be true. That’s why I asked you guys for an opinion. Thanks for all the help

Forgot to add I bought the bike 3 years ago

Have a read of my GuzziDiag tutorial [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Get yourself the cables and I will send you a map (PM me your email address) that should make happiness. BTW, 1100 RPM idle is OK.

As Pete, Ghezzi, The Saint say - these things are not meant for real world bikes - they are a kludge and have been know to kill engines. May I say an oxymoron?

That aside, ensure you TBs are balanced, get hold of an old laptop (or a new one, pretty cheap these days), some cables (see links on this website), download GuzziDiag, Reader and Writer, ask nicely and you will get a real nice map from Mark/Pete, upload it to your bike, reset learning parameters, reset your TPS, go ride.

It really is as simple as that - and when you ride around said carpark, and then hit the open road, wipe that grin from your gob and just think how you nearly went to the very dark side - Hell you may have gone there too!

None of us are going to Guzzi Heaven, but sure as shit, all (well most of us anyway) of us are riding on a custom map that delivers: "buttery smooth" throttle control, flat torque curves, flat power curves, better performance, and less fuel in the bargain. Some get woodies (self confessed) others get this great big grin on their dial and can't wait to take the bike out again.

Do the right thing for your soul and your bike...

Before we start down the re-map route let's start with the basics.

Do you service the bike yourself or is there a shop who do it for you?

Where do you run the oil on your dipstick?

What are the valve clearances set at?

Is the sealing paint still in place on the idle stop screw and linkage rod ball joints?

Are there any error codes coming up in the dash?

Have the throttle bodies been balanced? If so how was the TPS re-calibrated afterwards?

Are both of the air bleeds open?

Are you sure all there are no air leaks in the intake and exhaust systems.

Has the bike been modified in any way? Is it running an aftermarket pipe or air filter arrangement?

If you can answer these questions, (Some or all of them.) it gives me a good place to start in diagnosing any physical/mechanical issues that will need to be addressed before we can get a map to work.

Pete

Ok pete, here are my answers
1 When I bought the bike Moto International did the first service. I have not touched the bike since Have not been able to put a lot of miles on it only 800 a year or so. hope do do all the sevices myself
2 below max line
3 see 1
4 yes on the linkage. where is the idle stop screw?
5 no
6 no
7 don't know. How do i check
8 never checked
9 stock intake and exhaust ( nice to own a quiet bike)

These have been around for awhile for Beemers. I've contemplated getting one for my GS Adventure, but there seems to be a divide on whether they really work. Some owners report they get improved performance (placebo effect) while others note little improvement and theorize that the Beemer sensors eventually adjust to defeat the device.

Talwar, BMWs are notoriously difficult to get into, to fiddle with the ECU - may work in that case, BUT - on your Guzzi, all is good with Paul, Christian, Mark, Pete and a score of others (too many to list) have either developed access software (GuzziDiag, Reader, Writer) or have spent time and money developing maps for the rest of us, for a variety of exhausts.

Enjoy what is here. Not sure what you can do with the BMW - a mate of mine is struggling to find cables and/or software for the Bosch ECUs in them. Anyone have any ideas?

drquackula wrote:

my other bikes are a 75 850T and a 71 Norton

A man of taste and erudition! (I also have a 75 850-T and a Commando (74 MkIIA))

drquackula wrote:

At real small throttle openings like riding in a parking lot bike is jumpy when given even a little more gas. Idle is a bit wavy when warm and seems a bit low (1100 RPMs?).

The first sounds like the classic lean condition from a stock map. I'll wager that Mark's map for the orig. muffler will probably clear that up. The second - maybe doing a TPS reset would be something to try? With Moto International having serviced the bike, it's 99% it was done right. As Pete has said, a remap will only fully benefit a well set up bike, but I would think it would be worth a try and can't hurt anything. If it has no effect the stock map can just be put back on.

Sorry, I have to disagree. In my experience it is vital to have the machine tuned correctly and running optimally before remapping. Yes, you can re-load the original map but you will of lost the trims when the selflearners are re-set and this simply throws another variate into an already unknown stew of potential fuck-ups.

WRT the snatchiness at lower speeds and throttle openings even simply removing all slack from the throttle cables will pay dividends.

The other issues like air bleeds I'll address a bit later as I'm drowning under an avalanche of tech queries at the moment and I'm supposed to be on holiday! Not complaining, it's just funny. Why now?



Pete

A prudent course of action would be to alert Moto International to the problem.

They have an excellent reputation and I think would work with you.

I have a 2007 1100, that I bought from them and have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with them.

Pete Roper wrote:

you can re-load the original map but you will of lost the trims when the selflearners are re-set and this simply throws another variate into an already unknown stew of potential fuck-ups.

Ahh - good point. Hadn't thought of that.

Booster Plug.


I read up on how this gizmo works. It basically falsifies the air temperature data fed into the ECU. The device has a temperature sensor that measures the external air temperature. The sensors fitted to modern Guzzi's are inside the air box, so measured temps are usually 7-10 degrees warmer than ambient. This device sets the temp signal to be ~20 degrees cooler than ambient.

The pressure-air-temp table has an approximate 10%-12% change over a 20 degree range, so in the case of a 5AM equipped Guzzi, the ECU initially fuels up 10%-12% more rich before it applies all the other corrections and fudge factors. The end result might be around 6%-8% more rich in the combustion chamber.

When the engine temp gets to around 60 degrees, the ECU enters closed loop mode, and thus the trimming begins. Closed loop rev range is up to around 5000 RPM. The ECU will still trim based on lean/really lean way the narrowband sensor functions, so regardless of what Booster gizmo does, the closed loop area will still get trimmed down to what Mr Marelli has designed. The open loop area will still run 6%-8% more rich. If you spend an any time above 5000 your mileage will not so much as fly, but plummet.

This device is classic wallet-raping of the highest order. Seems to work on BMW's, however I don't know how the BMW FI works, and don't care to. All I can say is that any Guzzi owner who buys a Booster plug may as well just donate $150 to the seller, because after a couple hundred miles, it won't work anymore and your fuel economy will suffer.

Thanks for that. It's basically what I expected but I wasn't sure of the how and why.

Pete

I know I'm dragging up an old subject but here goes anyway.

I subscribe to a Youtube channel which involve a guy sticking shiny bits onto his T120 Hinckley Bonneville and giving glowing reviews along the way., which is all harmless fun along the lines of dressing a Christmas tree.
Where things changed was when he stuck a Booster plug onto his bike went for a llttle ride and then did a arty video extolling the virtues of the device.
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I never normally comment on these Youtube videos but this time I couldn't let it go and basically left a comment along the lines discussed in this post and said the guy should at least test the thing over a extended period before telling his followers to go out and buy a Booster plug.
Watch the vid and judge for yourselves.

Yes, well.......