Finally, I have had another day off, been four weeks now and yet still found time to look at the Thunderace engined GTS1000 EFI project for a few hours.

I brought two cased MicroSquirts along, one running the original 3.0.3s code the other running the latest 3.0.3u Alpha code. After a hesitant start, brake cleaner to the rescue, my cranking rpms were set to low and the fuel value above this was half what it needed to be ,so the fuelling needed hiking up.

Apparently the MSExtra semi sequential code also needs a different required fuel constant (half of the normal untimed injection mode)

After a few minutes and swapping the MAT and Coolant wires in the loom adaptor, I started to get sensible readings. A few tweaks to the acceleration wizard, mods to injection timing etc, and I got a steady idle on an unknown engine. I am still not able to time the bike, without spraying oil over my glasses/timing light, so just modifying fixed timing or using a table is pointless at the moment, although it does affect the smoothness of the idle, if I delay it 90 degrees more. This might be because the injectors are paired to the wrong ignition channel.

It actually sounds very good off idle and you can rip the throttle and it takes off, no baulking. I am well impressed, and have ordered a lambda sensor sleeve of eBay to mod the exhaust further. My mate needs to get the rolling chassis up to spec now, and I will refine the rest of the fuel and ignition tables on the road, so it's up to him now to get on with it, as it'll take a week or so of constant refinement to get it to a touring/cruising standard.

PS The latest code is definitely cleaner running.

Finally a day off work, and a little play again, as I needed to sort out the irregular slightly lumpy idle. Once I reloaded the MicroSquirt with the last running settings from Day 1 few weeks ago, I managed a start, but I need to tweak the cranking pulses, as it took a little bit of brake cleaner to get it going.

Once I did and after the passage of time, I began to think the idle fault was an air leak in the induction system. The quickest way to test this, is to put your hand over each throttle body and choke the engine, if they all die at the same rate, it's unlikely to be one, but on doing cylinder 2, I got a hissing sound.

Further investigation showed it had no pilot or idle screw, as it had been used as a sample perhaps for the new batch that were made, as part of my idle screw replacement kit. It was close on three years ago...that's my excuse! 

Once I got the engine warm, I realised the air temperature and coolant sensing had switched, so it was affecting the fuelling and advance, so no wonder I had problems with the timing light. It is a software fault with the alpha code I am using, that I was not aware of, so hopefully it won't be there when I upgrade to 3.0.3t. Once I had eliminated all the temperature corrections, I balanced the throttle bodies, because I had replaced the idle screw now, and I found 1 & 2 were out with respect to 3 & 4.

I have now got the bike running nicely (on the centre stand) using "untimed injection" (or batch injection), and "semi sequential". Both of these do not need a cam sensor, but have different fuelling algorithms. The bike sounds good and revs nicely in "untimed injection" mode, but the "semi sequential" mode needs a little more work, and it looks like I might be altering the OEM advance degrees...the figures in the black box, as you can hear a roughness at around 4K, although it's only revving to 6500 in this test on part throttle. There is another bug with this mode which is apparently a double fuelling glitch, but it seems I also have to alter the Acceleration Wizard quite a bit in semi sequential, and I now have to do some more reading to understand this, and the bug symptoms.

http://gallery.me.com/mike.crane/100088 

I am well impressed with the Thunderace conversion so far, it's just unfortunate the neighbours are too close, and I am working tomorrow, otherwise I would be further down the line, by the end of the weekend, although I have uploaded the latest Alpha, 3.0.3t, into the MicroSquirt and started looking at the settings some more.

These Thunderace HP dyno graphs look promising... Read More...

Today is the end of one journey and the start of another, as finally the Thunderace engined GTS1000, which is connected to a cased MicroSquirt using the stock wiring loom and ancillaries started to idle. It was a little lumpy, but as it's only day 1, but first impressions are it seems snappier on part throttle looking at the video, which suggest it will be quicker revving. The engine also has a higher compression, so the maximum torque figure should be higher, but as to what the cam timing, port differences and the EFI do, it's just guesswork.

There are a couple of videos, one is 20MB, the other 11.5MB, and you’ll need Quicktime
http://gallery.me.com/mike.crane/100071
http://gallery.me.com/mike.crane/100074

The ignition timing needs tweaking, and for some reason the coolant temp is too low and the air temp too high, so I am going to load the latest alpha 3.0.3t, which fixes a few things. Also the injection event is slightly off, or at least it sounds like it is, with that lumpy idle, but again I am running tired stock coils to create an electrically noisy environment, which is not ideal. I will be fitting my R6 stick coil conversion once I get smooth idle, and nice throttle response (unloaded, until I dyno or go down the road)

There is no lambda or O2 sensor in the exhaust yet, which needs tweaking (more upswept) too, before I can go down the road, but I will be fitting an Innovate LC1 wideband, once I put in the bung.

The bike is going to go to the this years European Treffen at Harz, but it's a friends hack bike (that had a rattly GTS engine) with my engine fitted. This means it has to be rebuilt properly to pass its MOT, before it is taxed to go down the road. He also needs to upgrade a lot of the tired metal and plastics, swap the shocks for Öhlins, different seat, swap to Krauser panniers and higher windshield for touring.

When the bike is roadworthy, I am sure it will bring a smile to our faces, dispel a few myths about the GTS engine superiority, and give others the opportunity to explore this conversion, if they want too. It won't stop there for me, as I will be fitting different throttle bodies and injectors later.

I managed to spend a couple of hours at a f’riends gaff today, primarily fitting the exhaust, but secretly wanting to try and fire the beastie up.

No plugs in, and exhaust fitted (no silencer yet, as it's marooned in a cupboard surrounded by wet floor paint!). After connecting the loom adaptor and MicroSquirt #2, I powered the system up, and hit the starter. I got nice bluish sparks, and a cranking speed of 254 rpm on 12.4V.

Next step, fit the plugs and crank over...nothing. Sprayed some brake cleaner into the throttle bodies and then it goes pop etc.




Check the tank, and there's no fuel!

Put some in, and it's clear after battery voltage starts to drop, I will have to do some more research re spark event time under cranking, and so work out the right offset. Time to get a timing light to the bike, take the plugs out and dial it in.

However, it's still looking good for my friend with my Thunderace engine in his green GTS1000, and so the next step is to refine the offset, by looking at my crankcases and crankshaft, as well as the oscilloscope trace above.

Another thing to add is there is no sight glass on the Thunderace engine, as it’s in the clutch cover, and the oil level is higher on the Thunderace compared to the GTS, so I’ll be modding the filler cap to hold a dipstick.

Finally got round to finishing this, only get one day in seven to play at the moment. To be honest, it needs a little more work, more polishing etc, slight tweak to the final bend after the collector, before I make the final version for the GTS.



*TIP* Elastic bands are useful for holding the exhaust flanges in place when fitting the system to the bike.

Finally got round to finishing this, only get one day in seven to play at the moment. To be honest, it needs a little more work, more polishing etc, slight tweak to the final bend after the collector, before I make the final version for the GTS.



*TIP* Elastic bands are useful for holding the exhaust flanges in place when fitting the system to the bike.

Trying to fabricate an exhaust for the Thunderace engined GTS1000. Read More...

The start of the Thunderace or FZR code development... Read More...

After trying to get this crank to run, it’s now obvious I cannot use an 8-1 crank setting in the MicroSquirt, as it’s really eight minus “not quite a whole tooth”. This is a problem for the B&G2.890 code, as missing teeth can only be a whole number.
I can possibly fool the MicroSquirt if I reverse the polarity of the VR sensor, and then it’ll be seeing 8 teeth, but I’ll need to add a cam sensor. Read More...

The Thunderace and FZR1000 are both 8-1 tooth (almost), the missing tooth or reference position is the single milled slot as opposed to the seven part drillings. No wonder the Thunderace project wouldn't fire using the GTS1000 ECU. Read More...