10-28-2016, 12:47 AM
I was coming home from a pretty long, hard ride yesterday afternoon, and hit one of favorite winding roads heading home. I noted that for some reason, the bike felt noticeably stronger everywhere, especially in the low and midrange. The weather was a few degrees cooler, but very humid, so I dismissed the temperature and humidity (high humidity robs power anyway).
Then it occurred to me I had probably turned over 10K on the odometer at some point during the ride; I have been reliably informed that in modern vehicles, the ECU is programmed to open up performance at certain benchmarks. Sure enough, the odometer read 10,055 when I checked.
I know that with BMW as well as other marques, there is a timing retard and restriction on the rev limiter until the first service is completed. I noticed a significant power increase on my GS after picking it up from the dealer and was told the ECU'd been reflashed.
My Chevy dealer told me that the new cars "learn" how you drive and adjust accelerator response and shift points accordingly. I loaned my car to a friend who drove pretty sedately, and when she gave me the car back, it felt rather slow. After some time, it started gaining response again.
I think it's entirely possible that Honda, one of the world's most advanced automotive manufacturers, has included these types of features in the CB1100's ECU; it makes even more sense for an air-cooled bike, which really needs to be broken in over the long term. I know that with air-cooled BMW boxer engines, they were never considered broken-in until at least 15,000 miles.
If not an ECU thing, then maybe a break-in thing; maybe everything's just come together finally.
You guys with over 10K, how are your bikes running? Strong? Do you feel your bikes got stronger over time?
Then it occurred to me I had probably turned over 10K on the odometer at some point during the ride; I have been reliably informed that in modern vehicles, the ECU is programmed to open up performance at certain benchmarks. Sure enough, the odometer read 10,055 when I checked.
I know that with BMW as well as other marques, there is a timing retard and restriction on the rev limiter until the first service is completed. I noticed a significant power increase on my GS after picking it up from the dealer and was told the ECU'd been reflashed.
My Chevy dealer told me that the new cars "learn" how you drive and adjust accelerator response and shift points accordingly. I loaned my car to a friend who drove pretty sedately, and when she gave me the car back, it felt rather slow. After some time, it started gaining response again.
I think it's entirely possible that Honda, one of the world's most advanced automotive manufacturers, has included these types of features in the CB1100's ECU; it makes even more sense for an air-cooled bike, which really needs to be broken in over the long term. I know that with air-cooled BMW boxer engines, they were never considered broken-in until at least 15,000 miles.
If not an ECU thing, then maybe a break-in thing; maybe everything's just come together finally.
You guys with over 10K, how are your bikes running? Strong? Do you feel your bikes got stronger over time?