Review of Bazzaz ZFI by Chip of KWS

First comment…..Excellent!!! The Bazzaz Z-Fi is basically a simplified version of much more complicated stand alone engine control systems like the Motec. We have been talking with Bazzaz about this box for over a year and we are very excited about it finally making it to production. Units are shipping now, but the vast majority are going to fill backorders. I will state my bias up front because we are sponsored by Bazzaz for the 2008 AMA season. We will be testing these units extensively over the course of the year.

There are four basic functions to the Z-Fi TC unit.

1.) Fuel control and mapping -

This works just like the PCIIIUSB stuff we have all been using for years. Basically you build a map based on throttle position and rpm. The big differences are that you can trim the map for each gear and you can store two separate master maps.

2.) Self Mapping or “Closed Loop” –

The closed loop function works very well, but it is not the be all – end all like a more advanced system. The system works very well, but does require a fair bit of knowledge of how to build a map and a dyno or race track to build a complete map. The system does not run all the time and does not work in real time. You have to turn the system on and then run the bike on a dyno or race track at all the various throttle positions and rpm ranges. Once you have hit all your points, you have to hook the bike back up to a lap top, save the data, and then apply the map. You will need to check the map for outliers before you apply it. We have seen cells that contain fairly random readings like + or – 50 (max value) that need to be corrected manually before being applied or the bike will not run correctly. It would be very difficult and or illegal to try to build a complete map on the street and if you do not map for 100% throttle at 13,000 rpm then it is not mapped. When or if you do get 100% throttle at 13K then the bike will not run correctly.

3.) Traction Control -

Very, very cool. You build your traction control map just like a fuel map based on throttle position and rpm. There are 10 positions for TC sensitivity. This is a “rate of rise” system that detects spikes in the acceleration of the engine. The engine will accelerate at a given value for each gear, if the value is exceeded (wheel spin) then the box will retard power until acceleration is consistent. When setting the values (1 – 10) you are telling the box how sensitive it is to those spikes or how much you want it to spin (or not spin) before it starts to cut power. You can also globally set (1 – 5) how hard/softly you want the power cut. Once you have built your basic traction map then you can trim for each gear. You can also control (again globally) how much traction interference you want by a 10 position handle bar switch. The handle bare switch is set up for + 5 and – 5. This will allow you to change your TC settings on the fly. In a race situation you might want to change it as the tire goes off.

Note: You will see a FI light and get Coil Codes from the traction control on the dash. It does not effect performance.

The most difficult part for people to figure out will be
a. If the traction control comes on, that means you are going slower.
b. It is not a “anti-crash” device and you can still highside yourself to the moon!

4.) Quick Shifter –

The quick shifter allows full throttle up shifts with out using the clutch. It uses an inline pressure sensor in the shift linkage and when you compress or pull the sensor it cuts the ignition for a fraction of second allowing you to change gears without the clutch or backing off the throttle. Cut times are adjustable for each gear.

taken from: http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175639

Motty AFR Tuner

The Motty AFR Tuner is an all in one package tuning system for providing all the necessary features for automatically custom mapping a typical naturally aspirated fuel injected motorcycle engine.

The Motty AFR Tuner is aimed at the motorcycle engine enthusiasts and offers a never before seen flexibility and level of control over the fueling of the engine.

Modifying motorcycles for racing or street riding was always popular with their owners. Installing aftermarket performance components such as exhaust systems, air filters or even internal engine modifications are very common. However the stock engine management systems found on the motorcycles of today do not compensate for the improved air flow of these aftermarket components which leads to the engine being operated out of its optimum air-fuel mixture range. In most cases this only means that the output power is below what the given modification would be capable of with correct mixture ratio, but in extreme cases it can lead to engine damage from internal overheating or detonation.

The Motty AFR Tuner was created to solve this problem. It automatically controls the air-fuel ratio of the intake charge according to the user defined target air-fuel mixture ratio map and it continuously maintains this even if new modifications are made to the motorcycle or slow changes like air filter clogging or engine wear take place.

Main features

• Digital wideband lambda sensor controller for high precision air-fuel mixture ratio measurement. The wideband oxygen sensor technology allows measuring the air-fuel mixture ratio accurately in all possible engine conditions from idle to full load.
• Fuel injection control with two high resolution 14x73 cell fuel injector control maps. Off grid map values are calculated with 3D interpolation and the map resolution is especially detailed in the low throttle regions to deliver the smoothest off throttle engine response.
• Automatic fuel injection self mapping for providing the engine with user defined air-fuel mixture ratios in all engine conditions. The two fully user editable target air-fuel ratio maps share the same 14x73 cell resolution and sophisticated interpolation algorithms as the injector maps allowing optimizing the engine for different goals in different engine conditions. For example a rich mixture for best power in the high load areas, a leaner mixture for good fuel economy in cruising conditions and a richer mixture for good throttle response in the low throttle regions.

  The automatic self mapping feature utilises the real-time wide band lambda measurement and the fuel injector control capability of the Motty AFR Tuner to progressively reach the target air-fuel ratio by simply riding the motorcycle.

  

• Integrated data logger for recording the most important engine parameters: air-fuel ratio, engine speed, throttle position, gear position (on models equipped with the sensor), coolant temperature, vehicle speed and an external 0-5V user input.
• Top speed derestriction for Suzuki GSX-R1000 and GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycles. The maximum engine revolution of these motorcycles is limitted to a lower value in top gear by the ECM. The Motty AFR Tuner can overcome this restriction by enabling the full RPM range also in the 6^th gear.

Supported motorcycle models

The Motty AFR Tuner can be installed on most naturally aspirated fuel injected motorcycles. The engine can have up to four cylinders, has to be equipped with high impedance injectors, and the design of the exhaust system should route the exhaust gases from all cylinders into an exhaust collector pipe where the wideband lambda sensor can be installed.

These requirement are met by all current Japanese inline motorcycles with either the stock or an aftermarket exhaust system with lambda sensor bung.

The Motty AFR Tuner is sold with a generic wiring harness which requires custom installation to the wiring harness of the vehicle.

Price: €459.90

This seems a lot better that the WEGOII I'm looking for, full access to the setting of the AFR (air/fuel ratio) to allow for custom power delivery and fuel economy. Direct driving of the fuel injectors means that the response time of the system should be quite good. It also offers the logging of the AFR (which will be quite redundant after it auto corrects for itself).

The downside I can see is that the degradation of the lambda sensor over time needs to be monitored closely as it will severely affect the tune of the engine. Some thing to consider in the shopping list definitely. When this unit comes, I'll be saying good bye to the old Power Commander.

WEGO III Wide-Band Air/Fuel Ratio (AFR) Tuning Aids

WEGO III Wide-Band Air/Fuel Ratio (AFR) Tuning Aids

• 
  
• Complete air/fuel ratio metering system with built-in data logging. Includes WEGO III unit shown above, Bosch LSU4.2 5-wire wide-band oxygen sensor, 18x1.5mm weld nut for mounting sensor on exhaust pipe, and software on CDROM
  
  
• Versatile tuning aid for all carbureted and fuel injected engines displays air/fuel ratio (AFR) and logs over 2 hours data including AFR, engine RPM, and a spare 0-5V analog input for sensors such as throttle position or manifold pressure
  
  
• Can be used for on-road or dyno testing
  
  
• Suitable for automotive, motorcycle, and other small engine applications
  
  
• Highly accurate with less than ±0.10 AFR error over 10.3 - 19.5 AFR range
  
  
• Easy free-air calibration procedure corrects for sensor aging effects
  
  
• 0-5V analog AFR output for interface to dyno instrumentation
  
  
• Ultra-bright daylight readable blue LED display with automatic dimming under low light conditions
  
  
• Wide supply voltage range from 11-16V allows operation from battery on small engines or race vehicles without an alternator. Current draw is approx. 1 amp
  
  
• Built-in USB interface
  
  
• Fully encapsulated with water-proof LED display
  
  
• Compact size: 4"L x 2"W x 0.5"H
  

This is the updated version of the datalogger that i'm looking at right now, apart from the USB interface and a blue LED display, there seem to be not much changes made to the unit. This unit will allow a better fine tuning to my map as it can accurately log the information required in the adjustment of the map and the tuning will be done after the logged ride.

Real world dyno and tuning

Seeing results from the constant testing, logging and tuning. Here's a look at the current results on dyno. Getting a higher peak horsepower. Now trying to get the powerband to be wider towards the end. Adjustments will be made to both the exhaust system as well as the mapping. More tuning is in order. Current challenge is trying to get the pcII to make the exact adjustments I need as, unlike pcIIIr/pcIIIusb the unit I'm using does not directly alter the fuel injection duration thus making the adjustments made quite unpredictable and less precise.

Red colour line shows the newer adjusted map. Blue one is the older map. Note the higher peak that comes earlier.

Circuit practice session (Part 1)

Owing to the presence of logistical support, I was able to bring down my non-street legal exhausts for use on the track, the HMF duals. Fitment took less than 10minutes but was longer than usual as the exhaust was quite hot from the riding all the way from home to the circuit.

Pressure on the tyres were set to the following front 32PSI and rear 35PSI. Previous session has proven that this pressure works quite well for the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT.

The VR2 is employed during this session for the datalogging of different information of the rider and the bike. It's a very useful function but will be better if used along with the external button accessory as it quite inconvenient to have to trigger the lap timing by lifting the hand off the handlebar and pressing the button on the unit itself.


This graph shows the rpm, speed and torque for 2 of the laps within the circuit. This allows for analysis of shift points and braking points on different parts of the circuit.

This graphs shows the gear (in different shades of blue) and the rpm during the lap. More information on the shift points and gears used in different parts of the circuit.

Did quite a few laps during the 1hour session and even gotten the chance to swap bike with ne0 for a few laps towards the end of the session.

Picture taken at turn 1.

Riding the ZZR14. (ride review will be up soon)
Exiting BMW chicane

Photos taken from swiftwing's album
(Thanks for logistic support and photography)

VR2 on the road dyno run

The following dyno run was done on a closed course in 4th gear running from 4000 rpm to 10 050rpm.
The figures read out will not be the same as those obtained from stationary dynamometers as this dyno is done through the measure of the G forces with the use of accelerometers. However I'll just be using the general trend of the torque and hp curves to determine the state of tune the engine is currently in. There is one significant dip in the power between 8000rpm to 9000rpm and the lack of torque in that range seems to suggest that the engine is running slightly leaner in that rpm range. Adjustments will be made soon and a similar run will be conducted again to see if any improvements are made.


This graph shows the G force measured by the accelerometer. It's gradient tell how strong the engine is pulling and towards the end of the run when the engine runs out of juice the curve will dwindle down. A similar dip can be observed in the time period where the rpm is between 8000rpm to 9000rpm. Something needs to be done.

More updates to come as I do more testing on the bike with the VR2. Stay tuned.

Auto Quarter Mile Run

Did a trial run for the auto quarter mile on the VR2. Something new to try on. Results aren't all that fantastic, but it does tell me a lot more about my riding and my bike's potential. Shall not talk too much, shall let the pictures do the talking...This graph shows the RPM versus time. The dips indicate the gear shifts that I made, I completed the run within 3 gears hitting a top speed of 200.039kph (124.2982mph)
Launching was quite crappy, can't seem to get a decent launch at 4k rpm.. so lower down to 2k to launch and surprising able to clock a better timing.

This graph shows the speed versus time. Acceleration is quite linear, but 2 dips can be seen, that's due to the gear change.

This shows the hp/torque versus RPM graph. Not really representative of anything...

Some interesting results:

1. Max Velocity : 200.0390kph (124.2982mph)
2. 20m : 1.9796s
3. 100m : 4.8185s
4. 200m : 7.3920s
5. 300m : 9.5428s
6. 402m (quarter mile) : 11.4721s
7. 0-100kph : 3.4605s
8. 0-170kph : 8.5628s
   

Here's a clip of the run:

New toy coming...

The VR2 has all the features of the Veypor along with advanced datalogging, lap delta time display, drag coefficient measurements, and a built-in clock and calendar.
The VR2’s accuracy comes from a dual motion sensor architecture using both a 3-axis accelerometer and a wheel rotation sensor.
The VR2 is housed in high strength ABS plastic coated with black metallic paint. The paint is durable and scratch resistant and actually adds strength and rigidity to the case making it extra tough.



For a wide range of compatibility and for easy installation the VR2 uses its own proven sensors and even has two RPM detection circuits to detect any type of RPM signal from any type of engine. It works as a data-logging, tuning and display add-on or even complete instrumentation replacement for cruisers, sport bikes, ATVs, moto-X, cars and go-karts.

Datalogging
The VR2 has powerful datalogging features usually only found on very expensive and very complicated race systems. The VR2 provides up to 25 hours of datalogging for anything from a road trip to a trip around the race track. You can select a sampling rate of up to 50Hz and datalog all your critical stats: Speed, RPM, Velocity, Distance, Time, Acceleration, Horsepower and Torque. The data is saved onboard the VR2 in non-volatile memory. You can download the data to the free PC based VR2 analysis software and plot, analyze and review every sample.

Lap Delta Display
The Lap Delta display lets a racer know exactly how their current lap progress compares to the previous lap by showing the difference between the relative lap positions, down to 1/10 th of a second. This information is displayed in real-time, while racing.
While racing, the VR2 takes the current lap time, speed and distance and compares them to the data logged from the previous lap after the same amount of time. The difference (delta) is calculated and displayed on screen. An example Lap Delta value of -0.3s indicates that the driver is currently 0.3 seconds faster than they were at the same spot during the last lap. Likewise, +0.2s indicates the driver is currently 0.2 seconds slower than they were at the same spot in the last lap.
This information is invaluable for determining if the lap pace is off and when it starts to slip or if time is being made up. Most importantly, the information is calculated and displayed while racing, so that corrective measures can be taken during the race.

Flexible Logging
The VR2 can store as many datalogging sessions as you want. During laptiming it logs all data and records lap times and split times to 1/100th of a second accuracy. When the onboard memory is full you can download all of your runs to a PC for analysis. The VR2 comes with a serial cable for downloading or use it with the optional USB adapter to connect using a USB port.
Drag Coefficient
The drag coefficient measurement is an industry first and only available on the VR2. The VR2 measures your coefficient of drag and rolling resistance automatically and without a wind tunnel, all you need is a flat piece of road a couple hundred feet long. Follow the simple on screen steps to calculate an accurate coefficient of friction for your vehicle in only a few minutes. Then make modifications like removing side mirrors, adjusting riding position, bodywork, etc to see how it improves your aerodynamics. It is a fact that to increase top speed it is more effective to reduce your drag coefficient than to increase horsepower.

Date and Time
A built-in clock and calendar with battery back-up lets you keep track of the date and time. The VR2 tags all your runs, laps, races, and datalogging sessions with the current time and day so that when you view or download them later you will know exactly when they took place. An internal lithium battery is included and lasts for up to 10 years before requiring replacement.

VR2 Features include:- All the features of the Veypor system-

Full-time datalogging of:
speed
distance
time
acceleration
RPM
horsepower
torque
- User programmable sampling frequencies from 1 to 50 Hz- Current and previous lap time delta display.- Up to 27 hours of datalogging at 1Hz and 33 minutes at 50Hz- Unlimited number of datalogging sessions- Keeps track of lap times and split times while data-logging- coefficient of drag calculation- rolling resistance calculation- Real-time clock and date with built-in battery backup