KTRIC revisited *Updated First Post*
I was going through some old threads here a while back and came across a discussion about disconnecting the KTRIC TPS system possibly having an effect on performance. Doign some digging around the net i found some interesting stuff a guy did a few years ago mapping the ignition curves of the *ECU* on a ZRX1100. Yes i know its not exactely the same, but the K-TRIC system appears to work in the same way on all of Kawi's bikes.
Thanks to Sean Stasiak for all this information and to Jake for bringing the idea to my attention. I tried to send Sean an email to see if he had any other relevent information, but it was returned as it appears the email in the .pdf is no longer valid.
This first image shows a sample of the 3D timing map the ECU uses.
![Image]()
The second image shows the operation of the TPS unit. Basically more throttle = more voltage to the ECU which translates into more timing advance.
![Image]()
The third is a scan showing the text of the manual describing the K-TRIC operation and its default protection.
![Image]()
Now heres where things get interesting.
From what i can gather the ECU input for the TPS operates in a range of 0-5v. The J model service manual states that a properly adjusted TPS shows .95v - 4.15v (lowest idle and highest WOT reading respectively). The ZRX1100 manual states .9v - 4.26v while not exactly the same, is pretty close. More on what this has to do with anything in a minute.
Here is a .pdf showing the ZRX1100 default ignition map with the TPS unplugged.
![Image]()
http://gstasiak.home.bresnan.net/DefaultAdvMap.pdf
As you can see the timing map tops out with around 37 or so degrees of advance.
Now here is the high res mapping of how the ECU interprets the readings from the TPS. (You'll need Excel to open and view the spreadsheet)
![Image]()
http://gstasiak.home.bresnan.net/Hi-Res TPS Mapping.zip
Looking at the spreadsheet you can see that Sean's TPS topped out at a voltage reading of 4.13v resulting in a maximum advance of 35.52 degrees. Now this may not seem signifigant, thats only a 1.48 degree difference in advance. However what this implies is that even with a properly adjusted TPS the ECU will never reach full advance even at WOT, not to mention how this could affect the TPS adjusted timing curve. Unplugging the TPS defaults the ECU to the "safe" timing map and also results in full advance. Now what this means on a ZX6R, no one really knows. Without a timing map of our specific bike and how the TPS signal is interpreted by the ECU/Ignitor we may never know.
Again this is all just speculation without empirical data to back it up, take it for what its worth, but it does seem to fit in with Jake's account of the Kawasaki Canada race techs telling a racer to uplug his TPS for best performance.
I was bored today so i thought i would try this out. I unplugged the connector from the TPS, fired the bike up and took a ride for a few miles to get the engine up to temp. I got to my favorite full throttle straightaway and let her rip. Rolling on the throttle, everything seemed normal until about 3/4 throttle or 9.5k (wasn't really watching the tach); the damn front end came off the ground.
Now, i've owned this bike for 7 years and i know the feeling of the front end getting light under accel in first, once I installed my jet kit, the front got even lighter. This was not that feeling, this was full on power wheelie. I about shit my pants.
I bet the tire got about a foot and a half off the ground before i panicked and shut her down. It came up FAST. Rode a ways down the road and turned around and tried again to make sure it wasn't some fluke. Same result. Still to chicken to try and ride it out but after another 3 times or so i got the hell out of dodge in case someone was around and decided to call the po. The whole ride home i was grinning from ear to ear and laughing like a maniac.
*notes*
I edited this first post to keep all the relevent information at the beginning of the thread since things seemed to degenerate into useless name calling.
I was going through some old threads here a while back and came across a discussion about disconnecting the KTRIC TPS system possibly having an effect on performance. Doign some digging around the net i found some interesting stuff a guy did a few years ago mapping the ignition curves of the *ECU* on a ZRX1100. Yes i know its not exactely the same, but the K-TRIC system appears to work in the same way on all of Kawi's bikes.
Thanks to Sean Stasiak for all this information and to Jake for bringing the idea to my attention. I tried to send Sean an email to see if he had any other relevent information, but it was returned as it appears the email in the .pdf is no longer valid.
This first image shows a sample of the 3D timing map the ECU uses.
The second image shows the operation of the TPS unit. Basically more throttle = more voltage to the ECU which translates into more timing advance.
The third is a scan showing the text of the manual describing the K-TRIC operation and its default protection.
Now heres where things get interesting.
From what i can gather the ECU input for the TPS operates in a range of 0-5v. The J model service manual states that a properly adjusted TPS shows .95v - 4.15v (lowest idle and highest WOT reading respectively). The ZRX1100 manual states .9v - 4.26v while not exactly the same, is pretty close. More on what this has to do with anything in a minute.
Here is a .pdf showing the ZRX1100 default ignition map with the TPS unplugged.
http://gstasiak.home.bresnan.net/DefaultAdvMap.pdf
As you can see the timing map tops out with around 37 or so degrees of advance.
Now here is the high res mapping of how the ECU interprets the readings from the TPS. (You'll need Excel to open and view the spreadsheet)
http://gstasiak.home.bresnan.net/Hi-Res TPS Mapping.zip
Looking at the spreadsheet you can see that Sean's TPS topped out at a voltage reading of 4.13v resulting in a maximum advance of 35.52 degrees. Now this may not seem signifigant, thats only a 1.48 degree difference in advance. However what this implies is that even with a properly adjusted TPS the ECU will never reach full advance even at WOT, not to mention how this could affect the TPS adjusted timing curve. Unplugging the TPS defaults the ECU to the "safe" timing map and also results in full advance. Now what this means on a ZX6R, no one really knows. Without a timing map of our specific bike and how the TPS signal is interpreted by the ECU/Ignitor we may never know.
Again this is all just speculation without empirical data to back it up, take it for what its worth, but it does seem to fit in with Jake's account of the Kawasaki Canada race techs telling a racer to uplug his TPS for best performance.
I was bored today so i thought i would try this out. I unplugged the connector from the TPS, fired the bike up and took a ride for a few miles to get the engine up to temp. I got to my favorite full throttle straightaway and let her rip. Rolling on the throttle, everything seemed normal until about 3/4 throttle or 9.5k (wasn't really watching the tach); the damn front end came off the ground.
Now, i've owned this bike for 7 years and i know the feeling of the front end getting light under accel in first, once I installed my jet kit, the front got even lighter. This was not that feeling, this was full on power wheelie. I about shit my pants.
I bet the tire got about a foot and a half off the ground before i panicked and shut her down. It came up FAST. Rode a ways down the road and turned around and tried again to make sure it wasn't some fluke. Same result. Still to chicken to try and ride it out but after another 3 times or so i got the hell out of dodge in case someone was around and decided to call the po. The whole ride home i was grinning from ear to ear and laughing like a maniac.
*notes*
I edited this first post to keep all the relevent information at the beginning of the thread since things seemed to degenerate into useless name calling.
