Bajaj Dominar 400, Royal Enfield 650 Twins, KTM 390 Duke, Yamaha R15 V3 & Others Get PowerTronic ECU Upgrades

The ECU upgrade makes a considerable difference in the way the power and torque is delivered

• The ECU upgrade for the Royal Enfield 650 Twins costs Rs 22,000.
• The upgrade costs Rs 18,000 for the Himalayan, KTM 390 Duke, R15 V3 & Dominar 400.
• It’s a piggyback ECU, which means you can switch back to the stock unit if needed.

ECU or Electronic Control Unit is essentially the brain of the engine. It measures and controls various parameters of the engine like air-fuel mixture, valve opening and closing, exhaust gases measurement and speed, among others. PowerTronic is an aftermarket performance parts manufacturer, which is particularly well-known for offering ECU upgrades for motorcycles. The brand offers piggyback ECU upgrades designed specifically for motorcycles in India.

All the ECU upgrades are of piggyback type, which allows the rider to switch back to the stock ECU whenever required. The brand claims that one can simply plug and play under 40 minutes and they come with downloadable maps too. The unit is water and heat resistant and comes with a one-year warranty as well. While PowerTronic offers ECU upgrades for various motorcycles, here are our top five picks:

Royal Enfield 650 Twins:

Both the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 get the same ECU map. It features two power maps: Map 1 and Map 2. Map 1 & 2 increase the 47.8PS stock output by 2PS and 3.2PS respectively. When it comes to the torque output, the first map bumps it up to 53.58Nm, whereas the second map brings it up to 55.15Nm, which is a 3Nm gain. These figures are measured at the crank, and the kit costs Rs 22,000 for both the bikes.

The graph shows that the increased power and torque is spread similarly across the rev range as the stock output. So the upgrade should result in brisker performance in the stock powerband. It should also help you sustain triple-digit speeds in a slightly more relaxed manner, compared to the stock bike.

Royal Enfield Himalayan:

Now, Royal Enfield claims a power output of 24.5PS for the Himalayan, whereas Powertronic's measurement stands at 20.99PS. The difference is because Royal Enfield measures the output at the crank, whereas PowerTronic has measured it at the wheel. Nonetheless, with PowerTronic's ECU upgrade, this goes up to almost 1PS. It also increases the torque output at the wheel by 1.33Nm, to 27.9Nm. The graph shows that the rider can stay in the bike’s powerband slightly longer than normal. This should help in achieving slightly higher cruising speeds on the highway. The increased torque acts right from the get-go which should make it easier to ride off-road. The upgrade for the adventure tourer is priced at Rs 18,000.

Yamaha YZF-R15 Version 3.0:

In this case, PowerTronic has measured the power and torque figures at the crank. With the update, the power increases by 1.53PS, to 20.8PS, and the torque goes up by 1.18Nm, to 16.18Nm. These may not sound much, but both the power and torque curves are sustained longer across the rev range, resulting in better top-end performance. The upgrade also rectifies the slight drop in performance with the stock ECU between 5000rpm to 6000rpm, thus ensuring a more seamless power delivery. Just like the Himalayan, the Yamaha YZF-15 Version 3.0 also gets only one map, the price for which stands at Rs 18,000.

2019 Bajaj Dominar 400:

The PowerTronic ECU update for the Bajaj Dominar 400 is also priced at Rs 18,000. It increases the power and torque output by 0.49PS and 0.75Nm at the wheel. The stock power and torque figures stand at 26.75PS and 24.98Nm respectively. With the ECU upgrade, both power and torque start tapering off about 900rpm later compared to the stock map. It should result in better performance in the higher end of the rev range, thus improving highway performance.

KTM 390 Duke:

PowerTronic has priced the ECU upgrade for the KTM 390 Duke at Rs 18,000. Interestingly, the graphs reveals a major change in the motorcycle's behaviour. While the stock power curve starts dropping at around 8800rpm, the upgrade sustains the peak power for longer, plateauing all the way to around 11,000rpm! Likewise, the ECU also holds the peak torque output for about 2250rpm more before tapering off. What this means is that the engine becomes more linear and less snatchy when it comes to power delivery. Moreover, it wouldn’t feel out of breath even on the higher end of the rev range as the ECU sustains the power a lot longer in the rev band. This upgrade increases the power at the wheel by almost 1PS and torque by 1.31Nm.