2021 CRF450R ECU problems

damron124
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damron124
Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 1:29pm
Has anyone heard if Honda is going to do anything about the ECU issues everyone’s talking about in all the bike reviews, you know they aren’t just gonna do all this work and have this put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth just bc they didn’t take the time to fine tune the fuel mapping before releasing
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FGR01
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FGR01 9/25/2020 8:47pm
9/25/2020 8:47pm
I seriously doubt they will. I can't recall a single time in the last 30+ years when any Japanese brand, especially Honda, made a change on every unit in the fleet before releasing them when the bikes were already in the US. It's always been once they leave the factory that is it, unless something major goes wrong, then it is a recall, very reluctantly.

Examples that come to mind... 2002-2007 CR250 Jetting. Very comparable to this mapping issue. Everyone knew it was bad but Honda did nothing to fix it. Just kept releasing the bike like that. 2002 CR250 Airbox seal. Everyone knew it was a major issue. Lots of people had destroyed engines from sucking dirt. Honda went into denial mode until they had no choice. Then they did a recall which consisted of "applying sealant to the airbox". 1995 CR250 had like 3 recalls on it. Fork lug/lower tubes were cracking, casting flaw in the coolant passages, and something with the crank. As I recall, all the bikes were pretty much already sold before Honda admitted anything and recalled. There were a few still sitting on showroom floors that were fixed before being sold.

I hope I am wrong and they remap all these bikes. But the dealers don't have the ability to map bikes, by and large. So unless Honda is going to develop new maps and do the entire fleet of bikes in CA before shipping around the US, I don't see it happening. It would be totally unprecedented.
pete24
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pete24 9/26/2020 7:31am
9/26/2020 7:31am
FGR01 wrote:
I seriously doubt they will. I can't recall a single time in the last 30+ years when any Japanese brand, especially Honda, made a change on...
I seriously doubt they will. I can't recall a single time in the last 30+ years when any Japanese brand, especially Honda, made a change on every unit in the fleet before releasing them when the bikes were already in the US. It's always been once they leave the factory that is it, unless something major goes wrong, then it is a recall, very reluctantly.

Examples that come to mind... 2002-2007 CR250 Jetting. Very comparable to this mapping issue. Everyone knew it was bad but Honda did nothing to fix it. Just kept releasing the bike like that. 2002 CR250 Airbox seal. Everyone knew it was a major issue. Lots of people had destroyed engines from sucking dirt. Honda went into denial mode until they had no choice. Then they did a recall which consisted of "applying sealant to the airbox". 1995 CR250 had like 3 recalls on it. Fork lug/lower tubes were cracking, casting flaw in the coolant passages, and something with the crank. As I recall, all the bikes were pretty much already sold before Honda admitted anything and recalled. There were a few still sitting on showroom floors that were fixed before being sold.

I hope I am wrong and they remap all these bikes. But the dealers don't have the ability to map bikes, by and large. So unless Honda is going to develop new maps and do the entire fleet of bikes in CA before shipping around the US, I don't see it happening. It would be totally unprecedented.
i kinda think your wrong but im old and i may be wrong and not you
89 kxs were here and they changed all the upside down forks to 46mm regulars
94 or 95 cr250s kickstart gears and fork lowers after the bikes were here
FGR01
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FGR01 9/26/2020 10:27am
9/26/2020 10:27am
pete24 wrote:
i kinda think your wrong but im old and i may be wrong and not you 89 kxs were here and they changed all the upside...
i kinda think your wrong but im old and i may be wrong and not you
89 kxs were here and they changed all the upside down forks to 46mm regulars
94 or 95 cr250s kickstart gears and fork lowers after the bikes were here
On the 95 CR250 thing, the majority of the bikes were already sold and forks started cracking while owners were riding them. So it was done as a recall after the fact and they retrofitted the few bikes that were still in dealer showrooms. Basically they had no choice because it was a major safety issue. I doubt they will see the CRF450 mapping as a safety issue.

On the 89 KX forks, are you saying all the bikes were already in the US and they literally removed thousands of sets of forks and swapped them? I recall it as a decision that was made before production. In other words, they were going to have upside down forks but they decided to go with conventional before they actually built the bikes. Not 100% sure on this though, just my recollection.
DynoDan22
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DynoDan22 9/26/2020 11:18am
9/26/2020 11:18am
I have heard that the ECU's will be reflashed in the warehouse prior to shipping. This came from a reliable source so here's hoping!
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FGR01
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FGR01 9/26/2020 2:05pm
9/26/2020 2:05pm
DynoDan22 wrote:
I have heard that the ECU's will be reflashed in the warehouse prior to shipping. This came from a reliable source so here's hoping!
Hope it's true. And it would be the smartest thing they could do at this point. If they are really smart, they'll hire a reputable company like Twisted or Yosh to develop the maps to ensure it's done right.
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damron124
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damron124 9/26/2020 7:44pm
9/26/2020 7:44pm
DynoDan22 wrote:
I have heard that the ECU's will be reflashed in the warehouse prior to shipping. This came from a reliable source so here's hoping!
I have already put money down on mine and it was supposed to ship week before last and then the date kept getting pushed back after the riding reviews came out and I was really hoping this was the reason why which makes me feel a lot better about it
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Asnep815
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Asnep815 9/30/2020 7:29am
9/30/2020 7:29am
from an "insider" ive heard several times that the bikes will have the ecu's reflashed before they're shipped out. So fingers crossed thatll happen, although if it doesnt ive never owned a 450 that didnt get an ecu flash anyways, simply for a smoother delivery. if the biggest worry i have is a $250 tune i wont be hurt.
LKHill
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LKHill 9/30/2020 9:37am
9/30/2020 9:37am
If they had X amount of months and did not get the mapping dialed what make you think they will get it right when they are under pressure to get them out the door?
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damron124
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damron124 9/30/2020 1:43pm
9/30/2020 1:43pm
LKHill wrote:
If they had X amount of months and did not get the mapping dialed what make you think they will get it right when they are...
If they had X amount of months and did not get the mapping dialed what make you think they will get it right when they are under pressure to get them out the door?
Is it really that hard to clean up a tune?
LKHill
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LKHill 9/30/2020 4:01pm
9/30/2020 4:01pm Edited Date/Time 9/30/2020 4:03pm
damron124 wrote:
Is it really that hard to clean up a tune?
Ask Honda, they didn't seem to be able to. A lot more goes into a production tune than just changing the map. The bike has to perform in a wide range of conditions/fuels and there are reliability concerns. I understand that is beyond the comprehension of most of the heathens on Vmx.
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damron124
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damron124 9/30/2020 5:03pm
9/30/2020 5:03pm
damron124 wrote:
Is it really that hard to clean up a tune?
LKHill wrote:
Ask Honda, they didn't seem to be able to. A lot more goes into a production tune than just changing the map. The bike has to...
Ask Honda, they didn't seem to be able to. A lot more goes into a production tune than just changing the map. The bike has to perform in a wide range of conditions/fuels and there are reliability concerns. I understand that is beyond the comprehension of most of the heathens on Vmx.
It is well above my level of knowledge but with the bike already performing and so close to being right I figured it wouldn’t take much to clean it up
LKHill
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LKHill 9/30/2020 5:12pm
9/30/2020 5:12pm
damron124 wrote:
It is well above my level of knowledge but with the bike already performing and so close to being right I figured it wouldn’t take much...
It is well above my level of knowledge but with the bike already performing and so close to being right I figured it wouldn’t take much to clean it up
I am not busting on you man. Keefer stated that was not the same settings he tested with. What that means is there was a reason for the changes that only Honda knows. They did not just say let's just fatten it up and send it out, assuming the bike is rich.
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damron124
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damron124 10/2/2020 4:58am
10/2/2020 4:58am
damron124 wrote:
It is well above my level of knowledge but with the bike already performing and so close to being right I figured it wouldn’t take much...
It is well above my level of knowledge but with the bike already performing and so close to being right I figured it wouldn’t take much to clean it up
LKHill wrote:
I am not busting on you man. Keefer stated that was not the same settings he tested with. What that means is there was a reason...
I am not busting on you man. Keefer stated that was not the same settings he tested with. What that means is there was a reason for the changes that only Honda knows. They did not just say let's just fatten it up and send it out, assuming the bike is rich.
I didn’t take it that way, it’s all good I want everyone’s info and opinion on the subject that’s why I was asking, just trying to get as much info as I can so I can make a decision if the bike is still worth it to me
damron124
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damron124 10/6/2020 5:53pm
10/6/2020 5:53pm
I have finally picked up my 2021 and I’m pleased with how it runs, no issues down low, the bike felt really clean and strong through out the power band, it’s not the strong jerky feeling like the previous years but felt a lot like the new kx power delivery with it being really strong but smooth
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Leeham
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Leeham 10/6/2020 7:15pm
10/6/2020 7:15pm
Thats good to hear. I guess Swapmoto wasnt being paid to say that they may have tainted gas and it ran better with different fuel. Hopefully other peoples experience is better as well
damron124
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damron124 10/7/2020 2:58pm
10/7/2020 2:58pm
Leeham wrote:
Thats good to hear. I guess Swapmoto wasnt being paid to say that they may have tainted gas and it ran better with different fuel. Hopefully...
Thats good to hear. I guess Swapmoto wasnt being paid to say that they may have tainted gas and it ran better with different fuel. Hopefully other peoples experience is better as well
I believe they was, they had a 2 or 3 week delay bc of the issue and had it corrected before they would ship them out, this info came from my dealer, they just don’t want everyone to know theY was rushing and did a shitty job
kyle72
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kyle72 11/14/2020 11:38pm
11/14/2020 11:38pm
I just got mine Friday from Honda of South Georgia. I have about 2 hours on it so far. I love the bike I race tight single track hear in Florida with FTR. I'm taller and my knees have always rubbed hard on the shrouds to the point after some hair scrambles it looks like I've been getting it doggy on the living room carpet all night. Not a issue with this new bike so comfortable I look at any spot on the trail and the bike is thare. Now the mapping and the whole bottom dirty/rich deal I noticed in all 3 maps. Very shitty very shitty indeed. I was told by my local honda dealer and they don't have a clue if or when they are getting one but honda would make a download and they could reflash the ecu with the HRC efi programming tool. Let us pray someone honda or sweet baby Jesus will have a good free downloadible map. I mean its the least that could do after just spending 10,500. But still I absolutely love the bike love it!!!!

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FGR01
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FGR01 11/15/2020 5:49am
11/15/2020 5:49am
So, at this point is it safe to say Honda did not fix the mapping on the bikes before shipping them? It appears nothing was done and that delay was not to fix mapping.
kyle72
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kyle72 11/15/2020 3:07pm
11/15/2020 3:07pm
I'm thinking they didn't i road for about 2 hours today and I noticed it in all 3 maps. I will be on the phone with hondas Powersports department tomorrow to see what they are planning on doing. After spending 10k I really don't want to spend another 200 on a reflash. It does make me wonder why they did hold back the release to the general public for... I really wonder 🤔
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AverageFade
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AverageFade 11/17/2020 2:07pm
11/17/2020 2:07pm
I sent my ECU to TokyoMods in So Cal for a little over a $100 and got it back within 5 days. Rode it for an hour yesterday at Fox Raceway and it was amazing. They changed map 2 and 3 to their own settings. Motor is still breaking in but its lightyears better now and faster feeling.
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kyle72
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kyle72 11/17/2020 5:58pm
11/17/2020 5:58pm
Yeah its looking like I'm going to do the same. Of i may ask how are you braking yours in? I got about 4 hrs on mine riding single track in Central Florida
Bogett287
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Bogett287 11/17/2020 7:02pm
11/17/2020 7:02pm
I have a vortex from twisted devolpement and a full Yoshimura and it pulls so strong . I love this bike so much better then my 18 .
Robinson340
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Robinson340 11/17/2020 7:47pm
11/17/2020 7:47pm
Bogett287 wrote:
I have a vortex from twisted devolpement and a full Yoshimura and it pulls so strong . I love this bike so much better then my...
I have a vortex from twisted devolpement and a full Yoshimura and it pulls so strong . I love this bike so much better then my 18 .
Where did you get your vortex? Is it the same as the 17-20? Didn’t see ‘21 available on website. Unless i overlooked it haha
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Bogett287 11/17/2020 8:16pm
11/17/2020 8:16pm
Bogett287 wrote:
I have a vortex from twisted devolpement and a full Yoshimura and it pulls so strong . I love this bike so much better then my...
I have a vortex from twisted devolpement and a full Yoshimura and it pulls so strong . I love this bike so much better then my 18 .
Robinson340 wrote:
Where did you get your vortex? Is it the same as the 17-20? Didn’t see ‘21 available on website. Unless i overlooked it haha
I sent my 18 vortex to Jamie and the maps would load into the 18 box. So I had to buy a other vortex from them and it rips.
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AverageFade
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AverageFade 11/18/2020 6:33pm
11/18/2020 6:33pm
kyle72 wrote:
Yeah its looking like I'm going to do the same. Of i may ask how are you braking yours in? I got about 4 hrs on...
Yeah its looking like I'm going to do the same. Of i may ask how are you braking yours in? I got about 4 hrs on mine riding single track in Central Florida
I'm doing track only so i did some low to mid RPM sessions to get it hot and then let it cool and as of now I've got maybe 2 hours on it and its feeling great.
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dbx33 12/3/2020 6:55pm
12/3/2020 6:55pm Edited Date/Time 12/3/2020 6:57pm
if its running rich just put in some oxygenated fuel to try and help compensate. id rather have a new bike running rich than lean all things considered
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Racer_336 1/20/2021 11:14am
1/20/2021 11:14am
Where is the ECU on this bike at? It’s not under the seat like it was on the 2020.
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afk66 1/21/2021 6:01am
1/21/2021 6:01am
Racer_336 wrote:
Where is the ECU on this bike at? It’s not under the seat like it was on the 2020.
It's behind the shock
Marty19
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Marty19 1/21/2021 11:55am
1/21/2021 11:55am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 1:29pm
Anyone else has sent there stock 2021 CRF450 ECU to Tokyo Mod for remap? Any update or reviews!!??
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