1125r Solenoid removal and ecu update
June 20th, 2009
A couple of weeks back I ordered a small £5 resistor PN Y0248.1AM from Blackbear that would allow me to disconnect and remove the so called solenoid. This solenoid is part of the noise reduction system that basically cuts the throttle in 3rd gear to keep the noise down…
The solenoid is is a 2kg silver cylinder that can be seen when you remove the front saddle on the 1125 series bike. I’m surprised that its actually allowed to be used because when the solenoid is activated it cuts the power so abruptly that the front forks load up and you’re thrown forward as the bike slows down so rapidly. Anyway, on to the removal process…
1. Remove seat ,2 torx screws under the rear corners of the seat.
2. Remove outer air box cover ,4 torx screws, two along side the fuel filler and two at the rear of the cover that the seat covers.
3. Remove the fuel overflow hose from the air box cover by carefully prising it off of the fuel vent.
4. Remove inner air box cover, several plastic clips around the perimeter.
5. Remove air filter
6. Remove air filter holder, 2 torx screws, two wire connectors, wiring harness, vent hose. The assembly pulls off with a little bit of resistance.
7. Pull cable out of butterfly attach point.
8. Loosen 10MM nut to allow the removal of the cable from the holder.
9. Unplug solenoid at wire harness connector.
10. Insert resistor into plug in wire harness. Part number Y0248.1AM £5.91
11. Remove two 5/32 allen head bolts from solenoid. This will allow access to the torx screw that holds the solenoid bracket to the frame. Remove torx screw.
12. Remove the solenoid bracket, solenoid and cable and save yourself 2kg in overall weight…
One last thing to talk about is that some people are advising that the now free throttle mechanism should be secured to save it opening accidentally or something getting jammed in it whilst its in the open position. I’d be inclined to tie wrap it in position.
This is only a 15 minute job but makes a massive difference to 3rd gear power.
Now on to the next tweak that I had done today. Blackbear kindly flashed the latest firmware to my ECU today. The calibration ID for the current release as of June 2009 is M3HECO5z. Please note that this is only for 2008 spec 1125r’s. The CR uses a different firmware because the mapping is different due to the different injectors and location of the exhaust sensors. The notable difference to this firmware is that the engine now runs smoother below the 3000rpm mark. I know that its a high revving engine but there are times when you are chugging around town or negotiating a roundabout that you will be running in 2nd gear at 2000 – 3000. Things are a whole lot smoother now so anyone with an 08 spec R should pop down to their dealer and ask them to plug your bike in to the digital technician to get the latest update. Please note that they may not be aware of this update. Blackbear who’s one of the premier Buell dealerships were not aware of it. I had to advise them on the availability of it. Worth doing though and I believe fuel economy will improve slightly too. My current average mpg is 41. This figure takes in commuting and thrashing around the local lanes.
So the moral of this little post is go ahead and de-noid your bike. It’ll make it a whole lot more predictable…
Click on a pic to enlarge it
2 Responses to “1125r Solenoid removal and ecu update”
nick August 9th, 2010 at 6:17 pm #
had the throttle problem happen to me twice on my Buell 1125R and have read your advice and will be carrying out the removal of the solenoid very soon.
Have you any suggestions for the fuel overflow which is leaking fuel on a regular basis. I have rmoved the rear pegs and re-routed the pipe down alongside the swinging arm using a “P” clip. is there any way to prevent leakage from this pipe?
Cheers Nick
Fatbiker August 10th, 2010 at 6:02 pm #
Hi Nick
pleased that my post has been useful for you. Regarding the fuel over flow… I Think its nature of the beast unfortunately.