With TuneECU, I offer a catfish-map download and calibration service for $100 at my home in Concord, CA.  I use an exhaust CO analyzer to set the Idle Fuel Trim correctly.  This service takes about 1 hour.  Custom mapping is available also.  Contact Catfish (motocatfish at gmail dot com) for further information.

Catfish 428/429 Map Calibration Procedure with TuneECU & Gunson GasTester

This procedure assumes you are using TuneECU, and that you have TuneECU connection problems while the motor is running. This procedure separates the test & adjust steps.

Connect power to GasTester with none of its hoses connected, and let it warm-up for 20 minutes. The displayed number should be stable after warm-up & not changing.

... After you have downloaded the new map; key ON, engine NOT running, ...

Use TuneECU to set the LTFT to "4.2".

Use TuneECU to set the IFT to an initial value of "+10".

Start engine and warm up to normal operating temperatures.

Check throttle-body balance and sync if out of spec.

Calibrate Gastester to "2.0" CO, and connect hoses at sensor & moisture separator correctly.

With Caponord idling at (or above) normal operating temperature, insert GasTester probe in right exhaust. It will take maybe 10-20 seconds for the CO reading to stabilize. Record value.

Insert probe into left exhaust, wait 10-20 seconds for CO reading to stabilize, and record value.

Remove probe from exhaust and disconnect all hoses at the GasTester. Turn off Caponord engine.

Use air pressure to blow moisture out of all hoses, and allow GasTester background reading to drift down & stabilize before using it again. May take 10-15 minutes. This is a light-duty instrument by design, and it needs to dry the sensor fully before use again. When the reading are stable for a couple of minutes, then its ready to be re-calibrated & used.

The right/left CO values recorded above should be within "1.0" of each other. If not, then either throttle-body sync is off or there is some other problem with one of the cylinders.

With key ON, motor OFF, and TuneECU connected, adjust the IFT value UP another +5 if the CO readings are less than desired; adjust the IFT value DOWN -5 if the CO readings are higher than desired.

Re-start motor, warm up, calibrate GasTester, and re-test CO values as stated above. Repeat IFT adjustment & CO re-test as stated above until CO readings are acceptable.

CO Specs from my service manual:
USA = 1.0-1.5%
EU = 1.5-2.0%

Competition-use only = 3-4%

Imho, a Caponord motor idles poorly & is prone to stalling when the idle CO is less than 2.5%.

Catfish ...

Catfish Maps Information

The Catfish maps were developed & tuned with many hours on an eddy-current dyno with a 4-gas exhaust analyzer at BRG Racing in Concord, California.  Many additional days of test-riding with ECU datalogging and analysis to optimize air/fuel ratio and ignition maps were done also.  The geeky details are here.

New Map Specifications

• Correct the fuel maps for each cylinder with Staintune exhausts with silencers installed.
  (2 x 16 throttle positions x 24 RPMs)
• Optimize the ignition map for U.S. 87-Octane "regular" gasoline.
  (16 loads x 16 RPMs)
• Get rid of the "lugging" or harshness of the motor at low RPMs & part throttle operation.
• Optimize the air/fuel ratio map for fuel economy (& good throttle response) at loads up to 50%, and transition to peak horsepower optimization by 90% load, across all RPMs.
  (16 loads x 16 RPMs)
• Improve fuel mileage. Previous best at 65-70mph and no saddlebags was 39-42mpg.
  Best mileage under same conditions is now 48-54 mpg.
• Move the rev-limiter from 8,750 to 10,000 rpm to allow operation at the actual horsepower peak of the motor at 9500rpm.

Riding Impressions

These custom maps not only correct most of the fuel maps, but also de-neuter and optimize the ignition map.  With a free-flowing exhaust, these changes add as much as 8-10 Hp to the low-mid RPM ranges, and about 5 Hp at the top end.  There is much better throttle response below 6000 RPMs now.  The Caponord becomes much more wheelie prone at 2500-5000rpm, especially with a passenger on back or with a 16-tooth CS sprocket.  Caponord riders who are not experienced at throttle control of wheelies should be very careful in 1st and 2nd gears while learning its new capabilities.

The off-idle and part throttle response at any rpm is excellent.  The motor is so smooth & with so much more torque that in town its actually pleasant to use 2000-3000 rpm.  Gas mileage has improved from 29-42 mpg to 38-54 mpg now.  On regular-octane gasoline.  :-)

This motor really did get cams with good low-rpm characteristics, but the low-to-mid rpm ignition timing of the 2002's & beyond were neutered for some reason.  Maybe the 2001s were too wheelie prone with a passenger, or maybe the low-rpm drive chain rattles were just too noisy under load.  Neutering the ignition map down there reduces both issues, but it destroys the responsiveness of the motor at those RPMs in the higher gears.

(Note: to compare these with typical DynoJet dyno readings, add ~15% to these.)

TuneEdit Map Installation Instructions

1. I have successfully used TuneEdit versions 2.4, 3.7.0, & 3.9.9.8 to download maps to my Caponord.  I have experienced some problems with other 3.x versions and do NOT recommend that Caponord owners use other versions.
2. Verify which Caponord model you have, as noted in the table above, to select the proper set of maps for your Caponord.
3. Download (right click & save as...) both the OEM & Catfish maps above for your Caponord model to your computer.
4. Follow the TuneEdit instructions to download the oem 05XXXX-aprilia-maps.dat file into your Caponord.  (Note: This is a long download.  Battery should be fully charged FIRST, and connected to charger during download.)
5. Recharge the battery.
6. Start & run your Caponord for a minute or so to verify normal operation & indicators.
   (This step MUST be done after every download.  The ECU will not accept another download until after the motor has been successfully started with the last download.)
7. Follow the TuneEdit instructions to download the 05XXXX+catfish_maps.dat file into your Caponord.
8. Start & run your Caponord for a minute or so to verify normal operation & indicators.
9. After fully warming up the motor, use a CO meter and the idle fuel trim adjustment to set your idle CO to 3-4%.  If you don't have access to a CO meter to set the Idle Fuel Trim correctly (as stated in the Caponord service manual), then set the Idle Fuel Trim to 0, "Zero" with the Tuneboy software.  Zero gives me a CO reading of 4% at idle for these fuel maps in my Caponord, but your's may vary.
10. Ride your Caponord for a month, and test it with all loads & rpms.  Check your gas mileage.  Verify there is no pinging from the engine.  If any engine pinging is detected, then your Caponord engine does NOT flow like mine and you should re-load the OEM Aprilia maps again before you hurt your motor!  Note: Some drive chain slap or rattle (against the swingarm & lower chain guide) is normal at certain low RPMS and loads.  It appears when the big v-twin power pulses are synced with the natural resonate frequency of the un-supported drive chain; and I suspect the big rubber dampers in the rear wheel.  All Aprilia V60 engines do this; some worse than others.  Most owners keep the revs above these RPMs to avoid it.  With the motor correctly tuned in those RPMS though, it runs so sweetly down there that I put up with the occasional chain rattle to enjoy my torquey v-twin.

If you have now fallen in LOVE with your Caponord again, please consider a $25 PayPal Donation to help cover the costs of developing these custom Caponord maps.  THANKS!
 

Please make a $25 Donation via PayPal

Oh, and Aprilia ...  If you want to use my maps, I'll consider a 1200 Dorsoduro as a good trade.

Catfish ...

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