Bren Tuners: Let us hear what you think!

[Adrian R]

Please report your findings about the process of executing the remap, and your thoughts about the bike's running characteristics after the tune.

Thank you!

 

[Rambler358]

I already gave the running characteristics in another thread, but overall a smoother ride with the mid-RPM dip removed, low idle stalling fixed and snappier throttle response.

Regarding installing the map, definitely print out the instructions. Page 2 has most of the info you’ll need once you get the new tune from Bren. I’ve reverted back to stock twice now (for bringing into the dealer), and reinstalled the Tune twice. It’s easier after the first time.

 

[Gr8adv]

Put her through some paces today. Yes I have done some exhaust mods with the tune. All I can say, with the biggest grin I can muster, it went from a very nice cruiser to an exceedingly engaging cruiser. Damn!

I can't imagine how fast it would spool up with the stock 16 on the rear. I am at 5k in a heartbeat.

Gl all.

 

[pbosik]

I installed the BT today, but only rode about 7 miles. My thoughts on the install, is...don't be me, lol. When I hooked it up to load the new tune, I somehow thought it would install quickly...not so much. Then, the slight panic....(what is wrong here). Turns out, it just is a slow process. Make sure the bike is hooked up to a tender, throughout the process.
Anyways, on to my initial thoughts. Idle seems smoother then before. The sluggish feeling (shudder)on acceleration from 2500 rpm, that I felt before, is gone! Yay!!! Throttle seems to react quicker, but...as I mentioned, I am gonna get a longer ride tomorrow. I also will get on a road that has more then a 45 mph posted speed limit.
I will post again tomorrow.

 

[burangs]

I'm moving over from the other near identical thread ...
The upload took almost exactly 13 minutes with relaxed pauses between steps. No need to be in a rush.
The bike is now what I would describe in one word as "refined." It is simply smoother, more responsive, and all-around better in every way. It is the way it should have come out of Berlin!
A big thank you to BT!

 

[Adrian R]

I'm moving over from the other near identical thread ...
The upload took almost exactly 13 minutes with relaxed pauses between steps. No need to be in a rush.
The bike is now what I would describe in one word as "refined." It is simply smoother, more responsive, and all-around better in every way. It is the way it should have come out of Berlin!
A big thank you to BT!

Cool!!

 

[enzo5000]

Yes, yes, & yes! I took my FE out for a highway blast today. It's all stock except for the BT Tune and a K & N Air Filter. The bike started right up with no hesitation. After it warmed up the idle was smooth and dead nuts steady at 1000 RPM with no wavering. Throttle response is very snappy and took a few miles to get used how quick it comes on. I blew though triple digits with absolutely no flat spots on the way to 4000 RPM. All the improvements are not dramatic, but in combination they are very noticeable and make the riding enjoyment just that much better. Excellent job BTMoto!.

 

[Adrian R]

Yes, yes, & yes! I took my FE out for a highway blast today. It's all stock except for the BT Tune and a K & N Air Filter. The bike started right up with no hesitation. After it warmed up the idle was smooth and dead nuts steady at 1000 RPM with no wavering. Throttle response is very snappy and took a few miles to get used how quick it comes on. I blew though triple digits with absolutely no flat spots on the way to 4000 RPM.. Excellent job BTMoto!.

U guyz r killin' us slugs stuck with brand new bikes in Winter!! I can't wait to get 6 hundi miles, service and tune...

 

[Caveman]

I ordered mine on the 14th and it showed up yesterday. Great customer service.

I took my bike out for a quick ride the other day because it was the first reasonable day we've had in a few weeks. It was low 30's and sunny. I'd forgotten how much I like the bike. Anyway, the service light came on during the ride to let me know I had reached the 600 mile service interval. I'm going to schedule the first service and get it done before I install the tune. Based on what I'm reading from you guys I'm really excited about installing this tune. It's an excellent motorcycle without it. I can't wait to ride my R18C 2.0.

On a side note, to address the buffeting issue I've been playing around with the tilt of the windshield and the positioning of the mirrors. Someone in another thread talked about the mirrors being the main culprit and source of buffeting. When I rode the other day I hadn't reinstalled the mirrors and the difference was astonishing. I'm no longer considering any wind flow attachments for the windshield. As part of the ride I rode about 10 miles on an interstate highway at 80mph and the difference was amazing. I'm now on the hunt for a tiny mirror of some sort to stay legal but my OEM mirrors are never going back on.

 

[pbosik]

I was wondering, what some of the thoughts are, of the 20+ people who purchased the BT for the R18. What say you peeps?

 

[burangs]

One thing that may have gotten lost in all of this is the improvement in ROLL mode too. It is now a mode that has a use, unlike the utterly useless way it was delivered.

 

[aicpjim]

as new folks trickle in to buy the tuner, will they still get the group discount, or was that reserved for the initial group? Just curious...

 

[Adrian R]

I ordered mine on the 14th and it showed up yesterday. Great customer service.

I took my bike out for a quick ride the other day because it was the first reasonable day we've had in a few weeks. It was low 30's and sunny. I'd forgotten how much I like the bike. Anyway, the service light came on during the ride to let me know I had reached the 600 mile service interval. I'm going to schedule the first service and get it done before I install the tune. Based on what I'm reading from you guys I'm really excited about installing this tune. It's an excellent motorcycle without it. I can't wait to ride my R18C 2.0.

On a side note, to address the buffeting issue I've been playing around with the tilt of the windshield and the positioning of the mirrors. Someone in another thread talked about the mirrors being the main culprit and source of buffeting. When I rode the other day I hadn't reinstalled the mirrors and the difference was astonishing. I'm no longer considering any wind flow attachments for the windshield. As part of the ride I rode about 10 miles on an interstate highway at 80mph and the difference was amazing. I'm now on the hunt for a tiny mirror of some sort to stay legal but my OEM mirrors are never going back on.

Update on this issue if any?

 

[Rambler358]

as new folks trickle in to buy the tuner, will they still get the group discount, or was that reserved for the initial group? Just curious...

I believe that’s expired now.

 

[Vyk]

TRDL: Phenomenal customer service. Many small changes leading to an improved package. Would recommend BT.

I've ridden the bike with the tune for about 500 miles now.

I wasn't going to post a review as I am a bit paranoid that if I ever needed warranty work and BMW somehow found out through my posts, they may deny warranty work. But given that they previously warrantied a $1000 shock on a heavily tracked S1000RR... I may be overthinking it. I changed my mind as I thought it was important to post my experience with BT given....things...

I received my device on a Thursday. I started the tuning process that evening but ran into an issue where the device wouldn't display the bike to be selected on it's list. I emailed BT and got a response in 15 mins giving me something to try. Mind you this was 9:30 PM. I decided to try it after work the next day. On Friday my quest to flash the bike continued. BT responded promptly throughout the exchange, consisting of over 10+ emails, sometimes within minutes. In the end, BT was able to get it all sorted. I was able to send him the answers to the questionnaire that evening expecting the tune file on Monday or later. I got it on Saturday! I would rate the customer service experience as phenomenal.

As for the tune itself, it doesn't transform the bike into something else. It just improves it in a variety of ways. Some of the differences are quite subtle and might go unnoticed. I deliberately rode the bike stock for about an hour right before tuning it so I can really get a real sense of the differences. The bike idles better and more at a consistent rpm. The tune made it easier for me to rev match in Rock mode. It accelerates better and more smoothly throughout the rev range. It got rid of the cold start issue I was having (bike needed a second starter activation to turn over). Again, it's not a different bike and the differences are subtle but added together it's a whole package and it improved my riding experience. I would definitely get a tune from BT again. In fact, I hope they work on and release tunes for my other bikes!

 

[Deleted member 939]

TRDL: Phenomenal customer service. Many small changes leading to an improved package. Would recommend BT.

I've ridden the bike with the tune for about 500 miles now.

I wasn't going to post a review as I am a bit paranoid that if I ever needed warranty work and BMW somehow found out through my posts, they may deny warranty work. But given that they previously warrantied a $1000 shock on a heavily tracked S1000RR... I may be overthinking it. I changed my mind as I thought it was important to post my experience with BT given....things...

I received my device on a Thursday. I started the tuning process that evening but ran into an issue where the device wouldn't display the bike to be selected on it's list. I emailed BT and got a response in 15 mins giving me something to try. Mind you this was 9:30 PM. I decided to try it after work the next day. On Friday my quest to flash the bike continued. BT responded promptly throughout the exchange, consisting of over 10+ emails, sometimes within minutes. In the end, BT was able to get it all sorted. I was able to send him the answers to the questionnaire that evening expecting the tune file on Monday or later. I got it on Saturday! I would rate the customer service experience as phenomenal.

As for the tune itself, it doesn't transform the bike into something else. It just improves it in a variety of ways. Some of the differences are quite subtle and might go unnoticed. I deliberately rode the bike stock for about an hour right before tuning it so I can really get a real sense of the differences. The bike idles better and more at a consistent rpm. The tune made it easier for me to rev match in Rock mode. It accelerates better and more smoothly throughout the rev range. It got rid of the cold start issue I was having (bike needed a second starter activation to turn over). Again, it's not a different bike and the differences are subtle but added together it's a whole package and it improved my riding experience. I would definitely get a tune from BT again. In fact, I hope they work on and release tunes for my other bikes!

My bike had the same issue and mostly started on the second try.It was a little better after the 600mile check up but not much.I would suggest trying a K&N
BTW,My bikes starts 1st time everytime since the tune.

High-Flow Original Lifetime Engine Air Filter - BMW R18 1802CC

BMW R18 1802CC; 2020-2022

www.knfilters.com

The tuner will compensate and give a little more tq.

 

[215robert]

+1 for BrenTune!

 

[Tokyo R18]

Vyk, report sounds promising. Thank you.

 

[PistolPeteSTL]

I was slow getting to my first service due to a broken foot right after I bought the bike, but finally got that done and the tune installed. Once I figured out where the OBD-II port was, the install was easy. I've ridden the bike twice solo since then and twice with a passenger. My impressions so far:

The bike seems to have more power in the midrange on Roll mode. This is where I ride most of the time so it's appreciated. This is never going to be a fast bike, but it went from "fine" to "decent" in the power ratings in Roll mode.

It seems to have smoothed out Rock mode, although it's still jerky for my taste. A 1mm move of the throttle takes it from zero to 40% throttle, it seems on Rock mode, it's annoying to deal with. But it seems smoother now than it was. It is also louder at the exhaust in Rock mode at full throttle by a little bit.

There have been three times where it stumbled off idle when leaving a light, but maybe that'll smooth out over time. The bike hadn't done that to me before the tune. But I want to put a couple hundred miles on it before I say anything for sure.

 

[Adrian R]

I was slow getting to my first service due to a broken foot right after I bought the bike, but finally got that done and the tune installed. Once I figured out where the OBD-II port was, the install was easy. I've ridden the bike twice solo since then and twice with a passenger. My impressions so far:

The bike seems to have more power in the midrange on Roll mode. This is where I ride most of the time so it's appreciated. This is never going to be a fast bike, but it went from "fine" to "decent" in the power ratings in Roll mode.

It seems to have smoothed out Rock mode, although it's still jerky for my taste. A 1mm move of the throttle takes it from zero to 40% throttle, it seems on Rock mode, it's annoying to deal with. But it seems smoother now than it was. It is also louder at the exhaust in Rock mode at full throttle by a little bit.

There have been three times where it stumbled off idle when leaving a light, but maybe that'll smooth out over time. The bike hadn't done that to me before the tune. But I want to put a couple hundred miles on it before I say anything for sure.

Thanks for the report. I think the bike is decently fast, no, it's no sport bike...perhaps that's what you're use to, but after my 100mi ride last weekend while still in break in mode, I found the power respectable. I think roll mode sucks arse...lol.. Rock mode the bike to me is much quicker... I will always keep it in rock mode... I didn't find it jerky at at all... I just don't like how it idles at times...but it seems to straighten out... Looking forward to the tune, and for the bike to be fully run it. That could take as many as 12-18k miles, at least that is what I have noticed in the past breaking in previous new bikes. I also plan on only running ethanol free gas, or gas with ethanol that has been treated. This helps with performance as well... Some dude on an older HD tried catching me...I had my woman on the back... and I kinda left him in the dust... I let up on the throttle (too new) and he got around me...ugh, loud as hell...