Dnk Tuneworks Bricked Motorcycle Please Do Not Make My Mistake

Short version

I purchased TuneECU and the recommended Bluetooth dongle. I tested the complete system on my new to me Speed Triple 1200 RS. I purchased a tune from DNK Tuneworks and, when I attempted to install it, it left the ECU in an unrecoverable state. I had to use another product to get the bike running again. Please do your homework and do not do what I did



Long Version

I am new to Triumph, Android Operating System and TuneECU but have twenty years experience with “flashing” or updating car and bike fuel controls. I know enough to take new learning curves in small bites. Before considering installing anyone’s tune, I purchased an Android Tablet, a TuneECU license and the Green LX Bluetooth to OBDii dongle recommended on the TuneECU web site. I educated myself on the Android tablet then TuneECU by connecting with the bike, monitoring real time data and resetting the service interval. All good so far. I then edited the exhaust valve opening schedule such that it was open all the time as this was a good easy test of the software’s ability to modify maps/calibrations. That worked just fine. The next step was to disable the exhaust valve and remove the servo motor prior to installing the Vandemon exhaust. All good so far and the bike was running reasonably well with the new exhaust telling me the O2 sensor and target mixture tables were working to make up for the free flowing exhaust.



During this whole process, I contacted DNK Tuneworks to enquirer about a tune file. I purchased one and was sent information about how to make use of it. The very first item on the list was a video on YouTube titled Triumph Liquid Cooled Tuning Guide. Here is a link to the video at the point where DNK Tuneworks specifically states that you need a LX/MX/MX+ OBDii dongle to use their product.



Here is a screenshot.



As part of my research, I came across a video by one gentleman talking about not being able to modify fueling in some low load areas of the map indicating that these areas were likely “locked out” by TuneECU for some reason. Being curious, I emailed DNK to make sure that their product did modify these regions as one of my goals was cooler steady state running with slightly richer mixtures in cruise. We went back and forth a few times with DNK basically dodging my question. They finally gave a response something like we tune everything TuneECU lets us tune. Turns out DNK does not do their own tuning. Given they do not do their own work, there is no way to know if they knew the right answer and just would not answer or if they simply did not know. Either way, I’ve been around the block way too many times not to know exactly what it means with a vendor gets defensive and tries to BS me. This is what makes my next move so incredibly stupid and why I urge you not to be a dummy like me.



Even knowing what I had come to learn about DNK, I still tried to load the tune. Silly me. TuneECU erased the bike’s computer but then gave me a failed message even before trying to write the new file. Even better, TuneECU could not recover the computer using the previous file that was running on the bike just that morning or the base stock file from the TuneECU server. The bike was bricked. Lovely. My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to try the file even though I had strong suspicions about the vendor.



I’ve used Woolich Racing Tools on a bunch of other bikes I’ve owned over the years and find them to be professional and, when they do not know something, they simply tell you they do not know. No BS. I looked through my collection of programmers (different bikes use different communication protocols thus WRT sells many different programmer interfaces) and I had one compatible with the Triumph. I logged onto their site and purchased a ViN license for the ST1200RS and promptly used their ECU restore function to recover the ECU. I then disabled the servo motor, secondary air and top speed with a few edits and a 4 minute programming session.



I dodged a bullet. I had enough previous experience to know WRT was an option for me. I could have been successful and actually loaded the DNK product only to find there was a more serious problem that damaged the motor. I’ll count myself lucky.



So, I reached out to DNK and asked them to refund my purchase price. I received zero value from the tune they sold me and spent a good bit of time and money fixing the damage cause by attempting to load the product. There response was it was my fault for using the LX dongle and not the MX+ dongle. They did not say they would not refund the money. In fact, we have been going back and forth for weeks now and they still have not said “we will not refund your money”. Like with the tuning question, they simply dodge, weave and BS.



I really do not understand the company. The file they sent me is locked to my bike’s ViN so there is no way I can make any use of it. I’m surely not going to try to write it even with the “right” dongle given I have zero faith in the vendor. They say it is my fault for using the wrong dongle yet their own video says the dongle I used was acceptable. They tell me the use only this dongle is in their FAQs but, like I suspect with most people, I read FAQs when I have a question. I did not have a question about the dongle as their video already said I could use the one recommended on the TuneECU web site.



So, DNK is going to blame their customer for something they already know about but do not tell the customer then dodge and weave when it comes to giving them back their money. They get me for $300 or so bucks and, in exchange, they leave me with a very bad taste in my mouth and a need to share my experience. They must really need that $300.



Please do not make the same mistake I did.

 

Small update.
I've asked DNK several times for a refund. Every answer has been evasive. I finally said please tell me yes or no on a refund as it would be helpful to have a rejection or flat "no" so I can pursue other options like a credit card claw back. No response.

I normally do not attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence. In this instance, I think I have exhausted incompetence and it appears to me that this way of doing business is a normal course for them. They know exactly what they are doing and are doing it on purpose. Please beware this vendor.

 

Just finished some file work and I am beyond disgusted. I'm going to sleep on it to keep from posting something I will regret.

 

I looked at the DNK TuneWorks file they sold me and would not let me return. My reaction was disgust. I took the suggestion to sleep on it before posting and came to the conclusion that my emotional reaction does not do anyone else much good. So, thank you for letting me vent and now I will concentrate on just facts.

Short Version
The DNK TuneWorks file I was sold, and never installed as described above, contained two substantive edits. First, the flat no/light load portion of the AFR target map was changed from 14.5 to 14.1. Second, the Electronic Throttle Valve (ETV) or pedal maps were edited to open the butterflies more rapidly on twisting the grip; an old tuner trick to make the customer think the engine is more capable/responsive. There were NO changes to ignition or fueling (or any other tables not available in TuneECU).

Long Version
I picked up a StreetFighter V4 a while back and the bike runs incredibly well. I was curious about the mapping changes to achieve this as this was my first exposure to the V4. I dusted off a bunch of hardware and software tools from previous projects like car tuners, lowering modules and the like so I could take a look at the Ducati file. It’s been over fifteen years so I had a bit of a learning curve.

I succeeded in looking at the Duc file. It took days to build the map structure for the binary file and I still did not get everything. I did get the important stuff so I could see the meaningful changes. The project brought back a flood of memories about just how complicated modern vehicle ECUs are with hundreds of maps in the calibration section. The Duc ECU was similar to BMW and MB in that it uses an engine model and torque demand control scheme. It takes a good tuner years to truly sort quality modifications for these ECUs and the tuner that produced the Duc file really knows his stuff. I have shelved the files as my only desire was education.

A few weeks later I remembered that DNK TuneWorks sold me a file that bricked my motorcycle and I had to use Woolich tools to recover it. It was DNK’s fault as their web site says the Green dongle is the one to use while their FAQ section says to use the Black dongle. I covered this in posts above. DNK refused to refund my money so, given that I still own this file, I thought I’d take a look.

I captured both stock and the DNK file in binary form. I then built the ST1200RS map structure for the binaries which took less than two hours. The structure could not be more simple as most of the maps are the same size and are all 16 bit. Super easy. WinOLS (the software used to build the maps) has a feature where it highlights file differences between a reference file and an unknown. In this case, I built the map structure on the stock file then imported the DNK file as an unknown. The pic below was of the differences with modified maps being highlighted and non-modified files in lighter grey.

You can tell by looking at the modified versus unmodified maps that no changes were made to ignition timing, Alph-N fueling or speed density fueling. When I clicked on the AFR table to see what changes were made in fueling targets there, I saw that all that was done was to move the no/light load fueling target from 14.5 to 14.1. NO other AFR target changes were made. I then looked at all the ETV maps and all that was done was to make the butterfly response to twist grip input more responsive. They even took the last ETV map and made the throttle butterflies go 100% well before the twist grip got to 100%. This is an old tuner trick to fool the customer into thinking the engine is responding better. It is usually combined with meaningful actual performance based tuning changes but not in this case.

So, did DNK provide a modified file? Absolutely! Were the modifications meaningful? Absolutely NOT. Can you do the exact same thing yourself without spending a dime on a tuning file? All day long.

What I found was 100% in line with the quality of people I dealt with at DNK. I’m very glad that I stopped what I was doing the second the DNK approach bricked my bike and did not let curiosity drive me to load the file onto the bike.

Hope the above helps.