Review Chip Tuning box Moto and scooter RaceXt Pro

The words additional control unit have always been associated with the desire to bring out, thanks to “extra adjustments” of the electronics, more power and in general exploit the full potential of an engine. Car, motorcycle or any kind of vehicle.

And the concept in recent years has expanded to remapping, which act on the original electronic control unit, with all the pros and cons compared to the additional ones.

However, it is not always decided to buy a device of this kind to improve performance. The concept in this case is to optimize the performance of an engine, without distorting its parameters and without affecting the original ECU.

 

Racext ™ ️, a leading company for years in the field of additional control units, last year presented a rather inexpensive device, aimed precisely at improving the driving experience without upsetting the balance of the vehicle on which we mount it.

The Racext Moto Pro, presents itself on paper with these promises:

• Simple plug and play installation. All wiring is already included and no modifications are required to those of the bike.
• Reduction of operating temperatures, up to a maximum of 10%.
• Improved driving experience, with smoother delivery and less tearing.
• Automatic adaptation to the configuration of the bike, especially if it is fitted with a third-party exhaust and filter.

 

These are the characteristics present

We have been using the Pro version for a few weeks now on a KTM Adventure 390 euro 5 2021.

 

What do we find in the package?

First of all, we must commend the company for a very accurate packaging, perhaps superfluous according to some, but which testifies to the attention of the company in wanting to present this product at its best from every point of view.

There is no lack of instructions and all the web references to contact a very present assistance, which has always answered our questions even before proceeding with the purchase of the device.

Is it difficult to assemble it?

I confess that I had a mechanic do the work, but watching the installation I must admit that it is not that complex. In my case, for ease of installation and to keep the handlebar free, I preferred to install the selection switch under the saddle. In fact, my intention is to find the right setting value and to leave it fixed, without having to change it.

To mount everything it was necessary to remove only a couple of panels on the left side, while the connectors passed under the saddle, on the side of the filter box.

 

Having to review the Racext full exhaust manifold for this blog, I took the opportunity to test this product with two different scenarios:

1 – original exhaust manifold, stock bike with Akrapovic muffler only, official KTM Power Parts accessory

2 – complete Racext manifold, which eliminates catalysts and resonance chamber, obviously always combined with the Akrapovic silencer

I was able to test the two configurations for several hundred km, both in the city and on the extra-urban road.

What does this control unit do?

As mentioned, it is plug and play, it does not require complex settings and basically “intrudes” between the ECU and the lambda probe to offset (in our favor) some values, thus pushing the ECU to supply more fuel in certain situations. The so-called “closed loop”, that is when the accelerator is constant, at a low number of revolutions, or in any case precisely in those phases in which the engine suffers from the very lean carburetion imposed by the euro 5. To better understand the meaning of closed loop and in general of modern control units I refer you to this article, really interesting and exhaustive.

But does it really work?

Finding out about the forums and Facebook groups makes it really difficult to get an idea of a product of this kind. For some it works and it is a highly recommended purchase, for others a bitter disappointment that is not even mitigated by a possible placebo effect.

I will tell you about my experience of use. My bike has a few months and a thousand kilometers on the odometer. However, as happened to me in the past with the Duke 200 and 390, it suffered from sudden shutdowns, the famous “stalling” that is often talked about on YouTube channels.

Precisely this problem, which takes away driving pleasure and safety in some situations, prompted me to want to test this product. And from the day I mounted it, both with the original manifold and with the Verex one, the shutdowns have disappeared completely.

After all, the basic concept on which the operation is based makes the improvement that this device brings to driving pleasure rather natural. Goodbye therefore, but also a softer and less serrated delivery, especially in the phases of gas release. Put simply, an improved driving experience.

I admit that I too had, in the beginning, a bit of skepticism. But after a field test, I decided to keep it on the bike without any doubt, perhaps finding a better space in the saddle and mounting the map selector on the handlebar.

Even the combination with fully open exhaust, which would normally have put the already very “lean” stock ECU in crisis, did not result in shutdowns or difficulties typical of a transition to full decat exhaust. In that case I adjusted the Racext Pro to a value of 7 and I must say that the improvement in terms of driving fluidity, also thanks to the absence of catalysts, has become really evident.

With stock collectors, on the other hand, I used it between values 5 and 6, which fall within the optimal range indicated by Racext. We remind you that the value 3 is equivalent to the “standard” value of the KTM control unit.

Each time we turn on the bike, or change the map, the switch will flash for a number of times equal to the selected map. Five flashes will therefore indicate that we are in map mode 5.

Consumption chapter. I have not noticed a drastic increase in consumption, quite the contrary. The values seem completely similar to me, and the possibility of maintaining a higher ratio in some cases actually favors a slight decrease which certainly compensates for the higher fuel input by the ECU.

 

But then, why do some speak badly of it?

I think that whoever is disappointed with such a device is because you are looking for an increase in performance or a positive distortion that is not achievable. Each engine has its limits, it is useless to hope to transform such a small single cylinder into something that cannot be. But if you manage to optimize and smooth out some defects, especially on a model like the Adventure that aims at mature users and uses the bike in all conditions, it can only be an alternative to take into consideration.

In addition, time must be taken to evaluate the actual improvements. On impulse, some try to understand, in the first hours and in a few kilometers, what the variations are and above all by constantly changing the map. I took several weeks and, driving on my usual home-to-work routes, I felt the variations for the better based on my usual references.

Conclusions

Do you want to turn the 390 Adventure into a little beast? Here, buy an 890! 🙂

Of course mine is a provocation. I am very satisfied with my bike, and compared to the Duke 390 this model is also much less “nervous” at low revs. But I’ve never digested sudden shutdowns. Someone can be there, we are still talking about a single cylinder, but when they start to be frequent it is natural to look for a solution. If then, in addition to solving this problem, we go to give additional fluidity and optimize the operation of the engine, for me the purpose is achieved. And then the product is promoted!

It is possible to buy Racext on their shop at this address.

The price, currently discounted, is 139$. Unfortunately in Europe we are penalized by the import cost, we hope that the company will soon find a European distributor to amortize these costs.