Regarding the ECU's and woods riding: I dont think it makes much difference whether it is the 500 or 1000. When I first got my 'bull the throttle wasn't progressive at low speeds, more of an abrupt on/off hit from idle. After properly adjusting the clutch arm and (throttle) cable, the throttle became much more progressive. One of the guys at R/S told me that he has not upgraded his FX to the ECU1000 because there was no real obvious benefit. The reason I didn't strongly recommend the 'dales for woods before, was the high compression engine that doesn't excel at lugging along at slow engine speeds. I wouldn't wan't to encourage a casual rider to get a 'dale and expect it to happily putt down the trails like a raptor or something will. There is no better machine for maximizing your riding abilities than the 'dales.

 

The introductory price of $489 for the 1000 upgrade has EXPIRED. The new price is like $950.

 

That's the price I was quoted, $1K for the upgrade. Looks like I'd be better off adjusting the clutch for a smoother engage, like you mentioned.

I wonder if changing the gear ratio would help make it a better tight woods machine? There's certainly plenty of power to spare on the top end, plus being able to stay engaged in gear through the technical sections of the trail would be ideal! Then again you can always drop down a gear (transmission, not sprocket) to keep the RPM's up while tackling the tight sections.....