I am converting my 2012 Iron pretty soon with the SE kit and I am hoping to hear from people that have already done the 1200 conversion, what they did to modify their EFI/ECM and what their experiences good or bad were with the route they chose (Xied, PCV, etc....)

I do not want to Dyno my bike, it is very expensive here in Canada, so I want to explore options that do not include a trip to the dyno.
My converted bike will have SE slip ons and SE stage one A/C.

 

How expensive is a dyno tune?

Personally, I'm of the mind that a proper dyno with wideband AFI measurement is the ONLY way to really tune a bike.

 

I just want a bike that runs well, I don't need to dial every last bit of torque and HP out of it. I am sure there are lots of people that run their bikes without dyno time and those are the experiences I want to hear about.

 

Vehicles today have reached a point where backyard tuning is no longer as easy or practical as it used to be. There are a very few members of HDF who can plug into a Harley's electronics and fine tune things, but they have skills most of us don't have.

It would be easy to mess around with your bike's electronics and never get it right, or visit a local dyno shop with all the right skills and ride out a couple of hours later with a grin from ear to ear! I've done that and it is great sensation. Well worth considering. In the time it takes us to thrash this topic to death in here you could be out getting your bike tuned right.

 

I installed Thundermax tuner with autotune along with D&D Bobcat exhaust prior to doing the conversion on my 2009 Iron. Software was easy to use. I downloaded an included map close to my modification. I found the bike ran pretty smooth from the start.
When I did the conversion, I had a dyno done. I don't have a firm price on dyno. I was quoted ~$300 from dealer when started the job. However, it was the tuners first time doing a Thundermax system and did it as a favor to dealer which was passed on to me. I have had no issues with the setup, bike runs really well.

 

My experience is that if you are going to pay out to get major engine work done, don't cheap out on the tune. Dyno tuning is imperative to allow your bike to breath and inject fuel efficiently, squeezing HP and Torque is nothing more than a byproduct of the tune.

If you are having your dealer do the upgrade, then they will most likely have you buy a tuner anyway to allow them to upgrade from your stock map. You can go with the SE Pro-Tuner (stay way from the street tuner, cheaper but no modifications can be made!) that the dealer sales; however, I've found that the TTS Mastertune allows for a smoother ride.

You can also be a candidate for the new Cobra PowerPro unit (http://www.cobrausa.com/fuel.php), but that is new to the market and a piggyback system. If the unit fails, you're stranded. Plus it costs near the same as going with a Dyno tune and is new tech.

My advice is that if you have the AC and Pipes you want with no near future plans to change them, get it Dyno tuned. It's the best for your bike in the long run.

 

SERT , but if you wanna mess with it you better have a good understanding of the AFR, VE , SPARK ADVANCE , ECT. ECT. , plus the SERT has a smart tune , plus you can read and clear codes to ..
on the tune cd comes with many tunes for different bikes , sportster has a stage 1 883 , stage 1 1200 , stage 2 1200 w/cams ,
smart tune is a good way to dial the bike in little tweaks here and there...

 

I fully intend on going to Fuel Moto and have them install a TTS Mastertune and do a fully dyno tune on my bike in another year or two.

 

You won't be disappointed. My bike is running a lot smoother and using less gas than the tune I had with my SE pro-tuner. Though, it may be due to the difference in tuners.
Also, you won't have to have them install anything on your bike. The Mastertune (like the Pro-Tuner) is only an interface to allow the ECM itself to be manipulated. No piggy-back system to install!

I did find the capabilities a lot better with the TTS Mastertune, which in fact was the original SERT until the MOCO kicked him to the curb!

Fun fact: when you get your unit, hold it at an angle and you'll be able to see the "Screaming Eagle" decal under the sticker!

 

Oh see, I didn't know that, I thought the mastertune was a unit that got installed onto the bike.

Interesting!