I want to ask you guys for general advice AND opinions on tuning my 2004 Road King Custom for performance. I'll be up front and say I don't really have any MAJOR complaints about my bike. But curiousity is getting the better of me and I want to know if there are things I can/should do to it to make sure it's running at top performance. Plus, it gives me something to tinker with and learn.

The previous owner of my bike installed the older high flow Screamin' Eagle AC kit with the K&N filter and the older sought after Screamin' Eagle slipon mufflers. The bike sounds great and these seem to be good choices for the Stage 1 upgrade. It sounds like a "real Harley", but isn't super obnoxious to the point of pissing off neighbors, so I guess that's good. A little more volume wouldn't bother me, though. The bike has the stock crossover headers.

There is no EFI tuner installed on the bike. I ASSUME the previous owner had the HD download installed, but I guess I don't really have a way to verify that myself.

- I do have a small amount of decel popping.

- I also get a strange popping sound sometimes when I upshift. It doesn't really sound like backfiring coming out of the pipes, though. Not sure what it is or where it's coming from? It's not real bad and seems to go away after the bike gets warmed up.

- I get great gas mileage (45-50 mpg)!!! So why is that a complaint? Well, it makes me wonder if the bike is running lean. I've been in stop and go traffic a few times and the motor gets REALLY hot. Also, the motor seems to be screaming hot even after just riding around the block a time or two. So yeah, all of these things make me wonder if the bike is running lean.

I just ordered a new Power Commander III USB for the heck of it to see if I notice any "improvements" in the bike's performance. It should be here in a week or so and I'll probably have plenty of questions about tuning with it. So far, it looks like I should probably download map# M807-005 from the PCIII website and see what that does. The description of this map is "Screamin Eagle slip-ons, Stage 1 ECM and Screamin Eagle air filter."

Also, I have some dielectric grease to put in the connectors to keep water out.

Questions:

- Am I going about this the right way (buying the PCIII and starting out by uploading that map I listed above to see what happens?)

- Will this cause me to lose the HD download that I assume is already on the ECM or will it run like it does now if I simply remove the PCIII USB?

- Does it sound to you like I'm running a bit lean and should I notice at least some improvements from the PCIII (no decel popping, cooler running engine, maybe even some performance gains)?

I know this is a huge topic, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say about my particular situation. Any information/opinions are greatly appreciated!!!

Chris

PS - Mods, please don't move this thread to one of the other forums! I have better luck getting answers in this section and would love to leave it here! Thanks.

 

I think you should sell the bike and get one of them really HOT 09's or a left over 08.
Teasin aside, unless you have a dyno from the previous owner to measure against, seat of the pants is hard to tell.
My 02 Ultra had the USB PCIII and was close to 80 Hp, with 203 cams and SE air filter.
After avisit to the Dyno guy , with the tune and the paper to show it was fun to ride, now I have the 95 kit in it and the HD download and No PC III and it is still fun to ride.
My seat of pants cant tell muh differance but thats 'cause I am still new to the HD bikes as I have been only riding the FLH series for 5 yrs.
You asked lots of good questions ( my opine only )and see no reason why it should be removed.
Get her tuned and enjoy.
Rob

 

Thanks for the input, Rob. I was actually wondering about a Dyno run too. I haven't called around, but the HD dealer I work with the most has a Dyno and I should see if they can tweak the PCIII while the bike is on the machine to make everything perfect. I assume they're not limited to only working with SERT?

 

Well you asked so here is my $.02. You are wasting your hard earned buckaroos on the PC III if you don't have it power tuned with a Dyno.

I have the PC III on mine and have no complaints. It made a big difference in power with the stock bike. I then installed cams with direct drive gearing, 95 inch kit with domed/dish pistons and had it dyno tuned again.

I can't say enough about an experienced tuner and a good Dyno.

By the way the dealer originally did the Stage 1 and I was not happy.

 

Thanks for the reply, Ron. I just got off the phone with a local HD dealer than is listed as a Power Commander Tuning Center with that "Tuning Link" software. We talked about it all for a few minutes. He said I could very well notice a big improvement just by installing the PCIII and downloading the correct map. But if I want them to do a Dyno run and having the "Tuning Link" software make the adjustments for my particular bike, it would take 3 hours at a rate of $375. Yikes, that's more than I expected!

Chris

 

I think that your suspicions are correct. It sounds to me as if you're running lean, which is what I would expect from a Stage 1 download. I have an '04 RK with slip-ons, stage 1 A/C and Stage 1 download. I was getting 40-45 mpg like you, but I had a lot of decel pop. I then installed a Terry Components TV3 and my mileage has dropped to 35-40mpg, but the bike sure does run good. I have no heat issues whatsoever.

If I were you I would look into an aftermarket fuel management device of some sort.

 

Thanks again. I'm obviously new to this. The funny thing is that I'm very comfortable with computers, but not a wrencher at all, so this sounds like a fun project. I think it will be easy to install the PCIII on the bike, the software on the computer, download the map from the web and upload it to the bike, etc... The item I'm not comfortable with AT ALL is understanding how to tweak the map to meet my bikes needs. That sounds a little difficult.

 

it's really not difficult. just dont get in a hurry. It might take a couple of weeks of riding to get it dialed in on your butt dyno. with no more than has been done on your bike I think they have canned maps available with the power comander. Like has been said it wont be perfect. but a perfect (whatever that means)tune is usually a little on the lean side which means popping and heat. for me low 40's mileage without it baking my legs works for me.

 

Thanks. They do have a map available for download on their site and I listed it above. Sounds like it's the "right" one for my bike. We'll see. I suppose it doesn't hurt to play around with everything as long as I can pull the PCIII and go back to what I have now.

Maybe I need to save the HD download that's on the ECU now to my laptop first and label it as such? That way I can go back if needed?

 

Installing a PCIII, Fuel Pack, or whatever device will not remove your HD download. The download actually reprograms your ECM, as does a SERT. However, a PCIII, Fuel Pack, etc... does not reprogram your ECM. These devices are all installed in-line between the ECM and throttle body. Your HD download will actually make life a little easier for whichever device you install in that it will somewhat mitigate the required A/F adjustment. Your PCIII will not be working quite as hard to attain the desired result.

If you decide to remove your PCIII at a later time, your HD download will still be on the ECM. This is a good thing in case your PCIII should ever fail while out on the road.

Doug