hd_sob,

I honestly believe that it is NOT necessary to get a Dyno tune if you have just made very modest changes like a high flow a/c and free flowing exhaust, because while an experienced Dyno tuner can bring out every ounce of performance that your bike potentionally has,... for most of use just having a good and smooth running bike will make us happy, and that can be done without a Dyno tune 95% of the time.
Now on the extreme side of things,...... If you go with a stage II big bore kit,... I would definately suggest getting a good tuner to do a Dyno tune for ya, because you will have made a good sized investment in your engine upgrades at that point and you will definately want all those HP, and Torque numbers that you paid for.

AZ Rider,

Thanks to you posting pics of your bike,... you have cost me money! Because, Now I plan on buying me a windshield for my bike in the next few days or so,... I swear this forum is too helpful at times,............LOL


John

 

LOL. I know what you mean. It's always nice to see different setups and accessories on bikes but then out comes the wallet.

I had to get a new back tire the other day and I told myself, "You can resist. Don't get anything else while at the dealer." So I'm looking at the walls of stuff and I see this battery cover. No, no I won't. Aw, hell.

Walked out with a new tire AND battery cover.

 

There is so much wrong information in this thread that it is laughable. It's amazing what some people will say just to convince themselves they've bought the best item.

1. Yes, you can only use the SERT on one bike. If you own two bikes, can you use one PCIII for both of them? Not unless you remove and install it each time you ride. Say you buy a PCIII today and 5 years from now, you trade in your bike. Will your five year old PCIII work on a new HD? Not likely. So be realistic here.. the issue of the SERT being tied to one bike is actually a non-issue.

2. Sert can only be used with Screamin Eagle line of products or you have to pay extra. That's a blantant falsehood. I have Samson pipes on my bike.. and a SERT. I tuned it myself. No problem. Didn't have to pay anyone anything. Yeah, the SERT comes with canned maps for SE products. That's a good thing. Even if you have an aftermarket exhaust, chances are there is a SE configuration that is very close. You get a decent map to start with. If you add other aftermarket items, you have to tweak the map yourself or pay a pro. The PCIII may offer more maps, but where did those maps come from? They came from anonymous people on the net or from a different bike than yours. Do you really want to install a map and have no idea who created it, nor if it performs as claimed? If you have no idea how to tune your own engine, then you should probably play it safe and have it tuned by a pro no matter which unit you've purchased.

3. The SERT offers less tuning options than the PCIII. Again, a blantant falsehood. The sert allows you tune every single parameter of the ECM software. Everything. Engine warm-up steps, closed loop bias, individual cylinder timing and volumetric effeciency, warm up enrichment, decel enleanment, accel enrichment, cranking fuel, idle rpm, AFR, fuel injector flow rate, engine displacement size, rpm limit, enable/disable knock sensors..... Plus, that is not even counting the data mode.

4. The PCIII allows tuning while the bike is running... This is true, but it is a moot point. This only comes into play if you have your own dyno at home. And if you have your own dyno or pay a tuner, it might save you one hour tuning time. For the home tuner? The SERT allows you to put a laptop in a saddlebag and record engine data. Everything from engine temp, spark knock activity, MAP load, vehicle speed, engine rpm, spark advance, throttle position sensor... I could go on and on... but know this, it records everything. It is the complete package for the home tuner. Not only that, but if you ever get any check engine lights or codes, the SERT can retrieve them, and clear them.

5. Sert does not allow retrieval of original data from the ECM. ... well guess what? Neither does the PCIII. Sure, you have a copy of the map the PCIII uses, but not whats in the ECM. With the SERT, there is NOTHING installed on the bike except software. You should have a copy of your SERT map on your computer. If you pay a pro tuner, demand a copy of that map or hire someone else.

So the verdict? Both the SERT and the PCIII are good items. I went with the sert because I didn't want a bunch of extra wires and boxes hanging on my bike. I'd rather just tune the stock ECM and call it a day. But I do my own tuning, so what is best for me may not be best for you. I do like the PCIII... If you are a home tuner, go with the SERT. If you have no idea what makes an engine run, buy either one and pay someone else to tune the bike.

The main thing is, just because you own one or the other doesn't automatically mean the other one sucks. There are happy people on both sides and unhappy people on both sides. Spreading misinformation doesn't do anyone any good. Does it really matter what some other guy runs?

 

Jamie,

Perhaps I didn't write this clearly. When I stated changes, I meant map changes, like swapping a map, in so much as one has to pay for additional maps made for aftermarket components. Many guys just want to load a map for their particular setup which may be easier instead of tuning it like you did yourself, as easy as you found it to be. The PCIII maps that are available at Power Commander are ones that were tuned by a professional tuner approved by Power Commander. There is a section for user submitted maps and they keep those separate.

Ride safe.

[8D]

 

Had mine dyno'd at an independant for $120. They gave me my print outs and a copy of the new map. very happy with the sert

 

Well,... I called my closest dealer who has a Dyno and tunes the SERT and he stated that he will put me a copy of my complete dyno tune and sert map on disk if i would like, but I'm kind of a tight wad so I dont think it would be worth my while to pay him to tune it since I have been tinkering with mine enough and finally have it really dialed in and running smooth, especially since I just have a stage I. But when I install the 98" stage II kit later,... I will definately have it dyno tuned.


John

 

These forums are great and really are helping a guy like me, (lost when it comes to mechanics…) figure this out. I'm going crazy trying to understand difference between the Power Commander and the SERT and the HD Race Tuner though... Is the SERT what my dealer is calling the "HD Race Tuner"? I thought SERT was short for Screaming Eagle Race Tuner (maybe I need to think less about it...) Is it the same as the HD Race Tuner?

Thanks,

B

 

No one here even consider the Dobeck TFI?

 

Do a search for "tfi" or "dfo" and you'll find a lot of discussion on the TFI. There's several members here that have had good results with it.

Wally

 

one thing i just found out is my pciii only can go from -10 to 10 on the timming cells.... from where harleys factory computer is at.... so if timming was advanced from factory to 10.... the lowest you can get timming with a pc is 0...... this is not good enough for high compression builds.... i just picked up a sert, and allthough it is more difficult to use i see it netting much better results....

sert can actually log where your knock sensor is at and how many degrees.... pciii is a guess....

both good but for more intense builds and finer tunning, imho pciii cant hang with cert