Is Dyno-tuning worth the cost?
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 326
Likes: 6
From: Idaho
Is Dyno-tuning worth the cost?
I really cannot afford it but my bike is NOT running right and I don't have the ability to fix it. My trial and err hasn't really gotten me anywhere. I'm curious if dyno-tuning is worth the expense? Can they really use the dyno to tune everything in perfectly? This is a very reputable shop. I'm just wondering it's actually worth paying for the dyno as opposed to taking it to a regular bike mechanic and letting him mess with it. It's going to cost me about $200 just to have the bike hooked up and for the first hour's worth of work. It's $105 an hour after that. From what I understand, that's cheap for dyno tuning but his machine is long paid for. With that being said, my cash flow is tight right now...so I'm just trying to weigh everything. I know what the bike is capable of now...and I'm not going to be happy until I get it back to it's maximum potential. I appreciate ya'lls feedback on the matter! I'm not even really sure exactly how they use the dyno to tune it but I was told that they can really dial everything in to it's maximum potential with that machine. Thanks again!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 6,570
Likes: 590
From: almost there
IMHO, mostly for FI bikes. Carb bikes not really. If you or Indy, can dynamic time your carb bike and set up your carb right your pretty much dialed in.
ALSO, The Dyno man has to be good at dynoing your bike or your getting screwed again. Most dyno dudes aint worth your cash...
If you want a perfect tune you have to get Spanners a ticket from New Sealand...
ALSO, The Dyno man has to be good at dynoing your bike or your getting screwed again. Most dyno dudes aint worth your cash...
If you want a perfect tune you have to get Spanners a ticket from New Sealand...
Last edited by aces&8s; Aug 19, 2014 at 08:11 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,200
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From: NW AR
The question is not if dyno tuning is worth it. The question is why isn't your bike running right? When was it last running right? What did you do to it? Is something broken or out of adjustment? Fix that.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 326
Likes: 6
From: Idaho
It's just a few adjustments! We had it dialed in last week and she was pulling HARD. Then I let the same guy who helped me get it dialed in try a few more tweaks and now it's running like crap. The only things we adjusted were the accelerator pump, the air/fuel mixture, the setting from "race" to oem on the Fireball IM and the timing advance. He changed the rev limiter too but I don't think that would affect anything. Now we cannot get it back to where it was. It's backfiring out of the exhaust really bad and it's also backfiring out of the carb...kind of spitting/cutting out occasionally. I set the Mikuni carb back to factory specs and started playing with the timing advance but I'm not getting anywhere. It's going to have to go in to a mechanic (b/c I don't even know how to set my own timing). I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth the extra money for the dyno to make sure everything gets tuned right. Thanks.
The dyno is just a source of information. The value it brings is entirely a function of whether or not the person doing the tuning knows what to do with the information.
If you're just looking to have a good running, tractable street bike, a dyno is nice but hardly required. At best, it will save your tuner some test runs, but it still comes down to his skill.
If you are a racer/hot-rodder etc who is trying to extract the last 1% of power from a motor that is already at 99%, a dyno is essential.
If you're just looking to have a good running, tractable street bike, a dyno is nice but hardly required. At best, it will save your tuner some test runs, but it still comes down to his skill.
If you are a racer/hot-rodder etc who is trying to extract the last 1% of power from a motor that is already at 99%, a dyno is essential.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 326
Likes: 6
From: Idaho
The dyno is just a source of information. The value it brings is entirely a function of whether or not the person doing the tuning knows what to do with the information.
If you're just looking to have a good running, tractable street bike, a dyno is nice but hardly required. At best, it will save your tuner some test runs, but it still comes down to his skill.
If you are a racer/hot-rodder etc who is trying to extract the last 1% of power from a motor that is already at 99%, a dyno is essential.
If you're just looking to have a good running, tractable street bike, a dyno is nice but hardly required. At best, it will save your tuner some test runs, but it still comes down to his skill.
If you are a racer/hot-rodder etc who is trying to extract the last 1% of power from a motor that is already at 99%, a dyno is essential.
This is exactly what I'm trying to get out of it. Thanks!
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 794
Likes: 1
From: Alvin TX
like aces&8 said to me it's best for efi bikes , but have seen it done on carb bikes , ask around your area to see what word of mouth brings , maybe go to a bike night & see on of the newer bike riders with after market pipes & see who they used my indy here has a dyno & knows how to use it , or ask around to see what riders say about indys in your area
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: la la land jerzey
in the zeal of riding a powerfull bike you broke something -
you need to do 2 tests - compression - and leak down - the old guy you went to is your best bet - he found an issue and YOU then reved the dog **** out of it - well you might not think so -- but now you need to go back to the basic tests - before throwing money at a big timing light with someone of unknown talent --
you need to do 2 tests - compression - and leak down - the old guy you went to is your best bet - he found an issue and YOU then reved the dog **** out of it - well you might not think so -- but now you need to go back to the basic tests - before throwing money at a big timing light with someone of unknown talent --
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Canton, Michigan
I'm a big believer in dyno tuning. Not a big believer that everyone who owns one, knows how to use them to correctly tune an engine. That being said, an experienced tuner should be able to get you dialed in, in about an hour.
Unless you've got some serious issues. And in that case a reputable shop won't run your dyno bill up, until they've corrected the problems.
The 'vehicle' owner (car/bike/atv/etc.) needs to also realize that all dynos are not created equal. And that readings are affected by a number of external factors. Ambient temperature, relative humidity, and altitude to name a few.
