Nitro54 and checkers- Thanks for the info. I'll keep checking on the new info I get from this post. Apparently no one has bought the Cobra Fi2000. I'm attracted to the "hands off" aspect and that it continually monitors your EFI 80 times per second or some such.

Pine Tree- I haven't been here long enough to reply, but thanks for your PM.

rd

 

I have the Cobra Fi2000 on a EFI 2008 XLC it is amazing, stage 1 flash SE intake, stock ham can, and a Supertrapp SuperMegs 2:1, runs smooth, smooth progressive power, fueling is perfect, add cams and it will adjust.

 

Thank you, sir. I was hoping to hear something like this. I've been a fair shade tree auto mechanic but was better before all the technology. I know my way around a computer too, but I don't want to spend days learning the technology and spending hours to do it. I'd rather ride. Besides, when I needed to re-tune, I would have forgotten most of it.

I don't mind turning wrenches, but thinking too much hurts my old head.

Thanks for the review.

rd

 

How does it do that?

 

This article explains the O2 sensors and "Closed loop/Open loop" issues.
down near the bottom of the article is a link to the "September" article about tuners,,
Read both;
http://www.drdyno.com/AIM_2010-07.html

That Cobra thing is pretty much the same as what's called Xieds.

I've been struggling with the same issue your faced with and have read everything I could lay my hands on and asked plenty of questions face to face with mechanics and tuners for months now. It's a tuff sell because everyone has the best,, and they all want's your money.
Like you, I'm not planning on building the next fastest street bike in the nation, I just want to upgrade a bit to some open pipes for sound and give the engine the extra air it wants to run "olde school".
I'm going to opt for a Fuelmoto piggyback-Open loop EFI Tuner;
http://www.fuelmotousa.com/fuel-moto-efi-tuner.html
It won't break the bank, and I'll get to do some basic goofing around with it,, laptop/software and a usb port will give me readings and some adjustment along with the Fuelmoto support. It's not the one to get if you plan on adding cams and all the high-end extras,,
If something fails, I can still unplug it all, and go back to stock in a matter of minutes and still make it home.
I come from an old aspirated engine background too, and while all this new computer jizz has proven itself reliable for years now, I still have to learn to trust it.
Good luck with your choice.

 

FWIW, there are some very serious omissions, errors, and misleading statements in the "Dr. Dyno" article.

I would suggest getting with someone that actually knows about open/closed loop systems, O2 sensors, and tuning in general before you make any decisions.

 

Could you comment on some of the "Very Serious" issues?

One of the things I've noticed "across the board" when folks talk about tuners that makes it hard for inexperienced/efi rookies is the issue is always maximum performance.
While I understand that part, let's face it, it's a Stage 1 upgrade and some of us aren't interested in going any further. Squeezing that last 1.5hp and 2 pounds of torque simply isn't important.
I have a stock 09 FXD and for me this bike isn't worth putting all the money into, in a few yrs I'll be looking for a Street Bob and maybe then I'll build it further.
I'm not interested in running a 1/4mile in 13.1 @ 101 vs 14.2 @ 95.
O2 sensors are designed to and implemented for emission control.(period)
I live in Minnesota not California, we have no emission control requirements.
But I am interested in any "very serious" issues.

 

The very first thing I noticed was absolutely no mention of setting either the cam IVO/IVC or VE's. Without proper settings for the IVC, one cannot properly set the VE's. And without properly setting the VE's, the rest of the tables are pretty much a guess.

With respect to the O2 sensor explanation, some of the information is misleading and lacking. For example...In closed-loop mode, the O2 sensors don’t adjust the fuel maps. Instead, they completely take control away from them... The fact is, the O2 sensor doesn't add or take away anything. They simply sample the exhaust and report that sampling to the ECM. It's up to the tables within the ECM to decide what, if anything, needs to be done with those reports.

Another example...The switch ends up in the closed position the majority of the time because the bike is most often idling or cruising. This statement is misleading at best. The switching point is determined by the person tuning the bike. You can have the entire table "open" or nearly the entire table "closed" depending on the values given to each cell. One can have a mostly "closed-loop" map without even having O2 sensors in the system!

Lastly, the author seems to be suggesting that heat issues are often times the result of the O2 being too lean. While a lean AFR can contribute to heat, so too can timing. Even a lower AFR-set bike can be made to put out some significant heat by altering the timing.


The max performance thing has been around since the beginning of the internal combustion engine. It use to be a macho thing to prove to your buddies that your machine could produce more HP then their's.

But outdated concepts can be very difficult to overcome. Back in the day, performance meant max HP or lowest ET's and that was about it. Today, at least for those that have caught up, means having a machine that handles/behaves/performs the way the rider wants it to.

Can you imagine your bike not being able to start without problems on a cool morning? Or that it couldn't make it up even the smallest hill? Would you accept that level of performance from your bike? Probably not...

A good tuning guy can take a stock bike and make it run like crap. Or they can make some relatively minor adjustments to improve starting, running, acceleration, cruising, and mileage. Note I said nothing about running the quarter mile or a circuit track.



I get that part. But I don't understand why anyone would blissfully accept a mediocre running anything. But if they are completely comfortable with a machine that runs like crap, who am I to judge?


Only for emissions control? Hardly! But that's what the makers of many devices want you to think. The truth is, O2 sensors are nothing more then a tool for the bike's ECM to use. If you don't want to use them (even for tuning) then don't!

Some want to make the whole tuning thing a big mystery full of dark secrets and minefields. Hint: it's not.

 

Is that discount still available? I thought they sold out of the discount units, and were back to full price.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ACozzo
I have the Cobra Fi2000 on a EFI 2008 XLC it is amazing, stage 1 flash SE intake, stock ham can, and a Supertrapp SuperMegs 2:1, runs smooth, smooth progressive power, fueling is perfect, add cams and it will adjust.

Pine Tree, my understanding is the thing continuously runs diagnostics and adjusts several times a second.