Where to begin?
Thread Starter
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 7,872
Likes: 4,431
From: Texas
Where to begin?
I'm new to tuning. I know nothing about it. I'm a mechanical engineer, so I understand the fundamentals of gas engines, but that's where my knowledge stops. My bike is a 2017 Street Glide with a 107. The bike was purchased new from the dealer with the SE Heavy Breather, SE Street Cannons, and was supposedly tuned with SE tuner (more on this in the p.s.). Six years later I installed Cobra Neighbor Haters and my bike's performance feels... different. Very soft low end, happy above ~2750 RPM. My fuel economy has worsened (~30mpg vs 34 previously). Some sort of popping when blipping throttle. No other performance mods.
My extended warranty just expired and now I feel free. I'm interested in getting a tuner.
With my current 'stage 1', which tuner would you recommend?
Do you recommend reaching out to Fuel Moto or another company? I see they provide 'custom' tunes with a tuner purchase, based on the performance mods installed on the bike. Fuel Moto utilizes the various Dynojet tuners, which also have (gasp!) "auto-tune".
I live about 3 hours away from a city large enough to have a tuner, let alone a reputable one. I would not have the resources to travel that far to tune a bike. I would lean more towards the Fuel Moto-type 'custom' tune that I could then use "auto-tune" to 'dial-in' (oh the horror!).
If I were to change the cam in the future, would this change your tuner recommendation, with all things considered?
P.S. I never physically received the SE tuner when I bought the bike, didn't even think about it, don't know if the bike was actually tuned to begin with. Fuel mileage has always been ~34mpg, which is low compared to others. If I were to go WOT, the bike doesn't seem move as quickly as when I back off of WOT slightly. I always found this interesting but never thought much about it.
My extended warranty just expired and now I feel free. I'm interested in getting a tuner.
With my current 'stage 1', which tuner would you recommend?
Do you recommend reaching out to Fuel Moto or another company? I see they provide 'custom' tunes with a tuner purchase, based on the performance mods installed on the bike. Fuel Moto utilizes the various Dynojet tuners, which also have (gasp!) "auto-tune".
I live about 3 hours away from a city large enough to have a tuner, let alone a reputable one. I would not have the resources to travel that far to tune a bike. I would lean more towards the Fuel Moto-type 'custom' tune that I could then use "auto-tune" to 'dial-in' (oh the horror!).
If I were to change the cam in the future, would this change your tuner recommendation, with all things considered?
P.S. I never physically received the SE tuner when I bought the bike, didn't even think about it, don't know if the bike was actually tuned to begin with. Fuel mileage has always been ~34mpg, which is low compared to others. If I were to go WOT, the bike doesn't seem move as quickly as when I back off of WOT slightly. I always found this interesting but never thought much about it.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,843
Likes: 1,174
From: florida
you dont say where you live, so hard to help guide you to someone to tune it, but in the end that is the best solution. The Powervision and the TTS Mastertune unints are the big 2 and I wouldn;t recommend using any other product. In your case, using a powervision you buy from FM is propbably your best bet as their map/tuning support is excellent! That would mean buying it form them as well. if you buy it now and change your cams or any other engine projects, you will have all you need to re-tune accordingly.
I do strongly suggest getting it pro tuned, but you have to set that up.
m
I do strongly suggest getting it pro tuned, but you have to set that up.
m
I'd recommend FuelMoto. They're going to be writing tunes based off of data logs you'll also be doing with the powervision and sending them. You should be getting better fuel economy. Plus they throw in their tuning services for free when you buy a tuning device from them, which is well worth it seeing as a dyno tuner is going to charge you per visit, and they give you a retune whenever needed even if you do cams and a big bore etc. Although if you plan to get real crazy like a big bore kit with lots of other work and forced induction or nitrous, then I'd suggest the TTS ECM and learning to tune some, or finding somebody who is familuar with the TTS. I've found the majority of dyno tuners are familiar with Dynojet tuning products and software.
I personally wouldn't bother with the auto tuning capabilities. They still over fuel IMO for part throttle and cruising type use, resulting in worse MPG. I had cams installed in my 103" bike and dyno tuned and picked up MPG from having run a "stage 1" with a DK intake, 2-1 exhaust, and the powervision using a dynojet baseline tune and doing some auto tune sessions before the cams and proper dyno tune.
I personally wouldn't bother with the auto tuning capabilities. They still over fuel IMO for part throttle and cruising type use, resulting in worse MPG. I had cams installed in my 103" bike and dyno tuned and picked up MPG from having run a "stage 1" with a DK intake, 2-1 exhaust, and the powervision using a dynojet baseline tune and doing some auto tune sessions before the cams and proper dyno tune.
Last edited by 2500hdon37s; Dec 14, 2023 at 02:57 PM.
Thread Starter
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
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Likes: 4,431
From: Texas
Originally Posted by marcodarq;[url=tel:21489490
21489490[/url]]you dont say where you live, so hard to help guide you to someone to tune it, but in the end that is the best solution. The Powervision and the TTS Mastertune unints are the big 2 and I wouldn;t recommend using any other product. In your case, using a powervision you buy from FM is propbably your best bet as their map/tuning support is excellent! That would mean buying it form them as well. if you buy it now and change your cams or any other engine projects, you will have all you need to re-tune accordingly.
I do strongly suggest getting it pro tuned, but you have to set that up.
m
I do strongly suggest getting it pro tuned, but you have to set that up.
m
Thank you for the input! I do appreciate the help.
When you say Powervision, which PV is that? I assume PV-2B as that is generically called "power vision" on the dynojet site (LINK)? But I want to be sure it's not PV3/PV4.
With the $200 price difference, what makes the PV-2B better than the PV3/4?
I don't see myself editing any tunes myself, which it seems like the PV-2B allows you to do. I don't trust myself that much lol.
Last edited by BrandonSmith; Dec 14, 2023 at 05:37 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 953
From: Sarasota Florida
I would recommend a Thundermax tuner. I have one on both my street bob stage 2 and road king 128 big bore. Wide band auto tuning. Great rideability and very easy tuning as it is simple to change maps. The more you ride the more the tune gets dialed in.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,185
Likes: 2,134
From: W. Texas
When I was putting a 103 in an 08 ultra I was going to need to do something.
If you haven't seen it I found some good reading in here. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/the-dyno-room-190/.
The fellas were a lot of help. I ended up at a shop in Round Rock Tx for a couple reasons that did me well.
Good Luck WP
If you haven't seen it I found some good reading in here. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/the-dyno-room-190/.
The fellas were a lot of help. I ended up at a shop in Round Rock Tx for a couple reasons that did me well.
Good Luck WP
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 1,219
From: Dubuque, IA
Canned maps and tuning by email isn't tuning YOUR bike. There are far too many variables unique to each bike even with identical hardware. Many have gone this route only to find out later the difference a real tune makes. You have several outstanding tuners in your area.
Steve @ GMR in Ft. Worth being one of the best. Buy the Tuner he recommends. Pretty sure that will be the TTS Mastertune. A better tuner than the PV and most good professionals prefer it.
That exhaust isn't helping you and it will be worse with performance cams.
Steve @ GMR in Ft. Worth being one of the best. Buy the Tuner he recommends. Pretty sure that will be the TTS Mastertune. A better tuner than the PV and most good professionals prefer it.
That exhaust isn't helping you and it will be worse with performance cams.
Last edited by 60Gunner; Dec 14, 2023 at 08:05 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,728
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From: Snow Hill, NC
A canned map from Fuelmoto with one of their tuners will get you really close to what you are looking for. What if a local tuner is not that great of a tuner.?? Sure there are some that are exceptionally talented but if you get it close to what you need based on what you want it will work fine. If you want a change they can tweak it for you live or send you a new map for you to load on your device. I’ve done it with them for a better fuel mileage map for a trip to Canada on my 07 Electra Glide. Then if you change a component on your bike you can email them to get it retuned.
Canned maps and tuning by email isn't tuning YOUR bike. There are far too many variables unique to each bike even with identical hardware. Many have gone this route only to find out later the difference a real tune makes. You have several outstanding tuners in your area.
Steve @ GMR in Ft. Worth being one of the best. Buy the Tuner he recommends. Pretty sure that will be the TTS Mastertune. A better tuner than the PV and most good professionals prefer it.
That exhaust isn't helping you and it will be worse with performance cams.
Steve @ GMR in Ft. Worth being one of the best. Buy the Tuner he recommends. Pretty sure that will be the TTS Mastertune. A better tuner than the PV and most good professionals prefer it.
That exhaust isn't helping you and it will be worse with performance cams.
An in person/ dyno tuner is going to be doing the exact same thing just in real time without the back and forth of the communication via email. They're still basing the changes they're making off of the data from a previous run, only made a little more simple to see where or what needs changed with the aid of the TQ/HP vs RPM graph data and possibly a more accurate AFR reading. No doubt in person tuning is the fastest way to get to an optimal map, but I'd argue a competent email tuner like FuelMoto who have done thousands of bikes (and probably tuned more bikes than 95% of in person tuners) via email and in person can get you 99% of the results of a competent in person tuner. A bad tune is a bad tune whether it is from email or in person.
That said I have run canned maps and auto tune on my bike, and had it dyno tuned in person and I am much happier with the in person tuning. As well as I have done email tuning with my truck I drive nearly every day, and I am extremely happy with that as well. I'd argue comparing email tuning vs in person is ignorant, as a good tuner can do both and is using the same information to make changes whether he is in person or doing it via email. Email tuning is just going to take longer to get to that optimal point. I mean after all Pete Harrel tunes 5 and 6 second pro-mod drag cars over email with winning results...
Last edited by 2500hdon37s; Dec 15, 2023 at 07:54 AM.
