When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just a quick question: What should one expect from a "proficient tuner" as far as time on the Dyno and a ballpark price as to what we should be getting charged? I will be taking mine in the near future to be tuned with my SERT. My only mods are BUB 7's w/crossover and the S/E ventilator A/C.
After asking a few people on here "in the know" I myself have done the standard download with the SERT/laptop and maxed out the CLB's. Bike runs fine, starts fine, but has a slight amount of decel pop. That's it.
That's the problem with the majority of tuners, they only know how to tune power. With a proper tune you can get both, power and econpmy/rideability. A tune is done with throttle positions and RPM ranges. A bike can be tuned for perfomance in the 60%, 80% and 100% (wide open throttle) ranges throughout the RPM range. It can be tuned for economy at the other throttle positions. To put it in lamens terms, when you are cruising at 55 MPH in 5th gear, you are running at about 7 - 15% throttle position at around 2300 to 2500 RPM. A tuner can set that particualar area up for fuel efficiency, I/E/ a little leaner. but if you are cruising at 55 MPH in 5th gear at 2300 RPM and want to pass someone, you twist the grip and are at 80% to 100% throttle at the same RPM range, a tuner can set that up more on the performance side. In other words, a good tune will give you the best of both worlds.
Ok I can understand that and it does make sense, but how would it relate to a straight AFR line when youa re tunning for those results? Would the line still be straight, or would it fluctuate?
so what your saying is an afr of 13.2 is a good way to go for those of us that use an autune like the thundermax which is an auto tune unit and by default they set the auto tune to 13.0 ? also if i may ask this is on a different subject it has to do with rpm's what is a good rpm for the 96 to cruise at for example i can run 55mph in 4th gear at 2900rpm or 55mph in 5th gear at say 2300 rpm which is best on the motor both feel fine no lugging as far as i can tell so in your opinion what is a good rpm to cruise on these 96.(flat ground cruising) any info would be greatly appreciated.
I run mine in 5th, the higher RPM's your engine is turning the harder it's working, more friction ='s more heat and stress on critical components.
Being a dyno tuner it troubles me to see some of your The other thing that bugs me is some of the A/F lines I see, or lack of. Bottom line is, if they can't read your A/F then they CANNOT perform a full tune, if they don't have a 250 dyno, they CANNOT perform a full tune. If they give you a "full tune" and don't show you the A/F calibration then they are hiding something. If you do have the A/F on your printout, it should be relatively a straight line, at around 13.2 : 1. Anything below that line is rich and anything above it is lean. That's NOT where your bike is running, (when you get it back) that is just where it is calibrated. Your Dyno lines should be smooth, when they get real wavy, usually at higher RPM's then your timing is probably off.
What exactly is the A/F line? What does it stand for?
A/F is the air fuel ratio. We calibrate the bikes computer to 13.2:1 A/F, which means 13.2 parts of air to 1 part of fuel. Harley has set values of A/F for throttle positions and RPM ranges. For instance, newer Harleys cruising ranges are set to 14.6:1. When we tune a bike, we change Harley's setting to 13.2:1, that makes the computers target area to 13.2:1, we then make a dyno passes to see where your bike is running in it's configuration, (pipes, A/C, etc.), we make changes to the computer (ECM) to make it as to close to our goal 13.2:1 as possible, once we get it there the ECM is calibrated to the engine, we then set the ECM AFR back to what Harley wants or close to it.
Just a quick question: What should one expect from a "proficient tuner" as far as time on the Dyno and a ballpark price as to what we should be getting charged? I will be taking mine in the near future to be tuned with my SERT. My only mods are BUB 7's w/crossover and the S/E ventilator A/C.
After asking a few people on here "in the know" I myself have done the standard download with the SERT/laptop and maxed out the CLB's. Bike runs fine, starts fine, but has a slight amount of decel pop. That's it.
Thanks and great info.
You should expect them to spend some time on it. I've read on here that a tune should take no less than 4 hours, I have to respectfully disagree. I have dyno'd hundered to thousands of bikes and I have made quit a few of my own "canned maps", so when a bike comes in with a certain set up, chances are I already have a MAP close to it so I can load that MAP into the bike and start from there. This saves me time as a tuner but it also saves wear and tear on the customoers bikes. If I can load a map that is close, I can "fine tune" your bike alot quicker than if I was starting with a generic MAP. A full tune at our shop is $250, that's all, no more, no less. We don't charge by the hour, why should the customer pay if I am having a hard time with his bike/. Or if i'm having problems with the compter? Decel pp is a bitch, plain and simple. Some pipes are worse than others, I have found that id I adjust the fuel at the 0% throttle positions above the 1750 RPM range that I can limit decel pop severely. Alot of times I can eliminate it all together.
Ok I can understand that and it does make sense, but how would it relate to a straight AFR line when youa re tunning for those results? Would the line still be straight, or would it fluctuate?
You have to realize that when we tune a bike we are really just calibrating it. The ECM is targeting a certain A/F value at differn't throttle positions and RMP ranges. For instance, the stock bike is seeking a 14.6:1 AFR at 15% throttle and 2500 RPM (cruising speed), a stock bike will be running around that. BUT, if you add a high flow air filter, your bike might actually be getting say 15.8:1 AFR, (lean). That's why the bike need to be calibrated (tuned) to the new filter. So we (tuners) set the computers whole AFR range to 13.2:1 so it's consistant across the board. The we "teach" the computer what 13.3:1 AFR is on your bike. Once that is done, we set the ECM back to Harley's specs and your bike is tunes, well for the most part. After I do the AFR I usually make some timing adjustments and so on.
Harleytuner, great info broke down so all can understand. I get how a hi flow air cleaner creates a higher air to fuel ratio creating a leaner running bike. How do tru dual headpipes with certain slip-ons affect all this? Thanks again.
Is the DJ software setup to show the AFR at all throttle positions vs. rpm? Is the AFR line on the printout a true representation of the previous question or is it an avg. of all the WOT positions vs. rpm?
Do you use the DJ tunelink option, if so or not do you feel it is a viable tuning aid and why or why not? Also how much of your tuning process is devoted to timing? Do you utilize heat soak and drum loading in your process?
AP
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.