Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Truth in dyno

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 08:05 PM
  #21  
JonnyD's Avatar
JonnyD
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,876
Likes: 3
From: Washington State
Default

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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 08:18 PM
  #22  
HD Renegade's Avatar
HD Renegade
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,808
Likes: 0
From: Waynesville, NC
Default

Originally Posted by harleytuner
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?
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:25 PM
  #23  
harleytuner's Avatar
harleytuner
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 222
From: Fredericksburg, Va.
Default

Originally Posted by poppa cooter
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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:33 PM
  #24  
harleytuner's Avatar
harleytuner
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 222
From: Fredericksburg, Va.
Default

[quote=ATC2;4805415]
Originally Posted by harleytuner
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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:41 PM
  #25  
harleytuner's Avatar
harleytuner
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 222
From: Fredericksburg, Va.
Default

Originally Posted by JonnyD
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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:46 PM
  #26  
kromdom's Avatar
kromdom
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,401
Likes: 4
From: SoCal
Default

a million thanks again for taking the time and effort to share your knowldge with us.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:48 PM
  #27  
harleytuner's Avatar
harleytuner
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 222
From: Fredericksburg, Va.
Default

Originally Posted by HD Renegade
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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:51 PM
  #28  
harleytuner's Avatar
harleytuner
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 222
From: Fredericksburg, Va.
Default

Originally Posted by kromdom
a million thanks again for taking the time and effort to share your knowldge with us.
You bet man. It just irks me to see good people get taken advantage of by some of the "tuners" out there. They give all of us a bad name.
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 10:09 PM
  #29  
kimbjil's Avatar
kimbjil
Stage II
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: rural NW ILL
Default

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.
 
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2009 | 10:23 PM
  #30  
Apendejo's Avatar
Apendejo
Road Warrior
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 539
From: BHC, Arizona
Default

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
 

Last edited by Apendejo; Apr 2, 2009 at 10:26 PM.
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:44 AM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

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.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE