I'll try and be brief. I have a 2005 Ultra Classic, she has just around 10,000 miles on her, just had the 10K service done. Last year I had the Stage 1 done by the dealer.
SE slash cut slip ons, dyno, remap and SE Air kit. The bike runs hot, real hot, always has and no real change (maybe 10 degrees) with syn over dyno oil. No real difference after the stage 1 either, or at least as I could tell. I've used a very acurate thermometer and under normal riding the oil is at 260 or better. I've put on the RJ Original's great product and they help me quite a bit. But she went into heat management this summer (up here in Massachussetts in stop-an-go after just 20 minutes on a hot day).

I've read that true-duals will solve any heat problem. Dont' want to go that way as I don't want her any louder at all. I've had some folks say that even though she was remapped when the stage 1 was done she might be running rich or lean (can't recall what makes the bike hotter). Anyway, when I let off the throttle she pops a little. Also on the exhaust where where there's no heat shield right next to the rear break and right befor the slip-on starts, she's golden-yellow in color. I assume this means she's running like a fire-ball (rich or lean). Don't get me wrong, the bike runs fine. I'm not mechanic not by anyone's measure, but I'm wondering if something like the power-commander will let me modify the map or the fuel to do a couple of things.

1. Help her run a bit cooler, if she's too rich or lean (someone tell me which make the bike run hotter).
2. Perhaps get a bit better milage (I get around 40).
3. Perhaps a bit more power

Is this even worth looking into. I don't want to spend the money on this if it's going to take all kinds of trial and error, tweaking etc... I've heard over and over that the HD
download is junk (I assume that's what I got when she was remapped with the stage 1).

My thinking is that I'd install the power commander, learn to use it, download a map from their web site if it's doesn't come preinstalled for the SE air kit with SE slash cut pipes.
Then there must be some type of monitoring software to help determine if I should change the fuel?

Am I on the right track here?

Thanks,
Joe

 

yep

 

Well you are probably running lean which will make the bike run hot. The HD stage 1 download is a waste of $150 as it almost never works as people expect it to.

True duals will remove heat from you by getting rid of the crossover pipe under your right leg.

Getting the PCIIIusb will allow you to get the EFI tuned properly and get the fuel/air where it should be.

Check out www.fuelmoto.com or www.easternperformance.com for the Power Commander IIIusb......they are about $250-$277 delivered.

True duals leaves you many options......keep your SE mufflers and add V&H dual headers. Or replace the whole system with a new system like the Rineharts.

My oil temps never get above 240.........and that is in extreme heat and traffic.

Good Luck,

Steve

 

Can I get a little more than a yep please I really don't know much about this.
Rich or lean make the bike run hot.
Is 260 normal or way to hot in 80 degree weather at 70mph for 30 minutes?
Will the power commander take a lot of work/tweaking to get this right. I assume I can play with it, and if not happy plug the HD module back in?
Will the power commander help a bike as I described in my first post get a bit more power/mileage and run cooler? Or some combination of these?

Really, I'm looking for some details.
thanks again,
Joe

 

Go to www.fuelmotousa.com call the toll free number,ask for Jamie, tell him how your bike is set up and he will hook you up with a preloaded PCIII for $281.95 to your door. All you do is plug and play. No tweeking unless you like to tinker. Otherwise just plug it in and ride!!!

 

My guess is you are running lean. This can be from an improper air/fuel ratio, which can often be corrected with a fuel management system, such as a Power Commander or SERT. It could also be from an air leak on the engine which sucks in more air, again making your a/f mixture too lean. One way to test for this is to let the motor idle and carefully spray starter fluid around the intake gasket, etc. to see if the idle speeds up. You may also be able to diagnose the lean condition by the color of the spark plugs, but some guys disagree that is an accurate way to do it.

If I was you, I'd take the bike to an indy you trust and see what he says. If there's no air leaks, then the PC should be money well spent.

The Power Commander is programmable using one of many "maps" on their website. You select your bike, components, etc. and download the proper map onto your computer and then onto the PC. These are usually fairly close, but most guys swear that if you can find a talented tuner, with a dyno; that's the best way to go.


Good luck.

Edit: What thundercloud said about the pre-loaded ones is another great way to go.

 

a good dyno tune with race tuner or pc3 will help and switch to AMSOIL SYNTHETIC OIL. It stopped mine.

 

Thanks guys...

I doubt the bike has a leak, as it was just in for a 10K service, and the bike hasn't run any differently since it was new. I took it from MA down to NC and back after the stage 1 last year also. The bike was dyno'd when I had the stage 1 done. I have the print outs here somewhere.

I won't go true duals and you can forget about Rine's or V&H, I can bareley tollerate how loud the SE slip ons are. If there was a way to get good performance with no noise I'd actually go that route, but that's a different story.

So it sounds like the PC II is the way to go, I'll call the folks you suggested with the my bikes info.

So when I get the thing installed, what should I notice specifically?

A bit more pep? Better or worse mileage? Just a cooler running bike?

Oh, by the way, I do plan on switching to Amisol or Mobil 1 V Twin next change. I've been running HD's syn since the 1K service.

Joe

 

Thought I'd give you good folks an update...

I drained the HD syn oil and put it Mobil 1 V Twin. (Didn't swap the filter as the bike only has 500 miles on it since the 10K service).
Also talked to Jamie as suggested and ordered and installed a PC III. No chance to ride this weekend at all, but took her into work this morning (short ride just 15 miles, cool/damp up here in MA this morning).

First impressions (again, just a short ride in cool temps). The bike feels like a different machine. The biggest difference is that there is no (I mean ZERO) popping on deacceleration! She sounds like she's running quieter also and absolutely smoother. Dont' get me wrong, I thought she was running fine before, I didn't realize just how much "popping" she was doing before now that she's not. I don't think I"ve ever seen the dash temp gauge below 90 even on a cool day, it didn't get much above 80 this morning. I assume most of this is due to the PC III, not sure how much the VTwin syn helped.

I'm going to throw my Digital thermometer back in and keep an eye on it and will report back in a day or two. She used to run at 260 plus as normal with HD syn in her.

I may get some Amsoil 75-90 and replace the tranny also.

Thanks,
Joe

 

Highest oil temp of the season is.....222F.