To dyno or not
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 14
From: connecticut
I call real live BS on a dyno will kill your bike. That IS ridiculous!
If I were to tune your bike, I won't but just say i would... I only 'tune' all of the cells up to say.... 4500 rpm. Then, I tune WOT until I get max HP and TQ from fiddling with the timing. All of the cells above 4500, I will run thru them one time to make sure everything is safe. The 80+ KPA or the 90-100% throttle is whats happening, and that too can be fiddled with one or two pulls ABOVE 4500 for verification purposes. A decent tuner will NOT make the bike rev to 7k and hold it there for and hour.
Reason for this is simple... How many folks RIDE at 5k rpm's? A Lot will get to 5k and even surpass it, but isn't that at, or near WOT?
Most here have NEVER had a bike dyno tuned, nor have they seen it done, so they just believe about anything said... most of which is FALSE.
Most tuners will agree with me on this... once a customers bike is up on the wheel, THAT is the most important bike in the world. I have my bike and a few others to 'play' with and a customer's bike is ALL about the business at hand. I, and others, will NOT tune a bike to its ragged edge either. There WILL be a horse or two left. MY goal, and most others is to generally maximize power across the board, but more importantly make the bike the best riding bike it can be! EXCELLENT manners with no surging, popping, bogging down, etc.
If I were to tune your bike, I won't but just say i would... I only 'tune' all of the cells up to say.... 4500 rpm. Then, I tune WOT until I get max HP and TQ from fiddling with the timing. All of the cells above 4500, I will run thru them one time to make sure everything is safe. The 80+ KPA or the 90-100% throttle is whats happening, and that too can be fiddled with one or two pulls ABOVE 4500 for verification purposes. A decent tuner will NOT make the bike rev to 7k and hold it there for and hour.
Reason for this is simple... How many folks RIDE at 5k rpm's? A Lot will get to 5k and even surpass it, but isn't that at, or near WOT?
Most here have NEVER had a bike dyno tuned, nor have they seen it done, so they just believe about anything said... most of which is FALSE.
Most tuners will agree with me on this... once a customers bike is up on the wheel, THAT is the most important bike in the world. I have my bike and a few others to 'play' with and a customer's bike is ALL about the business at hand. I, and others, will NOT tune a bike to its ragged edge either. There WILL be a horse or two left. MY goal, and most others is to generally maximize power across the board, but more importantly make the bike the best riding bike it can be! EXCELLENT manners with no surging, popping, bogging down, etc.
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 300
Likes: 6
From: South Carolina
My bike stays wide open longer smart tuning than one would ever see on the dyno. The dyno tech can keep a check on engine temps and shut down before things get too hot. They're not going to anyway with the short runs on the dyno. You make a run and then shut down and make changes.
Billy
Billy
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: Sin City
Does your bike have any decel popping? Are you getting good mileage? If no & yes answers then don't worry about the performance gains a good Dyno tune will get you. A couple hp difference is not going to be noticeable, especially if you find the Dyno cost to be an issue to your pocketbook.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, Ca.
I have a couple of questions, have a 2001 Electra Glide with the 88 ci motor. Have put the high flow air filter and Rhinehardt True Duels on it and installed a Power Commander from FuelMoto. Bike backfires when decelerating and gets crappy, 28-30 mpg. Mostly ride on freeway at 75-80 mph and am happy with the power. Went to Colorado last summer and got 41 mpg at higher elevations, then back to 30 mpg at sea level. I don't think the Power Commander helped me at all and called a local tuner for a dyno tune and he told me a dyno tune would not help my bike. Does anyone know a dependable shop in San Diego area, dealers are hit and miss to me. Any advice is appreciated.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,505
Likes: 56
From: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
I would think they would do more pulls than that. Most good tuners will tell you they will go through a lot of fuel, (1+ tank) and need the bike for a good part of a working day. So I think they crank it more that only 15-20 times, I might be wrong .
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Over a tank of gas?!! Most tuning sessions shouldn't last more than 3 hours and that is if they have to build the map, that shouldn't be necessary in most instances. I am talking about WOT pulls here. There could be more time spent with load control eddy current to simulate driving conditions. Unless they are doing a break-in on the motor I just don't see it taking most of the day and 1+ tanks of fuel.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,456
Likes: 2,860
From: SW FL-Jersey Shore Emigre
I read an article online not long ago that went into a lot of details for upgrading and maintaining a Harley. In this article it said that you should not get a dyno tune unless absolutely necessary because when done it simulates extreme driving and drag racing a bunch of times. When this is done it puts stresses on your bike far beyond normal riding and can cause excessive wear on the engine as well as possible stress fractures in the frame and transmission damage. All these systems may well not fail during the test but may take years off their usable life.
Any thoughts on the subject?
Any thoughts on the subject?