Power Commander III Newbie ?'s

Okay, I have in the past re-jetted my own carbs on past Harley's. Easy task, huge plus in performance, very little money spent, etc, etc - I'm all for it and recommend it to anyone with a stock carbed bike. Now, I have a brand new Softail Standard with fuel injection. Just picked it up last Saturday. Very pleased with how smooth it runs, but the sound level sucks! I already have the V&H Straight shots and Arlen Ness Big Sucker Air Cleaner. They are still boxed. Before installing these, I gather a PC III should be my next move. Couple Questions: 1) When I order this, do I tell the salesman what my bike is, what my exhaust is, what my air cleaner is and will the PC III already be programmed for this combo? Or, is it basically "blank", and I'll need to download the appropriate map from the website after I receive it? 2) For those of you that have went a smiliar route, were you pleased with the basic map provided, or was additional tweaking needed to get rid of any slight coughing, stuttering, poor mileage, etc? Basically, I like how smooth the bike runs now (read that as no problems with popping, decel, coughing, etc.), and don't want to compromise that. I do want the sound, and I know from past experience how much better a stage 1 kit performs over stock. The power commander website is pretty informative, and I have gleaned alot from this board already. Just a couple basic questions. Please reply with any additional tips, experiences, suggestions, etc.

Thanks in advance!

New 05 for skips69

Skips,

To answer your questions:

1) The PCIII comes "basically blank" It may have a base program set in it, but you should program it for your bike and your particular a/c & exhaust setup. The various "maps" are available online and I think the PCIII comes with a CD of various maps, but the most current maps will be found online on their website.

2) I personally was satisfied with the map that I downloaded from the internet, but I have been extremely satisfied since having it dyno'd by a competent dyno shop that specializes in HD's and PCIII's. I've picked up some HP and TQ since the Dyno, and now have the numbers to show what the bike is actually producing. I'd strongly suggest getting it tuned by a qualified dyno shop once you get the map loaded. You don't have to do it right away, but based on my personal experience, a good dyno guy can squeeze more power from it by optimizing the PCIII.

Read through the "Pythons on a Softail" thread and the "Power Commander Question" thread if you haven't already. These threads chronicle the Saga of Painter55's quest for power and sound, and both threads address some of your questions.

SISK

Red meat isn't bad for you... Fuzzy green meat is!

Thanks for the replies and especially for the tip to read about the "Pythons" post. That pretty much covered it for me. I didn't read it before, because I wasn't interested in running that exhaust. Good Stuff, and Congrat's to Painter!

Skip:

I could reiterate the "Pythons on a Softail' thread praise for the PCIII, but SISK verified it himself. My Pro Pipe with the PCIII is an awesome improvement over stock. Good luck on your installation and let us know how it all turns out.

I have already begun my quest for a second upgrade. My first inclination is to install a turbocharger system. The increase in HP is more than can be obtained from simply increasing the cubic inches, all for about the same price.

My research has just begun on turbocharging. I got a reply back from RC Components today about thier turbocharger. They have a system coming out next year for EFI that will get 110 HP on a TC88 stock engine, and even more with cams and other motor work. I want to contact a few more manufacturers, but the real proof will come from talking to somebody who has already done a turbo upgrade. Who out there can chip in something useful?

I will continue to study and research this area and I will post finding periodically.

Yo, down the road,

Painter

Next question concerning the PC III. I just browsed their website, and tried to download a map just to see what it looked like. It downloaded okay (I have Windows XP), but it won't let me open the zipped file. It's a "winzip" file. I checked out their website, and they want $30 a year for their software to open these types of files. Is that what everyone has to use to download the PC maps? Adobe would be better (it's free). Just curious......

Quest for power

Painter,

Hey, start a new thread dedicated to your quest for turbo power.

It'd be nice to have a thread where we can track your progress as you gain more knowledge on engines and turbocharging.

Have you posted any photos of the Black Beast? I'm expecting a PM from you with the web address of where they are posted.

SISK

"Vegetarian" - Souix word for "Poor Hunter"

Skip:

Don't worry about the zip file problem. All of the maps on the the PCIII website are also on the cd that comes with the PCIII. Even if you were to unzip a downloaded map, it would just look like jibberish without the PCIII software. The maps are nothing more than numbers for various rpm and f/a ratios. I plotted one of these maps on Excel, and it was just a wavy line... but an important one for permance.

SISK:

I will start the thread on turbocharging and chronicle my progress. One thing though : "I use my brain and all that I can borrow" (quote of Woodrow Wilson). JUMP IN.

I don't have a very good digital camera, so I need to get some film developed and scan the pictures before I can put them up on my website. Maybe in a day or two.

Yo, down the road,

Painter