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Power Commander or Race Tuner?

Discussion in 'Motorcycle Tech Talk' started by HellBoy, Jan 11, 2010.

  1. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    I've been told by my Harley service manager that the HD Race Tuner is better than the Power Commander, because the Power Commander manipulates after Harley's program runs and the Race Tuner actually gets into HD's proprietary programing and changes it, therefore more custom fine tuning.

    I currently have the Vance & Hines fuel pack for my 07 Dyna Street Bob with V&H Big Shot Staggered pipes. It seemed perfect before I had some work done and now it's not as smooth. All my settings are correct. So, I've been thinking I might try a Dyno tune if I change from the Fuel Pack.

    Any help will be most appreciated, thanks. I'm not in any rush and can wait until spring/early summer.
  2. cowboy

    cowboy Moderator Staff Member

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    hellboy I run the PC 111 on my 03 e glide had it dynoed once & it still runs like it did right after it was dynoed , you will get different answer;s just like on oil
  3. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    uh oh, here we go again... ;-)

    How different was it after the PC and Dyno Cowboy?
  4. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    TTS Mastertune, it allows you to control the bike in the ECM through software, they designed and programmed the HD SERT.

    Best on the market, no hardward to install or buy, just software and cables.

    It has three sections

    Mastertune -upload maps, make changes, manually set cells, rev limits etc
    Data Master- Hook up PC, cables to ECM, put in bag or backpack, start data recorder
    go for a ride, it reads the VE of the bike using the o2 sensors, etc and creates
    custom VE map for your bike (this is very very very important)
    Vtune- Combines the map you selected for download for your bike, with the DataMaster data and customizes the map to your bike. no dyno, no tuner.

    Now JMO, you would obtain best tuning by having a very good dyno operator
    tune your map on a dyno, but this is as close as you'll get on your own.

    TTS - MasterTune EFI Programming Software

    Just installed Crusher slip ons (kuryakyn) and Wild Things 2D cams in a bagger, Mike Roland of Kuryakyn gave us a custom base map for TTS, no charge. We have installed it and this weekend will hook up the Vtune, ride, combine and build our own custom map.

    All it takes is hooking up a PC and going for a ride...
    Can't do that with Fuel Pack, you can with Powercommander 5
    But you are adding a bolt on part.

    www.kuryakyn.com

    Order it from Jenny at Tri-County Harley for 20% off every day.
  5. FLHTbiker

    FLHTbiker Moderator Staff Member

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    Had an 03 Ultra and put the PCIII on it and it just wouldn't run with it no matter how they tuned it. Took it off and put a Race tuner on it and she ran great. I run the Race tuner on my 09 (I know, I know) and the bike is performing very well and gets great mileage. For me no complaints with it.
  6. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    Thanks HRK. I swamped today, but will read up on those links tomorrow, thanks for that.
    Assuming I get my bike Dyno'd, I'm still curious which of the two is best, HD race tuner, or Power Commander. I didn't know there was a PC "5", thought it was at "3".
  7. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    There is a 3 but it doesn't have Auto Tune. the 5 has Auto Tune

    The HD Race Tuner is the newer version and fwih its no where near as
    good as the older SERT and the SERT was make by Mastertune.

    Most SERT users are upgrading to TTS for the $100 upgrade fee.

    With PC5 or TTS Mastertune you can load a map, ride, and then merge the learning file into the loaded map to fine tune the bike, Like the Thundermax which learns constantly, the TTS learns when you want to fine tune or make a change.

    PC3 and HD Race tuner cannot do this.

    Would you buy a cell phone that can only make outbound calls?

    that would be the PC3 and HD Race Tuner
  8. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    Damn, I thought it would just be mano a` mano between the Power Commander and HD Race Tuner, now you gotta throw in something I never heard of like TTS Mastetune? Now I have to do my homework or sound like an idiot here, thanks ;-)

    Really, that's what's so good about this site, good humor, good advice and great tolerance of those of us who still have a lot to learn about bikes and riding, thanks.
  9. BluePearl

    BluePearl New Member

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    If you actually get in to the se pro race tuner you fine tune your own map and riding style. Once it has been installed (or programmed as unit does not stay on bike) you can have it dynoed and set to best map for your bike.
    You need to buy entire kit with software disc and cables,unit has 15 min record time onboard which you can then upload to your laptop. From there you can see and adjust where your bike works best and not and make fine adjustments from there. If you are really good you could even do custom mapping day to day - best MPG, solo and 2-up and city or highway maps.
    The software is supposed to be user friendly but I haven't seen it yet,just read some comments. The 32109-08a SE race tuner +CD and cables is near the same idea as the TTS except it is smarter with the Vtune option and can optimise your map for you. Both units are dependent on your own computer savie and some basic knowledge of EFI,timing,A/F mixtures etc if you want to "self medicate" at home :cool:
  10. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    SERT was made by Mastertune - TTS
  11. FLHTbiker

    FLHTbiker Moderator Staff Member

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    Must be good then, I like mine.
  12. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    the new HD super tuner is made by someone else
    I've not heard a lot of good things about it.

    One big issue is base maps

    HD's stuff just has maps for of course HD stuff.

    Kuryakyn has custom dyno tuned maps for all the Kuryakyn stuff,

    There are tons of maps for all kinds of PC and SERT/TTS applications

    On the TTS site they have a bunch of maps, download what is close
    then let the tts Vtune tweak it for you as you ride...
  13. HarleysLR

    HarleysLR Active Member

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    If you think oil is, (was) an issue, now you have really opened a can of worms with tuners and dyno tunning...
    :gah:
  14. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    Uggghh...

    Funny, my bike rode like a dream when I first got it. It was a bit loud though ( V&H Staggered Big Shots), so I tried switching to V&H's "Quiet Baffles". They were supposed to change out easily, yeah right. After HD banged the sh&t out of them, they managed to install the "Quiets". The ride now sucked, big time. Loss of power in all gears and smoothness in first gear. When I switched back to the regular baffles, one had cracked, so I had V&H send a new one, so there was now one "old" baffle (3,500 miles) and one new one. The ride never felt quite right. Then, I heard a knocking sound a few day after. It was a big engine problem, they changed lifters and one head. The ride is good, but has never returned to its original greatness. So, I have no way of knowing if the baffle switch, lifters or one new head is the cause of the change, or something as simple as a clutch adjustment or clutch plates. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of it all eventually.

    This is what led me to think about a Dyno set up. If it ran the way it did at first, I wouldn't change a thing, it was incredible before all this crap went down.
  15. HarleysLR

    HarleysLR Active Member

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    I run V&H Big Shots Staggered myself and have switched from stock baffles to Big City thunder baffles and back a couple of times and notice no difference except that the Big City Thunder baffles are louder than the stock ones. It isn’t hard to change baffles, one allen head bolt to remove each tip on the pipe and one allen head bolt for each baffle and they should come right out. They can be a little sticky at times but with 3,500 hundred miles they wouldn’t hardly even be dirty. I’ve never seen a cracked baffle they are usually pretty indestructible. I wouldn’t think that changing baffles would be related to any other kind of internal engine problems.
  16. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    Thanks HarleysLR. A friend told me there's a trick he learned from a guy at V&H. You're supposed to take the screw out, tie some string to it, put it back in backwards or upside down ( I forget), and with a little tug, the baffles are out. My HHD dealer was slammin it, saying the baffle was stuck. he broke the thread off, that why I needed a new baffle.
  17. bucketlist

    bucketlist New Member

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    any thoughts on thundermax compared to these other tuners
  18. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    If you have the Auto Tune option the only difference is the Tmax will self tune to your bike within some degree.

    It is also a complete ECM swap, which JMO isn't necessary, not saying it's bad just there are options.

    If you have 02 sensors then I would go TTS Mastertune because you can get it with all the software to load maps, tweak them and an autotune feature included for way less money.

    Contact Jenny at Tri-County HD in Fairfield OH, and you will get it at 20% off the Kuryakyn kit 9220 MasterTune Single Bike Kit (ea) $424.99

    You will need cables which you need one or the other usb or serial

    9222 MasterTune Serial Cable (ea) $34.99
    or
    9223 MasterTune USB Cable (ea) $78.99

    Hook up the MasterTune and select and load the base map into your ECM

    then you hook up the learning software and it learns the engine and modifies the
    settings in the map specifically to your engine. Make several runs merge the new data into the base map and then you have a custom tune.

    Easy to do all you need is your laptop...
  19. cardboard

    cardboard Well-Known Member

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    1. Thundermax with Auto Tune will not work with the TBW touring bikes.

    2. Power Commander V with auto tune.

    3. Last the Sert.
  20. HellBoy

    HellBoy New Member

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    anyone here had the Power Tuner V and then the TTS Mastertune? Curious about the differences. Glad I checked in here first. There are lots of Power Commander III offers on Craigslist that were tempting because they were low priced.

    I changed primary oil and when HD was at it they said I needed the belt adjusted and also did a clutch adjustment (for the 3rd. time) I guess three's the charm. because it's running much better ( not as amazing as when I first got it at 3000 miles), but real close. Perhaps it was a loose chain that was making me feel a slight hesitation and then a gripping when in first gear. I'll still go for a tuner and dyno tune eventually, but at least I can now wait until I'm flush and enjoy my ride once again in the meantime..

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