recalibrating

HI! everyone,

Just bought new 2004 heritage softail fuel injected.
I wan't to install a screamin eagle air cleaner and screamin eagle 2 slip on mufflers I'm being told warranty will be void if I install myself what will happen if I don't get bike calibrated as I'm being told only harley can calibrate it and info goe's right to harley motor co.
Can any techs maybe help with info :confused

thanks

Confused and bent over...

1. Get familiar with the consumer protection act or Magnuson Moss act. It explains your rights in respect to warranty's.

2. Find a new dealer if possible or wear an iron plate on your ass as they are trying to fill it with B.S.

The ECM racalibration is just that, a recalibration. It does not report diddly to the HD factory. Challenge him on it. Ask for the area rep's name so you can verify that the dealer is telling you the truth.

I do not have time to go into this further right now. I'll let HRK or one of our other members get more detailed. If they cannot, I'll get back into this when I can.

Some of the B.S. these dealers spread is totally amazing.

I've been reading on this forum for the last week or so the debate of whether to pay HD for the re-calibration or to buy the DFO or Power Commander, etc. I only plan a one-time upgrade so I've been leaning toward the HD re-calibration.

However, I've been working off the assumption that the re-calibration is $150 like is posted in their catalogue. I didn't realize that is just the price of the "software" from HD. The dealer also charges an hour's labor (or more) to the tune of at least $50. I found this out today. So, that brings the price up to around $200.

I've learned that in the motorcycle industry, just as in the auto industry, the best mechanics aren't always at the factory dealerships (I'm trying to be kind). The four dealerships I've had contact with in the past month have proven this to me, if I ever doubted it.

My point is............I'm leaning toward buying the Power Commander and doing the tweaking myself. I don't claim to be a gearhead but I've turned wrenches since my teen years and have serviced my own bikes and autos for 35 years. And, the idea of paying $200 for a one use download done in 20 minutes by an underskilled tech kinda grates on me.

Hotroadking,

I see you mention changing the timing by using the Power Commander. I've seen others say the same thing on this forum. But.........I've read the powercommander.com website pretty thoroughly and didn't see any mention of changing timing with their equipment.

Sometimes, I get tunnel vision. Am I missing something on their website?

Thanks for all your good comments.

Don't sweat the dealer

2004HD,

I've got an '03 heritage injected bike, and had the same concerns as you have, and I understand your concern for not wanting to void the warranty. However, as you've read in the various posts, the dealer may feed you a line of crap and give you a hard time, but they can't void your warranty if you put on non H-D parts.

I decided to go with the Ness big sucker, V&H big shots, and the Power Commander, (all purchased from Direct Parts of course )and I've been extremely pleased, no regrets.

I installed the pipes, A/C, Power Commander and downloaded the maps myself. By doing it yourself, you can save quite a bit on labor charges from the dealer, but more important, you learn about your bike and you know what has been done to it.

As ffflhtcui indicated, there are some poorly qualified techs at some dealerships. I was at a local dealer (Name withheld) when a guy pulled up on his brand new Ultra Classic that had just been in for the 1000 mile service. He was steamin' mad and started yelling at the service guys. I naturally had to scoot over to see what the action was. What had happened was that the tech had forgotten to screw the inspection cover back onto the primary. So this guys brand new bike was sitting there with oil running out of the open hole where the inspection cover should have been bolted. Luckily, he had not gotten too far down the road from the dealer when he noticed the problem. Anyway, the service mgr. yelled at the tech that did the service, then the tech who was now pissed off picked up a wrench in frustration and threw it at a wall. You could hear the wrench bounce around as it hit various things in the shop, and I was sure glad my bike wasn't in there.
Anyway, point of the story is: just because the guy is wearing a little H-D shirt doesn't make him an expert.

Back you your question at hand...First, find a dealer that won't feed you a line of crap. Then put on your pipes / mufflers and A/C, and decide if you want the HD flash or some tuneable control module like the Power Commander which can be modified over and over.
As I said, I've been very pleased with my setup. I recently found a H-D dealer that has a dynomometer in their shop and they also install and tune PowerCommanders. I decided to take my bike there to have them tune it in the dyno and tweak it to make sure it was optimized for HP and Torque. I can't boast the same numbers that Hotroadkind does, but the improvement was quite noticeable. How nice it was to deal with a H-D dealer that didn't give you crap about aftermarket parts, but rather helped you optimize your setup .

Later, (my fingers are tired)

SISK

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

To that I would simply add:

Buy the service and parts manuals for your bike. These are the best tools you can buy. A little time, effort and some help from a friend that has some experience and you are all set.