Hello all,

I'm trying to decide if a power commander is right for me, I made a custom exhaust and am running a basic K&N air filter. My bike is an 01 F4i that is NOT a Cali. model. (Meaning no O2 sensor) At the dealership the guy said that it will correct itself, but everything else I hear contradicts that. Thanks and I appreciate any input!

 

The stock ECU will be able to compensate but only as far as the factory parameters allow. You may get to a point where the ECU cannot adjust for altitude beyond a certain level as a result of your current mods. A PC will allow for additional adjustment and tuning above and beyond what the OEM ECU can handle.

I run a BMC filter, Hindle exhaust and PCIII on my race bike (F4i) and I can notice a huge difference between the OEM ECU (which I primarily use for rain races) and the PCIII.

I say, if you're happy with the current performance of your machine then save your money but if you want to squeeze the full potential out of your current mods, get a PC.

 

Thanks bergs! Performance for me is not all that critical (I don't race) I would only be concerned about frying my motor if my setup is running too lean. Is there an easy way to tell if I'm doing that, because form what I hear a bike might still run ok even though it's damaging the motor. Thanks!

 

Easiest way to avoid a lean map is to bring it to an experienced tuner. It's worth the extra cake in the long run.

There are a few ways to figure out if you are too lean:

White deposits on the spark plugs (and acutally, spark plugs are the simplest way to check the tuning/ running conditon of any engine)

Absolutely no carbon build up on the end of the muffler after, say, 500 miles of riding.

Hearing detonation under load (which sounds like ball bearings jumping around inside your engine when it's put under a load).

Hard starting when the engine is already up to operating temps.

A marked increase in fuel mileage (to a point some mods do yeild a better return on MPG's but a noticeable reduction in fuel consumption after mapping is a fairly good indicator something in the map might need more attention)

 

Thanks again berg, I just ordered my PCIII and have an appointment at my local dyno. One thing you hit on sounds like it might be happening to me. I know that the PC and dyno run will fix this, but I'm curious to know what "hearing detonation under load" is about. I think I hear that when I'm riding now, and was wondering what exactly is happening. Is it something that I need to stop riding now until I get my new setup or is it ok for a week or 2? Thanks!

 

If its serious detonation then I would consider taking care of it right away. Detonation can destroy engines and at the very least cause excessive wear.

 

Sorry....been away for a while.

It sounds like a "pinging". It will happen in the lower RPM's if you're adding too much throttle. Most every engine will ping if the revs aren't high enough along with excess amounts of fuel being fed to the combustion chambers. It just can't burn the fuel quick enough in that scenario.

 

If you could better describe the circumstances we may be able to better diagnose the issue. Does it only happen when the motor is warmed up? Does it happen throughout the rpm range? Did it start after a certain mod?

Engine Knock, pinging, detination, etc is not a normal condition and is a great way to increase wear on your engine.

 

You're probably hearing the cam chain rattling.

 

Thanks all for the responses. I just got my bike back from the dyno shop today, and everything sounds great. My printouts showed how off my fuel/air ratio was, glad that the PC and dyno run fixed it all.