Hello everyone,

I am looking to get a stage 1 for my 2010, 48.
What I have chosen so far is the Vance and Hines Big Radius 2 into 2 and also the RSD Contrast Cut Turbine Air cleaner.

The thing I am stuck on is what I need for tuning it.
My buddy got shortshots, and an RSD air cleaner and also a power commander V including the PCV Map switch

Should I be getting the same power commander or is there another "cheaper" option

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

I usually hear $hit about my opinion on this topic but to answer your question, is there a "cheaper" option than the PCV? Sure. But no matter how you look at it and no matter what kind of spin is put on it, cheaper always means LESS.

If you're happy with "less" then by all means spend less and have less.

Many here have done so with no complaints. However, the lack of complaints appears to be for a number of reasons [read: excuses, insert: violin playing in the background], like; they didn't have the $$ for a real tuner [meanwhile they plaster their bikes up with tons of useless bLiNg that equals more $$ than the best tuners out there], they didn't want to go fast, they weren't concerned with the best performance...blah blah blah...

Some will argue that a real tuner isn't needed, and they're right, IF you keep your bike stock, or add just either an exhaust OR an intake. But the people who keep their bikes stock and add only one or the other of the exhaust or intake are far and few between. When I first got my Sportster I said to myself, well self, I like the bike stock so I am going to keep it that way. Uh huh. First came the exhaust. Then I saved up for the intake AND went off on a 1 month sabatical trying to figure out if I wanted a tuner and what it would be. Back and forth I went between the XiED's [the $100 non tuner option] and this tuner and that tuner until I finally decided on the Power Vision [the $499 option], an all around great tuner. And wanting to play it safe I didn't ride the bike after I installed the intake until I had the tuner.

The Power Vision tuner install was absolutely painless. In less than 10 minutes I had hooked up the tuner to the bikes diagnostic port where it then married itself to the factory ECM, burnt a copy of the stock MAP to it's memory, then installed a "canned" MAP for my current configuration that was previously installed by Fuel♣Moto [from whom I purchased the tuner], then I shut the bike off for 10 seconds, disconnected the tuner, turned the bike back on, and have been smiling ever since at the quicker and smoother acceleration AND deceleration, and the all around felt power increase. I have the option to remove it from the bike or keep it hooked up and mounted to view real time events or log data to later retrieve and modify as I see fit to experiment with values and fine tune. The 3.5" touch screen display isn't too large nor too small and all the directions are straight forward enough that a monkey could use it. What's not to like? Well I suppose the $499 pricetag is the biggest stumbling block, but if you want the best performance that you can provide by yourself, save up your coin and get one. It's easier to use than the PCV, and you don't need to find a place to hide it because the Power Vision as mentioned earlier attaches to your diagnostic port and does NOT have to be "piggy backed" to your factory ECM. The only thing the PCV has over the PV is you can simply hit a switch and go from one "tune" to another [ie., if travelling you find yourself in the next state over where 93 octane fuel isn't available you can load another MAP for lower octane fuel to avoid any pinging, etc]. but alas, the PV will do the same, but you have to pull over to the side of the road and take a whopping 5 minutes out of your day to load another MAP; whoop dee doo!

Anyway, do your homework, look around, take some time, compare features, decide on where your priorities are, then look in your wallet. If there is an over abundance of moths flying out and the road ahead looks gloomy then do what you must. But if you would like your bike running near as best as it can without a trip to an indy and a 2-3 hour DYNO session at $100+ and hour then consider saving your bucks up for the Power Vision tuner. I have not read ONE single complaint on this forum or any other forum about the PV, and there is a reason why: it works.

Have fun and be safe!!

=8^)

 

thank you for the insight. Power vision is completely different than the power commander V right?
The power commander V is about 400 bucks already...
I am just looking to see what I need to give me optimal performance and the least hassle. Money is a factor but I don't want to skimp out and buy lesser quality products. I am hearing stuff about Xieds or power commanders I am just confused.

 

The Power Commander V I had took a ****, as well as the PCV that was on my brother's Wide Glide. Needless to say I'm not a fan of their product. I have the Harley Super Tuner and loved it. If you're concerned about price you may need to reconsider buying a $10,000 bike, $600 pipes, a $500 air cleaner then skimping out on a decent tuner.

 

The Power Commander [x] is a piggy back tuner [you unplug your ECM, then take that plug and plug that into the PC, then another cable goes from your PC to the ECM] that remains on your bike, that intercepts data that would normally go straight to your factory ECM and manipulates that data and then sends it to the ECM, for what amounts to better perfomance. The Power Vision tuner is a flash tuner that reflashes [through the diagnostic port on the bike] your factory ECM with a new MAP with a whole new set of values that will make your engine run "like it 'apossed to." The PV has the added feature of not having to leave it attached to the bike, with no requirement to use a laptop or computer to flash, you're able to mount it on your bike and have it display data as it happens [like RPM, cylinder temps, ie, just about anything that can be monitored or used by the ECM] and you can log data for experimentation later. Store up to 6 MAPs with 2 gig's of memory.

Simon, it's a time consuming endeavour, but it's well worth the effort to investigate tuners and the alternatives, not just from a monetary $$ standpoint, but from an informative and learning standpoint. Get edjumicated. Do a search on the 'net then come back here and search as well...you will find that the topic has been fully and completely covered. Some fur flies on occassion from opposing minded individuals but that's good because it usually brings out the most amount of information, and by the time the dust settles you can get a good idea of where you might wanna go...

And it's a not so much that you'll be skimping out on "lesser quality products" by spending less money, but rather you'd be getting a product that does less...with the extra $$ spent comes ease of use, added features, choices, and better service in the form of free MAPs and consultations.

Are any of these tuners the absolute best option? No. They do come close though, especially the tuners with the accompanying "Auto Tune" Modules and Wide Band O² sensors. But the absolute bestest way to get the top performance out of your engine, is to take your bike and have it tuned by a reputable tech on a DYNO. Then again, if you later decide down the road to add cams or different heads, back you go to the DYNO for another 2-3 hour session at X amount of $$.

So do your homework, then pick your poison!

=8^)

 

Well said...hey, 'you do your tank lift yet?



=8^)

 

guys dont get me wrong I dont want to skimp out..merely looking for the best option financially and for the bike.

what do you guys recommend I get?

 

[insert: ( (( echo )) )]

P.O.W.E.R. V.I.S.I.O.N.

I'm biased because I have one, but that's my recommendation. Save up for it if you have to like I did and buy it from Fuel♣Moto [they double the factory warrantee]...you won't be disappointed!

=8^)

 

thanks drw bone

 

i second the Power Vision...hands down super easy and even has enough control for the geek in me to be wowed by.