I am going to make this short and sweet. I have a set of Vance and Hines Big shot Duals, an SE Ventilator and now the HD dealer is trying to convince me that the one time efi download I wanted sucks and what I really want is the SERT and 4 hours on the dyno. All I want is my bike to have a little bump in performance and a much better sound. I guess my question is this. Is the dealer download ok? Will I loose a lot of performace and mpg as apposed to a SERT? Thanks for the help.

 

If you NEVER plan on doing any other motor mods, then get the download.

If you think you might upgrade later, then get the SERT. But skip the dyno. They have maps that will work just fine with your setup. Save yourself the dyno time. There are plenty of maps to choose from with a SERT.

 

Oh, and welcome to HDF

 

I went with the tuner and dyno time because I plan on keeping this bike for a while. I had a fuelpak on my last bike, big difference between a custom tune and a blanket good for all map.

 

I'd skip the download, skip the SERT and get a Power Commander and then a good tune. You can swap Power Commander's from bike to bike... the SERT ? NOT... The Moco has seen to that. Got my PC from Fuelmoto and they are top notch!

Just my two pennies lol.

 

Thank you J! I read this forum all the time and thought I'd finally join. I doubt I will ever do anything else performance wise but I don't want to be dissapointed with the one time download if it is going to be a terrible thing. Will fuel economy be a lot better with the SERT?

 

Not better, but similar or equal... If the bike is tuned right, and your tuner requests 14.2/1 AFR at cruise throttle settings.

Another person mentioned a Power Commander. Yeah, they work, but they are not as good as a SERT or TTS Mastertune. It is an add-on module that can fail. The SERT rewrites your ECM. Plus, it allows the ECM to use the O2 sensors already on your bike.

Sure, you can get more add-on stuff for your Power Commander (02 sensors) and now you've got even more parts and wiring that can fail. Plus, now you're at the same cost as a Mastertune or SERT.

People on this forum are a little biased toward the Power Commander. Nothing wrong with it, but it's evidence of good marketing by one of the forum sponsors.

 

Possibly, but don't count on it. Basically what they'll be doing is richening the mixture relative to the factory programming. Everything else being equal, that in itself, will likely cost you a bit of fuel economy. The bike will run better and if you're conservative with the throttle, you may well see a little improvement in mpg's. Then again, if you "play" with that improvement in performance, like so many do, you won't be seeing any increase!

Just remember, "you" are the biggest factor in what kind of fuel economy you get!

Ride Safe,
Steve R.

 

All you realy need is a simple fuel controller to add some fuel at the different stages of engine operation. A SERT or the TTS and dyno tune is more than you need. If you were doing cams, heads and bigger cubes than yes.
Look at a EJK (electronicjetkit.com) by dobeck performance. Its simple plug and play and very user friendly. You can install it and make all the adjustments yourself without a laptop.
Go to the web-site and take a look. They show the vertual operation of the unit so you can see how it works.
I have one on my dyna and it made a big differance in the sound and power!

 

Just had some Rhinehart slip-ons placed on my 09 FLHX without a high flow sucker. The dealership really wanted me to do the download (for about $180) of which I said I'd think about after I tried out the slip-ons. Funny thing is there is a noticeable improvement in power and so I have elected to pass for now on the download.
What I had read is that if there are decreases in power / torque with slips-on (without sucker and download), then get the download. More importantly, is that all HD bikes are inherently out of tune. I don't know why this is but I believe it may be due keeping the cylinders cooler (thereby thwarting seizure) or due to the MOCO desire of keeping bikes with the throaty HD sound at idle speeds / rpms.
What is recommended is to obtain a owner installed EFI fuelpak of which Powercommando is one of. There are other fuelpaks such as that made by Vance & Hines. But because HD bikes are out of tune, a owner guided fuel enrichment in the 10-40% throttle range is recommended. Its would seem that the download and perhaps the dyno time ($$$$) can be eliminated in the process thereby saving you money and time.
Yeah I'm still learning so if anyone has anything to add or correct by all means....