I just picked my bike up from my local Indy after it's 10K service. I asked him to pay special attention to how she ran and felt going down the road becuase on Saturday I installed the Fuel Moto stage 1 - Jackpots, A/C and PV with the pre-loaded FM map. I thought everything was good but wanted his opinion of the bike since he works on and rides them all the time.

He said, "First of all, she's running lean. I could tell that because of the plugs."

My question is - since I've only had the Stage 1 on for about 200 miles and these things are lean from the factory, isn't what he's seeing with the plugs the outcome of the last 5000 miles and maybe not what the bike is doing now with the new map? I'm thinking I need more time to find out, right?

He said, "Second, I'd take it in for a dyno. It's not that it runs bad but you could really dial it in." (He doesn't dyno in-house. He sends them away for it and swears up and down his dyno guy is one of the best.)

I understand the idea of the dyno and if money was no object, great. But, I just had to spend some cash on a Stage 1 to correct the pinging issue that HD couldn't fix and in 10 days I leave on a 4000 mile trip with the bike. I don't really have the money, much less the time to mess around taking the bike in for a dyno when in all actuality, it seems to run a little better than it did from the factory. He did say that he wouldn't be afraid to hop on and ride to LA and back with it right now.

I don't think he's trying to get more money out of me but rather just giving me his honest opinion. He mentioned there may be just a bit more than normal top end noise up around the 2800 - 3000 RPM range, which a good run on a dyno might pinpoint.

What does everyone think? Is it worth trying to sneak in for a tune prior to the trip or just let it go until I get back and see how things are running?

 

A dyno tune is the best way to dial in a bike.... IF..... you find a good tuner. And that's a big IF...... Everyone thinks they are a good tuner, many are foolin themselves.

My personal opinion is that with a stage 1, you won't be able to tell the difference between a good map (like your fuelmoto map, not an HD stage 1 download) and a dyno tune.

I'd save your money until you do a stage 2 or better....

Just my 2cents.....

 

 

I agree with the others. Save your money unless it's running bad. From what I have gathered over the years, reading plugs isn't nearly the same as it used to be and a grey-ish white plug on a FI bike running unleaded fuel is not necessarily indicative of running too lean. It does take a dyno session to get all that figured out for sure.

 

I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the money. I would talk to FM and get another map if you think it's running lean before the dyno in which the tech might or might not know what the f he's doing.

 

Definitely save your money. FM is usually pretty good with their maps. Take your trip and seehow it runs. If you have any issues on the road (pinging, decel popping) then you might consider a dyno tune.

 

Interesting that he said the FM tune is lean. Not my experience with FM stage 1 tune but there are a lot of variables in play. I would talk with Jamie or Brian at FM and let them help. Also IMO a stage 1 dyno is a waste. Most good tuners our there, FM being one of them, have these stage 1 tunes pretty dialed in for the most part. Its your money...

 

I'm a big believer in dyno tuning with a good operator. I got my map from fuel moto' did some auto tuning and bike ran good with no ping or pop. Put it on a dyno and the fuel ratios were all off! I didn't get much more power but the bike sure runs great and I know the tune won't ruin my motor. Every bike is different and a canned map is just that.

 

+1

 

reading plugs is no longer an accurate gauge of running lean,if u have pv can't u monitor the far in real time? or do data logging runs,think your indy shoulda known that.