South Dakota dynos

[Jackrabbit]

Just bought a 06 1800 F and put on cobra pipes, K&N filter, and PC III with a map downloaded from fuel moto where I purchased it. Great power and runs well, but I'm wondering if there is more in it. I was wondering if anyone here has had a dyno performed in SD anywhere and your experience, as well as cost. People on this board say the dyno should be a load dyno and have a fuel/air sniffer, whatever those things mean. So, does anyone in SD have a dyno like that? Thanks guys.

[nodakbassmaster]

not that I know of, not much metric support on this end of the state though...

[sixwillwin]

Closest I have found is in Omaha and its $350! I have played around with about 8 or 9 different maps and picked the best one. BIG difference in the maps, but fun to play with. I was scared to spend a days drive and $350 to end up with a crappy map job.

[sixwillwin]

Forgot to add, if you had a Harley, you could get it done at about 4 or 5 spots in the state. If you go to Dynojets website, you can find all the dyno equipped shops.

[Jackrabbit]

Sixwillwin, where are you getting all of your maps from? I have heard there is a place in Watertown that does dynos but I don't know where. Also someone told me in Sioux Falls of a Pico's garage (not at all sure of the name here) or something like that that does dynos. I would like to get it dynoed, but I thought it would be more like $250. Everyone who has it done says it is worth it!

[Jackrabbit]

Hey Sixwillwin, I went to the dynojet site and found a place in Mitchell and two in Watertown. Now, how do you know if the guys there have any clue about what they are doing? Thanks for the tip on the website.

[sixwillwin]

Hey Sixwillwin, I went to the dynojet site and found a place in Mitchell and two in Watertown. Now, how do you know if the guys there have any clue about what they are doing? Thanks for the tip on the website.

Yes, but if you go to their websites, it will say something like "we dyno harleys". You could try them, but I would want someone that is familiar and has done alot of VTXs. Yes, I called Omaha, it was $350 last year. I get maps from dynojets website and from bareasschoppers website.

The dyno and tuning will only be as good as the tuner. Imagine going to J&L Harley and having your VTX dynoed and tuned for the PCIII?!?!?!

[codyman]

Call Klockwerks in Mitchell. I know they've done a few VTXs, but probably not many.

If you get the bike to a decent tuner does it really matter what brand the bike is? I'm no expert, but I believe all the adjustments are done on the Power Commander itself. They barely touch the bike.

[Jackrabbit]

Ya, I'm no expert either. I've just heard that the person doing the tuning can make a big difference, and I don't want to pay for someone who doesn't know what they are doing. I'm going to call Klock Werks and the places in Watertown and see what they have to say. It will probably be after the winter before I get it done anyway, but it would be nice to know price and such.

[Skyjack]

I used Klockworks about 3 years ago. Brian is a good guy. Up front said they had never done a VTX before and would not charge me for their learning time. I believe John is the tuner and has been around a long time. Give them a call and I think they will treat you right. John did drill a hole in the baffle to put in the sniffer.

I lived in Brandon until Feb. of this year. Just moved to AZ.

[Jackrabbit]

Thanks for the info Skyjack. And, was it worth the dyno performance wise? What about cost? I suppose cost might be hard for you to know if they didn't charge you for time.

[sixwillwin]

Call Klockwerks in Mitchell. I know they've done a few VTXs, but probably not many.

If you get the bike to a decent tuner does it really matter what brand the bike is? I'm no expert, but I believe all the adjustments are done on the Power Commander itself. They barely touch the bike.

Yes and no. The adjustments are done on the PCIII unit but how much time will the tuner put toward your bike? I have heard many stories of custom maps that run way rich or way lean. And then the owner ends up adjusting the map at alater date. A person that tunes alot of VTXs will have prior experience of what fuel - RPM - throttle positon combos work well and need special attention.

I would like a custom map for my bike, if it would come with a warranty or money back! Its a lot of cash to find small gains. I may be alittle negative, but after racing circle track dirt cars for 14 years and been thru many engine "builder and tuners", I dont trust everyone that is supposed to be an expert.

All of this is just my uninformed opinion, just because its on the internet , dont make it true...................

[Skyjack]

Jackrabbit they did charge for dyno but only for the run time if you will. Not for there learning how to hook up etc. I am guessing I was on the dyno a couple of hours including hookup etc. maybe longer. They did multiple runs and John was very helpful in explaing the readings to me. He gave me the final reading off the computer a print out and if I remember it was for less than two bills. I have nothing but good to say about Klockworks. They don't care what you ride! Probably need to do a new dyno living in the south now. Stay warm this winter we are just coming up on our best riding season!

[sixwillwin]

Good to know about Klockwerks, I will keep that in mind down the road.

[Jackrabbit]

Okay fellas, did some calling today and this is what I found. I talked to some moron at Klock Werks who didn't seem interested at all in dynoing my bike. I asked if they had experience on VTX's and he said "zero" and that they did mostly Harleys. I said that maybe it would be better if I found someone with more metric experience and he said "ya probably". I know Skyjack had a different experience, so I'm not sure what to tell you. But based on that experience I would say stay away from Klock Werks for dynoing. By the way, he said it would be between $100-$200 so it was the cheapest I found. Next I called M&R Custom Motorcycles in Watertown (605-886-8093). Very helpful. They have a load dyno with air/fuel sniffer. After some discussion he said that fuel moto where I got my PC III is very reputable and probably had a very good map installed. He said if I'm wondering how good the map is I can bring the bike there and for $50 they can just run the bike on the dyno to see what my air/fuel mixture is and if it is good don't worry about getting a custom map done. He said they can do a custom map also if I would want and that would run anywhere from $200-$300 dollars depending on how long it took them, but it sounded like they really took their time (3 hours or more) and tuned at every 250 rpm throughout all throttle positions. He also said they have done a number of dynos on VTX's and did seem quite knowledgeable about the bike. All in all I would say very helpful and he wasn't a guy looking to just sell me a map but genuinely interested in helping my bike run the best it can without spending a bunch of money. Lastly I called Speed's Performance Plus, which the dynojet site said is in Watertown, but isn't anymore. I called Jason (605-695-2272) and he said he now lives in the Hills in Blackhawk, so there is a dyno for you west river folks. He was also very helpful and all things considered probably would be the most knowledgable person with the best equipment for the job. The way it sounds they have a dyno in a trailer that they go to shows with and do dynos on a ton of bikes. I'll admit he was quite the "smooth talker" but he sounded like he had the most state of the art equipment out there, and talked about tuning each cylinder independently, and claimed even with my map from fuel moto he pretty much guaranteed performance gains and even better gas milage. He charges $299 for a custom map and I'm thinking I might try to hook up with him next time I'm in the Hills. He said no matter if I can get to him or not, just go to someone who has experience and knows what they are doing or it is a waste of money. Anyway, that is my long a** post about dynoing, but just thought I would share some info. Hopefully it helps someone out there.

[sixwillwin]

Okay fellas, did some calling today and this is what I found. I talked to some moron at Klock Werks who didn't seem interested at all in dynoing my bike. I asked if they had experience on VTX's and he said "zero" and that they did mostly Harleys. I said that maybe it would be better if I found someone with more metric experience and he said "ya probably". I know Skyjack had a different experience, so I'm not sure what to tell you. But based on that experience I would say stay away from Klock Werks for dynoing. By the way, he said it would be between $100-$200 so it was the cheapest I found. Next I called M&R Custom Motorcycles in Watertown (605-886-8093). Very helpful. They have a load dyno with air/fuel sniffer. After some discussion he said that fuel moto where I got my PC III is very reputable and probably had a very good map installed. He said if I'm wondering how good the map is I can bring the bike there and for $50 they can just run the bike on the dyno to see what my air/fuel mixture is and if it is good don't worry about getting a custom map done. He said they can do a custom map also if I would want and that would run anywhere from $200-$300 dollars depending on how long it took them, but it sounded like they really took their time (3 hours or more) and tuned at every 250 rpm throughout all throttle positions. He also said they have done a number of dynos on VTX's and did seem quite knowledgeable about the bike. All in all I would say very helpful and he wasn't a guy looking to just sell me a map but genuinely interested in helping my bike run the best it can without spending a bunch of money. Lastly I called Speed's Performance Plus, which the dynojet site said is in Watertown, but isn't anymore. I called Jason (605-695-2272) and he said he now lives in the Hills in Blackhawk, so there is a dyno for you west river folks. He was also very helpful and all things considered probably would be the most knowledgable person with the best equipment for the job. The way it sounds they have a dyno in a trailer that they go to shows with and do dynos on a ton of bikes. I'll admit he was quite the "smooth talker" but he sounded like he had the most state of the art equipment out there, and talked about tuning each cylinder independently, and claimed even with my map from fuel moto he pretty much guaranteed performance gains and even better gas milage. He charges $299 for a custom map and I'm thinking I might try to hook up with him next time I'm in the Hills. He said no matter if I can get to him or not, just go to someone who has experience and knows what they are doing or it is a waste of money. Anyway, that is my long a** post about dynoing, but just thought I would share some info. Hopefully it helps someone out there.

Sounds like most of my experiences. Clear as mud, right?

[Jackrabbit]

Ya, it is a little confusing about what to do, but at least now I know there are at least a couple options in our state that sound at least viable. I was thinking there was no where in SD to get a dyno done. There are places to get it done, now the question is what do I do?

[Skyjack]

Jackrabbit,
Sorry about the bum lead on Klockworks. I dealt with Brian the owner and he was nothing but helpful. Maybe they are getting too big for themselves. Sounds like Watertown isn't too bad of a place. The funny thing was that John the tuner had to borrow some metric tools from one of the other mechanics. He was working on a V-Rod (metric)!
Good luck!

[Jackrabbit]

Not to worry in the least Skyjack! I am always appreciative of any help I get. I don't doubt that you had a great experience. It was probably just the guy I spoke to. I could call back tomorow and have a totally different response. All you can tell people is what happened to you personally.

[s_b9313]

I was told in Sioux City at Sioux City power sports (Down town) ? They have a portable state of the art Dyno. Not sure I have not called, just thinking after a few other mods I would like to have mine tested. Might be another place to check.