A Dynamometer (commonly called a “Dyno”) is a machine that simulates the bike being ridden to measure engine output – horsepower, torque and air-fuel mixture. It can test under different engine loads and conditions. This allows the technician to adjust the air-fuel mixture and timing to optimum settings for a given motor build and riding style.

It’s also used to diagnose issues for repairs.

Fuel injected bikes run off of a E.C.M. (Electronic Control Module) If you change the air flow you must change the fuel flow to match. If you have performance work done to your bike, you HAVE to have your engine tuned to get optimum air to fuel ratio & performance without sacrificing ridability or fuel economy. Your bike will run very lean without proper tuning causing it to run hot possibly damaging your motor.

By using the best settings exactly matched to the equipment on your motorcycle, you will get the best possible performance. Note that “performance” includes not only the maximum power, but also good ridability, a smooth (and cooler) running engine, and good fuel economy.

There is a lot more to tuning than just getting maximum horsepower. That’s the easy part. A properly tuned bike should still get nearly as good fuel economy as stock (sometimes better!). It should also have good drivability with no hesitation or “flat spots” and little or no backfire or misfire.

By avoiding LEAN conditions, A properly tuned engine does not have to work as hard as a poorly tuned engine to do the same job (i.e. normal riding, such as cruising on the highway) resulting in less wear and tear. Your properly tuned engine runs cooler and more efficiently, therefore, the “life” of the engine is extended.

All bikes can be tuned. We specialize in Harley-Davidson® tuning with Powervision, but if you have a different American V-Twin brand talk to us and we may be able to help you. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to tune trikes or any bikes configured with more than 2 wheels.

Your bike should be in good condition before running on the dynamometer. If your tires, belt, or other components are in poor condition they may fail; after all we will be testing at maximum output

Downloaded “maps” are made to fit a specific bike (year & model) with specific performance modifications. In order to develop that “map” they used a specific bike with specific components and tuned it under specific circumstances. For example, a bike tuned in Denver would not be a good map for someone living in Houston.  If your bike does not “exactly match” the downloaded maps specs (which most of the time is very difficult to do because there are simply too many performance components out in the market), then the results will most likely be less than optimal. A Dyno-tune takes your bike with its new modifications and tunes it to work optimally for all parameters and load conditions for where you live.

There are three basic types of tuning devices for tuning fuel-injected Harley-Davidson® motorcycles.

The first type is a “fueler”, which plugs in between the wiring harness and the fuel injectors. It has a few switches or controls, and adds or subtracts fuel in a few areas. The capabilities of this type of tuner are very limited, allowing adjustments to fuel only and only in a few areas.

Advantages: Price
Disadvantages: Poor results, and it adds extraneous hardware to the bike.”Fuelers” attempt to turn a very sophisticated computer program into a 3-circuit carburetor. Not Recommended.

The second, and probably most common type, is a “piggyback” or auto-tuner device that plugs in between the wiring harness and the Electronic Control Module (ECM). It intercepts and modifies signals between the engine and the ECM. This type has more capabilities than the first, allowing adjustment to both fuel and ignition tuning.

Advantages: Can adjust more parameters than the first type.
Disadvantages: Adds extraneous hardware to the bike. “Piggy-backs” attempt to put the bike’s fueling parameters back into the original program, which may not be optimal for all performance levels. It is more of a correction device than a tuning device. Only tunes the areas where it is ridden at a certain RPM long enough for it to collect enough data for it to make adjustments.

The third type, which is the best is a “Flash Tuner” does not add any extra modules. It loads a new “map” into the existing ECM.

Advantages: Can adjust a lot more parameters than the other two types, and no extra hardware is added to the bike. “Flash Tuners” allow direct access to the program that actually runs the bike.
Disadvantages: There really are no disadvantages to using a Powervision license type tuner. It is the most affordable and is guaranteed for the life of your bike. 

You always run the risk of the added hardware failing leaving you stranded.  There is very limited space on a motorcycle to add any extra hardware. They often do not fit comfortably, which often causes stress on the electrical connectors resulting in poor connections. Also, there is sometimes pressure on the extra module or hardware, which may result in failure. Whereas, actual ECM failures are extremely rare.