Dynojet Power Commander III Usb
Dynojet Power Commander III USB
CW EVALUATION
The jet age is officially over
CARBURETORS ARE DYING AT THE HANDS of electronic fuel-injection for the simple reason that EFI is more flexible, more precise and more reliable than old pot-metal mixers.
EFI is also much easier to tune these days, thanks to the availability of devices such as the Dynojet Power Commander III USB. Whether you have installed an aftermarket exhaust system or simply want to improve the throttle response on a stone-stock streetbike, all you need is a PC III.
The kit includes the compact (smaller than a pack of cigarettes) control box, a CD loaded with tuning software and the USB cable that connects the unit to your computer or Palm Pilot, the latter being easier to tote around if you wish to tune while on the road.
Our long-term MV Agusta Bmtale was screaming for a re-map due to glitchy throttle response and poor low-rpm running, problems that were exacerbated by the addition of a freer-flowing, full-titanium MV Agusta Corse FI exhaust system.
On most bikes, the unit plugs into the electrical harness between the stock EFI control unit and the injectors. Others also require wire taps to various sensors. Instructions are clear, and anyone with reasonable mechanical skills should be able to perform the installation.
Tuning, as ever, is a different matter. For popular bike-and-pipe combinations, maps are factory programmed so that the unit is ready to go right out of the box, with no further work beyond installation required. For untested applications, such as our Brutale, you’ll have to “build” a custom map. For this, Dynojet recommends using its Model 200 Dynamometer with wide-band Lambda exhaust sensor. While the bike is run at various engine speeds, throttle openings and engine loads, the computer automatically adjusts the unit for the optimum air7 fuel ratio using exhaust-gas composition as a guide. For this service at a properly equipped shop, expect to pay for several hours of labor.
It also is possible, using the provided spreadsheet-like software, to tune at home, although without an exhaustgas analyzer, this is mostly folly. Still, some fine tuning of either a provided or a custom map can be fruitful.
To begin, connect the unit to your laptop or Palm using the provided USB cable. The software opens showing a grid of numbers. The left axis represents engine rpm from 500 to 20,000 in 250rpm increments, while the top is percent throttle opening starting with 0, 2 and 5 for precise work at small openings, then 10,20 and so on to 100 percent. Contrary to rumor, there is no 110 percent...
Using the stock fuel curve as a baseline, the map, which is represented by number values in each box, can be altered according to your wishes. Be forewarned: It is easy to go overboard here and get lost. On the plus side, if you saved the original map, you need only to reload it, or in the worst case, zero all the boxes and start over at stock.
Dyno tuning on the MV at a local dealership improved throttle response and increased horsepower by about 5 percent over the gains provided by the exhaust system alone. Further work at the CW offices yielded smoother lowrpm running and even better off/on throttle response.
The strength of the PC III is its flexibility. At one point, we richened the MV’s idle mixture so much so that droplets of fuel actually came out the tailpipe. This underlines the fact that in the wrong hands this flexibility can also be the system’s weakness.
Nonetheless, with maps for most applications provided by Dynojet in the unit or downloadable from its website, the PC III USB is one of the easiest ways to tune your bike’s fuel-injection system.
DETAILS
Dynojet Research, Inc. 2191 Mendenhall Dr. North Las Vegas, NV 89081 800/992-4993 www.powercommander.com Price...$332
Ups Totally tunable Easy-to-use software Simple installation Downs Maps not iPod compatible Tune yourself to a standstill if you’re not careful Jet wrench becomes dead weight in toolbox
