| Author | Message | ||
     Leonc69 |
(Notice: this thread is not to devalue any product or service center I am merely stating my personal experience with the mentioned products.) Well now that that is out of the way here is the story of how I got my 09 1125CR tuned. Lets start with asking my dealer for at least three weeks before my bike arrived what system would be the best for a good dyno tune. No answer. Wait. Ask again. No answer(we are looking into it....?) Wait. No answer. Finally the bike arrives with the FMF slip on already installed. No answer. Wait. So I come here to the post and ask around. Someone mentions Erik Buell Racing racing so I contact them. Michael is very nice and tells me that they have an excellent system for tuning the 1125's for $750.00. So I buy it. Which leads to my first WARNING: the Erik Buell Racing race tuner is an incredible system. So incredible in fact that most HD shops cant use the program.(or are unwilling to get educated to know how)So my bike sits at the dealer for another two weeks while their techs try to figure how to run the program. Thanks again to Erik Buell Racing tech support who were offering all the free support they could stomach. Finally I say enough(because I'm expecting the bill) and sure enough I get hit with $650.00 for labor charges, for them to put my bike back to stock and NOT be able to tune the ECM. Well most people would be done but not me.(having the sense to quit has never been one of my virtues). So I go back to the shop to be told that I "rushed" into purchasing the Erik Buell Racing tuner and that they never did endorse my decision. They then propose the PC V as the answer to my problems. Now I know many people here are using a PC V and having great results but I am skeptical. But I go ahead and follow the "expert" advise from my trusted shop. Well the PC V arrives and I deliver my bike for them to re- install the FMF pipe (I installed my own K&N filter) and do the tune. And SURPRISE SURPRISE more problems. I get a call that the bike is throwing O2 codes when they disconnect the sensors. They cant get a decent tune with the bike throwing codes. We contact DynoJet who insist that they have NEVER heard of this problem before and there must be some error on the shop's part.(B.S. meter on high alert!)Finally they say they were able to get a tune and the warning light only comes on when the bike hits 200 degrees F.(WTF!?!?) So I take the bike home. Due to constant Northwest rain I am not able to ride until the next week. When I do the fun really starts. The bike dies as I go to get gas. Dies again at the light leaving the station. Dies at almost every stop I make on the way home. Even dies on the video I take of the bike to show the shop how the bike dies every time I try to run her. Well back to the shop I go. Now lets do some math. $750.00 for the Erik Buell Racing tuner, $650.00 for the shop not to tune my bike, $300.00 for the PC V and $350.00 for them to do a messed up tune which causes my bike to die every time I try to start it. Lets see....thats $2,050.00 and I still don't have my bike fixed. Well now comes the good part of the story. I have been reading about the Erik Buell Racing race ECM for the FMF. So, I contact Michael who explains how the ECM works , what my options are and even offers me a money back guarantee because of all the B.S. I have already been through. At this point I am willing to try anything so I order it up and tell the shop to remove the PC V and just install the new ECM. Well, all I can say is WOW!! Finally my bike is what I wanted! The PC V did make more power when it ran but that wasn't what I was really looking for. I thought the bike was already fast. I wanted the smooth acceleration, great engine sound and better throttle response the new race ECM gave me. Take it from a guy who lost plenty of money The Erik Buell Racing race ECM rocks. Don't mess around with anything else. My bike and I are finally happy. The Erik Buell Racing race ECM is a WINNER!!  | ||
| Ultimo_justin |
Amen, I will agree with you on that, although i do not have a FMF, I have the HMF and race ECM, and I couldnt be more happier with how the bike runs, YEEEES!!! | ||
| Ultimo_justin |
i forgot to mention that HD (harley davidsons real abrivation is hundreds of dollars) sucks | ||
| Jules |
i forgot to mention that HD (harley davidsons real abrivation is hundreds of dollars) sucks I think that's implied (no need to mention it - we all know that) LOL Leonc69 - sorry to hear of the costs involved, you definately went an intersting route though. I did a LOT of research before buying my 1125, most of the good advice I found on this very forum. I know others have had issues with the PCV and EML so you're not alone there. I would only buy the $750 Erik Buell Racing ECM if I were going to invest the time to tune the bike myself (I'm not - I'm too lazy) and would never trust a HD dealer to do anything beyond even the very basic stuff (only the minimum to keep the warranty valid), I went the $250 route (which is where you've ended up) I'm glad it's turned out well in the end though  | ||
| Brumbear |
Wow I am glad I do this stuff myself and/or have people to tune otherwise I would be an angry chubby fella for sure. Sorry for your woes if it helps the Barker is not that expensive and you could probably sell most of that stuff and get some of it back. Not the labor tghough but FS barker tune they did at my house remotely and it has been painless. It literally took 10 min to change the pipes went from 19lbs stocker to the 6 lb Barker. | ||
| Bueller4ever |
Your first mistake was having a harley dealer tune the bike. You could have installed the PCV yourself and went to a reputable tuner. Never seen an error code myself, so I'm not sure PC is BS'ing you. I know i've been over 200 degrees. So how much less power does the Erik Buell Racing ecm make? | ||
| Dirty_john |
Glad you got it sorted - moral of the story - change your dealer. | ||
| Gofastalot99 |
Glad it all worked out in the end, although at 10x the price it seems. Not all Harley dealers are like that, perhaps just ~most~. I've had good luck but it took a lot of research and asking around. Both my HDs have built engines and perform exceptionally well. The guy that built my RK engine now does dyno tuning about 100% of his time on the clock and is therefore very good at it, although I don't know how much time he spends with Buells. It is sad that the Buell dealer network is very lacking but there are some good dealers here and there. The one I currently go to is Chicago HD in Glenview. The bike was there a little longer than I wanted, partially due to a part delay, but the bike was fixed right when I picked it up. In no defense of HD with regard to their handling of Buells, but every make of vehicle has its share of less-than-stellar dealers. |
