Cycle-Rama has been dyno tuning motorcycles since 1989 with the first motorcycle dynamometer in South Florida. We’ve honed this skill over decades winning over a dozen Brute Horsepower Dyno Shootouts, making us a leader in Harley Davidson tuning. But what is dyno tuning? Let’s start with the dynamometer. A dynamometer is a device that measures torque, horsepower and engine speed (RPM). It also proves useful in a number of different applications such as engine break-in and it can simulate road conditions testing the powertrain and drivetrain under load. Next there is the the tuner, the tuner allows us to modify different variables within the engine’s computer (ECU) such as air-to-fuel ratio and ignition timing among other things.
When you make any performance upgrade to your Harley, whether you change the exhaust, upgrade the cam, increase displacement, or port your heads, you’re going to need a dyno tune to optimize your motorcycle’s performance and get the most possible power. Let’s say you throw on a larger throttle body and bump up the displacement, when you try and run your motorcycle it’s going to be starving for fuel because the ECU does not know that the motor is consuming more air. So with our tuner we can tell the ECU that we need more fuel, then test the new air-to-fuel ratio on the dyno.
Dyno tuning, when done properly, will result in an increase of power; we have seen a gain of as much as 40 ft/lbs of torque and close to 40 horsepower with nothing but a dyno tune. Power isn’t the only advantage to tuning, when your engine is operating outside of it’s optimized parameters it is working harder than it needs to (think about trying to row a boat upstream), thus increasing wear and tear on different components. This goes to show how important it can be to have your motorcycle properly dyno tuned, not only does it make it more enjoyable to ride but it can also result in fewer repairs later down the road. Call today to schedule a dyno tune to ensure you’re getting the most out of your Harley.
Our Mechanic and Dyno Tech. Chuck Jones doing some break-in runs on a 143ci Milwaukee 8.