Hi there, I'm trying to do a bit of research into the most user friendly tuner available, whether it be for std or modified engines. I have a std 06 Softail which is pinging from most likely running lean. I don't know much of the bikes history as it was a grey import. All I know is that when I purchased it, I was told that it was fitted with a heavy breather kit and had short shot pipes, which I later changed to V&H 2-1's.  All I want is for the pinging to disappear, but hopefully with a decent tuner it will be more than capable for possible mods  later down the track.  Cheers.

www.mastertune.net/

you can order it from here:

www.mandmcycles.com/Default.aspx

Wtf, Master tune is the most "user friendly"? I thought it was the best, and best priced, but user friendly?

 Sorry Bonkers, I'm a first time HD owner so am still learning about everything.

Why is ya sorry? I don't own one, but I was under the impression that:

Master tune is the best, because it allows you to do more, but that means its also the most complex. Its at the lower end of the good tuner price scale, but add into that any leads needed.
Thundermax is expensive, has auto tune and you can still mess around with mapping and such.
Cobra tuners are at the lower end of the price scale too, are plug in and forget, but that lack some of the features other tuners can do. People are still debating how good/bad they are.

I could be totally wrong and I'm sure people here will tell me later tonight If you are willing to learn and have the time I'm thinking Master tune is the way to go...

Have you checked to see if it has a tuner on the bike already ? If someone's put the breather and pipes on surely they would have put the tuner as well ,,,

Screamin Eagle Race Tuner hands down, Reasons - They have had more R&D spent on them than any other, they are basically limitless, they can even run on forced induction without any issues at all. They are designed to retune a factory ecu that was designed for the bike.

But this is just my opinion, Really you should be looking for the best "tuner" who understands how to tune properly and has a life time of tuning things from bikes, boats to the fastest cars on the planet....this will be a person who 'really' understands about tuning and 'what is' actually going on inside an engine....

 

T1

You're quite right, KiwiRob. But does Mastertune provide generic maps? I'd always be worried some twit that knows less than me uploaded the one I got... Mastertune should have a site full of maps, with star ratings and someone who knows what they're looking at looking over the results...

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm still on a steep learning curve when it comes to working on bikes in general, so cheers for your input. How will I know if my bike has an aftermarket tuner already, and where would I locate it?

The OP has an '06 Soft Tail which means no O2 sensors. By user friendly I take it he wants to do the tuning himself to remove the pinging he's experiencing. SERT & TTS are the only tuners I know of where he can load a map close to his build specs & have a very good running bike. From there he could have it dyno tuned or add the required parts to fit the O2 sensors & start VTuning, which then takes us to another level if you like.

I just recently bought the SE Super Tuner, why, because I like to ride a lot especially interstate and am no mechanic/EFI guru so wanted to be able to take to any dealer and have him tune or service if I was haveing issues.

The guy who will be working on my bike is also ex HD and advised to go this way. I will be doing the 95", Cams, etc thing and this tuner should handle it all. (not saying others dont just saying this will.)

I have only ever worked on bikes with carbie's in past (Mostly British/Italian) and realy dont understand the dark arts involved with EFI and not particularly interested in learning as my spare time is better spent with bum on seat.

Main thing is whichever way you go it beats any other form of transport.

Ride Safe
Nigel 

Good advice 78gold,

A lot of good tuners out there, but more importantly, if something goes wrong, who close by can fix the problem. If your've got your heart set on a paticular tuner, but a workshop close by, which you respect ,  is more experienced and knowlegeble with a similar but different tuner, its a no brainer, spend your money there!!!!    I have a simple plug and play device, but I know if something goes wrong I can unplug everything , and I'm on my way again. Just my thoughts  

TTS hands down
1 range of base Cal's
2 ability to dial in choosen cam
3 V tune function to dial in VE's without the need for dyno tune
4 Ability to adjust timing
5. fine tuning off idles and cold starts
6 EGR adjustments for smooth VE's
7 Data gathering for Timing, CHooosen AFR, Head temps, O2 data and lots more
8 can be used on a dyno
9 isn'ta piggy back system it reprograms the delfi ecm
10 Best after sales suport off any tuner

 Thanks Ando for those points regarding TTS tuners. Would you be able to explain the meanings in more detail points 3,6, &7(AFR), cheers.  I don't have much idea on the terminology. Someone mentioned bigger air cleaner, does that mean that there could be a bigger air cleaner element behind the chrome cover, or what do they mean. If you look at my avatar, that is my bike, and it has the oval type air cleaner cover.

Cheers for everybody's comments so far. As of yet I haven't had a chance to look under the seat for any piggy back type of tuner, or anything related, due to being unwell, and busy with work.

Vtune tune is the proccess of dialing in the VE's (volumetric efficency ) of the engine with the VE's right you then can set preferred ARF's air fuel ratio, in either closed ore open loop, closed loop relies feedback from O2 sensors which your yaer of bike may not have and open loop relies on choosen AFR's
EGR's is the method for smoothing out peaks and dips in VE's this helps smooth idles smooth low speed operations and smooth/ crisp throttle response ( I still need a little help with this )
Data gathering just shows all vital signs of the engine and how its performing

I am by know means an expert at this shit but with the plenty of help the WEB and TTS offers its doesn't take much to start to work things out and it is a bit of fun doing it.

one thing I didn't mention that the TTS doesn't bypass any of the protective devices that the stock ECM offers ie knock retard and high temp control

you bike will need to have O2 sensors fitted to be able to Vtune or you will just have to put it onto a dyno tune

Thanks Ando, and Scouser for your clarifications. Will have a closer look at the bike on the weekend and see what I can learn from it.

Latest Heavy Duty mag , Doc recommends Dynojet Power Vision . Another one to choose from !

Don't know why people keep pushing the TTS when you can't get one and there is not much point trying to locate one of the old versions when the new one, if/when it is available, is supposed to be better. It has been postponed for a long while now and who knows how much longer. Maybe you should park the bike up and wait for mods indefinately till you can get one....

Find a good tuner, have a chat and use what he recommends.

My 2006 Lowrider is going in to have a SEST and a stage 1 cleaner kit fitted tommorrow. Already has SE 11 Slip On Exhaust.

As posted previously spoke to the guy doing the work and got what tuner he was comfortable with/recommending.

Did Sydney Melbourne a few weeks ago and riding Syd to Gold Coast in October and consistantly riding around Newie/Hunter and The Gong/Kiama so having something that dealers can at least help with, instead of just ripping out, was a factor as well. To me the delaers on a long ride are a bit like McDonalds, may not be the best around but at least they are pretty consistant and they seem more comfortable with SE gear.

Next step will be a 95/98 upgrade but that will have to wait till I save up some ponies. I will let you know what I think when I pick it up Thursday.

Hi,
Picked the bike up today and must say initial impression is good.
It seems to accellerate from 2600 rpm approx much easier and is easier to ride in traffic than before.
Not sure about outright performance yet but will take her for a spin on Saturday to test it out.

Previously had a Power Commander.
SE 11 Slip Ons

Now running:
Screaming Eagle Super Tuner
SE11 Slip Ons
K & N Breather

Still got the popping on decelleration but is quieter than before.

Next go might be the V & H 2 into 1

Ride Safe
Nigel