Thx for replying gents.
Costs - looks like both tuners are about the same - $379 to $399 but I see tunes drastically different where fuel moto is offering a custom tune for as low as $129 and a bunch of canned tunes avail to start (on dynojets website). Does the Maximus have any canned to tunes to plug and play once purchased? Why do the Custom tunes seem so much more expensive? I am seeing quotes of $399 to tune?
Wide vs narrow band tuning - what does the Maximus compared to the PVCX offer/need/suggest?
Benefits of the wideband tune?
Basic needs.
*** Air filter - apologies for adding but hear from both companies the Lloydz air filter is a must for either tuner to get proposer gains. The stock, stage 1 hi flow filter or K&n is a must?
*** exhaust - minimum of a set of high flow slip ons?
What about these tank spacer kits to lift the tank and allow more air?
FuelMotoUSA also have a developing tune library. Maximus will certainly have a tune library. The custom tunes you see at a higher price I would suggest involve the hire of a wideband kit....as I have mentioned before these kits are expensive and you can also expect to pay a hefty refundable deposit for their use.
There only seems to be one remote tuner for the Maximus....801 Motorworx, and I am led to understand he has a patent monopoly on the process. With the PVCX aside from FuelMoto, Robs Dyno Service have indicated to me they intend to operate a remote service. There may be others.
I cannot speak with any real authority on the processes involved with remote tuning with the Maximus as it is difficult to glean information from anywhere. What I can say is that, as far as I know, 801 only offers the wideband option. The Maximus requires the connection of a PC or laptop to both load tunes and record logs. The PVCX is more self contained whereas you load a tune onto the PVCX and then load it onto the bike. The obvious advantage to this is you can carry several alternative tunes in the PVCX and easily load them on the roadside without any other equipment. Recording logs are direct to the PVCX itself so you don't have to cart around a laptop.....problematic with a steel frame bike. The PVCX has a display so you can mount it on the handlebars and monitor 18-odd tuning parameters as you ride if desired.
The differences between narrow and wide band tuning is a subject I will try to explain with my limited knowledge. Firstly, I am told that the narrowband sensors are more responsive and therefore better for "fine" tuning. O2 sensors purpose is to measure air/fuel ratio (AFR).
Your motorcycle stays in closed loop....ie the narrowband sensors are capable of reading exhaust gases and hence altering the ECU tuning parameters.....at low to moderate throttle openings from idle to about 4000rpm. Thus about 90% of the time your bike is running in closed loop, unless you ride with a heavy throttle hand. So, a narrowband tune will get you tune very accurate for the vast majority of your operating range. And the tuning cells outside the scope of the narrow band sensors (wide open throttle etc, when the bike is running open loop) are set to values that have been proven to work on a similar bike. Thus you end up with a tune that is perfect in closed loop (where you ride most of the time) and very good, much better than stock in open loop.
Now, when you fit wideband sensors for the benefit of tuning, they perform a different task. They do not alter the tuning parameters in your ECU and in fact they don't even run through it. They are connected via an interface direct to the PVCX. So their purpose is entirely information gathering.....your AFR. And so with widebands information is collected about your AFR at ALL throttle openings and loads, resulting in an ultimately more accurate tune.
In essence, if you just want your bike to run much better than the crappy factory tunes and to go close to it's potential in power, efficiency and rideability a narrowband tune will do nicely.
If you are a performance nut, and just have to wring every last horsepower out of your bike a wideband tune is your choice. I would suggest this choice for most people running cams.
Get the best air filter you can. For Cross bikes this is the Lloydz filter. For steel frames there is much more choice and we could go on and on about it.
Exhaust is a very personal choice in regards appearance and sound, and different exhausts produce wildly differing results with tuning. Again, outside the scope of this thread and much covered elsewhere.
But certainly, any stock bike will benefit from a considered choice in intake and exhaust, especially considering that they are set up from the factory with heavy regard to EPA requirements.
The tank spacers appear to show a slight increase in air flow to the engine hence a bit more power. Whether you could actually feel it or not would be debatable. Only for those who have to wring out every last horsepower.
