PowerCommander V (PCV)

[Guinss]

So, finally got my PCV, and i thought i would tell you all about it.
I decided to get a slipon, and seeing as i got a FI 250R i had to get hold of a PowerCommander. Bought it through one of Dynojet's dealers.
Took 2 months of waiting, and every single day was filled with pain! I hate to wait!
It's not easy to get them to Norway for a reasonable price, no dealers around here. Ended up ordering from Sweden. Got a mail last week that it was now ready to pick up. Packed the car and went for it this weekend. I was a happy Norwegian when i got home and opened the boxes. Bought a seatcowl, slipon and of course the PCV. Felt like christmas, only much much warmer outside and no snow.

I got a Yoshi slip-on, and i'm currently using the "Yoshimura full, with baffle" map. Runs the smoothest of the maps i have tested. Not a lot of maps to choose from really. Two..infact.

There is some software coming with the PCV. Nice little program for your computer that gives you a table of every 5% of throttle position, and every 500 rpm. Endless opportunities of changing the a/f mix.
So guys, when you take all your fairings and the wheels off to reach your carbs and rejet and adjust needles and whatnot, to then put it all back on and find out the setup didn't quuuite work out, you can think of this: i just toss my USB cable out the window, pop the trunk of the 250R and connect the PCV. I'll open a map from powercommander's database or modify the current map and click *send*, 1 second later it's done and the fuel curve has been modified. That's how real men tune their carbs!

The PCV got some extra features. You can hook up a LCD Screen with tach, live a/f readings, temp++, O2 sensor, quick shift++. All of that requires expensive extra equipment you can buy in addition to the PCV unit. I didn't buy any of that.. Some of the features that doesn't require any extra however, is that you can give the engine more fuel in the startup phase. You can choose how much fuel and for how long time. For those who find it hard to turn on and off the choke with their finger every day. FI 250R's doesnt have a manual choke anyway, so it's basicly useless, so yea.
Also there is a thing called "Accel pump", that i find particulary interesting. It got 3 input values; sensitivity(throttle twist), engine revs(duration) and fuel added(%). It is used to get extra response when you go from almost no throttle to giving it all it got. You can use it on a wider range also, to smoothen the ride. The concept is to bring a little extra fuel, a little quicker. Testing it out at the moment; I'm trying a 80% sensitivity(means you need to twist the throttle 80% or more for the "Accel Pump" to enable), 20% extra fuel(than the current map table) for 20 engine revs. It's not the same as upping the fuel in the table, because that would just make the bike run rich. This feature gives the bike that extra bit of fuel where the normal system would not keep up with the sudden throttle turn. It seems it gives a nice effect when at 6-7k rpm or higher, then the response is immediate and it feels different, especially in lower gears. Good fun. Naturally it wont affect much on lower rpm on the Ninja 250R. Would need more torque for that.

Left some pictures. Great product, i have to say. Really happy with it!
Only thing i need now is 1 laptop so i can sit by my bike outside, and 1 of those girls with an umbrella.

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by Guinss

So, finally got my PCV, and i thought i would tell you all about it.
I decided to get a slipon, and seeing as i got a FI 250R i had to get hold of a PowerCommander. Bought it through one of Dynojet's dealers.
Took 2 months of waiting, and every single day was filled with pain! I hate to wait!
It's not easy to get them to Norway for a reasonable price, no dealers around here. Ended up ordering from Sweden. Got a mail last week that it was now ready to pick up. Packed the car and went for it this weekend. I was a happy Norwegian when i got home and opened the boxes. Bought a seatcowl, slipon and of course the PCV. Felt like christmas, only much much warmer outside and no snow.

I got a Yoshi slip-on, and i'm currently using the "Yoshimura full, with baffle" map. Runs the smoothest of the maps i have tested. Not a lot of maps to choose from really. Two..infact.

There is some software coming with the PCV. Nice little program for your computer that gives you a table of every 5% of throttle position, and every 500 rpm. Endless opportunities of changing the a/f mix.
So guys, when you take all your fairings and the wheels off to reach your carbs and rejet and adjust needles and whatnot, to then put it all back on and find out the setup didn't quuuite work out, you can think of this: i just toss my USB cable out the window, pop the trunk of the 250R and connect the PCV. I'll open a map from powercommander's database or modify the current map and click *send*, 1 second later it's done and the fuel curve has been modified. That's how real men tune their carbs!

The PCV got some extra features. You can hook up a LCD Screen with tach, live a/f readings, temp++, O2 sensor, quick shift++. All of that requires expensive extra equipment you can buy in addition to the PCV unit. I didn't buy any of that.. Some of the features that doesn't require any extra however, is that you can give the engine more fuel in the startup phase. You can choose how much fuel and for how long time. For those who find it hard to turn on and off the choke with their finger every day. FI 250R's doesnt have a manual choke anyway, so it's basicly useless, so yea.
Also there is a thing called "Accel pump", that i find particulary interesting. It got 3 input values; sensitivity(throttle twist), engine revs(duration) and fuel added(%). It is used to get extra response when you go from almost no throttle to giving it all it got. You can use it on a wider range also, to smoothen the ride. The concept is to bring a little extra fuel, a little quicker. Testing it out at the moment; I'm trying a 80% sensitivity(means you need to twist the throttle 80% or more for the "Accel Pump" to enable), 20% extra fuel(than the current map table) for 20 engine revs. It's not the same as upping the fuel in the table, because that would just make the bike run rich. This feature gives the bike that extra bit of fuel where the normal system would not keep up with the sudden throttle turn. It seems it gives a nice effect when at 6-7k rpm or higher, then the response is immediate and it feels different, especially in lower gears. Good fun. Naturally it wont affect much on lower rpm on the Ninja 250R. Would need more torque for that.

Left some pictures. Great product, i have to say. Really happy with it!
Only thing i need now is 1 laptop so i can sit by my bike outside, and 1 of those girls with an umbrella.

THANK GOODNESS

The ignition power commanders wont talk to the pick ups of the 250 . But the BRT-Tis will so that is no longer a problem. I am very happy to see that this works.
I can rejet my CR carbs in less time than you can push a button .But the stock carbs take an hour. I cant wait till they come out with FI in the states. If it dose not happen in two years I will move to new Zealand and get an FI bike there.

[wayanlam]

Originally Posted by Racer x

THANK GOODNESS

The ignition power commanders wont talk to the pick ups of the 250 . But the BRT-Tis will so that is no longer a problem. I am very happy to see that this works.
I can rejet my CR carbs in less time than you can push a button .But the stock carbs take an hour. I cant wait till they come out with FI in the states. If it dose not happen in two years I will move to new Zealand and get an FI bike there.

ive always been curious, how do you change the jetting on a CR carb,im assuming it isnt the same system of main jets etc... as with the stock carbs?

also, which CR carb do you use on your bike? i inquired for them here from an Indonesian supplier in Jakarta for Sudco - Keihin carbs, and they quoted me for $1.200 for a pair of CR33!!

i was like WTH?! since i saw the CR31 on the Sudco website retailing for $455... they were asking for like 3x more for the CR33

i asked about the CR31, but they said they don't have them in stock, and only have the 33's

cheers!
W.

[Ninja North]

Hi Guinss - congrats on the PCV!! I am getting my soon - I am waiting for it too...and it's been two weeks! I know the feeling. I am wondering about your seat cowl - is it the Kawasaki official one? It looks great.

[Guinss]

Originally Posted by Ninja North

Hi Guinss - congrats on the PCV!! I am getting my soon - I am waiting for it too...and it's been two weeks! I know the feeling. I am wondering about your seat cowl - is it the Kawasaki official one? It looks great.

Yes it is the Kawasaki one I hope you get ur PCV soon!

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by wayanlam

ive always been curious, how do you change the jetting on a CR carb,im assuming it isnt the same system of main jets etc... as with the stock carbs?

also, which CR carb do you use on your bike? i inquired for them here from an Indonesian supplier in Jakarta for Sudco - Keihin carbs, and they quoted me for $1.200 for a pair of CR33!!

i was like WTH?! since i saw the CR31 on the Sudco website retailing for $455... they were asking for like 3x more for the CR33

i asked about the CR31, but they said they don't have them in stock, and only have the 33's

cheers!
W.

Stick with the stock carbs .I got 33 hp out of them.Or get an F.I. bike when they come out.
They CR carbs are race only carbs. Easy to fiddle with You just unscrew a cap under the bowl and the jet is hanging out. Just unscrew it and screw in another. Also the needles are accessible from the top with two small screws.and the air jets are on the outside.

Not as easy as pushing buttons though much easier than stock
Forget the 33s they are two big for a 250. I have a highly modified engine . The flat spot in the lower range is pretty bad on a stock engine. My engine never sees anything below 9000 rpm so it is OK.
I want F.I. though I can do anything with carbs and the stock carbs are hard to beat.

[Guinss]

So, what i discovered now was that between 3 and 4 thousand rpm, when i give it 50% + throttle and then let go, the engine will revv for 1 second then drop. Too lean in this range?

Also, before installing the PCV there was an automatic choke, talking to the a/f reader. Now that that is disabled i'm gonna set up the PCV's "Start Fuel Config".
No idea how many % fuel is added by a normal choke, gonna try some different settings.

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by Guinss

So, what i discovered now was that between 3 and 4 thousand rpm, when i give it 50% + throttle and then let go, the engine will revv for 1 second then drop. Too lean in this range?

Also, before installing the PCV there was an automatic choke, talking to the a/f reader. Now that that is disabled i'm gonna set up the PCV's "Start Fuel Config".
No idea how many % fuel is added by a normal choke, gonna try some different settings.

Mu guess with the hanging is rich.Some unburned fuel hanging around for a second after the throttle is shut.I I don't know how Kawasaki dose there FI idle but if it is an air bypass then the added fuel would cause a symptom like you describe.

Another guess is to try 15-20% for cold start enrichment. I only have real FI experience with European cars.SO good luck I would like to know how it goes.

[Guinss]

Right up to the point i posted, i was thinking "too rich" aswell. Everything pointed towards it, but then i thought, why would the engine revv with too much fuel Always thought that was because of running lean, atleast with a warmed up engine. What you say makes sense though.

[HKr1]

Real men have the auto-tune module

Just plug in target a/f's.

[Guinss]

Originally Posted by HKr1

Real men have the auto-tune module

Just plug in target a/f's.

Haha thought about buying it, its awesome stuff, but, too expensive for me.
Do you got that for your 250R or your other bike?

So, i looked at the chart at the rpm's i got trouble.
It's pretty obvious its running rich. Area marked with red.
Changed the map on the second pic, thats what im gonna try.

Checked my spark plugs after a ride today. They look perfect. Quite happy with the map i am using, gonna experiment with the 3-4k rpm tomorrow when its stopped raining.

[ztrack157]

So how much did it end up costing you since you bought it from Sweden?

[Guinss]

Originally Posted by ztrack157

So how much did it end up costing you since you bought it from Sweden?

yoshi slipon 800
pcv 500
seatcowl 160

[Guinss]

Originally Posted by Racer x

Mu guess with the hanging is rich.Some unburned fuel hanging around for a second after the throttle is shut.I I don't know how Kawasaki dose there FI idle but if it is an air bypass then the added fuel would cause a symptom like you describe.

Another guess is to try 15-20% for cold start enrichment. I only have real FI experience with European cars.SO good luck I would like to know how it goes.

Adjusted the fuel down about 5% in that range (see chart above), and the problem is gone. So you were right, too much fuel.

[Ninja North]

Guinss - while I'm STILL waiting for my PCV to arrive .......I was wondering what part of the tuning/set-up of the PCV should I concentrate on to reduce/eliminate the on/off feel when closing and opening the throttle? I am not too bothered about horsepower, I am more concerned about the ridability. Many thanks.

[Guinss]

Originally Posted by Ninja North

Guinss - while I'm STILL waiting for my PCV to arrive .......I was wondering what part of the tuning/set-up of the PCV should I concentrate on to reduce/eliminate the on/off feel when closing and opening the throttle? I am not too bothered about horsepower, I am more concerned about the ridability. Many thanks.

Well, one of the things with FI is that the on/off feeling is more noticeable than on bikes with carburetors.

You can use the "Accel pump" feature, it smoothen out the power as you go on the throttle. But i wouldn't use that for low amount of throttle twist, i think >50% is a good value for the "Trigger". Else you will be running with "Accel pump" activated almost all the time.

Other than that, adjusting your throttle cable can do wonders, you should only have 2-3 mm of play.
Having a correct sitting position on the bike is hugely important. Put your weight on your legs, you arms should always be lose and relaxed.

Fingers crossed you get your PCV real soon!!

[Ninja North]

Thanks Guinss - will check my cables first.