Met up with another Vee Strom owner when I stopped in with a mate for some lunch at a chew and spew, and had this bloke come up and ask about my Strom.

Said he had a DL1000 himself and had it fitted with one of these chip/controller things.
He said it greatly enhanced the mid range power of the bike and made it far more tractable through the middle gears, so the bike didn't feel as "luggy" and tended to be more smooth in power delivery.

Now since my bike is still under warranty I'm loath to change anything other than add some Farkles, but I'm wondering if anyone has one of these Pwercommander things fitted and what your opinion is of them?
Are they a worthwhile addition?
What are the pros/cons of fitting one?
How does it affect the fuel economy (range) of the bike?



Any info appreciated

Cheers
DL

__________________
DL + Snooky
Member of the McGraths Hill Mob
09 DL1000
Farkles, Yes it has a few accessories fitted now.
Travel by bike, travel light

Well, the answers to your question really depend on your model year and riding habits. The PCIII essentially tricks your ECU into behaving differently. It does this by effectively adjusting the air/fuel/rpm MAPS in the ECU. On Older models (05 or 06 and older) it instantly cured a nasty lean condition. I believe this has been corrected on newer models.

The PCIII can also be programmed to take advantage of other modifications you may make, like a new exhaust for example. Many people create modified MAPS to suit their needs.

The PCIII in plug and play and can be removed as easy as it is installed (in case you need warranty work and your dealer is a hard ass.

__________________
Chris Mosentine
2008 HD FLSTF
Previous - 2006 Suzuki DL1000, 1993 Kawasaki VN750, Suzuki DL350, 1976 Yamaha DT400, 1977 Honda XR75.

There are also other options available, some much less expensive, that do the same thing. Some work better then others and some require the use of a computer to change and some have simple pots(screws) to change the settings on as in the TFI. They are also plug and play. I looked at four options and decided on the TFI due to the way that it operates, changes can be made by simply turning screws so you can change it while on a test ride..... and that it does it all for 190 bucks. They all have one thing in common, they are varying the time that the injectors are open.

jeff

__________________
Present only:
My VStrom 1000 K7
1970 H1 triple, a 1972 H1 triple, '74 RD350 in great shape & 1975 GT550 restored&built up and a beautiful, low mileage '73 CB350(same as my 1st bike), another '75 GT550, a ported 1974 H2 750, an all original 1975 H2 750 triple (purple of course), a scary fast '82 Yam 650Turbo running 18PSI, and 3 '75's, a H1, T500& RD350 for restoration.

The bike is an 08/2009 one, and my riding habbits are a little bit of work commuting (like everyday), and usually day rides of up 500 - 550km's
I'm generally a reasonably easy going laid back rider, but sometimes I get the urge to give the throttle a bit of a twist, especially when some nice curves are about, I like working the bike through the gears.
Multi day trips (up to 5 weeks) are coming up, since its one reason I bought the bike, so I'm not looking for anything thats going to unduly impact on the bike's current range (325 - 350km)

DL

__________________
DL + Snooky
Member of the McGraths Hill Mob
09 DL1000
Farkles, Yes it has a few accessories fitted now.
Travel by bike, travel light

I don't know anything about these, or if the're even available here in Aus, but it might be worthwhile my looking into them, though I think I'd be leaving any sought of adjustments to the installer, since I wouldn't know how to....
My main concern with any thing I might fit is its impact on the bike's range.

DL

__________________
DL + Snooky
Member of the McGraths Hill Mob
09 DL1000
Farkles, Yes it has a few accessories fitted now.
Travel by bike, travel light

The change of range completely depends on how you program the PCIII. You can actually find out what your cruise rpm is, and the corresponding throttle position, and start taking a whole bunch of fuel out in that segment. Doing it correctly will most likely increase your (highway) mileage.

My recomendation if you are overwhelmed by working on your own bike is to take your bike and checkbook to your dealer. Ask him what he suggests, then simply write the check. You certainly don't want to get something that he doesn't like to work on. It won't matter what he installs since they all (TFI& PC) are capable of extending the bikes range if properly setup for that. If you write a big enough check, he will spend all the time he needs to get you setup for that.


jeff

__________________
Present only:
My VStrom 1000 K7
1970 H1 triple, a 1972 H1 triple, '74 RD350 in great shape & 1975 GT550 restored&built up and a beautiful, low mileage '73 CB350(same as my 1st bike), another '75 GT550, a ported 1974 H2 750, an all original 1975 H2 750 triple (purple of course), a scary fast '82 Yam 650Turbo running 18PSI, and 3 '75's, a H1, T500& RD350 for restoration.

I put a power commander on my new 09 due to the rack that it was running lean at 3K in third gear and backfirering up the intake. Cured it and improved general performance on a stock bike. As to the mileage, it decrease to 38-39 MPG. I am going to work on the provided map to lean out all the other gears and leave third alone and see what happens to the mileage. The PC-V is able to store two map's and switch between them. I should have one map for my 104 mile round trip commute to work and another for playing in the twisties. If you have an 09 bike then the V modle is for you. It was very easy to install.