Dynojet Power Commander V - INSTALLED!!!

[pgeldz]

Hey guys (and gals)
 
First results are in for the Dynojet Power Commander V !!!
 
I called Dynojet a while back asking for a release date of the PCV for our bikes.  They told me everything was just about done and all that's left was final certification.  After mentioning that I was local (I live 15-20 min away), I asked them if they'd like to use my bike for final certification to speed the process up...and so it began
 
Dropped my bike off to them shortly after and the PCV passed with flying colors.  They told me to bring it back when I get all my parts (exhaust, air filter mods, etc.), and they would install everything and tune it with a production unit PCV when they became available.
 
That happened this week.  All my parts came, and so did the first batch of production PCV's.  Dropped my bike off to them Tuesday, and got it back today.
 
They installed the Akrapovic Ti system (no cat, no baffle), along with a DNA air filter and DNA Stage 1 airbox cover.
 
They did several combinations - stock exhaust, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel, stock exhaust w/ removed snorkel and added timing, stock exhaust w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover, and Akra Ti exhaust (no cat, no baffle) w/ DNA filter and DNA airbox cover.
 
Each combination in succession yielded better results.
 
 
Some points of note:  All dyno testing was done on Chevron 91 octane.  Also, my tuner said these bikes like a little timing.  The version of the PCV for our bikes does fuel AND timing.  He also said the US spec FZ-07 does not have the same type of airbox snorkel as the euro versions of our bikes, and that the big restriction pictured in the DNA airbox cover instructions doesn't exist on the US-Spec version.  The DNA airbox cover really just screws down and holds the filter in place, and it's likely that removing the stock US-Spec snorkel would yield the same type of results, only the filter is less secure.
 
 
 
Some pictures, and then my thoughts...
 
 
 

 

 

[pgeldz]

 
 

[pgeldz]

 
 
 
 
So, after looking at the peak number gains in both HP and TQ, I wasn't really too excited honestly...but then I drove home. TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY. What those peak number gains DON'T show is the AREA UNDER THE CURVE. Check out the actual graph. There is noticeably more power everywhere, and it's smooth as silk. So smooth in fact, it wasn't until I did my 100 mile test loop that I really started to notice the difference.
 
Before (stock w/ no mods): I thought the power delivery was just about perfect, but I did notice when accelerating from cruising speed in any gear, especially 6th (which seems to be about 5,000 rpm for me), there was some hesitation - like the bike was being held back a little, and throttle response was a little less than crisp. The dip in TQ from around 5-6K on the dyno graph seems to support this. Other than that, I had no issues with the stock bikes' power or power delivery.
 
After the mods and tune: Response is immediate, and accelerating from 6th gear at cruising speed feels like hard acceleration from 4th. Power delivery feels just like stock, which is to say, perfect. It's so smooth, I began to question if this bike was really making more power or not, or was I just thinking so because of the extra noise?
 
So I did my power wheelie test, and this is where I realized just how much better the bike is...
 
Before (stock w/ no mods), I'd be in first, accelerate hard to about 7k, back off slightly to weight the front end, then crack the throttle wide open. The forks would extended just about all the way, and maybe the front end would go light and come off the ground like an inch, but that's it...and this is with me sitting back in the seat, with my knees gripping the tank hard so my arms could be un-weighted as much as possible. For reference, I weigh about 170 at the most with all my gear.
 
After the mods and tune, same scenario, but now the front end skyrockets into the air with ease. It's like night and day. I'm telling ya, the area under the curve is phenomenal.
 
Temps were in check too. My 100 mile test loop took place with the air temp on my bike reading 96 degrees F. Bike temp read a steady 176 degrees at highway speed.
 
On to the sound. The Akra Ti without cat and without baffle is loud, as we already pretty much know. It's a glorious kinda loud though. Like a ferocious, thunderous, throaty kinda loud. It makes a sound you wouldn't expect this bike to make by just looking at it. It's very good. I rode for almost 2 hours, and when I got done, my ears weren't ringing, and I didn't have a headache. Your mileage may vary (I'm old and probably have some hearing loss from all my years on the flightline...I'm retired Air Force). Having said that, I will invest in some earplugs.
 
There is a lot of sound coming from the airbox area now too, as to be expected. This sound, I'm not too fond of. Sounds like a chu chu train, but it's livable. I hear this sound much more in my helmet then when I have my helmet off, so maybe it's just my helmet exaggerating the intake sound...
 
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the power mods. It took a great bike, and made it even better right where it needed it the most IMHO - and I thought it was already pretty damn good to begin with.
 
Now if only the rest of my parts will get here so I can finish this thing and call it DONE. Yeah right...are we every really done?
 
 

 
- Paulie
 
 
 

[nmucat]

Nice write up.
 
What was the cost of the Pcv and airbox upgrades?

[jerryv]

Like I said before ... lucky devil!!

[planetwister]

wow im more surprised at how you said "Before (stock w/ no mods), I'd be in first, accelerate hard to about 7k, back off slightly to weight the front end, then crack the throttle wide open. The forks would extended just about all the way, and maybe the front end would go light and come off the ground like an inch, but that's it..." i easily look at the sky when i do that in first, even in second comes up easy with no clutch. 3rd gear will come up with clutch.

[pgeldz]

Nice write up.  
What was the cost of the Pcv and airbox upgrades?

The PCV was on the house, since I let them use my bike for final certification.  The airbox upgrades came to $299, but that was with 2 day shipping from Athens, Greece. 
The airbox upgrades from DNA are not cost effective at all, but together, they did make a difference with the PCV installed.
 
The most cost effective solution would be to just use the DNA filter, and either remove the stock snorkel, or cut the snorkel off and dremel the opening so you still have a cover of sorts to hold the filter in place.
 
It seems the DNA filter actually did work, but I wonder if a K&N would yield similar results when they become available.  If so, they would no doubt be cheaper and more readily available in the US.
 
- Paulie

[pgeldz]

wow im more surprised at how you said "Before (stock w/ no mods), I'd be in first, accelerate hard to about 7k, back off slightly to weight the front end, then crack the throttle wide open. The forks would extended just about all the way, and maybe the front end would go light and come off the ground like an inch, but that's it..." i easily look at the sky when i do that in first, even in second comes up easy with no clutch. 3rd gear will come up with clutch.

Ya know, I've heard that from quite a few people, and then again, I've heard a bunch of people having a similar experience to mine... 
Maybe I got a "slow" one from the factory, lol.
 
Could have something to do with the climate perhaps?  I routinely ride in triple digit heat, and when it's cooler out it does seem more peppy so that may explain it some.
 
In your case, if you get an exhaust, air filter mods, and a tune you'd have quite the monster on your hands
 
At the end of the day, it was never about more power or peak HP & TQ figures for me, as I was quite happy with it bone stock.  It really came down to me wanting the Akra Ti system because I love the way it looks, and love the sound without the baffle.  The fueling solution was needed to prevent a lean condition so the bike runs safe without worry.  The bonus I didn't expect was the area under the curve
 
- Paulie

[planetwister]

HEY MAN THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!! CANT WAIT TO GET A POWER COMMANDER. ARE THEY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC?

[pgeldz]

HEY MAN THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!! CANT WAIT TO GET A POWER COMMANDER. ARE THEY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC?

I edited my reply to add a little more info  
Not sure when the actual release date is unfortunately.  I would think sooner than later.
 

 
- Paulie

[planetwister]

I agree with that. better to have the right fuel mixture. also a pretty wxhaust is nice too! i want the two bros full system. Looks bad ass

[planetwister]

not sure why it doesnt say my comment... but was saying.. i think you sold me on ejk :^)

[azfz]

Maybe I got a "slow" one from the factory, lol. 
Could have something to do with the climate perhaps?  I routinely ride in triple digit heat, and when it's cooler out it does seem more peppy so that may explain it some.
 
 
- Paulie

 
Same here, I routinely ride in triple digit heat and find that even if I crank the throttle in 1st, or 2nd....the front wheel will not come off the ground unless I give it a little seat bump. I'm not heavy by any means, with gear on I'm right around 170lbs.
 

[Cruizin]

not sure why it doesnt say my comment... but was saying.. i think you sold me on ejk :^)

 
Sorry man, im trying ti moderate with a cell phone frim the field today. Nit working so well.

[olderthandirt]

Paulie...how many miles were on the bike when they did the dyno run? And also....why did they list the "uncorrected" figures when Dyno Jet always release the "corrected" figures?
 
Corrected adjusts the readings for air temp...humidity..and altitude. Is your bike a CALIFORNIA model?

[pgeldz]

Paulie...how many miles were on the bike when they did the dyno run? And also....why did they list the "uncorrected" figures when Dyno Jet always release the "corrected" figures? 
Corrected adjusts the readings for air temp...humidity..and altitude. Is your bike a CALIFORNIA model?

I had about 1,700 miles when they did the dyno runs.  My bike is NOT a California model.  Unfortunately I'm afraid I can't answer why they listed uncorrected figures, as I honestly have no idea  
 
 

The EJK furl controller by Dobeck performance, in my opinion is superior and it is availible right here in the FZ07 forums in the dobeck supporting vendor board. 

Cruizin, while I wholeheartedly respect the fact that you are a moderator for this board and like to promote our supporting vendors (which you should), there is already a thread for Dobeck's solution
 
I'd hate to see this thread turn into a "mine is better" type of thing, and I specifically avoided even mentioning any competing products for that very reason, as the purpose of my post was to just inform everyone that the first results of the PCV are finally out.
 
As far as one being "superior" to the other, I don't think I'm qualified to say.  One does "load" as you mentioned (not exactly sure how it does this), and the other does ignition timing.  One doesn't need to download maps and the controls are on board, and the other uses a dyno for fine tune, precision adjustment by a certified tuner.  
 
If you look at the dyno graph Dobeck posted for the stock bike with snorkel removed, it's extremely similar to my graph with the stock bike and snorkel removed - doesn't seem to be an advantage with one over the other.
 
If you don't plan on changing parts often, and both fueling solutions come preconfigured or pre-mapped for the intended mods, than there really isn't a need to adjust anyway, either by on-board methods or another dyno-tune.
 
What's great is that we now have TWO fueling solutions available to make our beloved FZ-07's run right with some power mods
 
- Paulie
 
 
 
 
Read more: http://fz07.org/thread/754/dynojet-power-commander-installed#ixzz3CZCNQoVs
 
 
 

[olderthandirt]

Just for shits and giggles...I did some math. We know the "advertised" hp of our FZ07 is 74 hp to the crank. Now there is no proof of that, BUT Akrapovic dynoed a stock MT 07 {same thing as FZ 07} and got 68.45 hp to the rear wheel. This sounds reasonable to me because there are parasitic losses between the crank and the rear wheel so ...74 to 68.45 is a 5.5 hp loss....and that is equal to 7.5% hp loss...which also sounds correct for any bike.
 
Dyno Jet dynoed Paulies bike STOCK, ...and got 60.35 HP. That is equal to an 18% hp loss and that cannot be correct. Something is wrong with Dyno Jets Dyno.
 
Also Akrapovic dynoed a FZ07 with a full Akrapovic system and got 72 hp without any mapping changes.
 
I didn't post this to create any "who's is better". I'm certain Paulies bike is at least making 73 HP to the rear wheel by how he describes how it runs...and because his is mapped for max hp. I hate to see such incorrect hp figures from Dyno Jet.
 

[Guest unknown]

I think that is a normal thing between dynos. Different brand dynamometers give different results, this is real common in the tuning scene.

[aeisan]

Without knowing test conditions such as atmospheric temperature, pressure and humidity nobody can comment on the "correctness" of any dyno run. Not to mention every dyno is different. It's all relative. All a dyno is good for is comparing before and after provided you make the runs in reasonably similar conditions on the same dyno. You cannot compare runs on different dynos and expect to be comparing apples to apples. That's just not how the world works.

[pgeldz]

All a dyno is good for is comparing before and after provided you make the runs in reasonably similar conditions on the same dyno. You cannot compare runs on different dynos and expect to be comparing apples to apples.

 
Agree 100% I learned this the hard way with my Subaru. Had it dyno-tuned on a Mustang Dyno in Texas after it was first built, and it made like 200hp to the wheels. Some time later, that shop had closed and the dyno got bought by another company. There was a dyno day there and I had mine dyno'd just for the heck of it, and it made 47hp more in the same type of conditions.
 
Remember, this is the same exact dyno I had it tuned on - not just the same brand and type, but the actual dyno I first had it tuned on originally - it was just calibrated differently.
 
 
With that said, I ran some numbers of my own. As olderthandirt pointed out, the peak numbers on my chart are lower than Akrapovic's result for a stock bike. However, what's really important is that the gains are consistent with what Akrapovic lists for the Ti system. They say it makes 2.0 Kw, and 3.2 Nm more, which equates to 2.6 hp and 2.3 ft-lbs of torque.
 
If you go back and look at my dyno graph, It's making slightly more than that at their respective peaks, and more than double that in the area under the curve, specifically around the 4-6k rpm range.
 
Looking at it that way, I think Akrapovic's numbers are spot on as far as gains with their system go. My gains of a little more than that overall can probably be attributed to the DNA filter, DNA airbox cover, and PCV tune.
 

 
- Paulie
 
 

[ireek]

Thanks so much for posting!! I'm a PCV guy mainly because I have a really good local tuner, looks like your air/fuel is really good so you are running good, very good. It's not always about peak hp/tq, it's about how it gets there to me. I'm poor so I'm probably just gonna mod the stock airbox snorkel and do some sort of slip-on and of course a PCV and tune. Oh, my bike is one of those that'll wheelie, this is why I had/have a hard time calling it a "beginner" bike, grab a handful in first and you'll be scraping the license plate before you know it.

[fechner]

Great post Paulie, thanks for sharing! More pictures and videos of your bike would always be appreciated.

[ireek]

I've forwarded the dyno results to a buddy of mine here in Chattanooga that runs/owns Dynomasters, he's a superb tuner and is really excited to get the chance to tune one of these bikes, so, if you're in the area give Mark at Dynomasters a shout, or PM me and I can arrange everything, I believe he also offers the PCV for about as cheap as you can find them.

[Guest cpost6]

Just for shits and giggles...I did some math. We know the "advertised" hp of our FZ07 is 74 hp to the crank. Now there is no proof of that, BUT Akrapovic dynoed a stock MT 07 {same thing as FZ 07} and got 68.45 hp to the rear wheel. This sounds reasonable to me because there are parasitic losses between the crank and the rear wheel so ...74 to 68.45 is a 5.5 hp loss....and that is equal to 7.5% hp loss...which also sounds correct for any bike. 
Dyno Jet dynoed Paulies bike STOCK, ...and got 60.35 HP. That is equal to an 18% hp loss and that cannot be correct. Something is wrong with Dyno Jets Dyno.
 
Also Akrapovic dynoed a FZ07 with a full Akrapovic system and got 72 hp without any mapping changes.
 
I didn't post this to create any "who's is better". I'm certain Paulies bike is at least making 73 HP to the rear wheel by how he describes how it runs...and because his is mapped for max hp. I hate to see such incorrect hp figures from Dyno Jet.
 
 
There is about 15% min loss to rear wheel. 74 to crank on stock bike would be around 62-63 rwhp. Sounds like Akrapovic has a generous dyno! 

 

[Guest cpost6]

If there was a better way than a Dynojet Powercommander, I would be doing it on my own bikes! Having my own dyno, I can use anything I want, but still have not found a better way. I'm currently riding a 2012 BMW S1000RR with Full Akrapovic shorty exhaust, stock air filter, PCV dyno tuned making 187 RWHP. Ireek can verify that. Stock was 172 RWHP so there were some serious gains!