If you are a long-time biker, you’ll know that there are pretty little attachments and adjustments that go a long way to maintaining your bike’s optimum performance. One of these little-big pieces is the auto tuner, which allows you to better manage the inflow of fuel to the motor. An auto-tuner can prolong the life of your bike and give a more fuel-efficient ride provided you have the best auto tuner for Harley Davidson.
In this guide, we have compiled the most effective auto tuner for your Harley Davidson bike alongside some important factors that’ll ease your search.
Importance of auto tuner
The importance of an auto tuner in a bike can not be overemphasized. Below are some of the noticeable benefits of an auto tuner;
Enhance fuel efficiency- Tuning your bike adds to the horsepower, which brings about a smooth ride while promoting the throttle inputs to fit varying riding conditions.
Build riders’ confidence- Adding an auto tuner to your motorcycle will solve problems like chugging. This is the vibration that’s always experienced in the handlebars when you take off from places where their speed limit restrictions. This way, you’ll have the confidence of keeping to a constant speed throughout rather than struggling to stay at one perfect speed all by yourself.
Less maintenance and service- With an auto-tuner in a bike’s system, your bike servicing and maintenance routine time intervals are prolonged. Oil change, tires, tune-up parts, throttle cables, brakes and engine and to last longer thanks to smoother riding.
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7 Best Harley Davidson Auto Tuner
1. Vince & Hines Fuelpak Autotuner Fuel Management For Harley Davidson
Highlighted Features
- Smartphone App User Interface (iOS & Android)
- Recalibrates ECM by Flash tuning
- Autotune Feature for enhancing your tune
- Display Live Sensor Data on your smartphone
Coming up first on our list is the Vince & Hines Fuelpak FP3 66005 autotuner. It’s easy to accept that this tuner is indeed a brilliant unit for your Harley bike from the positive comments we’ve got from previous users.
This model has maintained its title as a national best-seller due to the fact that it was one of the first consumer-grade tuners to feature a smartphone-based display quality. In addition, you’ll be able to access the complete performance data of your motorcycle. All you’ll have to pair it with the specified android app or iOS, and there we go.
The Vince & Hines Fuelpak FP3 66005 features a pre-installation of every necessary feature that’ll enhance your riding experience like never before. One of these includes an expansive library that can contain thousands of dyno-tuned maps. Good thing you can download it down over Wi-Fi. ( Installation Guide PDF )
From our investigation, we discovered that this unit is pretty simple to operate; all we had to do was a quick flash-on and flash-off, and we were able to transfer loads of valuable data about fuel economy back to your bike’s ECM.
What’s more, this model automatically integrates with any sensors built into your compatible Harley to give the best performance. As such, you can always count on it to provide live data of your bike fuel efficiency.
Recommendation
The Vince & Hines Fuelpak FP3 device is compatible with the Harley Davidson Electra Glides in years 2014 – 2019, the Road Glides, the Road Kings, and Street Glides. If your Softail is between the years 2011 and 2019, you can consider this unit just as you can as well use it if you have the Sporsters ranging from years 2014 – 2019.
Apps Download Link:
2. Dynojet Power Commander V – Best tuner for Harley 103
Highlighted Features
- Increased stock rev limiter
- Switch between two maps on the fly
- Maps can be adjusted on a per-gear basis
- Cold start features give adjustment of fuel and timing based on engine temperature
- USB cable only for programming and power
If you are looking to buy a high-performing and budget-friendly auto tuner, then you might want the Dynojet Power Commander V. A lot of people may think that there must have been a compromise in the quality due to the low price.
But that’s not true. It’s a product of a popular mechanics industry that has gained many people’s attention for delivering quality and effective products to society.
This powerful auto tuner affords you the opportunity to receive a custom map that is designed by the modifications of your bike. You simply email the company with the information about the bike you own and they will load a map that is custom designed for your bike.
Dynojet Power Commander V is the newest version of a long dependable auto tuner model, it offers up several innovations that Harley owners will definitely fall in love with. The first thing we noticed about this unit is its compactness.
With this feature, you won’t have any issue with mounting it alongside your other crucial bike customizations. The Dynojet Power Commander V also comes with an improved fuel change range at -100/+250%. This is no doubt a huge improvement from the old, which is -100/+100% line.
Recommendation
We highly recommend these auto tuners for those who are looking to reduce their upfront cost for an auto tuner. Besides, you can as well consider this unit if you intend to use it for only short-haul. We advise that you try better-build models for long overhauling.
3. ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-485 for 2004-2011
Highlighted Features
- This tuning system allows the user to support a variety of performance upgrades.
- It features a quicker throttle response, increased power, and cooler operating temperatures.
- It operates on a Closed-Loop system, which means it continually and automatically modify your air-fuel ratios all the time.
- Its software, map updates, and firmware are accessible provided there’s an internet connection
Fourth on our list is the ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-485. It’s an outstanding unit and is acknowledged to be one of the best Harley EFI tuners on the market. One feature that sets this tuner apart is the fact that it comes with one of the only stand-alone engine management systems designed basically to match all tuning needs of a Harley Davidson bike.
We can further say that it has the ability to fit into a wide range of standard Harley upgrades. That being said, it is compatible with 2004-2011 models, that’s a really interesting feature to give for.
What more can we get from this unit? riders who can use the ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-485 can depend on it all the time as it continuously and automatically modifies your air-fuel ratios as you ride. Very well, some of the mind-blowing features you’ll get are its quicker throttle response and cooler operating temperature.
You’ll begin to enjoy all of these as soon as you are done installing and setting it up properly. It’s good to know that you can never get screwed up if you use this unit. Just in case you need any help, the ThunderMax customer service agents are always there to assist you with any difficulty.
In a nutshell, you don’t need any dyno tuning to operate rightly. And it comes with all the necessary hardware that lets you start using it right away. They include a USB cable, software disc, as well as users’ manual.
Recommendation
The ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-485 auto tuner is indeed a great device to improve your bike’s fuel efficiency. Besides, its mode of operation is simple to understand, thus making it a good pick for both novices and experienced users.
4. The Vance & Hines Fuelpak 61003A – Best Tuner for Harley M8
Highlighted Features
- Fine-tune the fuel mixture with the touch of a button
- Improves throttle response and increases power
- Easy to use; no software required
- Includes all mounting hardware
- For fuel-injected models only
If you take a look at Harley Davidson tuner options, then this Vance and Hines auto tuner fits best on the Harley Davidson Touring bikes; H-D Touring years 2202 through 2007. It is also a perfect fit on the Harley Davidson 2006 Ultra Classic.
This is a fuel management system designed to help you get more miles from the fuel you use. It also helps you to prolong the life of your motorcycle because it helps you to keep the air to fuel ratio balanced properly, so the bike has less strain put on it.
A whole lot of people do think analog auto tuners are a little old-fashioned and so it will not be easy to operate the unit. Here, we’d like to prove you all wrong. Factually, this model is one of the most user-friendly auto tuners on the market presently. The first time auto tuner users will really appreciate the impact of analog type was when they tried this unit on their bike.
In fact, some users attest to how simple the system was compared to the excellent modification it had on their bikes with its plug-and-play attachment method. Another good thing about this model is that it comes with a pretty simple interface such that you can easily read even under direct sunlight.
The Vance & Hines Fuelpak 61003A comes with some other intriguing features which indicate the manufacturer’s improvement in producing effective and high-performing auto tuners.
This comprises its improved throttle position system that helps to significantly simplify the process of fuel-injection tuning. We can boldly say that this unit is of great value as it also features all other necessary parts for easy installation.
The only snag we’ve got is that the Vance & Hines Fuelpak 61003A is not available for purchase or use anywhere in California. The reason is that this model can increase your bike’s fuel emissions, which is clearly not allowed in that state.
Recommendations
This is no doubt an auto tuner worth the money with all the introducing features it packs. It will enhance the performance of your bike and let you have a burning hot ride.
5. ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-362
Highlighted Features
- This tuning system allows the user to support a variety of performance upgrades.
- It features a quicker throttle response, increased power, and cooler operating temperatures.
- It operates on a Closed-Loop system, which means it continually and automatically modifies your air-fuel ratios all the time.
- Its software, map updates, and firmware are accessible provided there’s an internet connection
If you have ever used the ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-485, then you should expect something of the same nature with the 309-362 models. This model laid the foundation of a stand-alone Performance EFI Engine Management System on which other models were improved. This management system was built so that it can meet all the tuning needs of Throttle-By-Wire H-D bike owners.
The all-new ThunderMax AutoTune TBW module packs a whole lot of great performance that you can easily notice. Some of these features included a quicker throttle response, increased power as well as cooler operating temperatures.
This auto tuner operates a closed-Loop system. With this system, your air-fuel ratio can be continually and automatically adjusted as you ride without considering the changes in ambient conditions.
Whether you have to change the pipes or add cams, this tuner can never be outgrown. Once you download a new map, you’re good to go. What’s more, you can now easily access the ThunderMax firmware, software, firmware, and map updates provided you have an internet connection.
Recommendation
The ThunderMax Auto-Tune 309-362 tuner is one of the most flexible auto tuners in the market. It features all the necessary systems that allow you to perfectly modify the air-fuel ratio as you ride along with different road conditions.
6. The Vance & Hines FP3 Fuelpak 66007 Stands
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Highlighted Features
- Smartphone App User Interface (iOS & Android)
- Recalibrates ECM by Flash tuning
- Auto-tune feature for enhancing your tune
- Display Live Sensor Data on your smartphone
It’s pretty easy to understand why the Vance & Hines FP3 Fuelpak 66007 stands out in the list of the best auto tuners for Harley Davidson in the market. We are not too surprised about how effective it works on the bike as it’s just too after its predecessor. Some of these features are its app-based interface, that is, you can modify just anything on it through your favourite Apple iOS or Android App.
After all, one reason why this unit stands out is the fact that it does not demand too much maintenance and operation. For instance, you’ll find that it is very easy to read what’s displayed and diagnose error codes with this auto-tuner compared to the cryptic codes that are on older analog units.
The data that is sent in real-time to your phone can help you determine the speed you are traveling at, the voltage, the RPMs, the temperature of the cylinder heads, the gear selection, and a lot of other important details that will help you to see how your bike is performing, and if there are any adjustments needed to improve your bike performance.
To further explain, this auto-tuner gives users the confidence to try out new maps without any cause to worry about the fact that they might lose the previous crucial settings. This is possible due to the fact that this tuner comes with enough storage to back up OEM calibration while you are operating on any of its new dyno-tuned maps.
Even experienced users can proceed to enhance these default settings by evaluating the ECU tables output through this unit’s app every time it is activated.
Recommendation
The Vance & Hines FP3 Fuelpak 66007 auto tuner will serve effectively for both experienced bikers and even beginners. Every part of this tuner makes it pretty simple for anyone to easily customize the bike’s idle RPM, rev limit, target air-fuel ratio, as well as spark advance.
7. TTS MasterTune Single Bike Kit
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Highlighted Features
- Records vehicle engine data when stationary and when
- Records data from external sensors
- Retrieve and store current and historical Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs.)
- Playback of recorded data allowing
- Clear DTCs once repairs are completed.
- Engine data graphing to aid troubleshooting and performance analysis
- Estimate Distance traveled and Quarter-Mile time
- Dyno graph of engine horsepower and torque
- Export engine and Dyno data to print or to Excel
The first thing we noticed about the TTS MasterTune Single Bike Auto Tuner is that it features three programs. These programs let you easily make perfect adjustments to your bike’s ECM. These programs include data acquisition, self-tuning solutions, and tuning software. Optimization of your bike’s performance comes easy with these programs.
One good thing about this auto tuner is that you won’t have to stress yourself over the installation. Besides, it’ll give you the perfect data which helps to determine what exactly your bike needs are. Another intriguing thing is that it is compatible with virtually all fuel-injected Harley Davidson motorcycles. However, it can’t work with an Apple computer software.
This unit lets you modify your fuel injector flow rates, thus maintaining the performance setting or restoring its default settings. The factory settings let you set RPM limits and as well adjust to the speedometer. This auto tuner comes with up to 20 tables, which you can make use of when deciding the perfect settings for your bike requirement.
The only snag here is that the link cables are not included in the package. Having known that, you’ll have to purchase a Kuryakyn TTS Mastertune Cable Kit Number P/N 9227, PP/N9229, or /N 9228.
Recommendations
We can acknowledge this unit to be one of the most comprehensive models you can ever get in the market. The cost-effectiveness indicates that it is a really good unit for your particular bike. And as per its functionality, you find it is exceptional. If you spend much time riding and need that increased performance, this is the model you’re probably looking for provided your bike supports it.
Harley Davidson Tuner Buyer’s Guide
1. Compatibility
The first thing that you must understand is that not all Harley-specific auto tuners can work on all Harley bikes. Having known this, it is expedient of you to always check to see that your chosen model can be harmoniously coupled to your favorite hog.
Do not make the mistake of installing a non-compatible model as it can bring about a problem as regards the fuel injection system. This may, in turn, affect the engine.
2. Ease of Set-Up
Nobody wants to waste too much time on installing an auto tuner. If this is your first time changing your auto tuner, then you should consider the type that’s easy to install. Although most of these tuners don’t require much skill to mount properly, you should still check the user review to see if users ever had issues with installing your desired model.
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3. User-Friendly
It won’t be nice at all if you’ll have to stress over using your auto tuner. There are many auto tuners in the market today that are somewhat uneasy to operate. However, some of them come with a user-friendly build that allows you to easily deal with them.
A touch screen auto tuner will suffice in this case just as there are some analog tuner models that allow for easy adjustment and recalibration. Checking through user reviews will help a great deal to spot the user-friendly ones based on other users’ experiences.
4. Auto-Tune Method
There are a lot of auto tuners with different methods of operation. For instance, some models can automatically cycle through several different throttle levels and RPMs depending on the road conditions and terrains. Most auto-tune modules do not need any manual input to deliver brilliantly, so you don’t need to sweat this aspect too much.
5. Monitor Size
Another important factor that must be put in place is the monitor size. Before you decide on which autotuner to buy, you should consider the monitor as this will help for ease. You don’t want to strain your eye to see what’s displayed, so a large monitor size will do. Besides, the monitor resolution is also important. In that case, opt for those that display in full color.
6. Storage Capabilities
Auto tuners are built with the ability to store as many files and settings as possible, just like the computer. With this in mind, check well to see your desired auto tuner comes with enough internal storage to have as many preset settings as possible.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is dyno tuning necessary?
It’s not really necessary. You’ll only need a dyno tuning when your bike gas mileage starts to exhibit pinging or surging. This tuning resolves this problem by turning the bike to its stock fuel economy and then improving its performance as time goes on.
Does the Power Commander affect my bike’s ability to compensate for atmospheric conditions?
At all. The Fuel Injection Systems on most bikes today can effectively adjust fuel for atmospheric conditions. That being said, the Power Commander doesn’t in any way interfere with this.
Can the Power Commander damage my ECM/ECU?
The Power Commander is built in such a way as not to transmit current into the processor in the ECU, which makes it impossible to damage the ECU.
What effect will re-mapping have on my bike?
It gives improved torque, throttle, performance, and fuel efficiency. According to our research, we found that remapping gives a 20%-30% increase in power for most bikes!
Conclusion
Having carefully read through this comprehensive guide, we believe you are now well-equipped to land yourself the best auto tuner for Harley Davidson. All of the models we’ve reviewed so far are equipped with one of the latest auto tuner improvements, which includes live sensor data output as well as an expansive calibration library. In fact, some of these models come with the ability to interface with an iPhone via Bluetooth. This way, you can always keep a tab on how your Harley bike is performing.
Mind you, whatever product you opt for eventually must align specifically with the bike’s specification for optimum performance.