PCIII redux...eval content

[repoe3]

so...you wanna know about the PCIII for the R1100S? well, lets talk about what you get for your money? which you could wisely spend with john @ dyno-solutions, BTW. yes, a plug...a well deserved plug. after the first unit did not arrive as planned, a new one was dispatched and even that nearly failed to arrive thanks to the laziness of crybaby, overpaid UPS drivers :P

right, back on topic...what you get.

a box, with a packed device, with a wire harness and various plugs attached with a preloaded map, a wide band O2 sensor, a manual (not really up to date visually or with model specific info, an install guide (download the PDF from powercommander.com, its in color and easier to use, but its the same doc), a CD with software (again, be prepared, download ahead of time and be ready to roll), a few stickers, some zip ties and a couple alcohol wipes if you want to stick it somewhere. maybe i missed something, i covered the important stuff. oh, so you get a USB cable and a 9V battery power adpater for the unit and a couple covers for the ports when not in use.

what you do...

have bodywork off bike, if you are going to install in the location shown in the PC install guide, best you loosen the tank to have access to the space between the battery and the motronic box (if you dont have ABS). i didnt go with their install location. instead, mine cried out to live in the space formally occupied by the tire repair kit. with the formed rubber part removed, there is enough space for the PCIII and the V1 direct connect to live under the removable cover. sweet. now for access, it is only the cowl and seat removal away. this location coupled with the different location of the O2 sensor bung on the laser boxer cup system, seemed to make for a nice and logical installation.

from there, the kit is intuitive to run the one side to the right and one side to the left (hint: the left side has the plug for the TPS on it). unplug injector hook ups, plug into PCIII harness, plug PCIII harness into injectors. do the same for the TPS. there will be a hook up to accept the O2 sensor run on the left side as well. mine is hidden nicely behind the mainframe and the airbox. there will be a white plug that goes to nothing. that is for the AF meter/gauge, if you want it. on the right side there is also a provision for the stock O2 sensor plug. once you have removed the stock O2 sensor from the exhaust and the plug from the harness, plug the two harnesses together and install the new O2 sensor (which will plug into a different plug on the PCIII harness). hook up the ground wire to the ground terminal on the battery and you are all set.

there are no lights on this version PCIII. so dont look for any. if you want to talk to the PCIII before you start the bike, you will need the 9V battery power hook-up and the USB cable, along with a computer...probably easier to use a laptop than to ride the bike into your study. you can talk to the PCIII without the battery IF the bike is running, but not with just the ignition key switched on. the computer will see the PCIII but will not be able to communicate with it.

here is where you can look at the map, change the map, or whatever. i didnt change anything, just wanted to see that all was working this far into the process. so i wheeled the machine out and started her up. once started...she is harder to start, for sure. but once started and some heat gets into her, she is a happoer machine indeed. my idle has never been stable, always hunting. now, rock steady from 900 to 1000, a little more heat, 1100, then between 1100 and 1250, steady. nice.

threw on the helmet and off for a shakedown run with the twinmax. warmed her up and sync'd at 3500rpm. then off for the highway...entrance ramp and twist the grip...now this is where she would normally move at a reasonable pace and then get winded just past 100-125 (she can and has seen 145, but that was a long time coming at WOT). as of late, she would hesitate at doing anything over 100 as she seemed held back by an invisable bungy to a fence post. seems the map was fairly lean in that area.

now, look out...she was off with a vengence. like a well-trained athlete and the proper hydration, a new bike indeed. i was shocked. i will admit to have been skeptical about what a supplement to a chipped ECU would do, let alone with the map already on the PCIII, but being so much of the map was set by the new O2 sensor, and the rare use of 100% throttle...figured it would do alright. alright is an understatement. this thing accelerates, pulls, shifts, and moves like never before. shifting seems easier as there is a smoother delivery of power and making the shifts are a mere snick into the next gear. what i wanted to know after experiencing it...what took so long for this product???

so the eval...

yes, i like it...no, i love it. this thing is a splendid addition to the bike. forget any hype or thought that this is a high performance modification. this thing solidly improves EVERY part of the power delivery of the bike...i.e. commuting, travel, both solo and 2-up. not to mention, i would not call her a donkey bike anymore...more like a horse mating with a donkey...a mule bike :P she can gallop like a kentucky derby finisher (not winner) and carry the burdens of her owner without complaints.

having just finished a trip identical to a previous trip two years ago (the only difference being ohlins and PCIII)...this is the perfect bike, again. at 32k miles, it feels like i traded the old one in and have a new bike that emotionally stirs me like the original, yet more so. after spending a weekend in touring mode with passenger and all, riding into work this morning was a blast. a corner that she would hesistate and whease at doing over 100, she gracefully powered through to 115 and then some (closed course, of course)

not to mention, i was able to spend some time tweaking the suspension on the trip and found more preload and more rebound damping made the thing handle and feel even better. when my buddy, that is lucky to weight 165lbs, rode it, he thought she was a bit soft and wallowy...and that was without bags or anything. so there is plenty plush with an 180 spring.

nits and nats...

the length of the O2 sensor could be a tad longer. but for stock installs it is fine and most others should work alright as well. but even 2" more would be ok. aside from that...no other nits or nats.

i look forward to many more mile with the bike and learning the PCIII. as for how it functions, i think that was covered for the most part in the previous post(s). but if anyone has questions, ask them. fuel use was decent with an average of 40MPG with a fully loaded bike and passenger running 60-90 MPH, firmly on the throttle through the mountains. she saw plenty of revs in the upper 6 to 7 range and happilly...not to mention she didnt burn any oil...just blew some into the air box as usual when run hard.

all the lingering issues i had with the bike during the nearly month-long ordeal and prior to the PCIII install are gone. aside from the hard to start condition, she is predictable and repeats her performance any time you ask her to.

i give this one, two thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone even remotely considering it. not sure how long the cat would live getting exhaust from a properly fueled engine...these things, i know not.

i swapped bikes with kevinSBX, his is a bone stock prep, and boy i dont miss the near lightswitch feel of the stock throttle, on/off, on/off, on/off.

so there you have. a seemingly well developed (long time coming) and simple install to make your R1100S go vrooom.

repoe3

[gigantic]

I told you so!

[repoe3]

and, icing on the proverbial b-day cake...in tweaking with the rear suspension on the trip...it seems i have found a setting that makes it plush and compliant with a load and passenger and firm and tractable while solo. the front really is dependent on the rar being set right. now i can brake hard and scrub so much more speed off without any movement out of the front. it is just so stable. not to mention i took a few corners en route home and this thing feels like a strong tight brand new bike, yet rev-happy like a well-broke-in engine.

and i thought i knew this bike...wow. there is no doubt in my mind, plenty of riders out there are no bikes that could use some tweaking and make that much better. i honestly was not as captivated with the ohlins, aisde from their plushness, until this trip and subsequent riding afterwards. i'd imagine anyone used to an S could ride one set up like this that much more comfortably and faster to boot.

repoe3

[JonyRR]

'always hunting. now, rock steady from 900 to 1000, a little more heat, 1100, then between 1100 and 1250, steady. nice.'

Yeah, I noticed the 'harder to start when cold' pehnom as well.
Since my S was so dialled in without the PCIII, I wondered if I would see much improvement. I'm still tweaking it as I just can't leave anything alone until I'm satisfied it's as good as it's gonna get.
having the AF meter is very instructional.
When cold, even though it's a heated 02 sensor, it's NOT running closed-loop for a few minutes. You can really tell when the 02 sensor gets up to temp and it starts to commo with the PCIII and do it's feedback thing as the idle starts to just magically get smoother and faster.
Repoe, I tuned for a stable idle at 970-1000 RPM via BBS's after the scoot is good and hot....(I also took some fuel OUT of the map at 500 anmd 1000 rpm and closed throttle.); you'd be surporised how far out of synch they are when hot; both my bbs screws are roughly 3/4 of one turn out to produce that stable under-1K idle and it just sits there like a locomotive idling like a carbureted airhead, and that's something more than one BMW mosikkle tech has told me is impossible...hah! . From cold, according to the 02 sensor (and this may just be an anomaly of a heated 02 sensor until it gets up to temp) the AF is, at idle, at 12:1...rich, not lean; my TPS voltage is reset to .360, down from .390
if you plug your laptop into the scoot and run it from cold, you can watch the af move around until the 02 sensor lights off, then the tach function of the software can be compared against the tach on the machine.
I think some dyno time COULD be helpful here as the installed chip in the motronic DOES have some effect on base map fueling, as one would expect. However, righer is better than leaner and I'm still happy I spent the money for the adjustability. As long as a stock CPU (from any manufacturer) is hard or impossible to tweak (the EPA sure doesn't want the potential for adjustability built in stock) some kind of override box like the PCIII is necessary.
Of course, one could adapt a halltech or holley commander 950 to replace both the motronic and the PCIII, but 'there is no such thing as a free lunch' and it'd probably be as expensive as a motronic plus the PCIII.
I'm still waiting for a boarder to post a map that HAS been tweaked on a dyno for the most popular mods including a SJ filter and and InDuct...

[repoe3]

jony, do you experience a lot of popping? my TPS is at .390 and considering dropping it to at least .370 but thought that would increase popping.

at 32k miles, i feel like i have a new bike. tight and strong like a new bike, yet rev happy like one with 32k miles on it. and now with the suspension work in harmony, i shale my head in amazement everytime i ride it.

repoe3

[gigantic]

+1 on the harder to start phenomena. it cranks over a fw times before it lights up, but it now idles without lean detonation. my mileage is down considerably, which I'm attributing to fouled plugs, from having the ccp out last fall. since i have about a month -6 weeks of down time from a compound fracture in my right collarbone, I plan on changing the plugs, throttle cables, 0=0 tps, synch finishing the exhaust weld grind and a few other things, like finishing my hillbilly race plastic mod. (I made a mold of the headlight & made a fiberglass insert for the HL.) i'm seeing the reserve light come on between 100-120 mi, which isn't right at all. I'm switching to the ngk plugs which were under $7 for the pair, at the honda dealer. with my discount at the BMW dealership i could have gotten the BMW part for $7.50 each!?!?!?
other than getting the S in the first place, the PCIII has been the best purchase I've made. it totally transformed the bike. I'm happy to see that my experience hasn't been an anomaly!
Lance

[repoe3]

Originally posted by gigantic
+1 on the harder to start phenomena. it cranks over a fw times before it lights up, but it now idles without lean detonation. my mileage is down considerably, which I'm attributing to fouled plugs, from having the ccp out last fall. since i have about a month -6 weeks of down time from a compound fracture in my right collarbone, I plan on changing the plugs, throttle cables, 0=0 tps, synch finishing the exhaust weld grind and a few other things, like finishing my hillbilly race plastic mod. (I made a mold of the headlight & made a fiberglass insert for the HL.) i'm seeing the reserve light come on between 100-120 mi, which isn't right at all. I'm switching to the ngk plugs which were under $7 for the pair, at the honda dealer. with my discount at the BMW dealership i could have gotten the BMW part for $7.50 each!?!?!?
other than getting the S in the first place, the PCIII has been the best purchase I've made. it totally transformed the bike. I'm happy to see that my experience hasn't been an anomaly!
Lance

like this?



do you think you need to replace the cables for some reason? just that after having mine off and cleaning them, they looked fine. would suggest removing and inspecting before ordering parts. if you are hard on the throttle, then 100-120 before the light comes on is not surprising. i could do that before the PCIII.

good luck with the collarbone.

repoe3

[gigantic]

I've already got the cables. they stick pretty badly, gettingthrough tech on track days generally means squirting a bunch of lube down there every time. I'd rather replace everything, seeing as i've paid for the parts months ago.
thanks for the gl on the collar bone... yep it's a lot like that, except the bones are separated & keep popping out of place. the ortho's don't want to do anything, but I've go an appt on thurs where I plan to insist on surgery to pin the ***** together. I need to get back to work, ASAP.

[Dan Alexander]

Interesting discussion guys,

I've thought about getting the PCIII so it's great to hear non biased and real world info.

Hey Lance,

Sorry to hear about your collar bone

I dumped at a Fast Racing School at Shannonville a couple of years ago and hurt my shoulder and thumb but didn't break anything, luckily. I have Phase II scheduled for August this year. I'd love to do more and try racing but being self employed myself I sometimes stop and think about the consequences of doing just what you did. Not working for 4 to 6 weeks doesn't hurts just the shoulder but the pocket book too, eh.

Does that mean we won't see you in Niagara Falls on the 10th?

[gigantic]

yeah, it's looking like i'll be out of the cowl run. no going to the Niagra Rat Raid, either.

[Dan Alexander]

That's too bad .. I was looking forward to meeting up finally.

So, don't be embarrased, give us some details on what happened

[repoe3]

Originally posted by gigantic
I've already got the cables. they stick pretty badly, gettingthrough tech on track days generally means squirting a bunch of lube down there every time. I'd rather replace everything, seeing as i've paid for the parts months ago.
thanks for the gl on the collar bone... yep it's a lot like that, except the bones are separated & keep popping out of place. the ortho's don't want to do anything, but I've go an appt on thurs where I plan to insist on surgery to pin the ***** together. I need to get back to work, ASAP.

well, yeah, def. replace. thought it was not as problematic...

it took my collarbone only abour 4 weeks before i was riding again. but it sounds like yours doesnt want to sit tight.

repoe3

[Flatbutt1]

is this mod appropriate for a stocker? no chip, no pipe?

[gigantic]

definitely!

[acidburn]

Excellent review.

[acidburn]

oh i almost forgot, i just ordered one.
Hopefully i can get it in soon and get Don over at Modesto Duc to do a nice dyno run and map.
Dynamic mapping?
The high end DynoJet set up , that is what we want, yes?

[Flatbutt1]

gotta website for info and pricing?

[Steve Carlton]

http://www.powercommander.com/

$495 retail (includes the $95 sensor). Somebody was selling them for $399. Personally, I'd buy it from Chris at SJBMW. As he develops maps, he'll e-mail them to you for free. IMHO, his advice and support is worth way more than $96.

[Rapid Dog]

Steve, you have a PC? How long?

[Steve Carlton]

I've had the previous version for a couple of years. I only got it because my bike was pinging on hot days. I can't say I noticed it ran any better after the PC, but it always ran great. My engine is stock, except for being balanced and having the valves ground to an effective 45mm opening (vs 44mm stock). That work was done by Chris when the rings were warranteed for oil consumption, and it was noticibly stronger and smoother after that. I also broke it in harder. And it still eats oil...

I'd rather have the new one, but Chris said it wouldn't really be worth it.