Don't the HD downloads fix the high heat
issue?
The various HD downloads and Stage upgrades do not address the high
engine temperature issue. Harley-Davidson is limited by Federal Emissions
Standards, therefore can not provide an upgrade that might violate or
alter the emissions of the engine. This prevents them from providing a
"Fix" that is going to make all riders happy. The Dealers are in
the same situation because they risk very high fines from the EPA or State
emissions control agencies when they install unapproved upgrades on
motorcycles. California is a good example of a State that is beginning to
crack down on upgrades that do not meet emissions standards.
What are my options if I don't want to use an
LC1?
The use of O2 eliminators has become fairly common on the
2007 engines. When using an O2 eliminators supplied by PowerCommander, TFI,
etc., the engine is forced to operate in open loop ECM operation and use
the internal fuel map. For a closed loop engine, the fuel map is 14.6 AFR,
but the ECM will alter the fuel mixture based on changes indicated in the
AFV (adaptive fuel value). These 'fuel trim' values or learned adjustments
can richen the fuel mixture several percentage points. The short and long
term trim values in the Delphi ECM are the reason that you can actually
run upgraded exhaust/air cleaner on the 07>later bikes. Take a look at
the DIY voltage dividers.
In the future Nightrider plans on providing a way that you can make
your own O2 eliminator for your bike. This Do-It-Yourself O2
eliminator will cost under $10 to make. For those of you that are
adventurous, the O2 eliminator is nothing more than a 1Meg ohm resistor
replacing the NBO2 sensor. All you need to do is remove the O2 sensor and
connect the resistor between the Blue and Gray wires that run to the OEM
sensor.
SE Race Tuner gives you full control over the Delphi ECU.
Using SERT, you can eliminate the closed loop operation mode, or alter the
RPM ranges that it effects the engine. With SERT you can actually richen
the close loop air/fuel ratio up to about 14.2:1 by altering the O2 bias
table voltages to 750.
There are at least two popular aftermarket ECU's
available on the market that can replace the Delphi ECU. The Daytona Twin
Tec and Thunder Max ECU upgrades will work without any O2 sensors, or they
have an option to add wide band O2 sensors to the upgrade. The addition of
the WBO2 sensors with these kits provides a level of "self
tuning" for the air/fuel ratio that is accurate enough for accurate
tuning on most engines.
Another possible upgrade is the Do-It-Yourself voltage divider.
For under $15, you can create a basic voltage dividing circuit that can be
used on the OEM narrow band O2 sensor that will raise the closed loop AFR
from 14.7:1 to a slightly richer 14.2:1. While this is not as desirable a
fuel ratio as the LC1 can deliver, any improvement is going to help lower
the engine operating temperature. Click
here for the Nightrider DIY article
on this upgrade.
Are there any issues with the LC1?
There are no "problems" with the LC1 that Nightrider has been
able to establish. The ability of the LC1 to accurately alter the close
loop air fuel ratio of the Harley-Davidson Delphi ECU to any desired AFR
is well established and works exactly as anticipated.
There are still some questions on how the HD ECU prioritizes the O2
sensor signals. We know that you can not use a single LC1 to control both cylinder and get satisfactory results.
If you decide to try a single LC1, install it on the rear cylinder to
reduce the heat your feel while riding. While we believe a single LC1 will
work on the a single cylinder, we recommend installing two LC1's on your
bike. One LC2 WBO2 upgrade for each cylinder, replacing the OEM O2 sensors.
