I installed a Power Commander 5 on the ’09 Hexhead this weekend.
First notes:
1. The Autotune module installation will have to wait until I can get the headers off, and that will have to wait until I can source two exhaust flange gaskets from BMW (probably this evening). The wide-band Lambda sensors which are part of the Autotune kit don’t currently fit the mounting holes on my aftermarket headers, so I’m going to have to grind the holes a little bigger.
2. A niggle. A big niggle. Having heard so much about Dynojet’s products over the years, I have to say that their documentation is really sub-standard.
Certain passages in the Quickshifter installation doc don’t correspond with what’s said in the PC 5 installation doc, the different quickshifter types aren’t adequately explained (for example, it isn’t made clear that any quickshifter replacing a shift rod will not have a sliding rod, because it uses a load cell), it’s not made clear how to use the universal input terminals, et cet.
I’m an ex-mechanic who’s spent the last five years as a technical writer for aerospace, defence and IT, and this kind of thing is really noticeable. Companies need to start realizing that you can’t spend 100% of your R&D budget on product R&D, then produce the required documentation as an afterthought.
Companies are not just judged on the strength of their product, but on the quality of their documentation as well. This is why it makes sense NOT to produce an excellent product, then hand over the documentation to someone who is not familiar with the principle of sequential explanation, and cannot write in simple technical English. It’s a clear illustration of a company's priorities when four slick silk-screened decals are included in the box for placement on the bike, yet the installation docs consist of four black-and-white photocopied pages.
No, no, no, guys. It's not enuf to hope that the product quality will 'speak for itself', and back up a good product with sub-par docs.
3. Because of vague explanations and instructions, it’s very easy to configure the quickshifter incorrectly, and I did. The doc makes vague mention of ‘some [types of quickshifter] switches being a normally-open type, others normally closed’, and misuse of catch-all phrases like ‘usually’. All of which leaves you with, at best, a 50/50 chance of getting the initial config settings right. (What this translated into during the test ride was the QS ignoring ‘upshift’ motions on the gear lever, but cutting the engine momentarily when the lever was released. What this translates into on a BMW boxer twin is a big sideways ‘lurch’ as the engine’s torque reaction tries to ‘twist’ the bike around it’s longitudinal axis.) What’s stopping Dynojet from clearly labelling their quickshifters ‘NO’ or ‘NC’, explaining what this means and what the implications for config are in the QS installation doc, then referring the user back to the PC 5 doc for config instructions? Easy peasy.
Having said all this, I'm a tough customer, and the PC and peripherals themselves are of very good quality.
I obviously need to do some more fiddling, but all indications so far are good. Watch this space.
First notes:
1. The Autotune module installation will have to wait until I can get the headers off, and that will have to wait until I can source two exhaust flange gaskets from BMW (probably this evening). The wide-band Lambda sensors which are part of the Autotune kit don’t currently fit the mounting holes on my aftermarket headers, so I’m going to have to grind the holes a little bigger.
2. A niggle. A big niggle. Having heard so much about Dynojet’s products over the years, I have to say that their documentation is really sub-standard.
Certain passages in the Quickshifter installation doc don’t correspond with what’s said in the PC 5 installation doc, the different quickshifter types aren’t adequately explained (for example, it isn’t made clear that any quickshifter replacing a shift rod will not have a sliding rod, because it uses a load cell), it’s not made clear how to use the universal input terminals, et cet.
I’m an ex-mechanic who’s spent the last five years as a technical writer for aerospace, defence and IT, and this kind of thing is really noticeable. Companies need to start realizing that you can’t spend 100% of your R&D budget on product R&D, then produce the required documentation as an afterthought.
Companies are not just judged on the strength of their product, but on the quality of their documentation as well. This is why it makes sense NOT to produce an excellent product, then hand over the documentation to someone who is not familiar with the principle of sequential explanation, and cannot write in simple technical English. It’s a clear illustration of a company's priorities when four slick silk-screened decals are included in the box for placement on the bike, yet the installation docs consist of four black-and-white photocopied pages.
No, no, no, guys. It's not enuf to hope that the product quality will 'speak for itself', and back up a good product with sub-par docs.
3. Because of vague explanations and instructions, it’s very easy to configure the quickshifter incorrectly, and I did. The doc makes vague mention of ‘some [types of quickshifter] switches being a normally-open type, others normally closed’, and misuse of catch-all phrases like ‘usually’. All of which leaves you with, at best, a 50/50 chance of getting the initial config settings right. (What this translated into during the test ride was the QS ignoring ‘upshift’ motions on the gear lever, but cutting the engine momentarily when the lever was released. What this translates into on a BMW boxer twin is a big sideways ‘lurch’ as the engine’s torque reaction tries to ‘twist’ the bike around it’s longitudinal axis.) What’s stopping Dynojet from clearly labelling their quickshifters ‘NO’ or ‘NC’, explaining what this means and what the implications for config are in the QS installation doc, then referring the user back to the PC 5 doc for config instructions? Easy peasy.
Having said all this, I'm a tough customer, and the PC and peripherals themselves are of very good quality.
I obviously need to do some more fiddling, but all indications so far are good. Watch this space.
You need a longer shift interval in the lower gears to compensate for the inertia. In the higher gears, the inertia has less effect, meaning you can take advantage of progressively shorter shift intervals (). Getting a set shift interval spot on for the 1-to-2 and 2-to-3 shifts means that quickshifts in the higher gears start feeling lethargic.
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