Ducati Monster Forum

At my 12k service (just completed 2 weeks ago) one of the techs said he took the liberty of tuning my engine because he really liked the pipes (MotoCreations Boomtubes).  I was kinda puzzled because I was with the understanding that tuning had to be done either with pcIII or the DP ECU.  he indicated a PCIII was not needed and said that he richened up the mix enough to compensate for the exhaust as well as the open airbox, even going so far as to optimize a/f ratio on each cylinder.  I was surprised and almost wanted to call BS, but would rather not do that with a certified Ducati tech.  I suppose I should mention that I have NOT yet installed my PCIII, and the bike is an s2r800 with stock ECU.  I can tell a difference in throttle response and power, but part of me thinks its a small enough difference to just be in my head.

Has anybody had their stock ECM tuned?  I've heard the stock ECM only has a small threshold of tunability and that anybody with an open airbox and aftermarket pipes should go ahead with a PCIII + tune.  Should I trust that my bike is properly tuned without the PCIII?

It is my understanding the S2R800 motor does have fuel trim abilities.  We did this on my bike, however after I installed a PCIII and had it set up on the dyno the difference was night and day. 

KNG

What your tech did was a CO (idle fuel trim) adjustment.  Good bang for the buck, but nowhere as effective as a well done map on a PC3.  Trim allows the tech to increase or decrease fuel by changing injector pulse width (how long the injector is open).  As engine speed and load increase the difference becomes negligible. 

OK, so theres still room for improvement with a power commander.

I guess next I should ask for some installation location ideas.  mine won't fit in the space between the gas tank and battery, and I don't have the side covers under the seat to mount it behind.  I'm hoping for a somewhat transparent installation but (obviously) not too many hiding places are available.  are there smaller batteries available?

eh?

did you swap batteries or something? there's plenty of room to stick a PCIII on the stock one

as far as I know its the stock yuasa battery.  With the under-tank insulation removed, and a PCIII stuck on top of the battery, the gas tank will rest on the PCIII instead of it's rubber supports.

hmmm... well, ya got me, chief. I have no idea.

more plastic tank shenanigans, maybe?  ???

The "trim" on the ECU will lean out or enrich the mixture. But it'll alter it once across the whole RPM and throttle range.

A PC III will let you specifically tune the mixture over a broad range of RPMs and throttle settings.

Basically the trim is like a "rich vs. lean" knob. The PCIII is a true "map"

And the PCIII comes with enough cable so you can fit it anywhere. Mine's under the very back of the seat (well past the side panels), but you could just as easily stick it on the underside of the tank, airbox, wherever.

I figured this was the case, as he didn't specify (and I highly doubted) that dyno runs were made in the tuning process.


hmm, I'll have to check for a good place under the seat.  I've considered using the "toolbox" since its effectively dead space to me right now.  Thanks for the ideas.

Also, I think I should join in on the deforming gas tanks list.  Apparently I should be able to lower and latch the tank without it touching the PCIII when on top of the battery.  Also, the tank has had the cellulite on the sides for quite some time, and the latch is next to impossible to work.  I thought all of this was normal... at one time...

yep, sounds like you're having tank issues...

my 620 (last year for steel!) fits the PCIII on the battery, with the cushy pad in place, and nothing interferes

damn, I hope I have enough time this week to drop by the local dealer and talk to them about a possible replacement.  After Friday I move back to winston-salem and put another 120mi between the dealer and I :(

There's a Ducati dealer in Greensboro btw. http://www.carolinaeuro.com/ (http://www.carolinaeuro.com/)

hmm, looks like they do handle ducs.

how the hell did I not already know this??

You can adjust the latch a little bit quite easily.  Just unlatch it and you can turn the hasp on its threads to make it longer or shorter.  This may not be enough to compensate for the problem but it's worth a try.

Scott

The PC3 didn't fit under the tank/on the battery on my S2R(803) either:
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/hundredpercentkill/Motorcycles/pc3.jpg)

They're newer. There are ones in Charlotte, Asheville, and the Triangle but the Greensboro one is by far the closest to Winston. I wish they had been there when I lived there.

Thanks for the tip.  I messed with adjusting the latch loop briefly a while back, but it didn't seem to help the problem.  It seems like the front of the tank has moved forward or something, and modulating the loop to go on or off the hook is quite a trick due to the decreased clearance.  the tank doesn't seem forward enough to contact the bars at full lock, but its really close...

That setup looks damn sweet.  I think its time for me to remove the breather box and move the voltage regulator, I really like the look and convenience of that...

I've been dealing with bmw-ducati charlotte since I've owned my monster.  They're a good bunch of folks and their work seems to be good quality.  But, judging from other DMF members' experiences at other service shops, these guys are definitely on the expensive end of the price spectrum...