I found a Dynajet Power Commander Installed-Now what?

I just pulled the seat off my '05 VFR to put in my insurance papers. I just purchased the bike from a dealership so I don't know it's history. Anyway, I noticed a little black box with "Power Commander III USB" written on it. As far as I can tell the VFR is bone-stock. I looked online on the Dynajet website and got kind of lost. From what I can tell the Power Commander is used to make engine operation adjustments when aftermarket items are added.

This VFR is sort of a mystery. It only has 5200 miles on it and it's 6 years old. It's absolutely immaculate. It could have easily just rolled off the showroom floor. The exhaust seems sort of loud. But, that could just be how the VFR is suppose to sound. It does have the stock exhaust.

My question is, "why would they put the power commander on a stock bike?" And what if some goofy map is loaded that might damage the engine? Apparently there are different "maps" for certain situations.

 

It's quite possible that the stock exhaust cans were gutted and that there might be an aftermarket air filter installed. This could explain both the "loudness" and need for the PCIII. If the bike is running and seems smooth through low to high RPM, I doubt the map is fubar.

 

What's under the seat represents good value; a bonus if you will. It was likely installed for no other reason than to smooth out the transition as the Vtech engages. This was a frustration on the earlier Gen6 bikes. don't remove it. You might want to connect a laptop to it to see what program is loaded and go from there. I don't have one but I understand that it's pretty straight forward and the Dyno jet people could walk you through it. Start with finding a download of the owners manual. Don't think of removing it; it's a good thing. If the bike runs well I doubt it could be so far off as to damage anything, but to optomize it to the fullest after what ever you might want to bolt on for exhaust etc, it should be set up on a dyno. There are different maps available listed by description of modifications.

 

They seem kind of spendy at around $300. So, I would think there would be a specific reason for buying one. I will check if there is an aftermarket air filter. And I don't know how to tell if the mufflers are gutted. I wouldn't think any of that would make that much difference on the ignition or fuel settings.

 

With a gutted set of canisters and a higher flowing air filter you are allowing more air flow to and from the motor, essentially changing the fuel-air mixture coming in and flow coming out. The PCIII allows you to change how the fuel-air ratio is set. Go to Welcome to Power Commander, Power Commander V, Power Commander III USB and Power Commander EX Fuel Injection Module and then the downloads tab, download the software and whatever maps they have available for your model bike. There are typically some templates that get these settings in the ballpark allowing you to tweak them to suit your particular setup. Look for the user manual too while your there. In order for you to connect to the PCIII you will need a USB cable, an (A to Mini B) I Believe, it's what most digital cameras and some mobile phones use. They might even have Dyno centers listed if your more inclined to have it tuned by someone with experience.

 

I had my son-in-law look at and listen to my VFR. He stated the exhaust is definitely not the stock level. He pointed out a couple spots on the inside of the mufflers that looked like holes. He said there was probably some sort of rivet in those locations. He figured someone might have pulled out the baffles. He also pointed out that it is missing the fender piece. Fender eliminator? I'm finding new stuff all the time.

 

I don't know what the inside of a stock '05 exhaust looks like. I can look into the two exhaust holes in the back of mufflers with a flashlight. Is there suppose to be anything in the rear of the exhaust? There isn't anything in the canister section of my exhaust. I can see straight into the exhaust pipe where it enters the canisters. I'm guessing it's been gutted. Is there a way that I can tell if it was done right?

 

Welcome to the madness
Post some pictures of the tail of the exhaust so we can help you further.

 

I'll try to get take some pictures. But, it's hard to look in through the exit holes on the exhaust. I was able to shine a flashlight into one hole and just barely peek into the other hole.

 

I have not done this modification myself so I cannot say for sure if there really is a right or wrong way to do it. My intention was to point out why the PCIII was installed. IMO I think you found a hidden gem with the PCIII and de-baflfed exhaust. That being said, I did a quick search on the topic on this forum but there were too many results to filter through so I did a Google search and I found this for you. furry_bikers: VFR debaffle

Personally I wouldn't worry about the exhaust too much, if the bike is running smooth and trouble free I don't see this an issue.

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the link. I also tried to search this topic the the group. I couldn't find any actual pictures. The VFR runs great and is smooth as silk. So, I guess I shouldn't be too concerned. According to the pictures, I don't have any of the baffles in the canister. I downloaded the only PCIII manual I could find on their website. It seems to cover information how the interface software works. But, it doesn't have any information showing how to use the PCIII. I doubt there is a MAP download for gutted canisters!