Total Motorcycle Community Forums

i just got my 2001 honda shadow spirit 1100. i went to full throttle to ask about getting vance and hines classic II pipes and a dynojet stage 1. they told me if you change the exhaust that it has to be jetted because it runs lean from the factory and will be even leaner now. also if you change exhaust and jet it has to be dyno tuned so it actualy runs better, other wise you will loose power. pipes and jetkit they price matched from the net at $350 for the set. then they want to charge $450 for the dyno tune. they said they have 4 guys with a combined 80 years experience and an in house dyno right there in the facilities. Well $800 bucks is kind of pricey so i went to talk to the only motorcycle mecanic i know of in Lansing, MI and he also has a dyno in his garage. This guy rents 1 of the stalls from my auto trans teacher at the local college. i told him about full throttle and my teacher and the bike mecanic looked at each other and back at me and said all of full throttle dyno tunes get sent to him because they have don't have a dyno, little on anyone there that knows how to use one, they are just the middle man, who sends the bikes to him. This pissed me off big time getting lied to by a dealership (surprise). next time i go down there i am bringing it up. The mecanic is getting me a price on the dyno tune so i will let you know that when he calls me. also what do you guys think of this dyno tune process, thay say i got to go through the hole process just to make my bike louder. of course it give it more power and runs smoother to. just want your guys' input as well. thanks

Any Mechanic worth his salt could probably fiddle with a few different jet sizes and figure out which one makes the bike run the best, after road testing.

That being said, A dyno tune is the right way to get the job done.
1. Your bike spends more time in house, instead of on the road testing.
2. Dyno/EGA readings pinpoint Optimal Jet sizes for your bike at all engine speeds and throttle positions. A mechanic (No matter how good he is) cannot do this on his own. (Though i've seen some old-timers get pretty darn close)

Unfortunately, Dynomometers are pretty expensive ($20k-75k) so most shops can't afford them, and thus the ones who CAN afford them jack up their prices severely. (They have to pay for the thing after all) You were very lucky to be able to go straight to the source on this one. Technically, a dyno-tune is easier than a seat-of-the-pants tune, but you're paying for precision and technology. Hopefully these guys will charge you less.