Power Commander 1 month review

Well, I have had the PC on my SWing for about 1 month now and am really glad I asked for this as a birthday present. Bill (Honda-silver) was kind enough to send me the custom map he has, thanks again Bill, and I have to say this is probably the best thing for the SWing. I used to say that the 1st thing to get for the SWing is an aftermarket windshield, I need one since I'm 6' tall, and then the J. Costa variator for performance. But after having the PC I think that it is now 2nd on my list. It doesn't give the performance that the J. Costa gives but it really smooths out an already smooth bike.

I just filled up again yesterday and got 50.5 mpg which was all interstate riding at 65-70 actual. This is the best I have gotten when just riding only the interstate. There was of course some bursts to 75 or 80 to get around traffic, but mostly I stayed at 65-70. I think the gas out here in California really reduces your mileage. I was averaging around 42-45 when riding like this so I have to say it really is a great improvement. The B650's in our riding group are all getting about 42-45mpg too so there isn't a big difference in mileage.

My best is 54.8 mpg when doing about 1/2 at 65-70 actual and the rest on the curvy roads doing about 45-55 actual. So that is a really good improvement. But the other really nice feature is that is has smoothed out an already smooth bike. I was always amazed at how smooth the SWing is but the PC just makes it "purr" along. Also, I have done a couple of tanks while really going fast, anywhere from 75-85 actual for just about the entire tank and I still averaged 44 mpg and 45 mpg, which is a huge increase. I really think that if I was to ride an entire tank on the nice curvy roads at about 45-50 actual I could get as high as 56-58 mpg.

So I thought I would share my findings on the PC and my results. I want to thank Bill and Bernardo for taking the time to share their experiences with their PC. It really improves the smoothes and mileage so if others are wanting an even smoother ride this is a great improvement. I notice it has also given me an additional (approx) 25 miles for the tank. So if others are using thier SWings to do long distance touring you may want to think of this. I'm sure people in states that don't use the clean gas that Calif uses your results will be better.

Jeff, by "clean gas" do you mean "oxygenated gas"? I thought most large metro areas
in the country were all using this. ???
Sounds like the PC is a gotta have to smooth out the riding experience. Nice write up.
Thanks,
Wes :m/c:

Wes,

The gas here is oxygenated but I think they also put other things in the gas to make it burn less carbon and pollutants. It seems like once you leave California the gas mileage goes up when buying gas in other states.

But the PC does smooth the ride out though. It's hard to explain but it seems like it just "purrs" along. If you get one make sure you get the "Euro Map" with it and not the "Stock" map.

Jeff:
Thanks for the great information. The PC is the next item on my list of bike modifications. As my bike is right now, I can get between 50 and 53 mph if I am really careful about keeping my engine rpms at or below 5,200. I am looking forward to seeing how my gas mileage improves with the PC.

I live at an elevation of about 5,800 feet and ride on roads that go as high as 14,000 feet. Do you know if there is a custom map for high altitude riding? Would I need to have one developed especially for my bike?

The Scootist wrote:

I live at an elevation of about 5,800 feet and ride on roads that go as high as 14,000 feet. Do you know if there is a custom map for high altitude riding?

Johnny Cheese (my Power Commander customizer) warned me of two things
1) Watch for pings
2) My custom map would work up to 6,000 (as I recall)

The Scootist wrote:

Would I need to have one developed
especially for my bike?

You could try the European Stock model map first (it is free) ... but I would suggest contacting a Power Commander customizer to determine if a custom map would be required for higher elevations.

I always figured that the worst case would be to put in a NULL map which would provide the Honda stock mapping and then restore when I returned to lower elevation. Let us know what you find out.

Bill:
Thanks for the information. I don't expect to be adding the PC until later this year (around Christmas if you know what I mean), so it will be a while before I am directly working through these issues. I will look into it as my purchase draws closer and let you know what I find out.
DCC

Scootist,

Since you have the Leo Vince you may want to get a custom map. Bernardo has the J. Costa and a aftermarket exhaust and his is dyno'd to about 45 hp if I remember. Like Bill said, since you're at altitude it might be best to get a custom map. You might be able to get a good deal at a dyno shop is you promise to advertise their business on the various scooter sites like this. I'm glad I got the PC as a present from my wife and kids though.