Is a power commander worth it?

[V_i_c_i]

Phil I think VICI's comments are in relation to stepping back from his modified GSX to the standard one is quite a noticeable difference and not meaning a standard lacks power, just not as much as his modified GSX. 

You got it exactly as it was meant.

[Big Phil]

Okay I get it now👍

[grog]

I knew what you meant. 135 bhp? on same bike is always gonna feel gruntier than 105. 33% increase. 👍

[Big Phil]

I do understand Grog that you can get major increases in power and there are some great products and talented people who can help you achieve that. My point was really about the standard 14 lacking power. I think I got my wires crossed a bit but still stick with my premise that on road the standard 14 has more than enough useable power for any rider. On track that's a different matter completely. You can use the power increase safely on track and certainly reach and surpass the abilities of a standard 14. However, on the road, there is only one way riding a standard 14 to its limits is eventually going to end for even a very talented rider.

[grog]

No arguments from me. I use mine as just my bike. It sure can go if wanted. Last year had Diavel to use, 162 bhp in sport mode, i often turned it back to 100 bhp mode, just felt more user friendly. Power doesnt scare me but 14 just does what i need. Brilliant bike.

[Mick_J]

I took out a Kawasaki H2 last week and I would say up to 6k my 1400 Suzuki trumps it, after that the Kawasaki just fucks off up the road, that's 106 BHP vs 197BHP.  However I much prefer the character of the 1400 which has plenty of real world poke whereas the H2 was a bit bland below 6k and bonkers above, not for me.

[grog]

Strange as we change what we need, back in 80s, had gs1000, gsx1100 and Ducati Darmah. All at same time. Both Suzuki had grunt, 1100 for sure. I spent time/money getting 80 bhp from Darmah, still not sure which bike i prefered. I kept Suzis for 5 yrs, Ducati for 15. Yeah, would like them all back.

[Mick_J]

Strange as we change what we need, back in 80s, had gs1000, gsx1100 and Ducati Darmah. All at same time. Both Suzuki had grunt, 1100 for sure. I spent time/money getting 80 bhp from Darmah, still not sure which bike i prefered. I kept Suzis for 5 yrs, Ducati for 15. Yeah, would like them all back.

Wouldn't we all.  I would love to have my Suzuki GSX 1100 and my Ducati 860 GTS back now, I can afford to run them now. 

[SA14]

...the PC def improves throttle response, fuel economy and rideability... 

I'm more interested in manners than outright speed. To me the 14 has way more than enough power already but anything that increases manners is worth it. In the "old days" of Kwaka 9s and GSX 1100s people took extraordinary lengths and measures to get the sort of power that we have stock in our 14s. For me the only real "improvement" is in delivering that power smoother and more consistently across the usable rev range. During my recent and maiden longer rides the power almost shocked me but I did find it a bit snatchy and jumpy coming on and off the throttle at lower speeds. I'd be more than happy to live with it but if it can be minimised (or even eliminated) I'd like that.

Today I'm going to try the PAIRS mod so I can see if I notice any refinement at lower speeds and in that vein (although at a much greater cost) the Power Commander interests me. I only have an aftermarket muffler so I probably won't notice any top end power improvement but if I can use it to deliver the existing power in a more civilised manner or gain any low or mid range torque I'm definitely interested.

Great thread. All opinions matter to someone like me who's coming into this 14 world with wide eyes.

[NutR33]

SA14, try playing with your gear position indicator/TRE. I found after fitting mine it was real jerky in the lower gears at low revs, ie going through round abouts or rolling around a T intersection with very slight acceleration.
I turned the TRE part back standard and it seems to have fixed the problem.
Note - I also have and extra 3 degrees of timing by slotting the timing pick up plate as well so This could have been adding to my problems.

[SA14]

SA14, try playing with your gear position indicator/TRE. I found after fitting mine it was real jerky in the lower gears at low revs, ie going through round abouts or rolling around a T intersection with very slight acceleration.
I turned the TRE part back standard and it seems to have fixed the problem.
Note - I also have and extra 3 degrees of timing by slotting the timing pick up plate as well so This could have been adding to my problems.

Do you mean turn off the timing retard eliminator? I'm noticing extra grunt with the retardation eliminated which I'm enjoying and although I do enjoy the gear position indicator it'd be kind of sad to lose the grunt to prevent a bit of snatching at lower revs which I can minimise with riding style and being aware and careful. It's not a big problem, just a refinement I'd like to see if I can do something about.

Going a bit off topic but while we're at it; There are 5 other maps on this system but no one can tell me what affect it would have on my bike. Not the re-seller in Australia or even Healtech support in Hungary could explain to me what would happen if I tried some of the other maps which I thought was pretty poor. All I got was "no idea" or "fuck around and find out" or "just switch it off if you don't like it" and this was from their own support department. I expected more to be frank.

To get back on topic I really must stop searching for things on gumtree. Found a PC5 in the next suburb off a Hayabusa Gen 2 for $500 which is still an eye opening amount of money to spend on small refinements plus, not sure if it'd even fit our 14s. Plus then there's a tune on top. Not ready to spend that amount of money quite yet without trying the easy and obvious stuff first. If by removing the pairs and maybe playing with the ATRE maps first, once I can ascertain they're different from each other and harmless to try.

[grog]

NutR33, either slotted plate or ATRE, not both. Your plate will advance all gears, ATRE not 5&6.

[NutR33]

Yep, worked that one out. I wanted the gear position indicator, the tre was a bonus so I wasn't to bothered when I had to turn it back to standard.

[DP1400]

SA14 - Erm, this thread is sounding really technical now. Think basics - if you`re not happy with the power delivery and general feel of the bike at low revs its always worth checking chain tension and throttle cable adjustment before concerning yourself with major unneccessary fixes. 

[KiwiCol]

SA14, I'd wouldn't be entertaining a PC V at this stage, unless you have lots of spare coin & like to spend it unnecessarily, as your bike will go quite well without it.   A year down the track, yeah maybe, if you want more out of it & want to do all the other upgrades to go with it.