Dyno Tuning with RPM Performance

Buddy Moore - Dyno Guru

by Bill Dragoo

Everybody I hang out with loves horsepower. Motorheads love it so much that motorcycle manufacturers have been known to stretch the truth sometimes, just to make us feel better. Factory performance numbers are like a placebo, a sugar pill to boost our egos. The truth is sometimes hard to come by.

So, what do we do about it? Well, you could do what I did and give Buddy Moore a call at RPM Performance Cycles -(405)761-2217. Buddy plays his dyno like Charlie Daniels plays the fiddle, only the music to your ears is what you see on the screen. I watched him shake out my built 2006 KLX 250 S. Buddy’s fingers fly over the console of his dyno like June rainfall in a Costa Rican rain forest, touching just the right switch or key to pull up data, or chart each run. When he shuts it off, he has already assimilated what he saw just seconds before and he quickly converts that information to tuning instructions. Follow them and the sugar pill melts into performance that’s real!

We made a half dozen passes as we worked to sort out the little dual sport and, boy, was it worth the investment! The KLX started life at 17 horsepower. After some engine work and with Buddy’s guidance, it now puts out 28.3 horses measured accurately where it counts. At the rear wheel! And the best part is, it ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.

So in my book, having all that power is great. Having Buddy fine-tune the engine for all it’s worth and then seeing it on the printed page is priceless!