MXA PRODUCT TEST: JARDINE PRO-TUNE 3 FUEL MAP PROGRAMMER:

On Feb 24, 2010

MXA PRODUCT TEST:
JARDINE PRO-TUNE 3 FUEL MAP PROGRAMMER

WHAT IS IT? The Jardine Pro-Tune 3 is an easy-to-use fuel injection adjustment tool that is pre-programmed to work on a Honda, Kawasaki or Suzuki. Best of all, you don’t have to do anything more than press a button to make a change. The base maps set up to work specifically with Jardine RT99 exhaust pipes.

WHAT’S IT COST? $310.00 (Pro-Tune 3), $580.00 (RT99 exhaust system).

CONTACT? www.jardineproducts.com.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with Jardine’s Pro-Tune 3 and RT99 exhaust.

(1) Installation. After removing the fuel tank, installation is as quick as inserting an inline plug. Detailed instructions with color photos are included. We zip-tied ours to the handlebar pad.

(2) Ease of use. Honda’s adjustment tool requires you to remove the 2009 CRF450 tank and connect a PC each time you want to make an EFI change (although on the 2010 CRF450 you don’t have to remove the tank anymore). Jardine’s tool (although it doesn’t allow ignition timing changes) only requires pulling over to the side of the track to reach down and push buttons.

(3) Operation. Making adjustments with the Pro-Tune 3 translated directly into carburetor language. By pressing the “mode” button, you can adjust the pilot, needle or mainjet (which are denoted by green, yellow or red lights). The transition between modes can adjust how soon the needle takes over from the pilot and the mainjet mode from the needle. Finally, although Jardine doesn’t recommend making any big changes, you can adjust how much fuel the accelerator pump squirts.

(4) Design. Most fuel-injection adjustment tools make changes based on rpm settings at a given load. Depending on the gear the bike is in, different loads on the engine require different fuel delivery for maximum performance. Jardine prides their tool on being load specific. Jardine also claims that their tool works best with their RT99 exhaust.

(5) Performance. On our 2009 CRF450, the Pro-Tune produced a noticeable difference, not in the position of the powerband, but in the texture of it. The Pro-Tune 3 delivered a torquier feel to the bottom end and a crisper quality to the midrange. It had the same feel as changing jets do on a carbureted bike.

(6) Other exhausts. We were reluctant to believe that the Pro-Tune 3 would only work with the Jardine RT99 exhaust, so we ran several different brands of exhaust systems to check. After a couple of motos and a bunch of quick stops to push buttons, we were able to improve the feel of all the pipes (although it should be noted that we never felt any increase in overall horsepower, only in the way the power felt).

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? The Pro-Tune 3 made the powerband feel torquier, but in many ways this was just a sensation. The bike wasn’t any faster, just better jetted (which made it crisper). Unlike the Honda reprogramming tool the Jardine Pro-Tune 3 can only change the fuel settings…not the ignition timing.

The Jardine Pro-Tune 3 allows for quick and easy fuel map changes, which would come in handy on highly modified engines, cold weather riding or at varying altitudes. Its best feature is that it has on-the-fly adjustability.