Last Updated on Thursday, 26 November 2009 21:32 Written by Seven Sunday, 08 November 2009 01:00

Read our in depth product test on Power Commander Ignition and Fuel Modules.

Power commander:

We took the fuel and ignition modules from Power commanderIII and fitted them to the 2008 fuel injected Kawasaki Brute force.
Then we rode in UTAH, and back home thru the wooded trails, finally we tore it up down the drag strip.

Installation:
Installing was quiet simple but you need a little knowledge of the Kawasaki to remove all the panels and replace them, but it's not the end of the world just carefully lay it all out. If you have no knowledge at all but want this great product we suggest going to a qualified mechanic, I suggest Jody from performance atv ((845) 534-5479 this is who I use for maintenance on my Kawasaki.
Jody has raced and developed atv's all his life and is very good with aftermarket products.
The whole installation start to finish took about 4 hours, I would just advise to take your time and carefully read the instructions.
You can do it quicker but then what time would you have to watch TV in between.

Programming:
I didn't program my actual Unit, but I did hook it to my laptop to take a look at the software provided.
It comes with an installation disc for the computer, Its easily installed and connects via the port under the seat connected to the unit.
Anyone with any knowledge of mapping software good luck! I highly recommend taking it to a reputable tuner.
I took my quad to a very good friend of mine local in Pine Bush Llyodz Motorworks.
This guy is a wizard and holds world records in engine tuning which is done in house.
Here are the figures for the dyno run.

(insert chart with click to enlarge)

UTAH:
We took the brute to UATH and rode to 14,000 ft in elevation.
I pulled a trailer that weighed in at 1000 lbs.
The quad performed flawlessly, although there was a little loss of power at high altitude I had no problems starting or riding throughout the whole trip.
not to say my trailer didn't and we ditched it half way through the trip. (broken axel)

Wooded Trails:
90% of my riding is done through wooded trails so this was a good test.
I have ridden for months now with the power commander units and love them.
they give me plenty of grunt and loads of mid range power.
All in all a very good add on for trail riding.
They stand up to total punishment riding and cleaning, as we all know the under seat are of the Kawasaki brute force doesn't get away without being in the elements!
I have ridden in snow, rain, sunshine and not had a problem.
I take my seat of to wash under the seat and not had a problem at all with water.

Dirt Fest:
Now came the most fun tearing it up down the drag strip.
We held a weekend ride this year called Dirt fest, as many of you will know quad fest is no more.
So in our infinite wisdom we took over and now hold a yearly get together called dirt fest.
So now everyone wanted to know just how fast was the Brute?
Did the Power Commander make a difference?
Was it going to make that much difference in a real life scenario?

So we lined up all of my friends, went to the start gate and guess what? yep the brute beat them all.
I ran with 650, 750 brutes all had different levels of tuning, pipes cdi boxes etc and I beat them all by at least 3 quad lengths.
The big one I was looking at was the new Polaris Sportsman XP 850 EFI, was the brute going to beat this?
We lined up and let rip, we did three runs and yes I beat him 3 times by about 4 quad lengths.

Pros:
All round power
Fairly easy install
Very good software for laptop
Durable
Good quality product
Easy downloadable mapping from website
very good customer communication

Cons:
For the money I think they could have made a nicer bracket to fit the unit in place, just a nice suggestion would have been a plastic bracket using the original fixing holes and then piggy backed onto the original units, not the velcro!
To get the max from your quad you need to buy both units, but for the money you can tune each cylinder individually, and you get a high end quality product.
When I finally get round to changing my quad would I buy the power commander unit for the new one.
Yes I would.

Overall rating I would give this a 9 out of  10 if they make a bracket I would give it a 10!!!
A personal thanks to the Power commander team and Nelson Yee
Here is the direct link to the unit for the Kawasaki Brute Force.