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I was told the 2007 and up Sportsters are now all fuel injected, no more carbs. Im thinking about trading my 2002-1200 for a newer model as mine is very cold blooded as popping and lugging takes place for the first several minutes after startup. Question is does the injection on the newer ones eliminate that. Started one up at Harley yesterday and noticed it still died out at an idle when when first fired up. Salesman stated,no popping or lugging on the injected ones when cold, but he could be trying to push a sale over. What are the big advantages of injection, over carb, if any.
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There are lots of advantages to the newer bikes... FI = faster throttle response, rubber mounted engine = less vibes, no disassembly of carb to tune. But they are still cold-blooded... that is the nature of an air cooled engine.. I have an 02 883 and an 08 Nightster and there is a world of difference in the way they ride (besides the engine size). The newer one is more comfy on longer rides.
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There are lots of advantages to the newer bikes... FI = faster throttle response, rubber mounted engine = less vibes, no disassembly of carb to tune.
There are a lot of people who would disagree with that. Carbs are also still dominating at the track also.
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not trying to talk you out of a sporty, but have you checked into the prices on something like a super glide since the economy is hurting at the moment? May be able to get a good deal on a big twin motor... but to answer your question - i went from an 06 carbed sporty to the wide glide. There are several "advantages" in my mind, but some people like carbed bikes. It's mechanics instead of electronics for them. But with the FI - there is LESS popping and carrying on. I don't want to say no popping. But the throttle response is much improved.
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There are a lot of people who would disagree with that. Carbs are also still dominating at the track also.
Yep, there is no way a EFI bike will have the same quick throttle response of a carb'd bike that is set up properly.
On top of that, install one of the performance (non-EPA approved pumper carbs) such as the Mikuni HSR-42 I'm running on my 95" WideGlide and the throttle response is instant and immediate.
I have a EFI FatBoy that has a Screamin' Eagle Race Tuner and has been dyno tuned for maximum performance. Even so, the throttle response is nowhere need that of my bike with the Mikuni HSR-42. That's just a weakness of any EFI system.
I own both EFI and Carb'd Harleys, and for ease of modification and top end performance a carb'd bike will always lead the pack.
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OK there is a difference between someone who knows how to tune a carb right and the general rider turning his own wrenches. So for tuning ease, the EFI is easier BUT alot more expencive. It takes $10.00 to buy a jet for the carb and $300.00 to buy a tuner for the EFI. and that is just the start. but on the other hand, how much is a mikuni carb going for? For the every day rider, I would say buy the efi bike and ride and upgrade a little at a time. My 09 Nightster runs damn good and out runs the carbed bikes here. But I never ran into someone who spent alot of time upgrading their carbed bike like oldfenderguy does.
i have to say that i love my injected bike... i never liked playing with the choke on my carb bikes- and waiting for them to warm up. now i just get on and ride !!
have a fuel controller on it and have tuned it to run rich. no stalling, no popping, just a perfect ride all the time. cant beat that imo.
The choke circuit on the Mikuni HSR carb's are different than the stock CV carb's, and warming up the bike is almost as easy as one with EFI.
Unlike the CV carb's, the choke circuit on the HSR is self adjusting, almost like having an 'automatic' choke.
You pull the 'choke knob' out, fire up the bike, and it provides the correct mixture so there are no pops, back firing, hesitation... When the bike starts to warm the choke adjusts itself, unlike the CV choke circuit/knob that has to manually be pushed in and out to obtain the correct mixture.
After the engine warms up the choke circuit/knob closes itself down to what would be considered a 'fast idle'. At that point you reach down, push in the knob the remaining 1/16th inch or so, and the choke circuit is completely closed..
Works almost as easy as having EFI, but you also have the benefit of the easy tuning, and instant throttle response (because of the adjustable accelerator pump).
The HSR Mikuni are somewhat more expensive than your stock CV's, but in this case you get what you pay for, and there isn't a better carb for high performance applications. In fact my mechanic friend has told me that to get the same flow rate of a HSR 42 you would need to run a CV 46.
But then again, EFI is great for someone that just wants to hop on their bike and ride, maybe do the normal 'Stage 1' type downloads, but isn't interested in obtaining every available horsepower the engine can provide.
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Last edited by OldFenderGuy; 11-05-2009 at 11:37 AM.
No "enricher" to fiddle with as the bike warms up, so you can't forget and leave it on.
Just tap the starter and let it run for a minute (just enough time to buckle the helmet and put gloves on), pull off and ride gently until the oil gets warm too -- my carbed bike wouldn't let me do that.
Plugs don't foul, EFI adjusts for weather and altitude. I changed my plugs at the beginning of the season, but only because the outside was starting to rust.
Down side is when you change stock air box and/or pipes. Then EFI hits you with a big cash penalty to re-map. Like mifnight said above, a re-jet is cheaper than EFI at that point.
Last edited by mbwannabe1; 11-05-2009 at 12:54 PM.
Fuel injection advantage.......
