Why I like carburetors:

Carbs are easily adjustable without computers or other high dollar tools. When a carb starts acting up, it can be rebuilt time after time for about 25- 50 bucks.

An EFI system is a necessarily complex efficient system. There are way more things to mess up, and you ain't gonna fix 'em along side the road. When EFI goes south, you are out big bucks, even if it is for something as simple as the injector.


Is EFI better? Depends upon what your definition of better is.

 

I like to resist progress from time to time.[sm=vader.gif]

 

Well the model T was at one time the rage, and sometimes progress isn't embraced, but who drives a model T everyday. I like carbs and EFI both, my last two bikes have been EFI, with over 40,000 miles with no problems except a loose battery connection that caused intermittent fuel pump operation. It's the wave of the future for bikes and has been for auto's for the last two decades.

I would say most people drive and own a car with EFI and don't think a thing about it, and the motorcycle industry has surmassed it's EFI technology from the auto industry. It's a fact there's little trouble with EFI, it's like computers some people are just afraid of it because they don't understand it. You can have a carb and have trouble, nothings fool proof.

I can live with either one, but I have learned as much as possible about the EFI and it's not that complicated, but it does have more good features than bad and I for one like it.

 

I like carbs because they are easy to work on and tune. I don't like carbs because all my friends that have them have way more problems starting and warming up their bikes. My EFI bike starts with no problem and warms up much faster without having to pull out the choke and then forget to push it in while I'm sputtering down the street.

I've had 9 carbs and 2 EFI's. I really like the EFI but I don't want to push it on someone who likes carbs. If that were the case then why doens't Harley just make one color bike or one model bike. Gee, wouldn't life be easier if everyone had a 2000 Orange Screamin Eagle Roadglide (lol).


Terry

 

thats easy, FUEL INJECTION SUCKS!

 

Hey Mike - why do you say that? I bet your car or truck has fuel injection. Although I don't claim to be a mechanic, correct me if I am wrong regarding the following. In simple terms, a carb depends on air velocity, manifold pressure and jet size in order to deliver the proper fuel/air ratio. EFI, on the other and, compensates for air temperature, air pressure, crank position, throttle plate position, oil temperature, and pre-ignition. Sure looks like the EFI should do a better job at what it's supposed to do. Agreed, if there's a problem, it may be a bit more difficult to narrow down, but, aren't EFI problems rare these days? Please note - I'm on a learning curve here having been a carb and EFI guy all my life (short at that, only 59 years), just trying to get the opinions of you more experienced guys - having fun doing it too!

 

I had a 97 S3-T Buell with ****** heads and cams, mikuni carb and it was a great running bike. But when I had to adjust the carb (in the spring and fall when I lived in North Carolina) it was a 45 minute gas soaked event.

Now I do have EFI and the plus is once I installed the PowerCommander, I ran the cable up thru the seat rail and leave the pigtail in the saddlebag. Takes longer to boot the laptop than it does to change the map AND change the timing (many forget this is capable on the EFI with the PC, and you can actually change the whole timing curve, not just the base timing).

I recently (Monday) put a new exhaust on my bike (Bassani 2:1 from stock headers with White Bros E-series) and the capabiliaty of changing the fuel curve in a couple of minutes allowed me to spend more time riding and tuning, rather than dropping jets and turning screws.

Also, to compare, Carb's is a general term. Some are much easier to tune like the S&S than the stockers or the Mikunis also.

Carbs:
Pros: Cheap to tune, simple desgin, cheaper to repair down the road
Cons: Hard to tune "dead on", more suseptable to weather changes

EFI:
Pros: self adjusting, easy throttle operation, and IMO superior road performance
Cons: Tuning Tools are expensive (just take it with you to your next bike), part replacement is expensive

 

One reason I like carbs is all of the performance enhancements available and the ability to tune it for a specific niche.

EFI is great if you are riding where there is a lot of elevation changes or temperature changes and it is smoother, now if they can get cheap and easy performance mods for EFI and to program in the HD sound at idle I might consider changing...

p.s. all of my vehicles are EFI and my Jeep project actually has an aftermarket version with new programmed power curves at a cheap price...