It's all about learning. Yes it can be overwelming, but you can learn. FWIW, FI isn't a race thing. It's making vehicles so much more efficient and they run soo much better. I bet your the same guys that buy a hotrod and if it has electronic ignition, you put a dual point distributor in it? F'that. Don't fear technology, embrace it. If you want a dinosaur bike, there's plenty of them out there. Let the rest of us have reliable running bikes.

 

i'm a systems engineer and an IT director, computers don't scare me. today i built a SQL cluster on two HP blades and an MSA back end storage connected via iSCSI, fully redundant and highly available.

however i hate efi on a harley, it IS a dinosaur bike, the engine is a dinosaur, it's dinosaur technology and efi really offers no benefit for it. i don't think efi makes a bike better at all, it all depends on your preference.

that said i stand by opinion that when people have efi problems all the people who claim how simple efi is are nowhere to be found to help the guy out.

 

I prefer the carb. My wifes HD is efi, my bike has a carb, mine consistantly gets better mpg, runs smoother and performs as good if not better. Oh, gotta pull the choke to start when cold... big deal. Carburators are very simple and are gravity fed (gravity has never failed).
I had a 1998 FXSTC ( softail custom, that I should have never sold) that had 47k and other than rejetting when new, never had a carb issue, my point is, very reliable.
I realize that efi can be turned to precisely feed each cylinder seperately but they just run and feel very different to me.
I must say, I don't care for the fly by wire throttles either. But this is just my opinion & we know about opinions... don't we.

 

EFI is far superior when used for performance but HD has only used EFI to meet EPA requirements. The carb is my choice because I can make modifications and not have to spend an arm and a leg for a tune. Everybody has a fuel managment system to sell to overcome HD's EPA setup that is mostly EFI driven.

I really hated to lose the carb option, it does match that old dinosaur engine to a T. However if the EPA was not in the picture the EFI would be my choice.

 

My sled has EFI, and sometimes I get a little concerned about what happens if the box gives up the ghost or it conks out while I'm on the trail. Having a 600 twin that belts out 105 hp is a rush though. I think HD is on the right track though with a sequential port injection system, however its a speed-density system- MAF systems are more sensitive and have greater performance potential. I wouldn't be afraid to have an EFI bike in the future, by that time the bugs will be worked out just like what the automotive industry went through.

 

I have to go with the majority on this one . people looking for a late 90's bike are doing so because they want the EVO motor and that usually manes a CV carb and not fuel enjection . I myself just bought a 95 Road King to get one with the EVO motor and CV carb .

 

There is no engine in this universe that doesn't benefit from 100% correct mixture 100% of the time and that's what EFI provides.

Is a carb perfectly adequate? Absolutely. But to say that there's "no benefit" to EFI is to demonstrate a significant lack of understanding about the system.

The Ford 302 was "made for a carb" as well, but the EFI versions start easier, run better, make more power, get better mileage, and are significantly cleaner in terms of emissions. Just because an engine design started out with a carb doesn't somehow magically mean that EFI won't provide any benefits.

 

Boy, every EFI 302 I've ever owned has been about 1/2 as reliable as my old Carb'd one and definately DID NOT get better MPG. My 69 Stang had a carb'd 302 when I got it and it would fire first try no matter how cold it got and consistently got 20mpg (as an average) despite a sloppy torque converter, an non overdrive c-4 tranny, the aerodynamics of a brick and a teenager at the wheel. I fully believe w/ some better tuning and an overdrive mid to upper 20's was possible. I've never seen an EFI 302 accomplish significantly better than that. Heck, I've never even seen an EFI 302 accomplish that.

I just old enough (31) to have experiance w/ and understand carbs and just young enough to understand EFI as well. EFI is one of those things that sounds great on paper but in the real world offers limited benefit. In order to fully exploit the benefits of EFI you will have to un-do all of the tuning the factory did and start from scratch.
The cost to benefit ratio of an EFI setup is terrible. You will spend 1000's to get something that's only marginally better than a good carb setup.

Case in point, I rejetted and tuned my Carb'd Sporty (no, I didn't just drop in a jet or 2 and call it a day: I actually spent the time to get it right). I would gladly put it up against any EFI Sporty w/ similar mods in MPG, HP, or any other thing you want to compare. I have less than $20 invested in that tune (although several hrs.).It starts easy, runs smooth, makes good power, get's 60mpg on the road and is stone dead simple/ reliable. It would take 20x that much to accomplish the same thing on an EFI bike for the most minor of advantages.

I will take a carb'd bike any day. Now, multi carb setups, that I may reconsider because those things are a PAIN.

 

Been riding for 40 years ,over 300,000 miles on carbed bikes,never a carb related breakdown,My Bike is a 04 flhtc Mikuni Carb,would not buy another new bike because of the so called improvements(fly by wire fuel inj and so on).

 

Ditto, I'm a carb fan............like workin on em too!!!!