Am looking at used Sportsters, wanting one to share space with the 05 RKC. Not afraid of carburetors but thinking FI a better choice these days with the worsening state of pump gas. No problem with a std 2007-2010 FI XL, but I found a really clean, low mileage 04 1200R Roadster which still has a carb. I really like XL Roadsters, but FI versions are more than I want to spend.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Mike

 

I have a 2001 sporty with a carb, no issues with pump gas. I've had FI sporties and no problems with them either. But FI requires computers, remapping when changes made to motor whereas with the carb, may need to rejet. if you're comfortable with carbs, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Personally I prefer the '03 and older due to being solid mount vs the rubbermount. Though no "problems" with the rubbermounts, they are heavier. Good luck whichever way you go

 

If fuel is going to effect the performance or cause issues with a carbed bike, then it will with F.I. also.
I wouldnt worry about it myself. If I had the extra money to burn, I would yank all the fuel injection off my bike and throw a carb on it. I like carbs, I have never been stranded because of a carb issue. But when F.I. goes, you done.
Remember F.I. relies on multiple wires, multiple sensors, multiple fuses, a fuel pump, a computer and im sure a couple other items. Any of those go sideways, your grounded. So they both have good and bad points.

 

I deliberately sought out an 04 - 06 Roadster because it has a carb . The main reason was that I'm inclined to stick to what I know and I know zip about EFI except that it's got a pump that can go wrong and you have to plug in a magic box of tricks to tune the engine. Nahh .🤪 After 40 years of doing my own maintenance I changed to a Harley to make my life less complicated . One carb , two pistons , self adjusting tappets and spark plugs that I can see . What's not to like ?

 

Carbed bike, change pipes, rejet - cost under $5.00. EFI bikes, change pipes, buy tuner - cost $300.00 or more. Go with a carb.

 

I have to agree with the carb guys. You can learn to tune and overhaul a carb. If your EFI craters, you get to visit your HD dealer and pay him to diagnose and fix a problem. Carbs have worked just fine for like 100 years. EFI is great but when YOU have to do the repairs, simple is better in my world.

 

Well, there isn’t much tuning on a 91-03 stock ignition box.....so, toss in an adjustable ignition. Frankly, a bone stock 91-03 1200 or 883-1200 without anything else is a mutt. Considering a stock internal rubbermount 1200 is capable of 12 more hp, I’d say carbs are behind apple to apples. Although the rubberduck 1200 has superior stock heads, cams and compression compared to a solid mount. I’m a carb fan, only because I don’t own a FI xl. FI is the way to go imho after the dust has settled

 

Love carbs too (only on a motorcycle that is) wish I could convert my '13 efi Iron to a carb..but it's very expensive for me to do that over here. EFI has a lot of advantages too..if u are a performance guy, learn about efi stuff and go for a better tuner like the Power Vision.

Dont make the mistake i did by going with the Fp3 and then get to know how limited it is and then request V&H to fix it's broken system for years on end only to get no fixes.(link below, post #83)

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/vance...p3-have-9.html

 

Some valid recommendations provided....I had an original carbed 80 XLH1000 and a FI 2011 XL1200L and the FI runs/performs a lot better. I now own a 71 FLH with a S&S Super B (no accelerator pump) single throttle push cable. The carb bikes IMO are actually easier to diagnose and correct. For the FI bikes, you need some knowledge about tunes. I had a powervision tuner which was great and user-friendly, but a little pricey. However, never needed an indy with the powervision. FI's are very dependable and my daily rider...my vintage bikes, although they ran well...needed some TLC.

For AFR, carbs would just need to change jetting (pilot and/or main depending on the issue), idle mixture, idle speed, and accelerator pump....FI's would need to access the ECM and adjust the AFR table however you need to know what and where to adjust. There is a lot of support to do this on here and through suppliers like Dynojet/Fuelmoto. On a couple of occassions, I sent my tune file to Jamie at fuelmoto to address a few issues, he adjusted several tables, sent the file back, flashed it, and done issues resolved....can't do that on a carb.

Not telling you which to get or which is better......just providing some pros and cons based on my experience....it is your personal choice.

 

FI is far superior in many ways, though maybe not enough depending on the deal you get on the older carb model. Most on here are being a bit deceiving when talking about the cost of redoing settings adjustments and rejetting on carbs, it can get very time consuming and time = money and less riding time, you will learn a lot though and hopefully the internet can cut down on that with narrowing the choices on what to use and you sound like you have some experience with carbs.
I got rid of my last carbureted vehicle in 2009, it was an '86 Bronco. If a good deal came along I wouldn't hesitate to get an older vehicle with a carb, but to me, I prefer FI and the new technology, overall, I have found it much cheaper and less time consuming.

Remember, once you get a tuner for the bike (if you even decide to make changes) you still use the same tuner on that bike for any changes.