Hello All,


I am considering whether to get a bike with EFI v. Carb. Any advantages/disadvantages to either? Would it really affect your buying decision if one bike had EFI and another had a Carb, all else being equal?


Thanks.


R,
Sanjuro

 

EFI starts better when it's cold, better chance of fixing a carb on the side of the road.

 

This is a well-beaten horse.

EFI is more precise and allows more accurate tuning.

Carbs are simpler, dead-nuts reliable, don't require sensors all over the bike (each one being a potential point of failure) and allow easy DIY tuning without computers and other fancy stuff.

IMHO, for a simple, single-intake tractor motor like an HD, carbs are all you need. Multi-intake, multi-cylinder high performance motors I'd prefer FI.

All things being equal, for an HD type bike, give me a carb.

 

Yep that. I prefer a carb because of how easy they are to fix anywhere. And I can make adjustments very easily instead of having to reprogram an efi bike. However, there are some trade offs. Have to let a carbed bike warm up longer. There is some tinkering involved at times. So just depends on what you are looking for.

 

If your starter dies, you can push start a carbed bike. Not sure about EFI.
No fuel pump, or potential leaky fuel pump hose, inside the tank, to worry about with a carb.
Reserve fuel capacity with a carb.

Cheers!

 

Very well said!

 

Excellent - thank you all.


Looks like a carb bike will be just fine! Now I need to learn all about carbs and how to fix and adjust them.


R,
Sanjuro

 

EFI is more efficient and provides better performance, EPA cafe standards brought about the demise of the carburetor in cars back in 1990. EPA emission level mandates have gotten so tight that carbs just can't match them anymore.

The real advantage of EFI is allowing manufacturers meeet EPA efficiency and emission requirements so they can keep building shiny new motorcycles that we all love.

 

There's really nothing to it. Poke around at the S&S and CV Performance web sites for lots of videos.

 

What now takes me $500 for a tuner and another $200-$300 for a dyno tune used to take me a half hour and a $7 jet kit. I am done with FI.