EFI to carb swap can be done. How much it will cost ya depends on the year and model HD. Twin Cam - OEM CV-40 carb with manifold (ebay$150) and a Thunder Heart Stand Alone Ignition system (ebay $325.) Sportsters - same as Big Twins BUT you will also need to change the Cylinder Heads. The intake ports from EFI will NOT work with a carb intake manifold. Now here's the Good and Bad news. GOOD - increased torque, lower idle (won't sound like a sewing machine on steroids.) ANY engine modifications, a simple $3 jet change or idle mix screw adjustment. The BAD - you WILL throw damn near every Error Code. Your CHECK ENGINE lite will always be on and when you take it for your yearly inspection, will be cause for failing the Safety Inspection. There's 2 ways around this, EFI bikes use an ION Sensing ignition coil and some non OEM spark plugs will throw the CE light on. That happened to me, so I disabled the LED for the CE light. Got over 60,000 miles on my EFI to CV-40 conversion. Cammed it and did a 105" big bore, only took an idle mixture adjustment, not a $400 + "tuner.

 

How do you figure a "reduction" in any of those things? My '98 gets the same gas mileage as my '09 did. It's easier to work on (if I need to do so) and far less expensive when/if I do need to. Rideability is no different. Where do you get the "rideability" will degrade, from? Same with durability...what's less durable between the two? I have to honestly say too, that the performance of this '98 is a good deal better than that of the '09 I had (both are FXD's by the way). I even had a nice, expensive, aftermarket tuner in the '09 and it didn't really do much of anything to make it run/ride any better/faster. Yeah, I use the enrichener on cold 32 degree mornings (and colder) and let it run for about 30 seconds, but if I was in a hurry, I'd just get on, choke it and go. Things is, you read about how the FI is just that - get on it and go - but how is that any better for an engine when almost *everyone* agrees that it's better to let the oil circulate a little first before taking off? The FI bikes still oil the same way, so FI is not any better in this instance either. Besides, if one doesn't have the patience for 30 seconds or a minute, they have deeper problems, heh.

I'm not saying this is probably true for all bikes in comparison, but it was/is for ME, so I guess it's just my humble opinion and nothing concrete to say carb'd is 'better' than FI.

Other than that, I agree with it being not very cost effective and the whole elctronics thing will be probably a nightmare to figure out.

 

I experienced a lack of power because of the enriched fuel mixture. Your experience may differ.

 

Then push the enrichener back in...but if you're talking about richer mixture at elevation, then you don't understand constant velocity carbs or how to properly jet them.

 

I always find it hilarious that on this board...A person asks a question, and most of the replies are people telling him no to do it rather than answering the question...



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Twin...hsZV:rk:5:pf:0

 

Most people I've seen go that route do so because the old Magneti Marelli (MM) fuel injection systems stopped being made in '02 and parts are difficult to find, as well as tuning them can be a challenge. It's generally less expensive to convert back to carbs that sell your bike and buy another, and certainly less painful. Tom's got you link to pricing, but as to labor - this is something you'd want to do yourself. If you have a reasonable tool set and are capable of following instructions and have patience, you should be able to do this.

 

If you want a bike with carbs, just buy one. Plenty out there.

 

That is cool they started making kits......

 

Carb jets (jet needles in particular) erode fairly quickly due to the introduction of ethyl alcohol that is now present in the vast majority of motor fuels. Once this happens, "rideability/durability" goes out the perverbial window. I know of this, personally.
With FI, there are no parts that erode because the ethyl alcohol coated aluminum is not within a presence of oxygen. (Oxygen is required to start the errosion process.)
Next week, we chat about how methylene chloride erodes aluminum! ????

 

Next weeks topic will be how to get rid of that blasted electronic ignition and install points.