Are all EFIs created equal?
#21
01-26-2019, 09:37 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
Thinking of converting my carb'ed chopper to EFI with an aftermarket kit.
The $2k price tag is gonna feel like a kick in the dick but I need the bike to start in cold weather when I don't have access to an outlet to plug in a heating lamp.
The 2001 Fat Boy is the first year of EFI for that model and it fires up in single digits without complaint.
Wondering if any EFI is going to fire the bike right up no matter the temperature or are some aftermarket EFIs better than others?
The $2k price tag is gonna feel like a kick in the dick but I need the bike to start in cold weather when I don't have access to an outlet to plug in a heating lamp.
The 2001 Fat Boy is the first year of EFI for that model and it fires up in single digits without complaint.
Wondering if any EFI is going to fire the bike right up no matter the temperature or are some aftermarket EFIs better than others?
#22
01-27-2019, 02:29 PM
mr. king, please re-read the post. i did not say carbs are crap, just when carbs were crap. carbs came a long way and it is only recent that efi got mastery over them. one of the worst in memory that came up quickly was the amal i had on my brit machines, PTA. it seems also that rice carbs were superior to usa varieties, one of the best upgrades to my 74ch was a mikuni vm38, still kicking today.
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Kingglide549 (01-27-2019)
#23
01-27-2019, 02:33 PM
Stellar HDF Member
What I hear is a battery that has been left sitting (sulfating) without a tender. As mentioned earlier the battery doesn’t get fully recharged after a lengthy cold start. Then left to sit and sulfate some more before the next cold start event comes around.
YOU CANNOT ASSUME THE ALTERNATOR WILL RECHARGE YOUR BATTERY. The alternator keeps a charged battery topped off.
Remove the battery when not riding for a week or longer so you can take it to an electrical outlet to charge/maintain.
You have a big engine to crank over so you need all the advatages a fully charged and tested battery with good quality cables and connections.
Once you have that nailed down if the bike doesn’t fire right up full choke and 2-3 accelerator squirts (verified by looking into the carb when twisting the throttle) you have a tuning issue.
Bob
YOU CANNOT ASSUME THE ALTERNATOR WILL RECHARGE YOUR BATTERY. The alternator keeps a charged battery topped off.
Remove the battery when not riding for a week or longer so you can take it to an electrical outlet to charge/maintain.
You have a big engine to crank over so you need all the advatages a fully charged and tested battery with good quality cables and connections.
Once you have that nailed down if the bike doesn’t fire right up full choke and 2-3 accelerator squirts (verified by looking into the carb when twisting the throttle) you have a tuning issue.
Bob
#25
01-28-2019, 10:49 AM
What I hear is a battery that has been left sitting (sulfating) without a tender. As mentioned earlier the battery doesn’t get fully recharged after a lengthy cold start. Then left to sit and sulfate some more before the next cold start event comes around.
YOU CANNOT ASSUME THE ALTERNATOR WILL RECHARGE YOUR BATTERY. The alternator keeps a charged battery topped off.
Remove the battery when not riding for a week or longer so you can take it to an electrical outlet to charge/maintain.
You have a big engine to crank over so you need all the advatages a fully charged and tested battery with good quality cables and connections.
Once you have that nailed down if the bike doesn’t fire right up full choke and 2-3 accelerator squirts (verified by looking into the carb when twisting the throttle) you have a tuning issue.
Bob
YOU CANNOT ASSUME THE ALTERNATOR WILL RECHARGE YOUR BATTERY. The alternator keeps a charged battery topped off.
Remove the battery when not riding for a week or longer so you can take it to an electrical outlet to charge/maintain.
You have a big engine to crank over so you need all the advatages a fully charged and tested battery with good quality cables and connections.
Once you have that nailed down if the bike doesn’t fire right up full choke and 2-3 accelerator squirts (verified by looking into the carb when twisting the throttle) you have a tuning issue.
Bob
Doing 4/5 pre-start throttle twists (instead of my usual 2) helped a lot this morning but then again it was just below freezing, not single digits.
There will be times that I won't be able to get the bike on a tinder overnight (when I don't have access to a power source) but I would have ridden the day before.
#26
01-28-2019, 12:29 PM
Stellar HDF Member
#27
01-28-2019, 01:09 PM
If the bike tries to turn over then reverts to clicking sound your battery isn’t powerful enough to turn over the engine.
Folks who think if they put a tender on a low battery it will fully recharge it are kidding themselves and will continue to have starting issues.
Bob
Folks who think if they put a tender on a low battery it will fully recharge it are kidding themselves and will continue to have starting issues.
Bob
Date of Mfg 7/2018 installed on 8/1/2018.
Engine is 107ci S&S.
#28
01-28-2019, 01:28 PM
Stellar HDF Member
To better understand why your newish battery may not be ok anymore. Take a read on sulfation https://www.crownbattery.com/news/su...ry-maintenance and how it possibly applies to your situation.
Especially the last sentence of the article.
Bob
Especially the last sentence of the article.
Bob
Last edited by FLTRI17; 01-28-2019 at 01:30 PM.
#29
01-30-2019, 08:19 AM
your bike is especially prone to issues with the battery. you need the Yuasa GYZ series battery. are your compression release valves functioning properly? this is very important and should be confirmed. batteries are sensitive to temperature. even if you do not have access to a tender where you park the bike, you might need to remove the battery and take it inside with you when you get home and keep it's temp up overnight, then take it back out and put it in before you ride. I know this sounds like a pain in the ***, but you have to remember that you did not buy a bike with anywhere near as much R&D put into it as a modern FI H-D. It was never meant to deal with the sort of conditions that you describe, I don't care what your salesman or any rep from BIG DOG cares to say. I've been working with BDM since their very first bikes came out and in their hayday to their factory serveral times for addtional Factory training. It's a fair weather bike, not an everyday rider.
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#30
01-30-2019, 08:52 AM
your bike is especially prone to issues with the battery. you need the Yuasa GYZ series battery. are your compression release valves functioning properly? this is very important and should be confirmed. batteries are sensitive to temperature. even if you do not have access to a tender where you park the bike, you might need to remove the battery and take it inside with you when you get home and keep it's temp up overnight, then take it back out and put it in before you ride. I know this sounds like a pain in the ***, but you have to remember that you did not buy a bike with anywhere near as much R&D put into it as a modern FI H-D. It was never meant to deal with the sort of conditions that you describe, I don't care what your salesman or any rep from BIG DOG cares to say. I've been working with BDM since their very first bikes came out and in their hayday to their factory serveral times for addtional Factory training. It's a fair weather bike, not an everyday rider.
m
m
A reputable Big Dog tech told me the first thing he does to any Big Dog is replace the battery with a Harley Battery since the Harley batteries have a casing that prevents leakage and it's the leakage that ruins the EHC.
Is there a version of the Yuasa GYZ battery that has this Harley casing that prevents leakage?
The compression release valves are working properly.
I would love to trade the Big Dog in for an HD since my HD fires right up in frigid weather and that's with the first year EFI, the Big Dog just looks so much better.