Sportster EVO rubber mount fuel injection
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Tourer
Joined: May 2014
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From: Eastern foothills of Shenandoah Mountains, Virginia
Sportster EVO rubber mount fuel injection
What year was first Sportster fuel injection?
2007? Were there EFI problems that year?
I'm debating selling my Softail Heritage Classic 1999 FLSTC (last year EVO engine & carburetted) and getting a Sportster again. (I had a 2005 XL883C ).
The carburetted '05 was easy to work on - would a fuel-injected engine be any more difficult? Or expensive?
2007? Were there EFI problems that year?
I'm debating selling my Softail Heritage Classic 1999 FLSTC (last year EVO engine & carburetted) and getting a Sportster again. (I had a 2005 XL883C ).
The carburetted '05 was easy to work on - would a fuel-injected engine be any more difficult? Or expensive?
Last edited by Kayakeur; Dec 6, 2018 at 05:12 PM. Reason: clarify
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2011
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From: San Diego, CA
2007. I have not read of any particular problems with EFI on those bikes that I can recall. Probably a bit more expensive as you may decide to buy a tuner so you can change the fuel maps if you add pipes, air intakes, or engine mods. Not as cheap as a few new jets, so you have that to consider. Other than that, it seems a pretty reliable system. I have a 1991 with carb so I can't give you first hand knowledge, but I have read a lot of comments and don't recall any particular flaws in the 2007 EFI systems that I can recall. I'm sure others will chime in with their knowledge soon. Good luck, and welcome back to the Sportster world!
I would assume a well tuned EFI bike would probably be better than a carbed one, if only because of more precise fuel and ignition metering. I could be wrong.
John
I would assume a well tuned EFI bike would probably be better than a carbed one, if only because of more precise fuel and ignition metering. I could be wrong.
John
Last edited by John Harper; Dec 6, 2018 at 05:40 PM.
04 was the first year of the rubber mount, 07 the first year of fuel injected.
No flaws in the EFI, from day 1 on the sportys. However, they do run lean from the factory.
When I first made the jump from carbed to EFI it was a pretty big learning curve (if you do your own tuning), they also do not sound as good as a carbed bike, they also do not get as good as MPG, even though they are tuned lean from the factory. (yes, I know this is counter-intuitive, but a well tuned carbed bike will generally get better mpg than a factory efi, all else being equal). If you want to do any tuning of the EFI bike, it will be more expensive than a carbed bike. Here is a LINK to a Report on the popular tools used for tuning EFI bikes.
It'll take a while to quit reaching for the petcock and the enrichner ****. lol
I was concerned about all the extra electrics being reliable...leaving me stranded somewhere. Gotta say, I've now traveled over 250k miles on EFI Harleys and never had a single issue with the EFI.
No flaws in the EFI, from day 1 on the sportys. However, they do run lean from the factory.
When I first made the jump from carbed to EFI it was a pretty big learning curve (if you do your own tuning), they also do not sound as good as a carbed bike, they also do not get as good as MPG, even though they are tuned lean from the factory. (yes, I know this is counter-intuitive, but a well tuned carbed bike will generally get better mpg than a factory efi, all else being equal). If you want to do any tuning of the EFI bike, it will be more expensive than a carbed bike. Here is a LINK to a Report on the popular tools used for tuning EFI bikes.
It'll take a while to quit reaching for the petcock and the enrichner ****. lol
I was concerned about all the extra electrics being reliable...leaving me stranded somewhere. Gotta say, I've now traveled over 250k miles on EFI Harleys and never had a single issue with the EFI.
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Last edited by DK Custom; Dec 6, 2018 at 07:12 PM.
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
Sportsters were the last of the Harleys to receive EFI, so it is reasonable to assume that the MoCo had ironed out the challenges of fitting and using it. My EFI Sporty and Buell are just fine! As for the 'extra electronics', H-D was one of the first manufacturers to adopt electronics on their bikes, back in the '70s and our Harleys have had an increasing amount of solid-state electrical stuff ever since. This is not something new, nor should we give a second thought to it IMHO!
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,175
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From: Philly PA
I've had my 2006 carbed Sporty since new and bought a 2007 Sporty in the spring. I'll say the start ups in colder weather are nice on the 2007, but otherwise I have seen no significant differences in how they run. The previous owner did put on Rush slipons and had the dealer do a remap which I suspect should be tweaked a bit. And mileage does seem to be a bit lower riding locally on the 2007.
The only issue I am aware of is the contacts on the relays on some of the earlier fuel injected bikes can get corroded. Simple solution is to pull them and put some dielectric grease on them.
The only issue I am aware of is the contacts on the relays on some of the earlier fuel injected bikes can get corroded. Simple solution is to pull them and put some dielectric grease on them.
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 6
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From: Collegeville, PA
Actually, the very earliest EFI Sportsters did indeed have issues with their fuel pumps. Harley put out TechTip TT328 "2007 XL Fuel Pressure Regulator/Low Fuel Pressure" in August 2007, which was a full year into sales of the EFI bikes (I bought mine in August 2006). They also went through 3 revisions to the fuel pump in that first year.
However, not all 2007 bikes had the issue and it's very likely those that had the problem should be resolved by now. So, not really something to worry about. For the most part, the EFI is the same as all the other HD's and has been reliable.
However, not all 2007 bikes had the issue and it's very likely those that had the problem should be resolved by now. So, not really something to worry about. For the most part, the EFI is the same as all the other HD's and has been reliable.
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