Carbed vs FI Motocycles. Your preference?

[HardDrive]

Why do I have this feeling that I have stumbled upon one of those questions that has no real answer?

Are carbed bikes a lot harder to start? That seems to be what I have read. But I rode a Kantana 600 way back when, and I don't recall having starting issues with it, even stone cold.

Your thoughts?

The debate here centers around buying a 98 vs an 01 Ducati.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I ride a 750 Katana with carbs and wouldn't have it any other way. The less electronic crap on my bike (and in my cars) the better.

Although F.I. does offer up the nice potential for turbocharging...

[Noah930]

My current bike ('93) has FI. My previous bike ('00) had carbs. I keep them stock, so I don't know if there's a huge difference. If I were planning on heavy mods, that might be different. The carb'd bike I could work on by swapping jets, etc. The injected bike by playing around with mapping programs (like with a Power Commander). Cold starts have been equally finicky in the two bikes. In the end, I don't think the issue, alone, would sway me one way or the other. I have a set of mercury sticks just sitting around, though.

[LakeCleElum]

I'd owned probably close to 75 motorcycles over the years. Most with carbs start right up when tuned correctly. Not always. On the other hand, most FI bikes have to spin over 2 or 3 revolutions to take readings from various sensors, process the info, adjust and then send the spark. So, you won't get an FI bike to start with a quick tap of the starter button.

What I really like about an FI bike I have (ST1300) is: The warmer the weather, the better the fuel mileage. With the air being less dense, it mixes less fuel. I also like the fact that it pretty much runs great all the time, regardless of temp. or elevation. Can't say that with carbs.

I guess the tradeoff is: If I ever want to change my exhaust, intake or make other mod's, it's not as easy as swapping jets to compensate.....My vote is to buy the FI model...

[varmint]

i sort of miss carbs. i've got two or three still laying around here somewhere. fi is superior in every way for performance. but it's another degree of alienation from the workings of the bike.


still, get a power commander. if you love to tinker, the possibilities are endless.

[ramonesfreak]

im guessing my ram-air into carbs is what gives my bike such a ferocious sound, so i choose carbs but..i never had a FI bike so not sure

[porsche4life]

I know it sounds bad but im not sure if my street bike (02 250 virago) was carbed or not. It ran so good that i never messed with it. I fear that the enduro(88 Nx250) of my dads that I am working has some serious carb issues however.

[cab83_750]

My Yamahas were both carbed. As stated above, tweaking the carbd ones would be easier. The bikes started fine cold and hot.

Unfortunately, FI wins in most cases......especially early in the morning: With FI, you start and go; with carbs, you start, you wait, then go.

[York]

Last time I opened the fuel petcocks on my '77 BMW R75/7 w/Bing carbs, one foot got drenched in gasoline. FI seems kinda nice sometimes.

[VincentVega]

I'd rather have efi, for mpg and better starting alone.

For a Duc, I cant get over the later bodywork so carbs it is.

[javadog]

I have owned a ziilion of both, so I'll throw out a few things to consider. If you leave the bike sitting for long lengths of time, you'll have less trouble with an injected bike. With the crap gas we have now, even if you add Stabil or a similar product, you'll have to deal with crud in the carbs. The FI bikes deal with this better. Most injected bikes have pumps, which also helps if the bike sits a lot. The older carbureted bikes often had a prime position for the petcock which was nice, unless a float valve stuck. Newer carbureted bikes often have a vacuum operated petcock without a priming position, and these will be a b**** to get going if you run the float bowls dry.

When riding, you'll find that the injected bike generally runs better, although I have one carbureted bike that I think has perfect carburetion. The injected bikes frequently have a little problem transitioning from closed throttle to open throttle, which can make smooth corner entries a little harder to achieve. Fewer carbureted bikes have this tendency.

Modifying either is a pain in the butt, better left to people that do it for a living. Yes, you can do it yourself but most people that do are baely scratching the surface of what you can adjust. A typical carb has at least 10 or 12 parameters to play with and most require changing parts. The theory seems simple on the surface but it gets deep in a hurry. Without a dyno, you're just peeing in the wind. FI isn't much more user friendly, but it doesn't require changing so many parts.

JR

[cab83_750]

BTW, you can no longer buy mercury to use in your 'carb sychoronizer tool.'

[jhynesrockmtn]

My 93 VFR is carbed and starts right up every morning. The newer CBR600F4i I test rode before buying the VFR was fuel injected. The throttle on that bike was very finicky. The gas was either off or on and hard to modulate. I haven't ridden other FI bikes so not much to compare it to. I wouldn't be afraid of a carbed bike if it's been well cared for and jetted properly.

Hardrive, have you been test riding bikes? Still focused on a Ducati? If you'd like to ride the VFR, let me know! I love it.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

Hardrive, have you been test riding bikes? Still focused on a Ducati? If you'd like to ride the VFR, let me know! I love it.

Your going to let a man with a learners permit who hasn't been on a bike in 10 years ride your VFR? You sir, are brave....or crazy.

On the upside, I'm good for any damage I might do.

[speeder]

There is a big "if" in my answer; but if a carbed bike (or car/truck/boat/plane) is tuned properly and carbs are functioning as they should, it will perform beautifully including starting and idling. I've owned many bikes w/ carbs from early Triumphs to BMWs to Japanese bikes and never had problems starting any of them. Haven't owned injected bikes, but I've owned countless FI cars and some of them were actually a lot more trouble. CIS would be an example; great system when all is in order, not so great when you are trouble-shooting and replacing expensive components.

Of the two Ducs listed, I have heard that the last carb'ed bikes performed a little better than the early Fi ones so some people prefer them, but I would weigh the over-all condition/miles/service history of the bikes in question WAY above the carbs vs. FI issue. They are both good.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Your going to let a man with a learners permit who hasn't been on a bike in 10 years ride your VFR? You sir, are brave....or crazy.

On the upside, I'm good for any damage I might do.

Hell, I'm new to this too. I rode my CB400f for a few months, easy bike to ride. Very light, relatively small, etc. The VFR is heavier but not a beast by any stretch. If you've been riding a bit and feel comfortable, then yeah if you wanted to compare it to a Ducati, feel free to hit me up. I'm not trying to steer you away from a Ducati. I'd like to have one some day. It really depends on what you want to do with the bike. I wanted one to ride every day and the VFR seemed to be a better every day motorcycle for me at this point in my newbie riding career. I've also met several experienced people through www.vfrworld.com who swear by them.

A few photos from last weekend.





Me arriving for the event. Did 150 miles that day, not huge but by farthest the most I've ridden in one day on a motorcycle. It was nice to be able to stretch it's legs.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by speeder

There is a big "if" in my answer; but if a carbed bike (or car/truck/boat/plane) is tuned properly and carbs are functioning as they should, it will perform beautifully including starting and idling. I've owned many bikes w/ carbs from early Triumphs to BMWs to Japanese bikes and never had problems starting any of them. Haven't owned injected bikes, but I've owned countless FI cars and some of them were actually a lot more trouble. CIS would be an example; great system when all is in order, not so great when you are trouble-shooting and replacing expensive components.

Of the two Ducs listed, I have heard that the last carb'ed bikes performed a little better than the early Fi ones so some people prefer them, but I would weigh the over-all condition/miles/service history of the bikes in question WAY above the carbs vs. FI issue. They are both good.

+1. Carbs are more linear and direct, but more troublesome, particularly over any lengthy storage period, more so recently with the crap that passes for fuel.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by cab83_750

BTW, you can no longer buy mercury to use in your 'carb sychoronizer tool.'

Says who? I just bought a carb synchronizer a couple months ago and no problems.

[serge944]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

That's awesome! Where do I sign up to ride on park sidewalks?