Triumphrat

guzzi · 11-01-2012, 01:33 AM

Hello all. I've been gone from the forum for a long time. Now looking for a new- to- me bike. I had a 2001 Bonnie in the past, sold it when I was ill from some medical treatments. Now I'm back, looking for a fun standard bike that will eventually become a sidecar tug. Sportster, Bonnie, CB750, etc..

I'm wondering if you long time owners think Fuel Injection is better than carbs , (specifically on the Bonnie). I'm fairly familiar with the carb models, the AI removal, etc. But I've been gone whilst the FI came out. Has it been working out without much tinkering? Special tools or equipment needed to keep it in proper nick? is there a common problem to look for while I shop for a Bonnie? The naked eye shows some good looking tubeless rims since my departure, but not much else besides the FI. I guess if the FI is not a wonderful improvement, I'll stick to what I know and save a few grand....

If this has been discussed before, forgive me and post a link to that discussion. Thanks in advance !! Shorty

norton74 · 11-01-2012, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guzzi

Hello all. I've been gone from the forum for a long time. Now looking for a new- to- me bike. I had a 2001 Bonnie in the past, sold it when I was ill from some medical treatments. Now I'm back, looking for a fun standard bike that will eventually become a sidecar tug. Sportster, Bonnie, CB750, etc..

I'm wondering if you long time owners think Fuel Injection is better than carbs , (specifically on the Bonnie). I'm fairly familiar with the carb models, the AI removal, etc. But I've been gone whilst the FI came out. Has it been working out without much tinkering? Special tools or equipment needed to keep it in proper nick? is there a common problem to look for while I shop for a Bonnie? The naked eye shows some good looking tubeless rims since my departure, but not much else besides the FI. I guess if the FI is not a wonderful improvement, I'll stick to what I know and save a few grand....

If this has been discussed before, forgive me and post a link to that discussion. Thanks in advance !! Shorty

I have had carbs on bikes that I have owned since the late 60's. Now I have a 2012 T100 with EFI. Love it. Given a choice, I would go with EFI every time.

richm · 11-01-2012, 10:12 AM

I'll second norton74's comments. The difference between EFI and carbs is just that. With either bike you need to tweak it to run really well (remove AI, snorkel, remove baffle or entire air box, pipes........ how ever far you want to go). Difference is that while you re-jet with a carb'd bike, you simply reprogram the ECU for EFI. With TuneECU and the excellent tunes available from TTP, there's nothing to fear about EFI.

Get the bike you get the best deal on and enjoy......

WindTherapy · 11-01-2012, 10:13 AM

i'll tell you a couple things i've noticed.
My 2012 EFI Thruxton needs a little help to stay started when it's cold. That's probably due more to the fact that i need a proper tune than anything else. My brother's Carb'd 08 thruxton starts up and stays running easier. However, given the proper tune i'm sure that'd go away. The tune i need is $140 therefore i just haven't done it yet.

The down side i see to my brother's Carb'd bike is that about once a year he takes it to get the carbs professionally sync'd. When we go anywhere above about 2500 ft in elevation he has to take a tool with him to adjust the carbs so he can run at high elevations.

Other than those things i think the only advantage carb's have over EFI is the lack of electronics, and the easier ability to adjust to doing big bore modifications. I hear that if you want to do either the 988, or larger stroker motors you are best off going with carb's.

Hope that helps.

Aussiematt · 11-01-2012, 10:15 AM

This has been extensively debated in previous threads.

Carbs gives you more options to upgrade (FCR/CR replacement carbs etc) if you want to increase HP. I prefer carbs because I have gone down this route and have the tools, garage and know how to fiddle. For those less willing to work on their bikes I would stay with the newer EFI. Carb versions are harder to come by now. If you want to buy new EFI is your only option.

oopo · 11-01-2012, 10:17 AM

I got one of the earliest FI (2008) and it seem like you get a bit more power, no worries at different altitudes and you never need to do anything except if you change parts.

Only problem I had was last season when some small hoses had gone bad and some sensors got false air which messed with the air/fuel mixture.. Easy fix though. And the reason why they went bad could be because I messed with them my self..

alfacliff · 11-01-2012, 10:19 AM

efi is nice for tuning and such, but when the parts go obsolete, thats all for it. I work on industrial electronics, and much of the stuff from just 5 years ago is now obsolete and there arent any more parts. not all, but some parts are now gone forever.
cliff

Ropeferry · 11-01-2012, 10:19 AM

I've put 60,000 km on my EFI 2010 T-100. Total joy, trouble free.

I just bought a second bike: 2005 T-100. Hopefully the carbs will be something that I'll come to enjoy.

Sheepdog · 11-01-2012, 10:30 AM

The FI bikes require close attention to proper battery voltage to ensure sensor health. A Battery Tender is a good idea for keeping your power source within its prescribed range.

richm · 11-01-2012, 10:36 AM

What electronics are you talking about? Yes, an EFI bike has an ECU, but carb'd bikes still rely on an electronic igniter - so your obsolete argument would apply to both. I remember this exact same argument when bikes first started adopting electronic ignition and there are still plenty of bikes from the '70's on the road. This is certainly not something I'm concerned about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfacliff

efi is nice for tuning and such, but when the parts go obsolete, thats all for it. I work on industrial electronics, and much of the stuff from just 5 years ago is now obsolete and there arent any more parts. not all, but some parts are now gone forever.
cliff