Carbs vs. Injection

[motoRay]

Can anyone tell me if it's just my imagination--or do carbies sound different from injected bikes?

Also, anyone want to take a stab at pros and cons of each?

[cyrus buelton]

My carby definitely sounds different..........however.........might be those pretty FCR's 

[erkishhorde]

Carbies are harder to start in the cold but the fuel pump is outside of the tank and easier to get at if they need replacing.

[junior varsity]

Pro's of Carbs - cheap to tinker with and reject when you have changes in mods.
Con's of IE - DP ECU's and the like are a little more spendy.

Con's of stock carbs - You must coax the bike to life with the choke.
Pro's of IE - it does it for you.

Pro's of Carbs - you can switch to flatsides and go faster
then again, you can switch from IE to flatsides too I think.

If somebody shoots at your bike with an EMP device, your carbie keeps on fueling.

[ScottRNelson]

Pro's of Carbs - you can switch to flatsides and go faster
then again, you can switch from IE to flatsides too I think.

What makes you think that flatslides can somehow produce more power than properly tuned fuel injection?


I like being able to adjust carburetors with the simple tools that I own, but fuel injection is much easier to live with, especially on cold mornings when the bike has been sitting for a while.

[junior varsity]

What makes you think that flatslides can somehow produce more power than properly tuned fuel injection?

Because Chris @ CA-Cycleworks has people running split singles with short manifolds on 1000DS motors and making a ton of horsepower I believe.

See: http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=21876.msg392322#msg392322

[ScottRNelson]

Because Chris @ CA-Cycleworks has people running split singles with short manifolds on 1000DS motors and making a ton of horsepower I believe.

See: http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=21876.msg392322#msg392322

Thanks for the link.  I didn't realize that.

[erkishhorde]

In terms of monsters, sadly a lot of shops don't keep carbie parts in stock anymore since the last carbie monster is nearly 10 years old now. 

[al@sktc]

If somebody shoots at your bike with an EMP device, your carbie keeps on fueling.

[the_Journeyman]

My FI bike doesn't shake the whole damn house with a backfire from hell & simultaneously light the driveway with a blue flame at 6:30AM when it's 20F and I'm having a hard time starting it.

The FI bike has a VERY different intake sound, but that's probably because it's a 900 and the carbie is a 750.

JM

[dlearl476]

Also, anyone want to take a stab at pros and cons of each?

Carbs suck, FI blows. 

fuel injection is much easier to live with, especially on cold mornings when the bike has been sitting for a while.

+1

But, IMO, FCRs fit the image of "Monster" more, especially at 1/2 throttle<.   
I just wish it wasn't so darn hard to light the fire when it was cold.

[erkishhorde]

My FI bike doesn't shake the whole damn house with a backfire from hell & simultaneously light the driveway with a blue flame at 6:30AM when it's 20F and I'm having a hard time starting it.

The FI bike has a VERY different intake sound, but that's probably because it's a 900 and the carbie is a 750.

JM

I wish my carbie shot blue flames! 

[Autostrada Pilot]

My FI bike doesn't shake the whole damn house with a backfire from hell & simultaneously light the driveway with a blue flame at 6:30AM when it's 20F and I'm having a hard time starting it.

The FI bike has a VERY different intake sound, but that's probably because it's a 900 and the carbie is a 750.

JM

Damn dude, there's no way I'm even thinking about my bike when it's only 20* outside.  Maybe it's lack of cold weather gear, but riding when it's that cold is no fun for me.

[chisel]

Carbs are a passive fuel delivery system. FI is an active system. This means that FI can adapt and react to changing conditions in the environment, altitude, heat, etc, carbs cannot. This means that power tends to be more consistent in all conditions with FI.

Carbs are easier for the home user to tune, but again, you can only really get a general sense for the tune in whatever condition you tune it. FI can be tuned to deliver exactly the right amount of fuel to the engine at all levels of RPM, and can actually be done faster and more accurately than jetting and rejetting if a dyno and computer terminal is hooked up.

Usually FI takes less maintenance because it is a pressurized system. For example, one must drain their float bowls of fuel if they are going to store a carbed bike for any period of time to ensure that the varnishing of the fuel doesn't clog the jets. Because FI is pressurized, it will clear a varnish clog most of the time.

Repairs are another story, however. There are more parts and they are more sophisticated in FI. One must really, really have to understand their particular system to properly diagnose a fuel delivery problem. One must be part electrician and part mechanic to find the sensor(s) at fault and replace as needed.

Fun fact: one of the carburetor's closest technological relatives is the toilet!

[bobwithboobs]

whats a "flatside"