Wow this was an endless discussion as the dawn of offraod bike FI was upon us. I for one was fullbore into the FI thing. Since owning my 2013 TXC310R and now a carburated TE300 I am now not a fan of FI for OFF ROAD Bikes.....MX ok but with all the contamination potentenial in offroad/trail bike refueling, I have become a less enthusiastic about it. Just wanted to say that, thats my story and Im sticking to it......for MX yes for OffRoad racing standard bikes no. Bullet proof Beta still using Keihin FCR carbs those things are bullet proof. I was almost to the point of installing a TC250 FCR carb onto my TXC310R . WHT Huskys having some FI issues?..........why not orange KTM having FI issues? seems maybe they do their baja bike, was carbby equipped right? cure for the FI blues, of course their is, way better filtration solutions from gas can to tank to pump to manifold to injectors, or just put an FCR carb on......my 450s with FCRs never had any issues....I mean, zeee ro.
Both white and orange has FI issues. But after rejetting my FCR carburetor 27 times and still not being exactly how I want it, I'm ready to throw it through the window. So much easier to tune an FI unit. Even the FI units on the two strokes are better.
Yeah eventually you'll be stuck with FI again. Even the 2 strokes. Sorry . For me FI is really about all I know, so a carb is nerve racking to me.
I will NEVER go back. Once one gets the FI issues and gremlins sorted, they flat out rock. I cannot tell you how mice it is to trailer the bike half way across the country and roll it out 8K feet above its last running point and it fires and runs flawlessly. I get better performance across the board and immensely better mileage. I had jetting the FCRs down pat, but it was becoming a serious pain...and there many times I missed the mark and wound up with stumbles or really flat spots. Other than some minor issues right after purchase, by Husky EFI has been awesome. I WAS worried about water - but after my full river drowning last weekend, I am assured that the EFI and electronics are just as rugged as a carbed bike.
All good, I'm glad I opened this, and I know that every top tier comp bike out there (4T) is FI now along with every 4 wheel racing vehicle from roadrace to Dakar type rally (there is "some" dust in dez rallys). I like hearing the inputs. (Deep down I agree)...... my MY11 TE310 (in MY12 OEM TXC spec) Mikuni injection that so many folks slagged was absolutely perfect everywhere sea level desert to the heights of Idaho. My MY13 Keihin is fierce as long as the throttle is opened some....transition from chop throttle zero to open....no bueno, needs an accelerator pump!! Anyway I just love my new back to the future past TE300 2T with the carbby induction system its at its zenith of carb tech!!
I also am starting to notice 4S kickers back in the woods again. I would NEVER have considered a carbed kicker int he woods. This past weekend I saw lots of fast guys riding KX250F's and asked them about the bike. Super light, uber fast and they light on the second kick no matter the condition. Morning start, hot start, upside down, hanging from a tree - second kick every time. It has me thinking about picking up a super cheap leftover TC for a project bike!
Wow. You're missing out on riding a whole bunch of awesome bikes, because you refuse to occasionally kick start them. Lee's see... XR650R, XR400, every 450 motocrosser before like, 2008...
A well sorted FCR on a Beta would be just fine with this guy Much simpler and reliable when you are off the beaten path. TBH, if something failed on my fuel injected 310 and I was in the bush, I would be helpless at best. I don't know the first thing about FI or fuel pumps for that matter. Just my 2 cents
Hey Robertaccio! You gott a admit, the mileage on your 300 is nowhere near as good as the FI bikes. That's gotta make it tougher on your Baja rides.
I like EFI, even though my hair is greyer & now less of it after my months of fiddling with my 449. Properly set up & (here's the key) user ADJUSTABLE efi is awesome. Ask the dudes riding efi YZs, WRs, KXFs, CRFs & KTMs/Bergs who have the software/tools to set them up. A well set-up carb can be great for the average Joe too, like me, but if you're serious & racing, you'll be changing jets at events all the time. Soooo much easier to plug in a hand reader/laptop or whatever & with a few key-strokes, change the whole character of the bike. Fuel metering can be more precise to, so fuel used can go down compared to carb bikes, most of the efi models that replace a carb model have smaller tanks. Less weight, better handling, better use of the avail. power, all good stuff. Not as end-user repairable though. My ideas for what it's worth.
Efi can also be set up as active traction control. This is not AMA legal, but can be a godsend for riders who don't race.
Also launch control fitted standard to KXF 450s about 2 years ago & I believe the 250 as of this year.... Pull in the clutch, select a gear & switch on launch control, turns off when 3rd gear is selected on the way to the 1st corner holeshot
Launch control, and to a lesser extent traction control, can be done on bikes with computerized ignition but "conventional" carb fuel delivery. Since every bike since... 1985?... has computerized ignition, this is pretty generic. That being said, I don't know what products out there actually offer this. That stuff (2-step launch control, etc) is very common with the drag race (car) crowd, with companies like MSD offering many options.
I hope there will always be an option for a capable woods bike with a carb, 2T and 4T. Just not interested in FI and never really had a problem with carbs.
Lol - those are EXCATLY the bikes I dont want! I wish I could find a pic of a 650R burried in mud with aline of guys waiting to kick. At 150 pounds I could barely get one "kaplunk" on it!
I rode my EFI bike today, for the first time, in a mudd mudd race ... Practice was about 10 laps in the dry then it rained ... Absolutely a blast at the race. Little too early to figure out much on the bike ... Best thing I can say now is, it might be better somehow ... I'll be during more testing later this week -- I posted a video out here somewhere of a guy on that bmw hp4 or whatever their hotshot bike is called, racing some high horsepower cars .., On a wet road also... He talked about and was asked about the traction control on the bmw ... He said he was not nearly as smart as that device but he would not use it in the race .. He also gave a reason why he did not want to use ... He then proceed to whip the cars, including one that had 4-wheel drive also ... Just to be nice, I'll say all these gadgets are the best! But in the case of myself only, I don't want to ride a video game. (I liked it out there in the mud and rain today at the race, playing with my clutch, .... its a country boy from AR thang I guess)
