[simonDyna]

EFI vs Carbs....guaranteed to divide consensus.

The tunability of EFI is far better than Carbs. The breakdown of how much fuel will be delivered at a particular rev at a particular throttle opening is a great step forward. The three dimensional mapping is an excellent way to view what is actually hapenning at any given time. The ability to swap between maps for a given application using a plug-in tuning device or a laptop is another good step forward in my opinion.

In my case, I have a road setup and a track setup. It currently takes me 2-3 hours to swap between the two carbs and inlet tracts. To be able to swap between the two required settings by plugging in the laptop and have it done in minutes is something I would much rather do.

The problem is that it is far more difficult for the "home builder/tuner" to be able to perform modifications on EFI systems because they dont have access to a rolling road/dyno/AFR sniffer. The components and plans are out there to build you own sniffers but as yet, I have yet to see someone put one on the market.

Secondly, it is all very well swapping maps in a couple of minutes but some poor sod had to spend hours writing the map in the first place. Thats the bit that puts everyone off. its bloody expensive.

Writing your own maps is time consuming. Most people wouldnt know how to start. Three dimensional graphs are not the easiest things to understand but once you get the hang of them, they are not rocket science. Deciphering the blocks of numbers behind the maps takes a while to get the hang of but it can be done.

Carbs on the other hand are mechanical. They are something you can strip down, fiddle with, refit and away you go. All in the comfort of your own garage, shed, front room, roadside and so on. They are reletively cheap and simple to work on.

The EFI system that Harley use is actually one of the better ones on the bike market. Compared to a lot of the other manufacturers, they pretty much work straight out of the box and keep working without the need to be updated or remapped. Only once you start changing engine/induction/exhaust compenents do you need to alter the settings, obviously.

With regard to getting more "poke" or more anything from an engine, the induction system will only be complementary to the assembled components. Get the mechanics done first, be that cams, big bore kits, headwork etc, etc and then look to fuel it correctly. No amount of EFI tuning or carb tuning will create torque or horsepower if the correct mechanical components arent in place.

I'm in the carb camp at the moment but the more I see of EFI, the more I like.