05 Road King Custom. Do I want Carb or EFI?

I’m purchasing a 05 Road King Custom, which model would be best? I plan on changing pipes and air cleaner. Also, I may install a big bore kit or a Screaming Eagle 103 kit.

I have an '04 Heritage Softail with EFI. I have had NO PROBLEMS AT ALL with the EFI under temps from 25* to 95*. Fires right up and runs smoothly from the get-go. I had a carb Sportster that was tempermental, and need some choke antics to run smoothly. Go with the EFI. Changing pipes and stuff will require retuning the EFI, but a dealer can do it, or look at the Power Commander thing for DIY.

Yo, down the road,

Painter

Painter55 hit the nail on the head. I just bought a 2004 Road King Classic, installed the big bore (95ci) kit, Vance & Hines 2 into 1 HS Pro Pipes, with the EFI and I to have had nothing but awsome power. Its starts much easier than a carburated bike. I would suggest to anyone who has about $900 to $1,300 sitting around and wants head snapping power to have the stage 2 big bore kit installed. Ride Safe, David.

EFI all the way!

I'm an old school hardhead, but I appreciate the electronics. My first EFI bike was a 99 Ultra. What a difference is starting, hot, cold, warm, u name it. H.D. charged 1000 for it, then 600, now 400, so don't expect carbs to bearound too long. Hell, Detroit got rid of carbs in '87m lol. Just get yourself a power commander to tune with, and any changes you make like cams, intake, air cleaner, pipes, can be tuned from your computer, no muss, no fuss, and right on the money.

Some of us have to be drug into the new age I guess. If it dont puke, cough, and be tempermental once in a while, it just aint a Harley. Give me a carb......I know, I know....I'm in the minority........but motorcycles shouldn't be fuel injected or computerized.......I know.....I'm a dinosuar.....hear me roar.....now if you don't mind, im gonna go listen to my 8 track and watch a little Lassie.

General rule if you plan to go big is to go carb. S&S said the same thing this summer when I asked at them at Sturgis. The other thing to note here is that after 2006 you may not see a carb option ever again thanks to the #$@% EPA. Get your carb while you can. I will never let mine go!

Carb

I may have some problems with my carb on my sporty but I loved the post from KWalker. Now that is the same ways most of the guys I know think. I also am against my bike being computerized. I am so fed up with the auto industry. They have almost made it necessary for me to go to the shop to change wipers. I still want to be able and sit down with a buddy over a cold beer and get dirty and oily working on a bike. Even if I am not the best mechanic and know more about computers than I do about bikes I think there still needs to be a seperation of bike and pc. I think it looses something sitting next to my Honda Davidson with my laptop.

Hey KWalker what 8 tracks you got playing? You got an RC Cola or a Pabst for me?

I keep thinking I want to go back to the good ole days, too, until I remember those long, hot nights on the Gulf Coast without a/c. And, God forbid, trying to heat up leftovers without a microwave...............etc.

I remember getting on my 1966 Triumph and kicking the heck out of it before it finally started and having to synchronize the carbs once a month or so and cleaning up the oil underneath..............and it was one of the good ones. No more points and condensor for me, I'll take the electronics everytime. I like to ride, I can do without the greasy fingernails these days.

How far do we want to go back? My father used to tell me about his Harley built in the early 30's. He loved riding and took it all over the country. It sounded so romantic until he talked about having to manually pump the oil into the engine as he rode down the highway.

Memories.............that's where I want to keep them.

Be safe!

I like being able to replace needle valves.
I like being able to replace jets.
I like being able to adjust my air mixture.
I like being able to do all this myself.
I'll keep my carb untill they take it away from me!

irjay

Electronics are the first to go

Electronic devices can be nice. I do not need them much on a bike. I still prefer having a car or bike where when I am out and about and there is a problem I can fix it on the way without calling AAA. OK when my belt rips then oh well.

I do not think that I am the only one who has witnessed this but whether it be car or bike the first to go is always the electronics. To make matters worse they are also the most expensive. Kind of double jeopardy. On top of this about the only person who can help you with electronic problems is the HD shop and these guys get 65$ an hour.

I learned to ride on a 75cc Honda dirt bike. Kick start. So yes I do like my electric starter but hey what happens when the electric starter gets stupid on me???? I kicked that honda once or twice and it was on. Never had a problem with it and it had almost NO electronics.

I am not saying that you will have any problems with the EFI. I know that you can do a heck of a lot of tuning with a few changes to the electronics and a good laptop. I guess I am a bit of a hypocrit since I work all day with pc's and then say no to a pc on my bike but I guess working so much with pc's and all the errors and problems they bring I do not need them on my ride.

nice to have choices

Same deal as the SE II's vs other after market mufflers...personal preference. Nice to have a choice no matter which way you go. The point is to GO......

Hey Usahellas......

I got steppinwolf playing right now with Paul Revere and the Raiders close behind. I just watched an episode of the Rifleman while chugging "Lone Star" beer (it's a Texas thang). Anyway, to each their on when it comes to EFI/Carb, but I prefer the carb for all of the reasons you stated. My buddy owns a EFI Heritage. When we sit at a stop light, his has a perfect idle....no hesitation, no difference in rpm....boring. Mine sits there with that carbed v-twin lope that sometimes sounds like its gonna die and at others sounds like a Chevy 396 with solid lifters and a roller cam just before it launches from the line. Anyway....I wouldn't change it for the world. It sounds like the carb is going away come 2007 but Im gonna run the Sh*t outta mine till then.

Pro Efi

My sporty is carbed for now.I work on speed doors and they are all ran on PCs.They tell what is wrong witch saves me time to ride.I'm all for EFI!

Choice is a wonderful thing. I like the EFI, and since it seems to be the future, I am putting in the time now to learn how to exploit it.

Yo, down the road,

Painter

carb-or-E.F.I.

I'm all for technical advancements,But I to prefer a well tuned CARBURETOR over new school ,map download type tuning.Maybe in the future when it's perfected
I'll be swayed to change,for now my MIKUNI is just fine.Too hard rolling a laptop
into my tool roll...

Efi

chuck;

My two cents go with the EFI. I have a 03 FLHRCI and an 01 FLHDL the DL has a carb and I still haven't got it dialed in as well as I would like. In the cold weather it takes what seems like forever to warm up. Have to remember to adjust the choke, etc. Mind you I love the bike (it's my hot rod).

The FLH on the other hand got a Power Commander for it and couldn't be happier. Change a component and download a new map couldn't be easier.

kgc

EFI. Turn it on, start it up, and drive away. Runs great hot or cold with no stumbling. (Go ahead carb guys, let me have it.)

I wrote an article a while back comparing carb versus EFI. If you take two bikes with exactly the same engine mods, the price to make comparable power is actually pretty close and gets closer when you modify the engine more.

Both bikes assumed to have say, a Ness Big Sucker @ $89.00

EFI Power Commander PCIII USB $290.00
Grand total: $379.00

Carbed Ignition to get curves correct: $245.00 on sale.
Jet kit (we us the Yost a lot) $84.00
Grand Total $418.00

Now, let's say you have a good selection of jets (not common) and a good understanding of tuning techniques (less common), you can save the $84.00 making the total $334.00

At a basic stage I and maybe mild torque cams, we can be in the same ballpark ($45.00 difference) and build the same power.

But, let's go 95", TW37 cams or larger, the Delphi can hold it's own to well over 100HP but, the CV is going to be pushing it in the hi 80's which means, modified CV (big bucks), CVK 44, S&S Super E or least expensive option the Mikuni Easy Kit at $250.00.

So, $334.00 + $250.00 = $584.00

Further, with a Dynojet 250 and load cell you can tune the EFI quickly and easily.

Now, don't get me wrong...I have had my hands soaked in race fuel changing jets on Holley's and still appreciate the simplicity of a race cars electronics but I know what is coming and I know we have to get our minds wrapped around it.

Another poster said they preferred a carbed over EFI because they could fix it on the side of the road..Again, an EVO or earlier ride I would some what agree as you could do fuel repairs and check for spark, test the pick up fairly easily. However, if we compare apples to apples, a carbed bike has all of the same sensors and it has a computer controlling spark and timing. You would need all of the exact same tools to test those sensors as you would the EFI bike. The difference is that you might be able to repair a carb problem etc.