Carburetor or EFI Hawk?

[T4rscott]

Hey all,

I’m seriously thinking about a Hawk in the spring.

This will be the first bike in over ten years. I’m able to wrench and tinker with confidence.

So to the question, carbureted or EFI? Part of me says carb to keep it simple, no worries about extra electronics and fuel pumps. However, the other part of me says fuel injection so I don’t have to mess with the carb. It would also be nice to have the inverted fork.

So, what is everyone’s advice or opinions? Let me know. I want to be 100% educated before I spend any money.

Thanks

[Boatguy]

This is going to be a good thread! Keep the gloves on. Ha ha ha.

EFI is the more simple way to go

Have you ever heard of something with fuel injection breaking down? They almost never do. Remember cars? They used to have carburetors. All they ever did was break down. Vapor lock. Carburetor problems. Flooding it. Dirty fuel. EFI put an end to all of those difficulties.

It’s the same for other engines. Outboard motors. Carburetors are awful. EFI and you just turn the key and go. Or pull the cord and go.

Same with our bikes. Sometimes you might not get the best fuel. Sometimes you will leave ethanol fuel sitting in it. EFI eliminates all of that as an issue.

I was reading a thread on here the other day about somebody trying to figure out what carburetor to buy or what jets to buy because they are going riding in Colorado. I didn’t even think about something like that. I just pulled my bike off the RV and went for a ride at 9000 feet 10,000 feet. Didn’t even think twice. It works just as well there as it does on sea level.

For 1 million reasons, EFI is the simpler choice.

It’s not going to break. It just doesn’t. Carburetors give way more trouble than EFI. That’s why you get the EFI. To avoid all those carb problems and breakdowns.

[tknj99]

EFI is the simpler and less fuss choice but not necessarily the best one..
EFI will bring you lean out of the gate with no tuning capability, no piggyback or ECU tune options
And as a result no performance add on gains to be had later on if you choose to...also more complications.. Ecu, fuel pump, electronics
For those reasons, carb all the way

[TxTaoRider]

I think efi is the way to go if it uses high quality parts and you you dont plan on modifying your bike.

Unfortunately, if you read all the issues with the efi bikes on this site you'll get the idea that these Chinese budget bikes haven't got the bugs worked out yet.

[2LZ]

Ok, I'll play.

On such a small motor, and small engines are what we're discussing here, EFI is unnecessary.

Once you get the carb jetted to your mods/elevation, which is a one time, simple process, they're touch-free.

Most importantly, if something does go wrong (clogged jet from dirt, etc), it's an easy fix. No ECM or sensors to have to worry about. No voltages to test, no wires to search out. With a carb, you just clean it.

...and most importantly for me......and I've had five EFI bikes now, bolt-on mods make zero power difference. You need a remap for better performance. You can get better intake or exhaust sound. You may THINK it runs faster.....but it's mostly for your own smiles.

EFI on these little motors are for one thing, and one thing only. EPA smog requirements.

INCOMING! ;-)

[65cabriolet]

IMHO, Carb is going to be the best choice for me. Last thing I want to do is push a bike 10 miles out of the bush because of an electrical fault. And let's be real, off-roading - even mild trail riding - can put you in a bad situation real fast, I want at least a chance of getting a disabled bike running enough to get it out of the woods; not possible if you ECU is shorted out.

[Bruces]

New carbs are $30.00 .Those bottom of the barrel ugly inverted forks are not an upgrade in any way ,the only plus for the deluxe is if you live someplace that you can’t licence the better bike .

[Boatguy]

The funniest thing EVER just happened when I checked the new posts feature on here.

Look at the 2 new threads with posts.



I couldn’t have proven it better if I tried! Ha ha ha.


Anyone ever seen a “fuel injection problems” thread?

I rest my case.

[herbie]

I’m with 2lz on this, these bikes are a pretty basic entry level machine and don’t make much power as is and a carburetor is so simple to upgrade if necessary to make a little extra power. When I first bought my Brozz I was very disappointed with the performance of the little 14hp beast. I made several improvements as you can look over in my tag at the bottom. If you bought the efi model you would have a lot more hassle to try and tune the efi if even you could. I personally would go with the carb model. Yes efi is an improvement over carb for many reasons unless your unhappy with the performance. Jmho

[Its_not_a_honda]

EFI if you are not mechanically inclined or motivated. A carb is fun to me. I changed mine out to a pumper and could not believe the difference. Some folks get as much or more pleasure working on their bikes rather than riding. So it all depends on what you like to do. No mods and just ride....EFI. Like to tinker and improve performance....carb.

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by Its_not_a_honda

EFI if you are not mechanically inclined or motivated. A carb is fun to me. I changed mine out to a pumper and could not believe the difference. Some folks get as much or more pleasure working on their bikes rather than riding. So it all depends on what you like to do. No mods and just ride....EFI. Like to tinker and improve performance....carb.

This is probably the best post here.

Exactly.

I just counted up the engines I have to maintain to keep all my stuff running.

I have 9 engines to take care of to keep everything running in my traveling, off-grid life. I’m also doing other major construction projects and working to pay for all this crap. LOL.

So, although I’m quite mechanically inclined, I’m NOT mechanically motivated. That’s why I run my 100% stock Lifan with no mods or major maintenance. Just what’s required in the manual and what I break through stupidity.

The Lifan was engine #9 and the other 8 keep me busy enough. So I definitely didn’t want to add to my troubles by getting yet another carburetor.

4 of the other engines I have are EFI (Including a diesel) because, over the years, I’ve noticed carburetors to be the #1 problem in stopping my equipment from running. So, as I started getting rid of them, my engines required less and less of my time. They run like Japanese cars do. Just turn the key and go. Never have to stress about them.

My 4 EFI engines are 3 outboards and a Cummins diesel. They give me no grief. One of the carb engines is propane so it is about as good as an EFI when it comes to reliability. Propane running through a carb keeps it nice and clean. The rest are carbs, but after many years, I finally found some Honda engines with very forgiving carbs.

I’ve been living like this for about 20 years now. I’ve had a LOT of small engines and carbs over the years.

That is why I’m so pro-efi.

[KSSK]

If you want to tinker with it, carb.

If you want it to just work, EFI.

My experience owning both is that EFI bikes run a lot better when cold. My factory carb bikes ran poorly until hot. With EFI, I can pretty much just go.

I own one of both, but at this point I prefer EFI. I've worked on many carbs in my day.

Pat of the appeal of the Lifan X-Pect I bought was the EFI. It just works.

[China Rider 27]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

This is probably the best post here.


So, although I’m quite mechanically inclined, I’m NOT mechanically motivated. That’s why I run my 100% stock Lifan with no mods or major maintenance. Just what’s required in the manual and what I break through stupidity.

That is why I’m so pro-efi.

Maybe this has something to do with your carburetor problems! Just saying! Ha, Hah. Lack of good maintenance will shut down a carburetor. I have a small generator I have had for 30 years and I need it every couple of years for a few hours. I put gas in it, and it starts first pull every time and has since I bought it. I have never done any work on it, but when I am done I drain the gas out of it and store it in a dry area. There is no denying no maintenance, go EFI.

[China Rider 27]

The solution I subscribe too, get two bikes! one with EFI and one with a carburetor! Stare at the pretty one and mod the other! Ride the hell out of both! CG strong, ride hard!

[buzz]

Carburetor only ,at least i can fit it myself. Thats just me,but like to fix things no onthing about fuel inj