[Jeff in Kentucky]

A bike with carbs takes a while to warm up to run well from a stop, so it is best for a beginner to let the engine idle for several minutes before taking off, and most people do not want to wait that long, with the bike almost or actually stalling as a result, especially for someone learning how to use the throttle and the clutch at the same time. People sometimes forget to push the choke knob in all the way, dirtying the spark plugs and the exhaust. The newest fuel injection for bikes is more like the newest cars, much more smooth than it used to be.

Fuel injection makes the engine more powerful across the full rpm range, with better gas mileage and less pollution than the same engine with one or more carbs, and winter storage without adding a fuel stabilizer is less of a problem. Carbs often vibrate enough to slowly change the pilot mixture screw settings, and more than one carb needs synching between the carbs periodically to keep the engine running smooth and with the most power. I am buying a 2008 motorcycle with 4 carbs, a 2000 design and the last before that model switched to fuel injection, because I can get it for a lower price and I know how to work on carbs.

It is simpler to fix a carb problem or rejet for intake and exhaust changes, instead of being computer savvy enough and having the tools needed to fix and adjust electronic fuel injection. Carb work just takes a couple of screwdrivers, some liquid cleaner and a can of pressurized air to blow out dirt, maybe some thin plastic broom strands to push dirt out of narrow passages, and some oil filled clear plastic tubes for synching (and a dyno machine to tune it faster for racing, or the slower try it and change it and try it method).

How many new cars are now sold with carbs? I think the answer is zero. In maybe 5 years you probably will not be able to buy a street-legal bike from Japan or Europe that still has the old toilet-tank style carbs. Many people were surprised that the 2008 redesign of the 250 Ninja did not include fuel injection in the US- it was included for most of the rest of the world, where the exhaust standards are stricter or places like India where a 250 is a high-end luxury bike- most have between 50 and 150cc there.