- This topic has 21 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by TrialsRider.
looking for first bike…fuel injected?
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February 23, 2010 at 3:29 am #3721aantionettiParticipant
Hi All,
looking for first motorcycle. recently finished MSF class and after reading the helpful materials on this site i am looking for something under 500cc. i am very interested in getting a fuel injected bike because i live two miles from work, in the midwest, and want to ride it to work as much as i can. i dont really want to spend more time warming up the bike than driving! any suggestions? is fuel injected worth looking for?
thanks for the help!
J.H.
PS- i have to ride 2 miles on a 55mph 2 lane highway with no shoulder or else i would be taking my bicycle!
February 23, 2010 at 4:32 am #24625MunchParticipantNormally I would jump at saying go for the FI . However one concern I would have with what you said.
“i don’t really want to spend more time warming up the bike than driving!”
It is a rare point brought up here in BBM, but one that comes to mind that I feel bares saying. If your that much of a hurry…. stick with the car. In the time it would take a carb’d bike to warm up, allows for you to get in the mindset of what you are fixing to do. Also gives you time to do a pre ride check each time. Slow down a touch and get your mind right, get your mind in the ride and the attention it needs. Jumping on and going will leave you wondering if you remembered all that you needed for work/school/play etc. instead of focusing on that car to your left that might not see you. Or getting mentally awake enough for your motor skills to do a full systems check.
February 23, 2010 at 4:45 am #24627SantaCruzRiderParticipantSince it sound like you’re in a hurry, you could probably jump on a bicycle and ride to work in the same that it takes you to put your gear on and take it off at work.
Personally, I’ve never had an FI bike, so maybe I just don’t know what I’m missing. But still, I never wait for it to warm up. Even on mornings in the mid-30s, I push the bike out of the garage, start her up with a touch of choke, put on my helmet, get my gloves on, hop on the bike, check the gauges, kickstand up and cruise down the road. In a block or two the choke goes off and you’re on your way. Seems like a non-issue to me.
February 23, 2010 at 4:59 am #24629eonParticipantHey now, I think you guys are being a little hard on the new guy. As someone who also has a 2 mile commute he has my sympathy. I still ride to work but sometimes I wonder why as I have to pay for parking and by the time I get my gear on/off I don’t save much in time. Still, without that little blast it would be weekends only for me.
I don’t think the carb thing is an issue either. I’ve driven plenty of cars without babying them. You just let the choke out after a minute or so. No problems.
February 23, 2010 at 12:40 pm #24633CBBaronParticipantNot many choices in the US for sub 500cc EFI bikes, and those there are are new models which means limited availability on the used market. However the Suzuki TU250x and Yamaha WR250r/x are both nice bikes and excellent for beginners.
I have a similar problem and understand your issue. However for a first bike I don’t think I would limit my choice to FI bikes only unless I was intent on buying new. A good used bike is much less expensive and if you decide to sell it for something different after a short time you will loose little.
CraigFebruary 23, 2010 at 4:53 pm #24636JackTradeParticipantIf you go get a carbed bike, just use the warm-up period to check everything over. I do on my bike (Buell Blast)…make sure the lights and signals work, check the clutch, look for oil leaks, ensure my gear is fastened properly, etc.
A veteran racer (I forget who) once wrote in a “why we ride” piece that for him, the equipment (bike+gear) check also serves the purpose of reminding him how serious riding a motorcycle is, and helps put him in the proper frame of mind for a safe ride. I always liked that.
February 23, 2010 at 6:40 pm #24638aantionettiParticipantthanks for your help, i am interested in a motorcycle because i have to ride 2 miles on a 2 lane highway with no shoulder and lots of semis going 55-60mp.
thanks for the info on warming up, the reason i asked is because i have read many places online that say it takes 5-10 minutes to warm up a carb bike, not ever having a motorcycle before i was not sure
thanks!
J.H.
February 23, 2010 at 6:47 pm #24639aantionettiParticipantthank you for your concern, i was asking about the practicality of driving a carb’d bike vs a fuel injected. i took the MSF class, am a very good driver (used to do deliveries for a living, no tickets/crashes) and after reading much materials online and on this site i am fully focused on riding properly.
thanks for your help!
J.H.
February 23, 2010 at 6:52 pm #24640aantionettiParticipantthanks for the helpful comments!
i am really leaning toward the suzuki tu250 but will hit up craigslist a lot before my final decision!
February 23, 2010 at 9:58 pm #24642Sean_DParticipant… but even here in Colorado winter, with altitude as a factor as well as the cold. I would say 3-5 is more accurate, at least for my bike. As others have already mentioned, by the time I check my bike over and get geared up the bike is ready to go when I am. I haven’t found myself sitting around thinking “Damn I wish this thing would warm up faster,” or thinking .. “Man.. I absolutely have to have FI on my next bike.” I would just as likely buy one with FI as I would without it if the bike was what I wanted.
I suppose if maybe I was regularly riding from Kansas City (740 feet) to say Breckenridge (9,600 feet) I might think otherwise, but it really has been a non-issue so far.
February 23, 2010 at 10:58 pm #24643aantionettiParticipantwhat do you ride? i have been told by people i work with and different forums online and salespeople that some small bikes (ninja250, rebel, gz250) sometimes take longer tan 5 minutes to warm up. thanks for your advice!
J.H.
February 24, 2010 at 12:11 am #24644Sean_DParticipant… and that they can be a little rough at first. Not that they require more than 5 minutes with the choke open per se, but that they can still run a little rough at stops etc. for the first minute or two. I have never owned one, so not sure how true or not that is.
I own a Triumph Bonneville. I find with that bike that generally speaking, by the time I have given it a once over, put my jacket, helmet and gloves on, I push in the choke and its idling smooth and ready to go. As I said, generally 3-5 minutes depending on how long it has been sitting and how cold.
There was only one brief period in which I found the carbs to be a pain. The bike is an ’07 and the neutral switch went out on it in December. Due to the switch going out if you dropped the stand it would cut the engine even when in neutral. Apparently, at least on the Triumphs, the Neutral Switch and the side stand work together. Maybe thats true of all bikes, I don’t know as this is my first one. But if the switch doesn’t tell the side stand it is in neutral it assumes it is in gear even if it really isn’t.
So, the only way to warm it up before heading out was to pull up the stand and actually sit on it for 3-5 minutes while it was warming up. It took me like 2 weeks to get the switch replaced, so it was really only a minor inconvenience, but to correct my earlier statement, I guess there was a 2 week period where maybe FI would have been handy
On the bright side, I purchased it used from a dealer and bought the extended warranty. That covered the parts and labor for the switch
February 24, 2010 at 12:17 am #24645nitrolvr33ParticipantWhat i do: put my helmet and jacket on, and then boots and gloves. Then i get on the bike, put the choke on and start it. I give it enough time to idle properly (5-10 seconds), and then choke off and ride. I have been told by a lot of people that puts less wear on the engine than does the 5-minute idle period, and it gets me going a lot quicker.
I think that a carburated bike is fine for most people. The big thing for FI is change in altitude, which it doesnt sound like you will be doing much of. I’ve not ridden many FI bikes, all of mine have been carby’s, and I have honestly not had much of a problem. The only time i wished for FI was when i was riding to another state, that had a MUCH different altitude (eg 2000 feet). I got to my sisters’ house, got off the throttle, and it died instantly. In the change of altitude, It had been running waaay to rich and fouled the plug…not too bad; a new plug, jet readjustment and a bottle of carb cleaner did the trick.
February 24, 2010 at 2:05 am #24646TrialsRiderParticipantPossibly moot points, definitely not deal breakers but worthy of mention;
No fuel tap required …ever pulled out into traffic only to realize you forgot to turn on the fuel?More than just altitude sensitive …I’ve owned several carb bikes that religiously required needle position adjustments seasonally, spring, summer and fall, admittedly these were all competition 2 strokes.
Rev limiting …it’s much harder to blow up an engine that shuts down at the manufacturers prescribed red line, or when it finds itself running up-side down.
I’ve experienced both of these conditionsGo easy on the cold start and go: The greatest danger from not warming up a 4 stroke engine and then operating it very, very hard is to the valves, tappets piston and rings. If it uses oil pressure dependent bottom end bearings, the oil needs to achieve a low enough viscosity or some babbitt bearing damage is inevitable. 2 stroke engines are far less affected by the cold start, with the biggest danger being, catching a ring on the edge of a scavenging port, 2 strokes all have roller bearing crank and con rods.
February 25, 2010 at 12:59 am #24653IxecapadeParticipantOne of my best friends whose been riding for forever told me if I could afford a FI get one. He said they are smoother- esp for a beginner rider.
I am not convinced of that- my only experiance is I have FI and my roommates is carbed. I do personally think mine runs smoother- and it certianly sounds smoother… I haven’t ridden her’s enough to really give a competent comparison- others here might be able to better speak to that.
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