MoRidin's Fuel Injection Comments

[Stu]

FI apparently is coming. Husky has it. KTM is getting it next year. On the April dirt ride thread MoRidin mentioned that he was waiting for FI.

The Husky FI has, reportedly, smoothed out power delivery. Keihin does have a FI system with a pump that can be primed from the power generated with the kickstarter available on some MXers. I hope that is what makes it on the new off-road KTMs (and EXCs). It would be real trouble to have a dead battery in the middle of a ride and not be able to get started on a dirt bike. That would also make riding one of the electric start only MXers in the woods pretty daring.

If '09 is the FI date then you might want to get the '08 carb version before they are all snapped up. What will the power difference really be (a couple of %?) and will the power difference really matter for a woods rider?

Stu

[Bumper]

Yamaha is coming out with a wr 250r that is FI with a 6 speed tranny, street legal. Looks like a good ride for a 250. The BLUE bikes have 3 new 250's. Sure hope they follow up with 450's

[troy]

I found this review from somebody who actually rode the 2008 fuel-injected TE450:
From http://www.tmxnews.co.uk/content_databa ... kies/index

The TE450 was my weapon of choice and I can tell you that, even from my short test ride, it is obvious that EFI is going to seriously benefit off-road machines in years to come, it was very impressive.

We all know the theory behind EFI; the instantaneous throttle response, the end of engine fluffing and bogging, the end of the need to re-jet you bike for different atmospheric and track conditions, and the easy of tuneablility via computer, and in practice those elements that you are able to test on just one day at one place were very evident.

Throttle response and engine pick-up were noticeably improved over a carburetted model for sure at all speeds, but particularly impressive to me was the bike’s pick-up right off tick-over without any bogging or coughing.

The 450 was an ideal bike to test this on and in a slow speed trials type area where we shot some images the EFI really impressed me. I could bumble the bike on virtually no throttle for 20 to 30 seconds, crack the throttle right open and the pick-up was instant, crisp and clear. No slow reaction, not bogging while it cleared excess fuel out of the carb, nothing, just instant and identical response every time.

In tight going this is a real appealing thing to riders, it will certainly make attacking rock sections or other technical elements easier, and also it made a big improvement on the bikes ability to labour in higher gears without stalling or struggling.

I was really very impressed with the EFI system and its application for enduro purposes and look forward to giving it a more serious test along with the entire Husqvarna enduro range soon.

I definitely understand the arguments against FI -- mostly reliability and ability to fix the bike on the trail if needed. However, I am willing and ready to take that risk. I want the benefits offered by fuel-injection.

[KC]

Here is my 2 cents worth: With any carburetor, whether the Rochester Quadrajet on my old '82 Firebird or the dinky Briggs & Stratton on my lawn mower, I have spent countless hours cleaning and tuning them to keep them running at an acceptable level. The last 8 vehicles I have owned have all had fuel injection. I have never performed a single minute of maintenance on any of them other than pour a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank about every 20,000 miles. If the FI on bikes are engineered similarly, it will be a must-have for me!

[safiri]

Here is my 2 cents worth: With any carburetor, whether the Rochester Quadrajet on my old '82 Firebird or the dinky Briggs & Stratton on my lawn mower, I have spent countless hours cleaning and tuning them to keep them running at an acceptable level. The last 8 vehicles I have owned have all had fuel injection. I have never performed a single minute of maintenance on any of them other than pour a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank about every 20,000 miles. If the FI on bikes are engineered similarly, it will be a must-have for me!

Two thumbs up!

Yes, the fuel pump can fail. However, a whole lot of carb parts can fail (and do) a lot more regularly. And usually a pump failure is a bearing, which starts to whine long before it totally fails.

[Hank Moody]

Ride it this year or wait for KTM to catch up!

[safiri]

Ride it this year or wait for KTM to catch up!

Daryl, porn isn't allowed on this site. Please post those types of pictures elsewhere.

[troy]

Btw, as of Jan 1, 2008, Letko is officially NOT a Husky dealer. So don't go there looking for a new Husky. They'll still do parts and such.

[Hank Moody]

Btw, as of Jan 1, 2008, Letko is officially NOT a Husky dealer. So don't go there looking for a new Husky. They'll still do parts and such.

No big surprise to me, they only want to sell Ducati's and KTMs. I stopped ordering parts from them when I realized they charged me $12.00 for a $2.50 oil filter. Please don't get me wrong I believe is supporting a local dealer and paying a little more, but come on $12.00 for a filter...

I get all of my Husqvarna parts from Halls Cycle and it is usually deliveried to my door within a couple of days.

[troy]

Yamaha is coming out with a wr 250r that is FI with a 6 speed tranny, street legal...

So I was at Advantage Powersports in the KC Northland last Friday. I mention this new street-legal 250 from Yamaha to the sales guy. He says, "Huh, I haven't heard anything about that", with a tone that seemed to insinuate a lack of intelligence on my part. Sheesh...you can read the press releases on the Internet. Knowing about these product lines is this guy's job for crying out loud.

[Stu]

He didn't want to talk about the new 250 to you, a serious off-roader, because it is a foo-foo bike.

I've never known Letko to jab anyone with pricing before and I have dealt with them for over 40 years. Are you sure they were not looking at some other product on the microfiche and just quoted the wrong price? My experience has been that they have always been fair. I would ask Leigh again if that was right if it were me.

Stu

[Hank Moody]

He didn't want to talk about the new 250 to you, a serious off-roader, because it is a foo-foo bike.

I've never known Letko to jab anyone with pricing before and I have dealt with them for over 40 years. Are you sure they were not looking at some other product on the microfiche and just quoted the wrong price? My experience has been that they have always been fair. I would ask Leigh again if that was right if it were me.

Stu

I bought my Husky there, had my suspension redone by Leigh and bought some other parts etc. and I expected to receive competitive pricing. I want to support a local shop, but that is what they charged me for a filter and I was able to get the same HiFlo filter for $2.50. To be honest, it felt to me that they just didn't to want to sell or support Husqvarna.

I'm sure since LetKo is a KTM shop they provide excellant service to KTM owners. I have nothing really good or bad to say about them, but I would consider buying a KTM from them if I ever decide to go orange.