I’ve set my sights on a decent CBR600F2 bike. They’re within my budget based on the fact I need to get new gear like a helmet, jacket and boots. Only my guy friends are being know alls. They’re trying to sell me fuel injection. To get that I need to go to at least an 2001 model. I can’t afford that. I read all the reviews about the F2 Hondas and they’re all good with good reliability. I’m not mechanical at all but like to know in easy terms the difference between carbs and fuel injection. Can you give me simple answers so I can hold my own against a bunch of guys who are blinding me with technobabble?
I want to argue the case for the F2. Thanks.

 

Fuel injection squirts the fuel into the engine. With a carburetor the fuel is vaporized and drawn into the engine by engine vacuum. Newer fuel injected bikes are easier to hotrod since everything is computer controlled and can be "chipped" to make them go faster easily. IF you are stunting fuel injection is also an advantage because the carburators hold fuel in a bowl and will leak or run dry if not in the normal position for too long. Some new bikes are still made using carburetors. If you are not looking to stunt or drag race the carbureted F2 will still go fast enough and get there quick enough to get you killed before you can decide if it was a good idea or not.

 

You don't need a computer to tune a carb'd bike.

One downside to a carb'd bike is they like to gum up the small jets if you let the bike sit all winter without starting it.

just buy your F2

 

I don't want to seem like a jerk so please do not take the the wrong way... but this is a dumb question, the real question you should ask yourself. "Are you buying the bike for you or your friends?" Buy what you want what you would be happy with not your friends because they are not riding it you are.

 

dont look at Ferraris if your budget is Ford....F2 is a killer bike , so is the 1oooRR ,, i freakin loved my F2 and all the haters can form a line to my rear...as above stated , get a bike you can #1 ride , #2 afford , #3 be proud of, now i love my fuel injection , but ive rode more carb bikes , start with a clean F2 and as your riding improves and your budget , start lookin around ,till then question your peeps ? freinds or accaintences? and by the way , i think i could push corners harder on my 600F2 than my 929RR(FI)...oh yeah , where's my Xzanax order? you promised...

 

Here is a perspective you might consider if you wish to engage in a debate:

Carburetors are analog computers. Fuel injection systems are controlled by digital computers. Regardless what anyone may want to tell you, analog computers are faster than digital ones (within the realm under discussion here). _Lots_ faster. That means that a carburetor can adjust to changing conditions more rapidly than FI can.

The downsides to carburetors are largely these:
1) They require more manual/rider intervention. An example of this is that you have to pull the choke lever when the engine is cold.
2) They're precision analog instruments, which makes them more expensive to manufacture well than a fuel injection system (again, no matter any claims to the contrary).
3) Changing a carburetor's "programming" means disassembly and replacement of parts (needles and/or jets), whereas FI systems can be re-programmed quickly and simply with a computer.
4) Carburetors simply can't get tailpipe emissions to be as low as FI systems can, and it's at least more difficult & expensive to get mpg as high as FI systems can cheaply and easily obtain. This last factor was a (the?) primary driver for automotive (including M/Cs) applications to move to fuel injection.

Reading that list over thoroughly, you can see that there's very limited practical downside from the operator's perspective to having carburetors vs. fuel injection. They do require more attention/intervention from you as a rider (see the thing about having to use the choke), but normally one won't have any difficulty in learning how to operate them successfully as a rider.

There is another potential for difficulty in the long term: As carburetors become increasingly scarce, fewer and fewer people will have the knowledge, expertise, and understanding to work on and troubleshoot them well. I don't believe that is the case today, but at some future point it will be (just as it is in the automotive world already). Your friends that are trying to push you up-market to an FI system are proof of that. They probably don't understand carburetors very well, so they tell you that FI is worlds better. It has its advantages, for sure, but there's nothing in the world 'wrong' with carburetors.

Get the bike you can afford and like. To h311 with your friends. j/k

 

I don’t think the question’s dumb. I really want to know the difference between fuel injection and carbs. I’ve no bike experience and have no mechanical ability. As said I wanted to also be able to hold my own against guy friends who are full of well intentioned (if misguided) advice. The Honda F2 is the bike I want and will persevere finding a good one. I can’t be swayed that easily once I’ve set my mind on something. But I do want to learn about bikes and what I’m buying or getting myself into. I’d also like to learn and do my own maintenance on it to save money. So expect plenty more dumb questions in the future.
Thanks to those who gave me some in depth insight. I’m printing this off and reading it. Taking in as much in as I can. It’s apparent the F2 has no problems being a carbed bike as opposed to fuel injection.
Are there any good online sites out there that explain motorcycle maintenance and mechanics?

 

The best thing you can do is get a service manual once you buy your bike. there is nothing more in depth aimed at the bike you own than the manual for it.

However, I don't think your friends are misguided at all. FI is far better than carbs. It may be true that a carb is faster than FI as posted already. But that only applies if the carb is perfectly tuned. which in most cases, they are not. Carbs are tuned for a wide range of conditions. basically, the carb is tuned in the middle of what it will see. A FI bike will be able to compensate for things like altitude and temp and keep the fuel to air ratio spot on, all the time, where a carb cannot. So, for 98 percent of the time, a FI bike will out perform a carbed bike. Just because the carbed bike begins to fuel quicker than an FI bike, does not mean the engine reacts quicker. Just blip the throttle on any carbed bike and then do it to a FI bike. You will see the difference. FI atomizes the fuel better, which translates into better mpg.. but more importantly, more power. Also, being able to keep the fuel to air ratio exact throughout the rpm range, the Fi bikes can run much closer to the lean side... which is also more power. Carbs will always have rich and lean spots, FI bikes are able to remove those conditions and create a map that is nearly perfect. Plus, with its ability to change for conditions, its more consistant, and has better throttle response. Also, FI has virtually no maintainance. Carbs require a lot of maintainance to keep them at their optimum..( if you ever get them there in the first place). thats not to say the carb bike won't run. they will run fine, and for most conditions, you may not even notice.

Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a carbed bike. The F2 is an awesome bike and can more than handle its own.

I think the real question you need to ask yourself is what are the conditions you ride in? If you change elevations and temperatures often, I'd save for an FI bike. If you will be riding basically at the same elevation and a common temp, a carbed bike will be just fine.

 

When you finally do decide on a bike, buy yourself a decent service manual for it or download yourself one here:

https://cbrforum.com/forum/general-tech-stickies-106/please-post-manual-sites-here-46596/

I have a Cylmer manual for my F2 and have been able to do all of my own work so far on her with it.

 

Thanks for the manual information. Justasquid that's a good explanation and another for my printer. I didn't mean they're misguided as in wrong but as in steering me away from carbs when they're all I need. The F2 is really the bike in my budget so carbs it must be. I'm glad to hear carb bikes are still good. I'm not concerned about having them now.