97 carbed or 03 efi.

AliG

Hi all,
I've been given the go ahead from the wife to buy a bike and have decided on the CBR as my choice of mount, from that I came across this web site which I have found to be very informative.

My problem is which bike to get, I am tossing up between a couple of CBR's that I have found.

A 97 model with a few go fast items, Titanium in colour, 2 into 1 exhaust, very clean and about 40K on the odometer.

The other is an 03, in impeccable showroom condition, stock standard, comes with custom made cover and Arai helmet.

Problem is the price difference between the two. The 97 I can get for about $4k less which will please the wife and her budget.
Should I push for the extra $$$ from the little lady and get the 03 efi? Are the efi models worth the extra $$$? Does anyone see the 03 efi model as a significantly better bike than the 97 carbed model?

Thanking you all in advance for your feedback, great website.

Alex.

flblackbird

FI!!!!!

__________________
Mike
02 Silver Bird
I'm a Yamaha tech., that's why I ride a Honda

ArmyStrong

Never had a carbed XX, but my last bike was carbed and FI is less hassle IMO.

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.

docsevicz

FI, 6 years newer, and its probably black. Get the '03, you'll be glad you did.

AliG

Thanks Guy's.

It's a Blue one...

Strek

Welcome from the windy city. Hard to say from where I'm sitting but I like the FI and the 03 is a lot newer then the 97. You didn't mention the mileage on the 03 or the price on either bike. I've had many carb'd bikes and now the FI bird. I like the FI. The fact that the 03 is 6 years newer and probably has less mileage I would say the the 03 is probably worth the 4K more. If budget allows I would lean to the 03.

Nutter67

From the owner of an '07, go with the FI .

__________________
Paul

Never let a motorcycle take you somewhere your brain didn't get to three seconds earlier

DragonXX

FI ... FI ... FI ... FI .................................. Even if it isn't black

__________________
" 'Birds of a feather, flock together "

Quote of the month: "When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear." - Zen Proverb

051100xx

go for the FI much better more low down and midrange stomp where most people actually ride but still blindingly fast up top

i have dyno graph's somewhere from my old 99 and one from my mates 97 and the 99 makes more torque lower and the 05 makes even more torque lower

both my old 99 and my current 05 have pipes fitted with power commanders for the runs my mates 97 had micron pipes and a factory jet kit

(edit )(i just found the graphs i will try and get some one to scan them and i will post them up once i do)

and remember driveway to jail in 1st gear is possible (125km/h on speedo in 1st but the speedo's all over read)

i have ridden both a 1997 carbed bird and owned a 1999 FI and currently ride a 2005 BLACK FI and the 05 is as big an improvement over the 99 as the 99 was over the 97

the 05 has a huge set of cooling fins on the reg/rec and seems to not be such a problem as th early ones

but at the end of the day they are both great bikes

03 to current is basically the same bike no major changes since 03
Cheers
James

WOL

Try a test ride on both and look for any signs they may have been dropped, marks on bar-ends, levers, pipes ect. I own a '97 carbed and I've had no more problems with it than two mates have with their FI models, (touch wood) the usual reg/rec and I reckon that mine gets the power down quicker and it goes harder than theirs, but theirs are definitely smoother in their power delivery. Good Luck with it

__________________
Time is irrelevent when cruising the back roads

SilverBrd

Go FI. Spend the extra dough on her if you plan on keeping your new Bird for some time.

__________________
02 Silver Bird, Throttlemeister, HID's, Scorpion Carbon Fiber Oval Exhaust, Zero Gravity Double Bubble, Power Commander, Speedohealer, Corbin seat, Lowered foot pegs & more Mods to come!!!

lois

Don't be silly.....EFI....ask yourself, do you want to ride or do you want to ride???

__________________
RED IS SIMPLY THE FASTEST COLOUR

RSJ

Not to go against the grain here, but I like carbed bikes for alot of reasons incuding simplicity and ease of tuning. Maybe I'm old school, but shimming needles and changing jets still seem easier to me than messing with voodoo electronics.

lois

But that is the beauty of Voodoo electronics....most of the EFI riders never have to mess with their bikes...ever.


Not that there is anything wrong in anyway with owning or wanting a carbed XX

__________________
RED IS SIMPLY THE FASTEST COLOUR

SilverBrd

Are you outta your mind?

Plug a power commander in, download a map, and your done.

Jet kit? Pull the carb's out, shim the needles, sync the carbs, put the carb's back in.

You cannot beat fuel injection and oh yea....no choke to mess with either... turn the key on and hit the start button and she will fire right up.

You may want to consider that carb's will be a thing of the past in the near future.

__________________
02 Silver Bird, Throttlemeister, HID's, Scorpion Carbon Fiber Oval Exhaust, Zero Gravity Double Bubble, Power Commander, Speedohealer, Corbin seat, Lowered foot pegs & more Mods to come!!!

Strek

Carb's may soon be a thing of the past but I'm Ok with that. It's one of the reasons why I kept my Hurricane. I've never had to mess with the carbs so far. It brings me back to some of my earlier bikes and my racing days. The feeling sound and senation is totally different. It's like being with another ... another another well real good ...Well you get the picture. Its also a little bit like drive in movie theaters. Like carbs they are becoming a thing of the past. When they are gone you will still have your memories.

PH005

If it's a matter of dollars and "sence". And keeping the wifey happy, then go with the "97 for now. And later on trade her in on a newer Bird like I am going to do. Either way , in the end , You will be starting a new love affair. Birds rule whatever year, model, or , dare I say it, colour.

AliG

Thanks all,

Waiting to see how much the tax return is, if the budget permits EFI it is but if she tightens the screws, carb.

After all don't we have a saying that goes something like " A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"???

In this case any bird is better than none, just got to be realistic.

To pose a differnt question, a VFR800 sits in between the carb and efi cbr's price wise. If efi is so much better and the 03 is out of the question, how about the comparison of a carb CBR or efi VFR800??

PH005

800 For solo riding. Bird for 2 up. Simple as that.

CanadianBird

If you have the dosh, go EFI. The Viffer 800 is too small in my estimation and you might outgrow it in a hurry. Plus one on touring with wife, the Bird is the one. Are you real techy and mechanical? If so maybe the carbed model is the one but personally, I don't want to dick with a choke or carbs. The Bird is good for many, many kms if well maintained. The earlier model will grief you with electrical gremlins. Even if the '03 had 40,000 miles I'd buy it. However, check what's for sale on this site. Bird owners tend to take excellent care of their rides. Nothing wrong with bone stock, it's like a blank pallet now you can do your own mods as you like and can afford it. Cheers. '02 with 127,000 kms.

Check out BeyondWacko's '02 for sale. Very nice ride and a good price.

RSJ

Plug a power commander in..... ( If they make one for your bike???) $350.00

4 jets, 4 shims....... $15.00


My point is, if you understand carburetion, it is more reliable in the long run over electronics- plain and simple.

As far as being smooth, the best thing about this bike is to wack the throttle open at about 6500rpm and hold on

Strek

Candianbird... Beynodwacko does have a nice ride for sale but ALiG is in Australia. Beyondwackos in the US as I recall. Still it does point out that if AliG looks he may find other bikes for sale that hit his price point and his desires for either a carb'd or FI model. I agree with you on the viffer. Nice put underpowered compared to the bird and the bird is just a way funner bike to ride in any situation IMO. In my post above I point out a love for my older carbed bike but one thing that I did leave out is that if I had to choose I would go with the FI. Not because of having to work on carbs vs FI. I just like starting it up and going and the FI is just a more refined feel.

AliG

I reckon I have a basic common sensse approach to mechanics, change oil, plugs etc.

Today I spent the good part of my day swearing at my utility, Holden Rodeo ( rebadged Isuzu ). It took probably 6 hours to change the water pump after dismantling the front of the motor. If I have learnt anything from this it would be that I'm over the challenge of mechanics just don't have the time for intensive maintenance and big hands struggle with little bolts in tight places.

Not saying no to carbs, but EFI is appealing.

testrider

That's my thought too. A carb bike has no fuel pump to fail in the middle of nowhere and no high pressure fuel hoses. Once the carbs are shimmed and tuned, you just forgot about it. I'm afraid of EFI because the fuel pump can fail without any warning, 1 minute it's fine and the next minute it just stopped. Yes, I had 1 failed in my Bronco.

R1000

No, the FI bike is absolutely not significantly better, if better at all. The FI guys will of course claim this, but the carbed bike is hazzle fre. It will also be cheaper raise the power on the carbed bike since you don't need a PCIII, it is just to raise the needles with 2 Cent M3 washers. Spend the $4 k on the wife instead, it will pay in the long run. Next time when you say you are thinking about buying a new Busa, she will support you