I believe you are correct. I do know that the "error codes" on modern bikes are the same for modern cars. By inductive logic this would mean that a disabled bike would revert to its root memory the same as a car.

I initially wanted to put a Paxton blower on a go-fast Mustang I had (an '89 5.0 with ground effects). I did some research, and was told that since the car would now have to mix fuel from a 77mm throttle body over the stock 55mm example, accompanied by the struggle to re-learn a new chip, that even starting for the first time would cause problems. They also warned that during the first trip the motor would sound like a tin can full of rocks.

I did a lot of work on Betty's motor, but I was never the one to re-start her. My mechanic did that on a dyno. Ya' know, I should ask him about these details.

i know that troubleshooting a electronic fuel injection problem can be intimidating. i know this by working on a toyota truck, not a motorcycle, but the basic system should be similar.
maybe someone can chime in and tell us if it just quits.

If the vehicle, either a bike or a car, would "just quit," wouldn't we be hearing from irate users in all aspects of transportation?

And since we are Harley boys, wouldn't there be a lot of assaults sustained by MoCo engine designers beaten senseless by wet bricks?

its funny how that kind of stuff never gets back to our ears. I had a buddy that actually "returned" a lemon springer heritage and the co made him sign a confidentiality paper that made him promise to not tell anybody, I'm not him

there has to be some kind of a sub routine.
if it were to just quit, you know as well as i do that it's going to do it at the worst possible time.
if a oil pressure switch trips, it warns you , but it doesn't kill the motor.
i think we can agree that a carb can cause problems as well a efi can.
i'm guessing, but a carb might be easier to tease into working by the side of the road

I'm an "EFI guy" and I agree with that 100%. However, how often does it happen? Is it worth sub-standard performance 24/7 to worry over an issue that might happen once per decade?

I will say one thing, if there's a guy here who might have this happen it's Badinfluence 63. He's an iron butt. He rides more in a single vacation than most of us do all season. And the more the wear, the more the miles, the harder the bike works the greater the percentage for any component to fail.

He relateed to me that during his last vacation he had to have his fluids changed and a new tire installed. Either of those--if left unchaecked--could have fried a motor or caused a blow-out. Heck, a nickel/dime leak in a fuel cell could have stranded him in the boonies or caused a major fire. I'd like to think a guy who sought out this forum either does his own preventative maintenance or gets timely tune-ups.

Last year Betty got an entirely new upgrade on her electrical system. She was six years old, and nothing had been done. Even though I was having no problems I don't need gremlins out on the highway. We tore everything off, and replaced it or upgraded it to Screaming Eagle.

WE all ride Harleys peak performance is relative. I get what you're saying, but even with the biggest and baddest crate v twin you ain't at peak performance in the world of motorcycles.

I rode a beautiful Triumph Daytona liter class bike once and as I went over the hill I always take my RoadKing on i hit forth gear the same way I would have done it on my bike difference was on my bike i'd be going around 45 or so and when I looked down at the speedo on the Daytona I was doing almost 80 and I didn't even know it. The Daytona isn't peak performance either, I know one guy with a twin turbo Hyabusa, 300+ hp over 200 mph top end, Performance is relative, I'm thinking my iron butt would still go with my carb and a screwdriver. I don't see those guys on my 2000 mile trips either and I'm real happy with my bike and the way it runs. Sure there will always be someone with more ponies but never a bigger smile, and lets face it guys thats the bottom line.

Tourist,you're to kind. Just making up for lost road time. Raising kids put me in the "ride to work and work to ride" catogory for to long.

Being on the road and in the serious boonies/desert sure did get me to thinking. On my old '83FL which I still have and may resort back to there wasn't to much that could go wrong. Yes electronic ignition but I could switch it to P/C on the side of the road and that was about it.

Heres the motorcycle view of the prairies of Southern Kanasa on st rt 400:



Its places like this that had me thinking often about breakdowns beyond a flat. EFI especially. EFI is cool beans when you're not far from home. I looked at the schematics and its fuel and pressure pumps,relays,sensors all replacing a block of aluminum.I can say it was excellent that EFI adjusted to the altitude of tjhe Rocky mountains no problemo. A carb would have meant rejetting at the very least.

Oh, and "re-jetting" is a concern I have with EFI, as well. Knowing that Betty was going to be re-built over time and that plans were not set in stone, I bought the super-tuner. Spinner's mods were not going to be that extensive, but I still felt the recommended download was a good investment.

In many ways, a modern download to a CPU is re-jetting, and done for the exact reason.

We have mentioned the concerns about close to home. Obviously a Sportster (in the configuration of a '48') is not a touring bike, however someone somewhere has done it already. My longest one-way ride from Madison this season was 42 miles. My longest loop around Madison was 53 miles. My longest uninterrupted ride without stopping for fuel was 57.3 miles. Heck, I ride Betty farther just to get fresh coffee. An EFI system properly attuned to my exhaust and air filtration system actually enhances the efficiency for such short hauls.

Oh, and to BI63, your last season was an iron butt experience. You registered more miles than I did with both bikes.

as i understand it, the efi system will also lean the mixture out when your at idle. won't a lean mixture cause the motor to run hotter? the twin cams run hot enough all by themselves