2015 350 EFI vs 2015 390 Carb

[Zakalwe]

Hello everyone. This is my 1st post.

Im new to enduro world. I had xt660r dualsport for last 4 months and i decided i wanna go into bush and get something lighter.

Im kinda torn between 2 models atm, they both have around 1,5k EUR cheaper price due being old models at loal dealer. I have test ridden Beta 350 EFI and i liked it, I wonder should i go for EFI or for Carb. I have never worked on carb but i can learn with manuals etc.

im 96kg(211lbs) without gear and i ride mostly near sea level without big elevation changes. Most of riding areas here are 2nd gear slow tech singletrack in sandy area and woods. I have 4 seasons here and i wanna ride between temps +20C to -10C aka 68-23F

Greetings to everyone

[Marty Moose]

Carb v/s efi is a personal thing I'd go efi every time as its more accurate in every situation as far as I'm concerned. I have also found it more reliable in every way as well. Some swear by carbs but after years of using them its just hot air from this end. 350 vs 390 not sure I love the 350 efi have not ridden a 390 either carb or efi.

MM

[Nicajohn]

I have a 430 carbed model. I am at about sea level, sandy tech single -wide open fire roads and ride from about 30*~80* so far. I got it end of summer last year so I'm sure I'll ride it warmer too. But I haven't changed a thing with carb and it hasn't let me down anywhere and never hesitated when laying on gas

[Clearvu1]

Easy choice for me, take the 390. Carbs are easy to tune, just swap some jets if needed. EFI requires electronic changes to the ECU for fine tuning, although you may never need to do that. EFI requires more sensors that may or may not cause problems in the future. I've had both carb and EFI 4T's and was able to get along fine with both. I think the 390 is just the better bike and that's why I'd pick it, nothing to do with the EFI/carb issue.

[Zakalwe]

Thank you for all the replys! SO far i have heard the Carb on Betas are good. Is there any major fuel economy difference between them?

[mrquick68]

EFI all day everyday. Carbs break way more than EFI. Period. Better mileage and more consistent power and performance with EFI. The only reason you'd say carb is if you haven't had EFI.

[Hammer]

Carbs break way more than EFI. Period.

That's just BS.

[GMP]

Carbs break way more than EFI. Period.

That's just BS.

+1

A simple system will always be inherently more reliable than a complex one, no matter what it is or what its on. Performance and other factors are another subject. IMO, EFI and now OI on the 2stroke are driven by one thing: emissions.

[ricoyam]

I pretty much agree with Glenn. EFI is the way of the future though and the choice is already made for you depending on the bike you want. I'm still a proponent of carbs on a dirt bike. There is a smoothness to the throttle response on a carb that you don't get on most FI systems. The reason as far as I can tell is the FI systems will actually shut fuel delivery off on decel and the result is a bit of a snap hit when you roll the throttle open. A well tuned carb on the other hand is flowing fuel whenever the engine is running and creating manifold vacuum.

Advantages to FI will include better mileage, more horsepower and lower emissions.
It's widely accepted that the Kehin FCR is about as close to FI as you will ever see in a carb. My 2015 430 is set up well from the factory. I did fit a Flex Jet to make idle mixture adjustment easy, otherwise I believe I'm running stock jetting. I've run in the Sierras up to around 10,000 feet and around home near sea level without changes. You can feel a drop of power in altitude but you will even with FI, there's just less air up there.

As far as reliability lets just say if your carb plugs a jet or the float needle sticks open, you can fix it trail side and be running again within 30 minutes even if you're not real good with tools. With injection it's likely you won't be able to fix it, even if you can figure out what's wrong and you might be looking at a long hike out or spending a night in the forest. In reality these sorts of problems won't come up often and gets more likely after the bike gets some years on it. Most owners will probably be buying a new bike within 3-4 years anyway but it could become a resale value issue down the road.
Carbs, especially in the age of ethanol could suffer trouble when new. Yeah, in a real life, new bike every few years world, FI should prove to be more reliable.

For me it's that smoothness from a well tuned carb that holds my loyalty.

[GMP]

Rico is correct about the cause of the EFI feel. If the user were permitted access to the map and other parameters this could possibly be vastly improved. I know because I have done it awhile ago with a Cannondale. This will never happen now in the age of liability concerns in addition to emissions. It's also possible that the newer systems for off road bikes are much less complex in data structure by design and this function is fixed, but you will never know for sure. The system I mapped was the same used in a Speed Triple at the time and also in some Renault cars, so it was quite powerful.