likely a religious battle here, but I'm looking to pick up a used Monster, and as far as I can tell a major delineation is '99 and older w/carbs, v. '00 and new fuel injected. Pros and cons? Or it is condition, condition, condition?
i'll jump in early. go with the early carbed bikes. you can tune them yourself and the intake roar is sweeter than a girl'ish FI bike.
the pre '99 logo is also the best. (that should draw 'em out.) flame on!
find whichever you think is a better deal. unless you've got experience with tuning carbs, i think it's easier to fiddle with a PCIII or a techlusion device to tune a fuel injected bike either yourself, or by downloading the various free maps available online.
i think FI'd bikes will hold their value a bit longer because of the newer technology. cold starts are easier. there are no needles to wear out. FI'd bikes also make more power out of the box. there are a number of reasons....
that said, i'm currently looking for a low-buck CARB'D bike m900 for myself because i think it'll be fun to screw around with them. and when i'm done screwing around with the stock carbs, i'm gonna pop in a set of FCR's.
Do some reading about what Keihn (spelling?) FCR's are. Califonia cycleworks is a great resource for this. They are the primary upgrade for any Carb'd bike. And from what i understand they are comparable to anything you'll be able to get (powerwise) out of a Fi bike. however they're expensive $$. carbed bikes are cheaper, but if you've never taken apart a carb to replace worn needle jets, it's no fun for someone with no experience (i did this and ended up frying my regulator by crossing wires) so be aware. in any case i enjoy the simplicity and i know just about anyone or any shop can service them in a pinch so no big deal.
my buy the cheapest bike you can find because you'll end up dropping lots of money on extras. nobody... NOBODY leaves a monster stock.
If you're going to have carbs, FCR's are the bomb, from what I've heard.
In addition to what Strati said:
FI compensates for engine temp as well as for air temp and altitude, so an FI bike will run better over a wider range of conditions. Depends how and where you ride if that's a big benefit or not.
'00 and after M900's are injected. They use the early style ECU, which is 'chippable'.
All S4 and S4R are injected.
All '02 and after M's are injected.
Personally, I like carbs because I can work on them myself. My last two Ducs are carbed. I put the Keihin FCR's on both- they carbuerate perfectly right out of the box with minimal or no tuning and add lots of throttle response compared to the stock Mikunis. Well worth the money and the first engine mod I'd do. Chris Kelley at http://www.ca-cycleworks.com has the best deal on them and he sets them up before shipping.
I have a 97 ss/sp that I rode w/ the original Mikuni's for a year or so. The entire time, I debated (doubted) the expense of the FCR's. I honestly thought people raved about them 'cause they'd already forked out a pretty good chunk of dosh to buy them...
I finally gave in and put them on late last year. The first ride I took I was pulling away from a stop light and just sorta "noticed" that the horizon started to dip a little, and that I seemed to be looking at more sky than I thought I should be; I was doing a wheelie! Not that I'm necessarily proud of that, but the only change was the carbs. Thay make a hella difference.
On top of the new power, it's smoother and more more tractable, and much easier to modulate at lower RPM's; something no injected bike I've ever ridden was particularly good at. On top of all that, the intake noise is intoxicating. I get a carbed monster just to be able to install the FCR's; they are fantastic.
As the others mentioned, Chris Kelley at CA Cycleworks is not only the place to go, but the man to talk to. He's awesome.
Where's the limp wristed, sensitive, weepy eye icon?? Thanks for the love, folks!!
Here's kinda what I think:
if you're going to leave the engine alone: efi
if you're the type that HAS to tinker to get a little more power: carby
Either way, try to find a bike that already has potential mods you're looking for. Also, as far as the small valve'd heads go, you can source heads or get a whole 900SS engine, if desired. The sky really is the limit with mods...
Chris
BTW - I've got a customer that just put Testarosso heads on his SS and has a spare set of V2 large valve heads from an SS that's wanting to sell them... would be perfect for a small valved M900.
I concur, carbs all the way, and Keihins from Chris. He's the go-to guy for Keihins (and I promise I'm going to get my how to page up soon ) Chris! Chris! Chris! Chris! Was able to slap Keihins on my internally stock M750 with no tuning, runs like a champ!
carbs I think are eaiser to tune than injection, you pull out an air meter and an a screwdriver, versus measuring resistance and all that jazz with a multimeter or computer. Call me old fashioned.
what's all this valve size talk? i have a '95 M900 (now the Hotrod M944) does it have big/ss sized valves or something else? i must concur with all here. 41mm FCR's and a 944 kit rule! go with a carbed bike. did i say that way up top? i think i did.
And new FI bikes have huge rubber gasket sticking out around the gas cap. Carbed bikes have a clean, flush mounted with the tank cap. Looks classy and trick compared to the FI tank. Get carburators PLEASE!
I bought a Rochester carb on eBay for a buck, looked like it had been dropped down a hill, some of the air horn was broke off, but I dipped it and rebuilt it for $20, slapped it on my truck for some tuning, then it went straight on my t-bucket and it runs like a champ now.
buying used: carbs or fi?
buy the cheapest bike you can find because you'll end up dropping lots of money on extras. nobody... NOBODY leaves a monster stock.
Was able to slap Keihins on my internally stock M750 with no tuning, runs like a champ!
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