Reliability

[Houtman_imp]

Carbs have only been a problem for me when they were allowed to sit idle with deteriorating gas. My CB750 has been in service for 22 years and is ridden regularly. The carbs on that bike have never been touched in over 50K miles.*

My buddy had the identical bike, but after getting a new bike, his CB750 would sit for 4 or 5 months at a time. He was continually plagued by carb issues. I finally convinced him to sell it, rather than pulling the carbs for cleaning every time he wanted to ride it.

I often hear that fuel injection is better because it's not susceptible to these issues. I've often wondered about that. Wouldn't old gas tend to gum up the small passages in the injectors, in the same way it plugs up small idle circuit passages and jets in carbs?


*Both of my CBs get a Seafoam treatment every 3 or 4 months to keep fuel system varnish deposits to a minimum.

Does the pressure from the fuel injectors keep the passages cleaner , not relying on gravity for the fuel ?