Carburetors vs. Fuel Injection

There are a lot of little differences between scooter models. They may not matter to you if you are buying based on price and style. But if you are considering doing you own maintenance, planning to supe it up, or you are interested in being as green as possible, the details about the engine matter. One of those details is Carburetors vs. Fuel Injection, the two common methods for mixing fuel and air as it enters an engine’s cylinder.

The most basic difference between the two methods is that carburetors are mechanical and fuel injection is electronically controlled. Carburetors use the Bernoulli Principal to draw fuel through a “jet” as air is sucked in. Their mechanical nature makes them easy to work on and modify.

Fuel injection systems blow fuel into the cylinder, atomizing the fuel. The amount and timing is controlled by a computer. This means that programming or chips need to be changed to make performance changes. However, the computer control allows for more adjustability. The computer, with its sensors, is better at achieving the perfect air/fuel mixture than a mechanical system. Therefore the mixture burns more efficiently. A fuel injected system is less likely to leave unburned fuel in the exhaust, making fuel-injection the greener choice. The computer can adjust the mixture on the fly with changing conditions, most notably while the engine is warming up. Some carbureted bikes require a manual choke to lean the mixture until the engine warms up, though most modern scooters have at least an automatic choke.

Carbureted engines are simpler and cheaper. Electronic fuel injection improves ease of starting in a variety of conditions, increases dependability, and requires less maintenance. Most manufactures’ websites have specifications online that will list the carburetion/induction method of their models.