i'm lookin into getting a bike and i've been told to get a bike that is FI and i've also been encouraged to go the carb route. i was told by some people that the carb route is cheaper and simpler in terms of maitenance and the FI was a more complicated and more expensive if anything goes wrong, i was also told that i should go the carb route since FI is reletively new to bikes. then i have also heard the opposite of what i just said. i was looking into getting a 99 or 00 cbr f4 or f4i and those are the last carb motors. any suggestions and can ya'll clear this up on which is better or which i should get as a beginner rider?

 

you won't have any trouble w/ the f4i FI setup. That said, you won't have any problems w/ an f4 either other than your usual carb problems. Dry storage would be the number one factor. If you're a 9 month rider than f4i may be easier for you storage wise. Other than that price would be my number 1 factor. Cost of the bike and the difference between a pcIII and a jet kit/dyno time.

 

what kind of carb problems are the "usual" problems?

 

Carbs tend to gum up or more accurately the gas tends to gum up in storage and with a carbed bike it can partly or totally plug some of the jets and or faces in the carbs. In a fuel injected bike it may partly block some of the injector nozzles but with some injector cleaner will eliminate that. Plus injected bikes compensate for altitude changes.