Worry not, regulation will come & with it will eventually come EFI -- but until that time, why complicate the issue by introducing many points of failure, additional cost, and weight for a machine that produces minimal emissions in the first place.

Most single cylinder 4 stroke ATVs are tuned well enough that emissions gains from EFI are going to be minimal at best, especially if closed loop and a catalytic converter is not implemented.

Take the Cannondale's for instance - EFI on a quad, yet it gets a red sticker -- However, then you've got carb'd quads like the YFZ and TRX450R that both get green stickers.

In the 70's emissions and fuel economy were being tackled for the very first time in history, they made a lot of mistakes and power & reliabilty suffered.

Today's computer modeling and control has brought us far better head designs, better camshaft profiles, better matching of parts, etc. Things like variable valve timing and improved materials have also helped. Aerodynamic improvements have also substantially improved economy and therefore emissions and perceived power as well.

If you are really interested in EFI and would like to maybe tackle installing it on your quad, one low cost but powerful option to look into would be a Megasquirt - just go to google and search on it (watch out for the **** sites though [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]).

 

to say cdale did not get a green sticker because it has efi is misleading. cdale did not get a green sticker because of they way they set up their fuel curve and nothing more. the cdale runs in closed loop and does not have an oxygen sensor. i agree that certain steels are stronger than aluminum but i would not think mild steel, which is what every stock steel quad frame is made of) is stronger than the heat treated frames made by cdale or honda. my after market chromemoly frame (2001 lone star no-link) was 10 pounds lighter than my mild steel stock honda frame. also, aluminum disapates heat alot better than steel, so the oil stored in the cdale frames is cooled down better than being in a steel oil tank. i have never heard of one person who has cracked a cdale frame (i'm sure there out there) without having a major collision of crash. unlike the suzuki z400 frame which people bitch on here all the time about cracking. everything will break, and a properly designed mild steel frame will hold up well for years even under motox abuse. i haven't heard of many problems with the honda motoctcle aluminum frames cracking. i was kind of surprised they did not build the 450r with an aluminum frame since they already have the equipment to make aluminum frames. i would like to see what the real wieght of the honda is compared to the yamaha.

 

Cannondales do not run closed loop - they are strictly a open loop, no feedback system.

What is misleading? I guess I don't understand - of course the problem was fueling, I used them to illustrate that just because something is fuel injected doesn't mean it necessarily has lower emissions than something that is carb'd.

I'm not a Cannondale hater, we owned two. Still own & race one - well, technically we still own both [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] (long story).

As far as the steel vs aluminum argument, aluminum is softer than steel, period. Construction will always play a role in how well something holds up, that should be so obvious it shouldn't even need to be discussed. LTZ's have problems due to poor construction & design (sorry kawasuki owners, but it's true). Cannondale's do not because of their heavy construction (again, how much less do they weigh than the competition?)

If LSR saved 10lbs with their frame, they sacrificed strength, period. On that note I've seen and heard of many LSR frames having trouble with breakage - they are likely using thin wall chromoly to try to equal the strength of mild steel with less weight - not a good place to compromise if you ask me... I'd also like to see if they really saved 10lbs or if they're claiming they saved 10lbs - factory frames are not very heavy at all. Weight on ATVs comes mainly from engines, axles, swingarms, and tires/wheels..

You mention Honda dirtbikes - notice that they do not weigh less than their steel framed competition. Neither do aluminum framed Cannondales. It's all about Construction....

I'd also like to see the "real" weight of the Honda vs the Yamaha - I'm pretty confident that the Honda will weigh significantly less in the real world.

 

I guess the automotive industry was wrong then by producing almost all vehicles now with EFI and not still using carbs?????????????? It's called advancement in technology and at least C'dale had the ***** to use it!

 

1986atc250r makes very good points, and has very useful, and truthful information. I always thought that the 450r and yfz would be equal, but recently all I here is Yamaheads cutting the 450r right down. I was almost about to believe them until smart people that know what they are talking about straightened things out for me, thanks. As for me, I should hit my face on a wall for thinking honda would make a a bad machine.