What Year Did Harley-Davidson Make The Swap From Carburetor To EFI?

Carburetors used to be the standard fuel-mixing component in Harley-Davidson bikes. They would spray a mist of fuel into the airflow that would then make its way into the engine, where it would be burned up. By 2007, the company completely discontinued manufacturing its motorcycles with carburetors, instead making an electronic fuel injection system the new standard. That wasn't the first time Harley-Davidson used fuel injection in its bikes, though. Its motorcycles had gradually been built with EFI systems more and more since 1995, when the brand offered it as an option on the Electra Glide Ultra Classic bike — more than a decade after Kawasaki introduced EFI into its motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson worked a little slower, offering EFI systems as an option first until the company and its loyal fans were pleased with the performance. Fuel injection offered a more accurate measure of fuel sent to the engine, as there's a sensor that tells it when to add fuel into the airflow. By the time Harley-Davidson offered EFI systems just as an option in '95, the carburetor was already a relic of the past for most car manufacturers. Motorcycle brands were still struggling with the demanding exhaust emissions standards at the time.

There remains riders who are fans of carbureted motorcycles, leaving room for debate between a bike with a carburetor versus one that uses fuel injection. While future versions of the Electra Glide would end up being arguably some of the worst motorcycles in Harley-Davidson history, the '95 version brought something new to the table that many professionals were more than happy to ride. In the August 1995 issue of Cycle World Magazine, talking about the new "sophisticated electronic fuel-injection system" in the Electra Glide Ultra Classic, the reviewer said it was a more joyful ride than its carbureted predecessors.

This model year commemorated the Electra Glide's 30th anniversary. It had the traditional look that fans came to expect from the touring motorcycle, but combined it with more up-to-date technology. It came with an air-cooled four-stroke V-twin engine and a five-speed transmission that could get about 50 horsepower at 4,000 rpm. Only 2,000 EFI models were produced, which partly accounted for its inflated price tag of $17,500 — roughly $1,500 more than the carbureted version. If you happen to still own one of these Electra Glides, you own a piece of Harley-Davidson history.