Fuel Injectors on a Motorcycle
Our products aren’t just for cars – we have hundreds of thousands of customers using our stuff in boats, ATVs, side-by-sides, and motorcycles.
Motorcycles are a big one for people – they come out in the summer, and they have a culture all their own.
If you’ve had a motorcycle for a long time, the idea of how to use a fuel injector cleaner on it may be a new one (or maybe you use one routinely). After all, traditional motorcycles have worked with carburetors since long after most cars switched to a fuel injection system. However, more new motorcycles work with fuel injection systems, and that number is only growing. If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, you will want to answer questions such as “How does fuel injection work?” and “Do motorcycles need fuel injector cleaner?”
Well, here are some Cliffs Notes. Check it out.
How Does Motorcycle Fuel Injection Work?
With a traditional carburetor motorcycle engine, the carburetor mixes the proper proportion of fuel and air for combustion. When you accelerate, the carburetor draws more fuel and air from the fuel tank and air filter, respectively. In a fuel injection system, a computer controls the intake of air and fuel and commands the fuel injectors to spray the mixture directly into the combustion chamber and engine, so no fuel gets wasted. It’s much more efficient, and all newer bikes come with fuel injection by default.
Fuel injection is preferable because the precise and accurate fuel delivery provided by the computer maximizes power, acceleration and fuel efficiency. The downside is maintenance of your fuel injectors is critical for the proper functioning of your bike. Fuel injection is better, but it’s also a bit more finicky.
Why Do Motorcycles Need Fuel System Cleanings?
So many small issues can be fixed by keeping your fuel injectors clean.
While fuel injectors are an extremely convenient and useful feature on a motorcycle, they can become clogged, which causes a big problem. The more clogged your fuel injectors get, the more your fuel efficiency suffers. Your motorcycle will struggle to get the proper mix of fuel and air into the combustion chamber, and your performance will drop. Gas quality (especially summer vs. winter gas) can also cause problems over time, due to no fault of your own. It’s just a thing that we see happen all the time when we see customers at shows and talk to them on our support lines.
Any deposits on your fuel injectors will affect your bike’s performance, as incorrectly mixed fuel and air will ignite and burn less efficiently. Dirty fuel injectors can also lead to higher and more emissions, making it even more important for you to address this problem as soon as possible.
If you sense your motorcycle’s fuel injectors are starting to clog or it’s been a long time — or forever — since you cleaned them, you should clean them right away. You should see an immediate improvement in performance. If you allow the problem to continue, the fuel injectors may become fully clogged, and the bike may not work at all, leading to a more labor-intensive fix.
If you have been riding for a long time without a fuel injector system cleaning, or if you have never had the right cleaning for your motorcycle, you should notice a marked improvement in your bike’s performance once you’re done. Following a good fuel system cleaning with the right fuel injector cleaner product, you should get better fuel economy, lower emissions and a generally better-running, more powerful engine.
In either case, we recommend our Rislone Complete Fuel System Treatment (it’s equivalent to six additives in one bottle) or our famous Rislone Fuel Injector Cleaner. The treatment is more thorough and a bit more expensive, and the fuel injector cleaner is the best we’ve tested on the market, focused only on cleaning even the dirtiest fuel injectors.
How to Clean Motorcycle Fuel Injectors
If your fuel injectors are really messed up and you’re going to do a full manual cleaning, well, it’s not that hard if you know your way around an engine a bit.
The nice thing about cleaning your motorcycle’s fuel injection system is you can do it yourself. You will only incur the cost of the cleaning products, without having to pay any mechanic labor fees or for any replacement parts. If your motorcycle fuel injectors are only partially clogged, here’s what you do:
To clean your fuel injection system, you will need fuel injector cleaner products like the ones mentioned above. When the tank is close to empty, add your fuel injector cleaner then fill the tank and simply ride your motorcycle as normal. The action of you riding the bank will cause the fuel and the fuel injector cleaner to mix together, allowing the fuel injector cleaner to go to work, cleaning out your entire fuel injection system.
If your fuel injectors are completely clogged, you will need a pressurized solvent to clear them out. This is a bit more involved. Locate the fuel injector by reading your motorcycle’s owner’s manual. Take out the fuel pump and disconnect the fuel line, making sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Follow the instructions provided with the solvent to connect it to the fuel injectors and turn on the engine until the solvent fills up the fuel injectors. Turn off the engine, remove the solvent and reassemble the bike.
If you’re low on fuel once you complete this, follow the initial instructions above for cleaning the fuel system. If you are not, start the bike and see if it seems to run smoothly. If it does not, repeat the solvent process. If it does, ride as normal and add fuel injection cleaner right before your next fill up.
Taking Proper Care of Your Motorcycle
Some people are skeptical about how well fuel injector cleaners work for any vehicle. They may say they tried using these products and didn’t see any visible change in performance. It’s important to remember many factors go into how fuel efficient your car is. One of the most key factors is where you get your fuel injector cleaner products from. A higher quality product means a higher likelihood of very positive results. We refused to enter the fuel market until we knew we had a product that was better than what was already on the market. After 16 months of research and testing different formulas, we succeeded.
It’s also important you take complete care of your vehicle, changing air and fuel filters when necessary, driving/riding at consistent speeds, using the correct octane gasoline (not lower octane than indicated) and taking your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance when indicated. If you take proper care of your vehicle, including using the highest quality fuel additives, you should see optimal efficiency and performance.
Available Options for Cleaning Motorcycle Fuel Injectors
If you’ve decided you need a motorcycle fuel system cleaner, you’re probably wondering the best place to get one. You can’t go wrong with Rislone motorcycle injector system cleaners. Those who know about cleaning products for motorcycles and other vehicles know the Rislone name means quality. For reliable motorcycle fuel injector cleaner products and other fuel system treatments, contact Rislone now. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.
