Why Pakistani Bike Manufactures Are Stuck On Carburetor Engines?

With a few exceptions of less developed nations, motorbikes worldwide are equipped with fuel injection systems instead of outdated carburetors. India, our neighbor, has overreached itself in the motorbike industry in particular. They have a large selection of bikes, all of which have electronic fuel injection (EFI) installed. They consider the carburetor engine to be obsolete.

All of our production bikes still use carburetor engines, a sign of the obsolete technology still prevalent in the Pakistani motorbike industry.

Even the recently released Suzuki GSX125 is built on a carburetor engine, despite being imported from Thailand and having lots of high-tech features. What irony! The most expensive bike in Pakistan, this 125cc model, costs 500,000 PKR, yet it isn't even equipped with a simple EFI system. Not unexpected, is it?

This is the first time this subject has been brought up in the nation. We'll declassify a few of the reasons why Yamaha, Suzuki, and Atlas Honda, our motorcycle manufacturers, choose not to install EFI systems in their vehicles here.

Note: The information in this post, which is based on opinions, was gathered from a number of dealers, technicians, and our team of bike specialists.

What are the advantages of an EFI engine over a carburetor engine?

Every benefit of EFI over a carburetor is present. These are a few:

• improved fuel efficiency significantly
• improved acceleration and throttle responsiveness
• Reduced upkeep necessary
• lower emissions
• Winter cold start problems are eliminated and the inbuilt computers make diagnosis simple.

Given that the cost of motorbikes is rising year, why do Pakistani motorcycle manufacturers still not provide EFI models? This is the analysis that follows:

Big Three Monopoly

Since there are no other well-known bike brands in Pakistan, our top three motorbike manufacturers have created a monopoly in the industry. They are unable to innovate or offer competitive pricing because of the lack of competition, and as a result, they are forced to sell their bikes at prices set by the manufacturers, which are consistently excessive and well behind the rest of the industry in terms of features. In addition, the Pakistani government does not regulate the price of motorcycles, which gives our Big3s a competitive advantage.

Problems with Mechanics and Maintenance

The majority of Pakistani local technicians are skilled in carburetor engines and know very little to nothing about EFI systems. The introduction of EFI systems in bikes will make it more difficult to locate qualified mechanics outside of shops run by the firm

However, it's not a major problem. As you can see, when electric cars were still a novel idea, consumers were hesitant to purchase them due to a dearth of technicians and aftermarket service. The infrastructure expanded in tandem with the increase in demand and the number of EV purchases. Today, the availability of mechanics and aftermarket assistance for electric cars is on par with that of gasoline-powered vehicles globally.

In a similar vein, mechanics and other support services will progressively become accessible if manufacturers begin making EFI bikes, as in India, and demand for EFI motorcycles rises in Pakistan, just as experienced with electric automobiles.

Regretfully, it appears that none of the local motorcycle manufacturers are inclined to take this type of risk and would rather play it safe.

Absence of Government Rigidity

India has imposed more stringent emission regulations, such as the Euro 6 corresponding Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) requirements. EFI systems, which are more effective at reducing carbon emissions than carburetors, have become necessary as a result of these requirements.

Governments across the world, including those in India, have outlawed the use of carburetor engines because to concerns about their carbon footprint and required all manufacturers of cars and bikes to use at least an EFI system that has received Euro-5 certification.

Even though Pakistan has a lot of pollution each year, the government there is not as concerned about enforcing emission rules on the automobile sector. Despite the fact that carburetor engines are inefficient and bad for the environment, manufacturers are allowed to use them. However, this issue does not appear to concern our government.

Pakistan's economic factors

Carburetors are often less costly than EFI systems. Price-sensitive countries such as Pakistan should take into account the greater cost of producing and maintaining motorbikes equipped with electronic fuel injection (EFI).

Again, it's not an excuse for outdated technology. Similar to any new technology, infrastructure can be expensive at first but gets cheaper as it gets better. For instance, hybrid automobiles were originally thought to be the domain of the wealthy in the 2000s. Nowadays, the middle class in the West and Japan is accustomed to them because of the reliable hybrid technological infrastructure.

In a similar vein, prices may initially be higher if the Pakistani government controls the use of EFI systems and manufacturers convert to fuel injector engines. But as infrastructure expands, prices will eventually level out.

What would happen if the government implemented rules requiring the mandatory use of EFI?

A government law requiring bikes to use EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) systems would probably have the following beneficial effects on the market:

Manufacturing Shift: In order to integrate EFI systems, motorcycle manufacturers would have to modify their manufacturing lines. This can need making changes to assembly procedures, retraining employees, and investing in new technologies.

Increased Product Offerings: Since EFI engines are far more fuel-efficient than carbs, manufacturers may use EFI systems to launch larger, more fuel-efficient motorcycles with 200 and 250cc engines.

Initial Price Changes: Because of the additional manufacturing and technological expenditures, motorcycles with EFI systems may initially cost more. However, the cost differential between bikes with carburetion and those with electronic fuel injection may decrease as manufacturing increases and technology spreads.

Customer Preferences for EFI: Due to the economy and performance advantages of EFI motorbikes, consumers may start gravitating toward them.

Environmental Impact: By lowering motorcycle emissions, EFI adoption may improve sustainability and air quality.

Support for Third-Party Maintenance: Local third-party technicians will rapidly become accustomed to servicing EFI engines, and their aftermarket services will be comparable to those for carburetor engines.

Regretfully, it appears that the Big3s are controlling the market and that our government is doing little to solve this problem.