(1978 k)Z650 Clamp on air filters

I bought a set of 39mm clamp on air filters (EMGO not K&N's) which arrived
today and they look the dogs. I've been advised from group members who seem
to know a shed load more about bikes than i do that i've made a big mistage
buying these. New jets and the possibility of my carb bank snapping off
their mount being just two worrying side effects of fitting these bastards.
Has anyone here fitted a set to their pride and joy? If so, please advise if
the associated hassle was worth the effort or whether i should, as others
have strongly recommended, stick with the standard airbox set-up.
It's okay Lozzo.....I won't be hurt if you decide not to contribute to this
one

 

Personal preference I guess but I cannot stand the bloody things. The
hassles involved with jetting, they can be troublesome if the get wet
etc .. and at the end of the day the standard system works well enough.



--
Steve Parry

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

http://wrexhamseals.tripod.com

 

martinski said...

I fitted individual K+N filters to a Suzuki GSX750EFE a few years back
[1], I fitted a Ledar air corrector kit, which included the correct jets
at the same time. I'd say the filters were a total and expensive waste
of time. The power delivery was completely screwed up along with the
fuel consumption, despite plug chops showing that the mixture was
correct throughout the rev range. It was certainly no faster and bogged
down, like a highly tuned 2-stroke in too high a gear, before the power
came in. As well as that, when it rained the bike ran like a total and
utter sack of shit. I'd oiled the filters as per K+N's instructions,
fitted a shield between the seat and tank to stop rain water flowing
down and onto the top of the filters, but it always ran like an
asthmatic 20 year old, half dead labrador when it rained.

Things got no better when I fitted the Harris F1 4-1 full system with
optional and swoppable race baffle either, in fact they got worse and I
was advised by TTS Tuning to remove the filters and go back to the
standard air box. This was very difficult, mainly because I'd chopped
the airbox into four parts with a bolster chisel when I fitted the
filters, to save me the bother of removing the complete rear suspension
to get it out. I sourced another airbox cheaply[2] from a breakers yard
and spent a full day fitting it. Left the air corrector kit in to
compensate for the Harris pipe and it ran perfectly...until I missed 4th
gear and got the *other neutral* at Santa Pod and smashed the head,
valves and pistons. Oh well, gave me an excuse to have a Yoshimura 810cc
conversion done.

Get rid of them on e-bay and stick with the stock airbox, seriously.
You'll regret fitting those filters, especially if you are a little
lacking in mechanical knowledge.

[1] Ok, when God was a teenager then.
[2] Who ever buys air-boxes, they're dirt cheap, same goes for swing
arms and rear mudguards

 

martinski let forth with a mighty belch and uttered :

True, in a kind of retro way.


I've been advised from group members who

Yup. Heed them.



New jets and the possibility of my carb bank

The air box provides support at the rear of the carb. Standard thing round
my way was to nick some meccano<sp> or similar to make a support strut.


being just two worrying side effects of fitting

Yes, they lasted about two weeks before the airbox was refitted. I left the
( compulsory ) Ledar ( think Dynojet ) kit on though.

If

Was it **** as like. It was an expensive waste of time. If I wanted to wreck
the carburation at the bottom end, then it was worth it.

Oh yeah, then when it rains......


or whether

Yup, especially on what is rapidly becoming, if it isn't already, a
desirable classic.


It's okay Lozzo.....I won't be hurt if you decide not to

 

Don't forget getting the right length of inlet stub to match the exhaust
system, valve/port timing etc.

I had them off my RD250<baits hook>DX pronto. Though with reed valves I
guess the inlet manifold length may be moot.

 

Champ said...

Deffo 'Ledar'. IIRC the company took the first part of its name from
part of one of the founder's names, the late Leon Moss. You learn these
things when you've fucked about with tuned 2-strokes for as long as I
have.

 

Hog said...

Very important is intake stub length, as is the shape and radius of the
edge of the bellmouth inside the filter.

No, it really makes a big difference. If you don't fit the Ledar stub
extenders they run like shit at all revs. I learnt that fitting a stub-
stack within the K+N on an RD makes a huge difference too. I found out
about the effects these have when I read about them in Vizard's 'Tuning
the A-Series Engine', whilst I was tuning a 1971 Cooper S.

 

That has a certain resonance.

ps. eBay has been full of RD's in the Bedford area....

 

Hog said...

I know, you really don't want to see just how fucking wired I've been
over the last few days watching the auctins progress.

While we're talking RDs, Caz bought a 4000 mile old 1981 X plate RD200
[1] today, seized and fucked motor[2] but absolutely excellent in every
other respect. Even the chromework inside the mudguards is good and she
says it looks like it's ever been dropped either. Cost...70 quid. She's
going to use it to rebuild/restore her wrecked RD125. I gave her the
full history with the 125 when she took it on, as it's a bike I've known
from new and I was only the second owner.

[1] Identical to her 125, metallic burgundy with the LC type stripes and
not a scratch on any of the paint or anywhere else.
[2] Been sat for years with no spark plugs in it.

 

There is a bloke selling a restored RD400C starting price £1850. No bids!

Sweet

 

Hog said...

Over-priced, if it was an E or F then maybe. I reckoned that my 13K
miles original and unmolested RD250D was only really worth 1200 for
insurance purposes. I'd doubt any 400, no matter how perfect, will ever
sell for more than 2 grand.

 

If you're going down this root then you will also need an Alpha four into
one to guarantee the carburation is completey out.

Make sure it's one that means you have to remove the centre stand AND also
blocks access to the sump plug.

Always carry a screwdriver to keep tightening them down and resign yourself
to slowly trundling back and, forth looking for the one that just fell off,
at least once a fortnight. Get a couple of spares.

And never ride if it's raining, looks like it might rain or has rained in
the past fortnight.

 

Blimey. Ever tried buying at least two of those items for an old
Kawasaki triple? ;-))

 

Died when some twat failed to hitch a trailer properly to his car, IIRC.

 

Alfa. And spelled that way, presumably, to warn you it was absolute
shite.

Heh. Excellent.

Don't forget the bottle of air filter oil, for regular re-applications.

 

Blimey. Ever tried buying at least two of those items for an old
Kawasaki triple? ;-))[/QUOTE]

If you think the airboxes are like rocking horse shit, try getting a
rubber boot to connect one to the carbs.

--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/KH500A8/TS250C
|_\_____/_| ..62661../..14297.../..3157./.19406
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4 PM#5
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11 WG*
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17
'^'

 

So true

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

#Funny how it seems

 

In

ooohh thats like a whiz back to the late 70's early 80's ..one minor
correction the exhaust system referred to was an Alfa 4-1 from thos
"wonderful" guys at Micron [1] if I recall correctly ;o)

[1] manufacturers of equally shite but well marketed 2 stroke systems

--
Steve Parry

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

http://wrexhamseals.tripod.com

 

*Ginge*