pod filters vs. stock air box

[chopperbill]

I'm thinking of putting pod filters on my xj1100 any body got any comments on them vs. the stock air box.

Thanks, Bill

[TopCatGr58]

Hey ChopperBill,

This topic needs to be added to the OIL and TIRES categories as the most controversial thread topics to start!

I beseach you, put your thread topics into a SEARCH window, and you'll find lots of opinions to peruse and then choose your side!
T.C.

[fredintoon]

Hi Bill,
I dunno about XJs but on my XS the only thing wrong with the stock airbox was that it turned working on the carbs from a tedious chore into a knucklebusting nightmare. After my hands healed up from the last time I took my stock airbox off I bought four Unipod filters instead. They are magic!
With the stock airbox in place the carbs needed cleaning and adjustment every third month. With the Unipods the carbs never falter. Just build some kinda bracket to hold up the carb rack at the back because the stock airbox can't do that if it ain't there no more.

[79XS11F]

If your not prepared to do the hours of carb "fine" tuning that is often required with the POD filter setup ... don't bother. If you are go for it.
Rob

[TADracer]

Fred and Rob are both right. You cant just stick them on and expect everything to be right. Even a small change in one part between the fuel petcock and the exhaust tip may mean you must make a change or adjustment to something else. You will definately need to do some tuning and jetting to get your combo right and you will have to fab up a bracket or two and also re-route or add a small filter to your crankcase vent and your bowl vents.

But, once you have done all that, removing the carbs for cleaning, jetting, or just because you wanna becomes a two minute job. Mine come off with just a screwdriver and the way I am set up, the whole rack comes off with the air and fuel filters and all fuel hoses still attached.

[Dennyz]

OK Pods are convenient, I'll give them that. The stock air box can be a challenge for the unexperienced (dig dig). Once a person learns the way it is done, removing a set of carbs with the air box only takes a few minutes.

I felt somebody needed to speak up for the air box. If performance is truly ones goal, both power and fuel economy, the air box (drilled) wins hands down (IMHO).

[trbig]

The XS has an advantage over the XJ in that you can get some room to get the carbs out by loosening the screws to the air box. You can take the screws OUT of the XJ airbox and it won't give you any more room. This is the main reason I went to the pods.

Tadracer mentioned a vent for the bowls, but the XJ carbs doesn't have this. You will need a filter for that big breather hose coming off the crankcase though. Some people tuck theirs up under their seat, but I have always just tucked mine down over the back of the motor with the reasoning that water can't flow up the tube, but it could run down if tucked under the seat. I think it's a mute point either way though as positive crankcase pressure will/should keep water out of the line... especially if there's a filter on the hose.

If your carb intake boots are in decent shape, there shouldn't be a necessety to have a bracket made. Some do, but most don't. I think it would help keep fuel from sloshing on bumps and maybe extend the life of the carb boots, but I have never had a power loss or stumble from it.

You may have to tune your carbs when you put them on, but you will have to tune them eventually no matter which filtration system you use. The pods turned this from a 45 minute job with wrenching and twisting to those expensive boots, to an easy 5 minute job.. if that. Mine was a direct plug and play with no tuning involved. I did go one size up on the main jets to a 115. The pod filters tend to lean you out just a bit. I tried 2 and 3 sizes up, but they were too much.

The idle mixture screws on the stock XJ carbs are capped off with a brass cover with a small hole in it. I have been advised numerous times to pull this cap off so I can get into the adjustment screws, but my headers stay nice and chrome, not blue, so I can only assume the mixture is right and the caps remain.

The bottom line is... do what you want to do. I may have just been lucky, but every bike is different. You may end up with a plug and play when you do it, or you may have to end up going to extremes to get it right. Just keep everything and go back to stock if you don't like the results or can't get it right. I prefer the looks of the bike with the airbox on, but for ease of removal and installation... you couldn't pay me enough to put the airbox back on. Good luck with your decision.

Tod

[The Lorax]

I have pods on mine, I didn't have much of an option, when I bought my XS, it didn't have carbs on it, much less an airbox. So I don't know the benefits of the stock box versus the pods. I hear there can be issues while riding in the rain but I have only ever noticed a slight stumble, and that was during a torrential downpour. as to adjusting them, couldn't tell you, I tinker with mine from time to time as my mixture is a little off (a little rich in the Idle circuit, a little lean in the mains) it runs good, but needs to run better so I will get slightly larger mains, and lean out the idle circuit, and have a bash at synching the carbs this spring. Who knows, I may actually get everything tuned properly this year, like I said, it's close, but not close enough for my taste. have a nice day, and ride safe

[stoked]

My bike feels the same with pods as it did with the box with no jet change. Plugs are also the same color as far I my calibrated eyes can tell.

The only reason I went pods was the ease of removing the carbs for their weekly cleaning before I put on inline filters. But now I've come to like the look of that big gap with the pods sitting their, looks like a hot rod. Plus it just feels easier to work on overall.

[Paintman]

On my 80 SH i dont have an airbox at all so i guess i will be running pod filters i ran them back in the day on my CBXand my 900 Super sport it takes a little tinkering LOL but with bikes this old the tools never get a chance to rust but if i found a nice airbox i would pick it up to have for when i get to old to tune it myself.
John

[jkorn]

air box

I agree with Denny. The stock box does have some pretty nice velocity stacks built right into it and with a K&N air filter you get all of the air you need. I put the seperate filters on back in 81 or so and could never get the carbs right. Finaly put the stock box back on and have never looked back.

Jeff

Originally posted by Dennyz
OK Pods are convenient, I'll give them that. The stock air box can be a challenge for the unexperienced (dig dig). Once a person learns the way it is done, removing a set of carbs with the air box only takes a few minutes.

I felt somebody needed to speak up for the air box. If performance is truly ones goal, both power and fuel economy, the air box (drilled) wins hands down (IMHO).

[mason79]

Re: air box

Originally posted by jkorn
I agree with Denny. The stock box does have some pretty nice velocity stacks built right into it and with a K&N air filter you get all of the air you need. I put the seperate filters on back in 81 or so and could never get the carbs right. Finaly put the stock box back on and have never looked back.

Jeff

touche!

[gwh57]

Hi
I have 2 XJ1100 and did'nt have to rejet after installing K&N pod filters on both bikes.

[TopCatGr58]

HERE'S a link to a MEGA THREAD started by Mike Hart several years ago regarding replumbing his XJ along with installing pod filters that you might find enlightening!?!?
T.C.

I'm a Pod filter proponent, but you'll also want to look in the tech tips cause there are some known problems with some of the FRUGAL pods out there, and their mounting, and air flow restriction, etc.!

[79XS11F]

After reading that thread I had only one question that came to mind about fuel bowl level. You can set the floats to as rich as you like and it will make no difference unless the fuel from the tank can get there fast enough. On that bike the fuel supply was changed and "may" have been an issue. One supply line to 4 carbs is not a lot unless the tubing sizes have been increased accordingly. On my 750 Katana there is only one fuel supply line for all 4 carbs but that fuel line is at least 50% larger then what we have on our 1100 that use 2 lines. If I were doing that trouble shooting on a lean burn I would have went with larger supply lines anywhere that used only one fuel line. Fuel line size is an often over looked issue. There's no doubt that I will be doing this sort of tuning soon with my hop up bike so the thread was an interesting read.
Rob