Do you have to rejet with pods???

[DESTRO]

Kind of off topic here, but a good place to ask this.

I you go with pod filters, do the boots between the carbs and the cylinders provide all of the support needed to hold the carbs? Or is there a bracket that needs to be fashioned and installed to keep the carb assembly from falling down?

Thanks

[fredintoon]

Kind of off topic here, but a good place to ask this.
I you go with pod filters, do the boots between the carbs and the cylinders provide all of the support needed to hold the carbs? Or is there a bracket that needs to be fashioned and installed to keep the carb assembly from falling down?
Thanks

Hi Destro,
some have gotten away with not doing that in the short term but the boots will fail from the added load over time. So no they won't and yes you should.

[DESTRO]

Off to the workshop!

Thanks

[T99Ford]

There is not concrete "to jet or not to jet". The reason for this is that any engine will tune differently when being used in different conditions. Factors affecting jetting include (but are not limited to) air density, elevation (for air density), temperature, humidity, each and every modification made to an engine system, etc. Your engine will tell you if jetting changes need to be made. The questions is, are you a good enough bike mechanic to know the differences? There are several methods for doing this: Install your pods. Run the bike, and observe your plugs. If your plugs "look" fine then well and good (but you have to know what the right "look" is). Or, you can take your bike to a dyno facility, and have the exhaust gasses anylized in real time under load, and change your jetting to achieve the proper air/fuel ratio on a graph. This is the most efective. There are other methods as well, as anyone following this forum will know. But to just install jets according to some formula, or because a guy in South Florida did (even though you live in the Rockies) does not make sense. Know what your particular bike needs, and then work with that. That is tuning. If you don't know how, consult with someone who does. The results will end up better nearly every time.
Now off the soap box. I have to agree with all of the pro podders out there. Nearly everything is better with them, if you are not going for the stock look. And, the old airbox was before the days of performance tuned boxes, so you will not lose power by removing it. (If you tune properly). I have not had any problems yet with the carb boots failing from the load of the carbs, but I could see where that may be an issue in the future. But for now, I just use it the way it is!

[ruffrider]

RE: Jet size for 79sf

You asked what size main jets for a 79 sf. Stock is 137.5. I went one size up to 140 in my 79sf. I drilled my air box out for better flow and the larger jets took care of the top end problem I was having. Runs great now but I'm not happy with the mpg. 32-34 only. Hope this helps.

[DGXSER]

Geez, I finally got mine up to 35 MPG, been averaging 30.

[dbeardslee]

Joebus - According to the jetting recommendations (which I've found to be pretty accurate) you will need one jet size larger to accomodate the pods. Be carefull with the 'el-cheapo' brand filters. The rubber lip on many small round ones will obstruct the airjets with negative results. Ivan came up with a nice solution to that problem, and egleaves came up with an even easier one.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Me, too!

Geez, I finally got mine up to 35 MPG, been averaging 30.

Mine runs like a top... and my riding style (IMHO) is average. I average a consitant 30. But mine also has a Vetter 4, full hard bags, as well as a top trunk, w/ things in them that add to the weight. If I stripped her down and trimmed the weight back, she might get better?
But I like the extra storage...

[T99Ford]

Joe--
Just guessing by your and Dbeardslee's locations, your will most likely end up with similar jetting. I tried to use the "chart" to establish a baseline for jetting after I installed pods, pipe, etc, and ended up so rich that the thing almost wouldn't run. But at my altitude, your altitude is a deep lake I still maintain that if you want your bike to run at peek, don't just install stuff as a one size fits all, but run it on the dyno and do some actual tuning. Most people (trying on their own) will eventually get their bike to run at an acceptable level, and then they stop. These people will never know how much more they could get if they did the fine tuning, and got their jetting to be "spot on". But then, just pods isn't that radical of a mod, either. Tune the right way, and you won't be sorry

[dbeardslee]

t71 - that's good advice, but dyno time costs money. DGXSER turned me on to a nice website the other day with some excellent info on CV carb tuning - this is it. They talk about dynoing also for best results, but you should be able to get pretty close by using your right wrist and the seat of your pants.

[T99Ford]

DBeard--
I have seen that site before. It is pretty good. The way I tune is to perform my changes, and then just run the bike on the dyno. It costs $25 per run. I don't let the shop do the dyno tuning, because that IS expensive. You can save alot of money by tuning by the procedure in the article, and then seeing how it stacks up on a dyno run (whcih doesn't cost too much).Then make your changes accordingly. Either way, you are actually tuning, and not just bolting on parts and hoping for the best These bikes have alot more to offer if simply tuned to their utmost (carbs, valves, clutch, shocks, forks...) without adding aftermarket stuff. I am a firm believer in tuning for performance. If you are tuning properly, you will know the systems well enough to know when you are to the point that tuning is no longer enough and you will now need performance parts. And that is how you maximize your $$ and performance

[DGXSER]

T71 - I honestly do not claim to know carb tuning that well. I have some basic info that I use to slowly get closer.

I am with Doug that Dyno tuning cost money that I have to wonder if I would ever recoup. With the kind of torque and power these bikes have, I feel that unless you are trying to do something serious with them, I doubt the typical rider will see the difference between close enough and "spot on". JMHO

[dbeardslee]

T71 - yuor way of tuning and mine sound pretty similar with the exception of the dyno ($25 sounds like a VERY good price). I try to make one change at a time and then take it to my test locations to try them out. Not super scientific but I have a pretty good idea when she's giving me all she's got. I've been known to remove the carbs, tweak 'em, colortune and resynch several times in a day. Dynoing it between each operation just wouldn't be feasible. I wouldn't mind putting the old girl on a dyno just to see what I've got at the rear tire, but the only one I know of around here is at a local Harley dealership. Of course then your into the formula HD=$$$.

[joebus]

So i got everything put back together and during the fire up process some of the electric stopped. Starter wont turn, headlight wont work, turn lights wont work. Horn still works. All the fuses look fine. Any ideas out there??? I did just fill the battery and let it charge for about 5 hours. Battery is now back on the charger if that is the problem.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Joe,

Did you actually get it running again? The headlight and turn signals both have their own fused circuits separate from the ignition circuit. "Looking" at the fuses is no good, you need to REMOVE them from the holder, pull on their ends, test with a meter, etc., they easily corrode in the ends, and can go bad but still look clear. I'm assuming you still have the glass fuses in the OEM holder!?
T.C.