Benefit of the zrx carbs?

[joep7]

Acquiring parts for the xs and considering all the other upgrades I'm doing I thought I would look at the carbs. I have a completely refurbed set of stockers, but I have seen a few ppl doing the zrx conversion. What is the actual benefit? Hp? Balance across band? Reliability?

Conversion seems straight forward with a few mods.

[natemoen]

Easier parts availability and just to be different. Some have claimed better mpg as well.

I personally don't see the benefit outweighing the hassle.

[joep7]

Do the stock mikunis work ok with k&n's or velocity stacks?

[TopCatGr58]

Oh boy,

Guess we'll need to add this topic to the oil and tire thread group!

Do a search for PODS will reveal many threads. For a long time we discussed the problems with tuning when putting on PODS vs. running the OEM airbox. The pros/cons were easier R&R of carbs with Pods. There is a cheap generic version of Pods(Emgo brand) that have a prominent mounting lip that can interfere with the air flow of the inlet bell. The real K&N's and XS brand that Partsnmore and MIkesXS sell which are K&N clones do NOT have an interfering lip. However, folks still complained of tuning problems, both due to the increased leanness of the F/A mixture, and possible turbulence of the air as it comes into the filter sideways and then turns to go into the inlet bells/throats of the carbs. The Podswith aftermarket pipes were also attributed to a loss of low end torque/grunt/throttle response EVEN when they were tuned properly, not too lean.

Recently(last few years) we sorta stumbled upon a situation that was a solution for one problem....how to mount the cheap EMGO filters onto the carbs without having the airflow problems...and that was to install some pseudo-velocity stack type tubes onto the carbs before mounting the filters to them. This eliminated the LIP restriction, but the other benefit was that it got the airflow straight into the carbs/throats similar to the velocity stack type ports that are on the OEM airbox, and this seemed to help reduce the loss of low rpm grunt/throttle response.

See the tech tips/mods on the mounting Pods options. T.C.

[joep7]

Oh boy,

Guess we'll need to add this topic to the oil and tire thread group!

Do a search for PODS will reveal many threads. For a long time we discussed the problems with tuning when putting on PODS vs. running the OEM airbox. The pros/cons were easier R&R of carbs with Pods. There is a cheap generic version of Pods(Emgo brand) that have a prominent mounting lip that can interfere with the air flow of the inlet bell. The real K&N's and XS brand that Partsnmore and MIkesXS sell which are K&N clones do NOT have an interfering lip. However, folks still complained of tuning problems, both due to the increased leanness of the F/A mixture, and possible turbulence of the air as it comes into the filter sideways and then turns to go into the inlet bells/throats of the carbs. The Podswith aftermarket pipes were also attributed to a loss of low end torque/grunt/throttle response EVEN when they were tuned properly, not too lean.

Recently(last few years) we sorta stumbled upon a situation that was a solution for one problem....how to mount the cheap EMGO filters onto the carbs without having the airflow problems...and that was to install some pseudo-velocity stack type tubes onto the carbs before mounting the filters to them. This eliminated the LIP restriction, but the other benefit was that it got the airflow straight into the carbs/throats similar to the velocity stack type ports that are on the OEM airbox, and this seemed to help reduce the loss of low rpm grunt/throttle response.

See the tech tips/mods on the mounting Pods options. T.C.

Yeah I should have searched that part admittedly. :/

I have no plan to run cheap emgos or anything. My plan was to put the air box back on but someone on here mentioned they work pretty good with velocity stacks.

I just wondered f the zrx carbs allowed the use of k&n's with less problems.

[webbcraft2150]

Get caught in a downpour with pods and you better be ready to pull over for a while. A lot of people say pods make it easier to pull the carbs, which it does, but geez, how many times you gonna pull the carbs anyway. Then you have the potential jetting problem to deal with. The intake roar might be pleasing while cruising around town but can really get on your nerves on a road trip. I haven't pulled carbs since my last "triple clean" about 12-13 years ago. If you have the stock airbox, put it back on (yes it will fight you), get a replacement K&N filter and ride on.

[TADracer]

I respectfully disagree with a lot of what people say about pod filters and the ZRX carb swap. I have had pods for years simply because the PO got rid of the OEM setup before I got my bike. Have ridden through rain so heavy I should have just pulled over and got drenched waiting it out and my motor never missed a beat.

As far as the ZRX swap, it was the best thing I have ever done and certainly was the best bang for the buck mod. It is almost a plug-N-play deal and the tuneability, reliability, availability of parts and performance of the newer carbs is well worth the dollars I spent. The main things you will have to do is massage the throttle cable end and tap a port for your vacuum advance. Both are no biggies. Will it cut a second off your elapsed time or give you an extra ten on the top end? Nope...but you will definitely notice the difference over the older Mikunis.

But like most everything (oil, tires, etc.) pod filters or a carb swap is a personal choice. All I can say is it worked for me.

Do this search and you will find out a lot (Vacuum advance with ZRX carbs)

[fredintoon]

Acquiring parts for the xs and considering all the other upgrades I'm doing I thought I would look at the carbs. I have a completely refurbed set of stockers, but I have seen a few ppl doing the zrx conversion. What is the actual benefit? Hp? Balance across band? Reliability?
Conversion seems straight forward with a few mods.

Hi joep7,
I'd say the main advantage that ZRX or any other new carb conversion has is that they ain't seen 33 years of use like the stockers have.
Has to be a lot easier to tune new carbs than to tune worn out ones.

[Nubian]

Get caught in a downpour with pods and you better be ready to pull over for a while. A lot of people say pods make it easier to pull the carbs, which it does, but geez, how many times you gonna pull the carbs anyway. Then you have the potential jetting problem to deal with. The intake roar might be pleasing while cruising around town but can really get on your nerves on a road trip. I haven't pulled carbs since my last "triple clean" about 12-13 years ago. If you have the stock airbox, put it back on (yes it will fight you), get a replacement K&N filter and ride on.

Ditto on the downpour, was just about to start a thread on that till I saw your post. So I am not the only one that has experienced that. One time I was really stuck and it took awhile to start back up. What to do about it?

[Bonz]

I run the ZRX carbs with pods on my, well, ZRX 1200. Never had an issue with rain, even blowing sideways rain. Cant see it being any different with an XS. Don't worry about it is my take.

Gotta have the ZRX carb vent tubes out of the wind or that will give you driveability fits in strong side and quartering winds.

I am doing a carb conversion on the ZRX as we speak, putting Keihin 40mm carbs from a ZZR 1200 (ZX11 carbs are the same thing) on the bike. Just about finished, so the ZRX carbs may find their way onto my 80SG if the 40mm carbs tune up well on the ZRX. Regardless, I won't want to part with the ZRX carbs in case I sell the bike I can put it back to stock.

Hmmmm.... Could the XS intake manifolds be opened to accept a 40mm carb? May make those an option for the XS? Main issue is the 40's are downdraft. The ZRX is the exact same engine as the ZZR 1200 other than cams and pistons, and the ZRX engine is tilted forward enough to let the downdrafts work. Not sure if the XS engine is too upright, which might be a deal breaker regardless. Many more sets of Zx11 carbs on eBay than ZRX carbs, and watch frequently to find them pretty inexpensively compared to most ZRX carbs.

[IanDMacDonald]

I had K&N pods on my stolen 750, and never once had an issue with rain. The intake noice was a beautiful sound admired by many! I have a modified airbox on my 11 currently that offers a nice growl, but not as loud as the Mac turn-outs I had.