Different gas tanks?

[dbmb0416]

Nice bike. I had a pin hole in mine near the rear. I used Red Kote tank sealer. Worked great an no more leaks. I just followed the instructions to the letter.

[Xarik]

Nice bike. I had a pin hole in mine near the rear. I used Red Kote tank sealer. Worked great an no more leaks. I just followed the instructions to the letter.

No leaks as far as I know, but that's good to know in case there is one!

[dbeardslee]

Here's the bike now (the windshield is just set on there). So she's a bit ugly, but a good contender for a Cafe

One thing I'm noticing on that bike right away is the pod filters. They appear to be the little Emgo type filters with the inside lip. I'm a little over-sensitized to them as I just had a go-around with "lippy" pods on my brother's bike. Anyway, if the shop has trouble getting it to run right, you might advise them to check those pods and make sure they don't have a lip on the inside obstructing the intakes.

[Xarik]

One thing I'm noticing on that bike right away is the pod filters. They appear to be the little Emgo type filters with the inside lip. I'm a little over-sensitized to them as I just had a go-around with "lippy" pods on my brother's bike. Anyway, if the shop has trouble getting it to run right, you might advise them to check those pods and make sure they don't have a lip on the inside obstructing the intakes.

How do you mean? A little bit of resistance is wanted isn't it?

I was informed that the pods are actually a bad thing for it because there is no resistance so going back to an air box would help tremendously. Also, the exhaust is a 4 to 1 system and that doesn't help with how it's running . She floods at 3k RPM and back fires, but idles amazingly

[dbeardslee]

How do you mean? A little bit of resistance is wanted isn't it?

Not that kind of resistance. Some of those small, inexpensive pods have a pronounced lip on the inside that restricts the air flow to the air jet as well as the slide intake, and that's a bad thing. Bad to the point where the bike won't run right. And just in terms of surface area I've even seen some of those small pods visibly suck in when you hit the throttle due to their small surface area.

An engine is an air pump, and the idea is to get the air flowing freely through it. Course the exhaust on the other end has an affect, and the jets have to be sized properly to keep the air/fuel mixture in the correct ratio allowing for both the intake and the exhaust.

If you're going to run pods I'd strongly suggest the Mikes XS oblong pods (54mm). The opening is molded rubber, and there's no lip inside to restrict the carb openings. And being oblong there's more surface area so they allow a freer flow of air.

[dbeardslee]

One other thing while I'm thinking about it. I run a 4/1 with pod filters and I've found 45 pilots with 145 mains provides the best power. If you look in the jetting recommendations and do the math you'll come up with 45 pilots and 147.5 mains (for 1979 carbs), but (thanks to TC) I found the 147.5's to be a bit on the fat side. It runs better with the 145's. IIRC the 80 carbs are different, but the "formula" would be one size up on the pilots, and three sizes up on the mains from stock.

[dbeardslee]

I was informed that the pods are actually a bad thing for it because there is no resistance so going back to an air box would help tremendously. Also, the exhaust is a 4 to 1 system and that doesn't help with how it's running . She floods at 3k RPM and back fires, but idles amazingly

Sounds suspiciously like the stumble I was getting in my brother's bike with the lippy pods installed. I'll have to disagree with your mechanic - pods are most definitely NOT a bad thing, nor is the 4/1 exhaust. You just have to adjust the jetting to accommodate them. And the sound you'll get out of the motor is way different with that setup than you will with a stock setup. So if you like it a little more on the loud, aggressive side, stick with the pods and the 4/1. You'll get more HP that way too.

And in reference to TC's question about taking the bike to a mechanic as opposed to relying on the info available here - that's an indication of how correct he was right there.

[mrhammer2u]

Mrhammer2u: We should talk, you seem to be making a build similar to what I'm looking at doing. It'd be awesome to hear from you on what you did with your handlebars/forks as well as hearing what you did with the tank/seat. That site seems helpful, but not an all in one spot for what I need.

Happy to give you feedback. Just PM me if you like.

Tank - It's a stock special. Just removed the badges, filled with bondo and painted.

Seat - Got my set up from Dime City Cycles. They have large selection of cafe style parts. Spend a few more $$$ and go fiberglass not plastic. I had a friend fab up the seat brackets and got the seat pan as low and level to the frame as possible. He removed some of the rear section that held on the rear fender as it was no longer needed/desired. I do need to fab up a bracket so I can mount my plate under the tail to improve the look. On the to do list.

Forks - Only add on is the tkat fork brace. I've never ridden without it so I don't know the difference. People say it's a good improvement. I removed the front fender for the look. People say you get debris in the face but this is not my experience. I don't ride in the wet so I can't say much for spray. If you remove the front fender people say you should DEF get a fork brace to make up for the lack of fender support.

Bars - Supermoto from Dime City Cycles. It bolts right on but I want to have my brake lines shortened now (and prob upgrade to stainless). If you're looking to be lower, clubmans will work and are easier to install than clip ons. I think you have to take the forks apart and replace the ears that hold the headlight to install clip ons. Research xs1100 and clubmans because i think some may have clearance issues.

[dbeardslee]

Just to add...

According to the yamaha parts site, the 80 SG was jetted with 120 mains on 1 and 4, and 125's on 2 and 3. They jetted them a little fatter in the middle to compensate for the heat retained by the inner cylinders - fatter jets were supposed to make them run a bit cooler. The pilots were 42.5 - same as the previous years.

Using the jetting recommendations (-1 size) that would give you 127.5's on 1 and 4, and 132.5 on 2 and 3, and 45 pilots with an SG running pod filters and a 4/1 exhaust. If that bike was already jetted for the 4/1 and pod filters, and your mechanic puts a stock air box on it, it's going to run rich.

The exhaust and intake should be modified together, and the pods and a 4/1 are a good match. The stock air box is a good match for the stock exhaust.

But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the only problem you had was lips on your pods. I'm just afraid your mechanic is going to start monkeying around with things and end up costing you a fortune.

Sorry to keep posting so much about this. It's why I'm a member of that support group for people who talk too much - On and On Anon.

[Xarik]

According to the yamaha parts site, the 80 SG was jetted with 120 mains on 1 and 4, and 125's on 2 and 3. They jetted them a little fatter in the middle to compensate for the heat retained by the inner cylinders - fatter jets were supposed to make them run a bit cooler. The pilots were 42.5 - same as the previous years.

Using the jetting recommendations (-1 size) that would give you 127.5's on 1 and 4, and 132.5 on 2 and 3, and 45 pilots with an SG running pod filters and a 4/1 exhaust. If that bike was already jetted for the 4/1 and pod filters, and your mechanic puts a stock air box on it, it's going to run rich.

The exhaust and intake should be modified together, and the pods and a 4/1 are a good match. The stock air box is a good match for the stock exhaust.

But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the only problem you had was lips on your pods. I'm just afraid your mechanic is going to start monkeying around with things and end up costing you a fortune.

Sorry to keep posting so much about this. It's why I'm a member of that support group for people who talk too much - On and On Anon.

Good, dont' stop talking . I'm loving all the information and I'm learning an A$$ ton!

I'll start by saying that my mechanic is NOT the one who informed me of the pods being an issue, it was the guy who owned the bike before me. Also, the exhaust knowledge came from me, so hearing that they work well together is news to me, but probably not news to my mechanic haha.

Some important information: MY MECHANIC HASN'T TOUCHED THE BIKE YET! They are extremely backed up and cannot work on them for at least 2 more weeks, so the more I learn now and the more I can figure out, the better my wallet will look at the end of this month.

Should I go ahead and give my mechanic a call and tell him to wait till I get better pods and then tell him what jetts to utilize from your last post?

Currently, I believe the carbs are completely stock and have no jetting done to them, so they would be made for dual exhaust and an air box, so there'd be WAY too much air....does this sound correct? (this type of stuff is over my head a bit)

Mrhammer2u: Can you PM or email me pictures? (email is ifthepplcare@gmail.com) You've started to answer some of my biggest concerns about this build (handlebars, forks, seat) and I've been reading a bunch of posts from you and I'd love to learn some more!

[Xarik]

You suggest that I go ahead and purchase 4 of these:

https://www.mikesxs.net/product/15-0154.html

And then contact my mechanic to install 127.5's on 1 and 4 and then 132.5 on 2 and 3 and then 45 pilots with an SG (I'm not sure what you mean by "with an SG"). This will match my 4 to 1 exhaust and the pods at the top of this post, correct?

[dbeardslee]

You suggest that I go ahead and purchase 4 of these:

https://www.mikesxs.net/product/15-0154.html

And then contact my mechanic to install 127.5's on 1 and 4 and then 132.5 on 2 and 3 and then 45 pilots with an SG (I'm not sure what you mean by "with an SG"). This will match my 4 to 1 exhaust and the pods at the top of this post, correct?

Definitely DO NOT buy those - I know for a fact they've got a lip. They're the exact same pods I was fighting with on my brother's bike. These are the ones you want - Mikes XS lipless pods

I'd tell him about the pods, and have him check one to see if there's a lip. I'm betting there is. And if that's the case, I'd do the Mikes pods, and I'd check to see how it runs with lipless pods. If he's going to disassemble and clean the carbs anyway, I'd have him check to see what's in it. They should have the sizes stamped on the heads. As the years have passed carbs have sometimes been swapped around on these bikes, so you want to make sure you've got a set of '80 carbs, and verify how they're jetted before you commit to specific jet sizes.

[Xarik]

Definitely DO NOT buy those - I know for a fact they've got a lip. They're the exact same pods I was fighting with on my brother's bike. These are the ones you want - Mikes XS lipless pods

I'd tell him about the pods, and have him check one to see if there's a lip. I'm betting there is. And if that's the case, I'd do the Mikes pods. If he's going to disassemble and clean the carbs anyway, I'd have him check to see what's in it. As the years have passed carbs have sometimes been swapped around on these bikes, so you want to make sure you've got a set of '80 carbs, and verify how they're jetted before you commit to specific jet sizes.

Good point, one step at a time. I'll give him a call and ask him to check and see if there's a lip on there first, I'm hoping he'll know what I mean by that. After that, I will see if I need to order these or not. If you're right, I might be able to drive away with the bike with just the air filter replacement...Unfortunately, the pods you just linked are $20 each and will cost me $80! For goodness sake lol (or are there only 2? I had the bike for maybe an hour)

[dbeardslee]

[QUOTE]Currently, I believe the carbs are completely stock and have no jetting done to them, so they would be made for dual exhaust and an air box, so there'd be WAY too much air....does this sound correct? (this type of stuff is over my head a bit)[QUOTE]

Yes - there would be too much air (or not enough gas, depending on how you look at it) with a 4/1 and pods with stock jetting. It would run way lean, and lean generally means hot. It can also burn valves if your mixture is too lean. Found that out the hard way on an old Pinto when I put headers on it but didn't reject the carb.

[Xarik]

[QUOTE=dbeardslee;470336][QUOTE]Currently, I believe the carbs are completely stock and have no jetting done to them, so they would be made for dual exhaust and an air box, so there'd be WAY too much air....does this sound correct? (this type of stuff is over my head a bit)

Yes - there would be too much air (or not enough gas, depending on how you look at it) with a 4/1 and pods with stock jetting. It would run way lean, and lean generally means hot. It can also burn valves if your mixture is too lean. Found that out the hard way on an old Pinto when I put headers on it but didn't reject the carb.

From my understanding, it's flooding though. Meaning too big of jets?

Here's a video from the guy who sold it to me showing it running. It doesn't help a ton, but at least you can hear it running. (I know this post started as a tank issue, but if you had this issue before, that'd be awesome to find out what's wrong to save a buck :P)

https://youtu.be/BKhwZV_Tis0