Contemplating installing airpods.

Thinking about putting some airpods on my XJ550 Maxim. Is this a terrible idea? What should I watch out for? Any advice would be superb.

 

unless you REALLY like ripping off your carbs repeatidly and changing the jets over and over and tune and retune until you get them just right... DON'T

If you don't mind, go for it! Lots of posts about it here

 

Metal_Bob's right. There's plenty of PODS vs Airbox threads on here. Let's keep those worms in the can.

You will most likely have to rejet, shim the needles, and tune to get it to run correctly. How much and what's the proper mix varies by bike.

That's what you're in for. So if you want it go for it.

Remember to account for your breather which currently vents to the airbox.

 

Have either of you tried the pods on your machines? Any recommendations as to what size jets to install? I also want to put a 4-1 exhaust on, so I should probably do all this at the same time, right?

 

Check with Chacal the resident parts master. He has the numbers on the jets to start with if going with pods.

 

C-V Carbs are NOT designed to accommodate Air Pods.
FINE TUNING, ... where the Bike will have peak performance from Idle to Off Idle and acceleration throughout the Power Band will require a great deal of Jetting, Shimming and experimentation.

Experimentation and removing the Carbs from the Bike to make adjustments and corrections and further experimentation ... again and again.

Only to eventually ... "Settle for" ... a condition which allow the Bike to run which isn't considered "Fine Tuning" ... because ... due to their nature CV Carbs can't be made to run the Bike better than how the Bike is capable of being Fine Tuned ...

Showroom stock.

 

You can do it, and make it run just as well as it did stock, if you save your stock airbox boots to carb rubbers, and affix them to the pod instead of the rubber they come with. Then just jet it up and do some shimming of the needle and you are good to go.

 

Don't just save the Boots.

Save that Airbox, ... too!

Put it someplace where it will be safe.
You'll be glad you did.

 

Look's like the worms got out of the can! :lol:

 

Skull D - - have you seen this one??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6WDE4pZwWM

 

@Timetoride, yes that bike looks outstanding. Those carbs appear to be totally nude.

Back to the pods. It looks like this is something everyone has to try at least once. Anyone have a fool proof procedure : )

 

dont wana speak outa turn here,but i intend to run pods on my xj600 project.its just aswell really coz brute force and ignorance got the airbox out...........in 2 bits :lol: .my opinion for wot it is worth,is pulling carbs,stripping and jetting over and over my well b a pain in the butt,but if u get it rite,u get that sense of achievement,plus the carbs are/and will be easier to remove/replace in the future without the airbox.
i may well b deserving of a gd kick in the nuts for that......but im the other side of the big puddle,and im sure even u mericans aint got legs long enough to reach. :wink:

 

No fool proof procedure. The exhaust has a lot to do with jetting and needle too. Don't let people make you believe that it is a ton of work, a good saturday job of test and tune. I thought it was fun actually. Learned as I went, and got it right. Maybe I am lucky, but I kinda doubt it.

 

Funny to see the stocker purists panic anytime someone mentions pods.

 

Welcome to the dark side of pods. Come over join us. I personally enjoy all the tinkering it takes to make them run like a raped ape. Buy some bigger jets and some needle shims and tinker away.

 

Only one real naysayer on this thread....

and those worms I mentioned are now out of the can....

 

No. That's not quite correct.

The problem is this:
Anytime a new Member comes-in and asks about putting-on Pods; BEFORE finding-out if the new member owns a screwdriver and knows how to use it, ... he gets told to jump-in the deep end before you even ask if he knows how to swim.

Enough Members who have been advised to run Pods, ... regret it.

Several Threads are dedicated to trying to fabricate "Corrective Measures"

PVC Manifolds and Compensation for Lean Condition Threads, ... abound.

ALL those who claim to have solved the problem and have bikes that they say are running good; could hold a convention in a Phone Booth (If we could find a Phone Booth), ... and take shelter beneath a Golf Umbrella in the event of rain.

What the REALITY IS, ... all too often remains unstated.

Depending upon the Condition of the Engine ...
Depending upon one's definition of "Running GOOD"
After considerable Trial and Error involving removing and re-jetting Carbs.

You might be happy with the way it runs.
Might.

 

My initial warning was just that.

I think alot of people like the COOL LOOK factor of pods and have no idea what is involved.

I like the look, but on my 1st bike I'm also a 95% purist/stockist.

Also people often forget to tell the new users to clean/adjust/properly running engine BEFORE even considering pods and exhaust replacements.

 

I'm a pod guy and I say don't do it unless a racoon has chewed a hole in your airbox. Resurrecting bikes that "will never run again" according to their previous owners and riding the piss out of 'em when I'm done wrenching is just kinda what I do.
I've seen enough buddies get burned on Ebay getting CDIs/TCI's that are burned out, coils that will barely give ya a tingle in your hand and so on that I'm not too keen on Ebaying anything. Certain NOS parts are few, far between and spendy.
Thus going to pods and all their associated tuning is what I do when I get a bike with a bum (read as missing) airbox. Other than that scenario I really wouldn't recommend it. Same goes for exhaust. If the only muffler cheaper than $300 is the one I got that has holes rusted through it than sure, I'll tune for straight headers, piss off the neighbors and enjoy every minute of it but I'd rather have appropriate backpressure and tuned exhaust length to go with the factory overlap in the cams. Rich running exhaust always smells like waisted money to me.

In general with any mods I recommend hanging on to the stuff to return to stock. Again, unless what you got your hands on in the place is a mangled wreck, leave the cutter and welder in the corner. There are plenty of junk bikes out there to carve on and resurrect without committing malpractice/manslaughter on a good one.

opinions... arseholes... that's just mine.

 

I posted a video of my bike starting, idling and revving with *stock* jets and open custom exhaust. No backfiring, no holes in my pistons, no locked up engine, no poor performance, bad gas milage etc... Everything that everyone PROMISED me would happen 15,000 miles ago when I put my pods on... Well, I'm still running strong. I didn't rip my carbs off countless times like I was told I'd have to. I use a Colortune to dial in my mixture and run Iridium plugs. That's it. It's "tuned to the razors edge" or whatever.

Regardless of anyone's opinion, these xjs are disposable bikes, anyone can find one on craigslist or ebay for $400-700 every day of the year. They are not rare collectors items and to treat them as such is pretty ridiculous. Not everyone needs to be saved, in pristine unmolested condition. They are perfect for experimentation. Parts are cheap and plentiful. Go spend your day trying to find your cookie cutter 80's era stock bike amongst the literally tens of thousands that look just like it out there. You may have bolted on some JP Cycle billet mirrors to make it stand out... But probably not.

 

All carbs are flawed this is why computer controlled fuel injection was born. It and only it is the only thing that can adjust constantly for every air condition on the fly.Unless you what to rejet and adjust air fuel mixture everytime the air quaility changes nothing will be perfect stock or pods. We all have to have a settle with it condition. And as Kevineleven said these are not one of a kind million dollar bikes were working on. Try pods if you don't like it the sky will not fall and your bike will not burst into flames simply change it back and there are plenty of guys building bobbers who will buy the pods off of you.

 

Sorry to disagree, Rick. But, if a "new member" doesn't own a screw driver or knows how to use it, then he's probably not asking about switching to pods in the first place, let alone riding and wrenching on a 30 year old bike. Some things ya just got to kind of go with. The threads on this site don't tell anyone where to buy a screwdriver or how to use it, they do, however give a pretty good idea of how to jet and tune carbs. Seems the new guy knows how to use the web already. You don't have to be Jack Roush to decide to try pods. In my personal opinion, there's only two reasons to go with pods:
1. You have modified your bike and a stock air box won't fit. (Yeah, like you'd un-stock the rest of your bike and keep the stock airbox.)
2. You want to keep the bike stock and your air box is busted up beyond a duct tape repair.

I'll give you the point of the debate about pods not being a performance upgrade. But I don't think anybody is going to be racing or riding non-stop from coast to coast, so if the bike doesn't run as good as it did from the factory, I'd say that makes it about the same as everything else that's 30 years old. If it runs and runs good, who cares if it isn't tuned exactly to the perfection. You're riding a 30 year old machine.
I'm no purist. The airbox means notihng to me. Neither does high performance. If it did, I'd be on a crotch rocket forum. I own and chopped an XJ because I acquired it on the cheap and wouldn't be out much if I screwed it up. Pods make all the sense in the world to me.

 

When I can buy a Tuning Manual that provides the correct information on Installing Pods and Re-Jetting the Carbs which I can use as a Bible for solutions to Pod Related Performance Issues, ...

Which covers ALL Modifications and contains Illustrations and results related to OPTIONAL Performances Curves when Jetting for Different Riding Conditions, ...

Then, ... I'll buy the Manual.

(( There's NO Book yet. The Experimentation has be going-on for over 25-Years and there's NO Solutions found. Just "Thumb Rules that might work.))

 

So you're saying we shouldn't do anything that doesn't have a manual to explain exactly how to do it. Guess there's no sense in reading or contributing to these forums. Just wait for the book to come out.

 

No. You know what I'm saying.

I'm saying that we ought to refrain from giving people the idea that if they do something you recommend against conventional wisdom, ...

You ought too have the common decency to mention THE DOWN SIDE.

It's difficult to make a good decision without having heard two sides of the story.

You just say; "Go ahead; try it!"

With your back to the door, knees bent, feet scraping to maintain purchase so all the folks been-there, trying to warn the inquisitor against making a bad decision never hear 100% of what you are putting them up too.

That ain't fair.
There's two sides to the issue.
One's a HUGE, Frustrating, time consuming, dilemma with the possibility that catastrophic damage to the Plant might occur without warning.

You failed to mention that to the guy.

 

And it also *might not* happen. You, my friend, forgot to mention that to the guy.

 

The first two responses to the question both said you'll have more work to do.

We can't be all knowing about what someons skills are. I don't even know what I'm capable of until I try it.

Maybe the OP is the next great engine tuner who unlocks the secret to pods on CV carbs but never gets a start because someone says just leave the air box on.

 

You ought too have the common decency to mention THE DOWN SIDE.

It's difficult to make a good decision without having heard two sides of the story.

You just say; "Go ahead; try it!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have you personally ditched your airbox for pods and pulled your carbs numerous times in an effort to re-jet and tune? Did you finally give up and replace the pods with the airbox? Because unless you have, then YOU should have the common decency to mention that when posting about the perils of pods. Surely you're not conveying the merits of fair debate to me without having first hand experience on the matter.

 

+1