Re-jet when swich to pod filters?

Hey all,
I'm new to this forum... even new to motorcycles period. My apologies if these are newbish questions. I picked up a project '81 KZ440 LTD (KZ440-A2) a week ago. I've got it running already, but it came missing the ducts on the air box and the air filter body. So I'd like to yank the air box and just use pods (and a PCV breather).

So my question for anyone who's switched from factory air filter to pods: did you do it without re-jetting the carbs or is that a must? My plan is to run it as-is and just monitor the plugs for indication of lean condition.

Second question... it seems the carb is supported solely by the air ducts on either side of it... how have people supplemented support after removing the air box? I'm tempted to use zip ties.

Thanks,
Don in CT

You will definitely need to rejet the carbs. I'm not familiar with that bike, or the carbs on it, but in the case of a kz650 with vm24 carbs the main jets need to be increased from 102.5 stock to at least 112.5, and the pilots need to go up from 15 stock to 17.5. You can use some safety wire to wire up the carbs for support, just make sure you don't interfere with throttle cable operation when doing so. Someone else here will probably have a better idea of what jetting you'll need to start with to get those dialed in, but you'll for sure need to rejet.

The problems with pods are (aside from losing the physical support for the carbs) they are subject to crosswind interference and they change the airflow characteristics over RPM. The length, diameter and taper of the needles are tailored to match the airflow rate as the RPMs go up. Sometimes pods can't be dialed in correctly across he full operating range because of the change. You might consider buying the rubber boots to save all the time and trouble.

Another problem with using twist ties is that while you support them from sag it does not support them from bumps and the carbs will flex up and back again. From what I've read pods are not worth the hassle. There was some photos on here that showed how to get the carbs on and off with new connectors by folding over the connectors. That is how I do it now without problems. I did read where some connectors are not available for some models. In that case I guess pods are all you have.

Well I can get my hands on the air ducts (boots) but not the filter body (the cap that houses the filter element). I suppose I get creative with that. It seems the key piece is the main box.