would like tips on air filters please.

So I have a 78 kz200 and I'm rising it at nothing less than 5280 feet but like getting into the 10000 feet. I took of the air box and have.just been riding. it wide open.carb and I am looking into the the filters but I was wondering how I have to adjust my carbs its a hard.start and rough idle.but.I.do.better once I'm up there hauling ass through the hills. thanks guys..

Running the engine with open carbs will not only make it run like a piece of crap but it will kill the engine as grit, trash, bugs, gravel, etc. is sucked into the cylinders and grind up the rings and cylinder walls. Get a pebble in there and the piston can try to mash it into the cylinder head. What made you do such a mean thing to your bike? :evil:

I agree MUST USE FILTERS!!!

Itook it off on Sunday . Colorado is a very dry place although not very dust for the most part. my old one was not flowing well. I'm going to get a k and n today. whole are closed on Monday. what do I do with the egr and what about once I install the free flow Foote do I have to re tune my carb and if so how .

In general, higher altitude combines thinner air with same fuel, resulting in richer mixture.
The mixture gets richer as altitude increases.

A freer flowing air intake also tends to lean the mixture by providing more air to the same metered fuel.
This should allow more of the thinner air to combine with the same fuel, to help retain the same mixture as provided through a more restrictive air intake at sea level.

A freer flowing exhaust also tends to lean the mixture.

Am vaguely recalling that some Moto-Guzzi models ran forever without filtered air intake.

Unfiltered air intakes such as tuned intake stacks were often run in racing applications (maybe they still are).
The motors are frequently overhauled -- but mostly for other reasons.

I run K&N air filters in the stock airbox.
But believe that a new oem filter flows almost as freely and with better filtration.

If the stock airbox is available, would install and use it, together with a fresh clean filter.
Where using the stock airbox isn't feasible, would install pod filters.

Good Fortune!

Where existing mixture is too rich at higher elevations due to thinner air provided for the same fuel, could achieve leaner mixture at higher elevations by less restrictive air intake, and/or freer flowing exhaust,
AND/OR by leaner carb tuning:

Mixture at idle and lower throttle positions may be leaned by installing a smaller pilot jet.

Mixture at mid-range throttle positions may be leaned by putting the jet needle clip in a higher position on the jet needle, which lowers the needle further into the needle jet.

Mixture at WOT may be leaned by installing a smaller main jet.

Good Fortune!

Dodson wrote: ...78 kz200...hard start and rough idle....

If not already done, would also assure:
Valve clearances within specs;
Correct ignition timing;
Correct new spark plugs;
Fat blue spark;
As-new carb circuits (enrichener, pilot, main, overflow, and fuel level).

Good Fortune!

Here's free download of the service manual, link courtesy of KZr member loudhvx , saying,
It's a KZ 200 manual published in 1976, but I'm not sure what model year it covers.

home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/KawKZ200Man.pdf

Or copy this link and paste it into the go-to address box in your browser.
home.comcast.net/~loudgpz/KawKZ200Man.pdf

The manual downloaded okay using Windows 7. But took a long time.
At first shows a blank screen for several minutes as if nothing is happening, but then the manual finally pops up.

Good Fortune!

Here's a composite of some excerpts from the carb section which starts at page 123 in the manual.





Good Fortune!

Not what you want to hear but you should have come here BEFORE you removed the airbox and did a search of "Pods vs Airbox". You can read until your eyes bleed. Subject comes up every week and the answers are always still the same. You want the best running bike with minimal tuning and fidgeting put the airbox back on and get a K&N filter for it. Or good luck. I won't say it's impossible to get a decent running bike with pods or another concoction but in my book it's improbable and labor intensive. As for running them open a little debris will do a whole lot of damage. NOT advisable under any conditions. IMHO of course.....

FROM A GIVEN ALTITUDE AND EVERYTHING IS RIGHT AT THAT POINT. EVERY 2000 FT ELE. CHANGE (HIGHER) DROP ONE MAIN JET SIZE. aLSO EVERY 1000 FT ELEVATION CHANGE (HIGHER) KICK THE IGNITION TIMING UP ONE DEGREE. tHIS HAS ALWAYS WORKED ON MIKUNI, KEHIN, OR HOLLY CARBS FOR ME.

In reference to filters, pods will lean you out a bit and I think thats what you need.