Switched to pods

This is for 650ed, everytime someone asks questions regarding modding their bike you tell them to keep it stock, which is not a bad thing. I realize you like to keep things as the factory meant them to be however not everyone is like that. These bikes can be tuned to run with just about every mod and sometimes they even perform better. If you wish to not modify your bike then so be it but if someone else wants to modify theirs please let them be and if you do not have any positive tuning advice then don't say anything.

baldy110,

I understand that not everyone wants a stock bike. That's fine since it is their bike not mine. In fact I have been there myself on a previous bike. However, the fact is that MANY folks who may be new to bikes or may not have a grasp of motorcycle dynamics may not understand that certain changes to otherwise stock bikes may be detrimental to the bike's performance. As an example, some folks install pods without realizing that they will impact performance and require considerable tuning effort to match airbox performance. Folks do this because they may like the look plus the sales hype that comes on the pods' packaging, etc. may make pods sound like an easy way to get free horsepower even though that is not the case. Other folks may cut off the back of their bike's frame to make a bobber, but they do not weld in a brace connecting the two remaining frame rails and consequently end up with handling issues. Some folks remove their front brake without realizing that the front brake normally provides about 75-80% of the bike's stopping power. There are MANY other examples of folks modding bikes in a way that is detrimental to the engine's performance or downright unsafe. In many cases the folks making such changes simply do not understand the effect that the changes will have on the bike. They generally aren't trying to create problems for themselves, they simply have not been made aware of issues that may arise from the changes.

I do not think it is a disservice to point out issues that will arise when such changes are made. You perceive my criticism of such changes as being negative, because in fact I do point out the negative impact of such changes. The simple fact is that often there is no "positive tuning advice" that will turn a bad change into a positive change. That being the case, I believe that pointing out the negative effect of the change is still a positive thing to do since it may make the bike's owner aware of issues he might otherwise have overlooked, and this may save him considerable grief. So, I will continue to do so. Incidentally, I have often been thanked for my contributions even though to some they may appear to be negative in nature. Ed

+1

It' be nice if there was an autobot reply with the message about pods. A voice of reason should never be ignored. Folks are free to do what they want to their bike. My self-esteem is not connected to KZR. :lol: Having been thru two KZs now over the past year, I can say that every piece of knowledge sought here, came quickly. Every piece I received was correct. I had many "bad" ideas on how to fix up by old KZs and was dissuaded from self-deception by listening. I am just glad that the folks that have experience are willing to post and do not just sit back and wait to say I told ya so. Great forum, great contributors. Peace.

Am not a fan of attaching a filter on the crankcase breather or on the end of the breather tube.

Imo, the filter contributes nothing, and gets progressively clogged with oil, which diminishes breathing ability of the crankcase.

Oh Wait! The filter might prevent oil-eating alien beings from entering the crankcase.

Coming soon from OMR's line of "You Gotta Have This" specials -- filters for carb vent tubes and filters for carb overflow hoses.

Good Fortune!

baldy110 wrote: This is for 650ed, everytime someone asks questions regarding modding their bike you tell them to keep it stock, which is not a bad thing. I realize you like to keep things as the factory meant them to be however not everyone is like that. These bikes can be tuned to run with just about every mod and sometimes they even perform better. If you wish to not modify your bike then so be it but if someone else wants to modify theirs please let them be and if you do not have any positive tuning advice then don't say anything.

AMEN!! Well said. In the hands of the right 'tuners' such mods can be quite beneficial. However if posters would search the archives for related info, and read those many related threads, there would be fewer "here-we-go-again" threads of this nature. ........................................Mike

Vroom-vroom!!!

I will disagree with you there Ed, always pointing out the negative aspects is not helpful. Most of the stuff I build are custom made, motorcycles, cars, 4x4's, airplanes, ect.. They require extensive work and mods to complete. I used to go to all sorts of websites seeking advise on how to do things. For example, I built a street legal rock crawler from a Dodge D50 pickup. Put in a Chevy 350, swapped axles, tranny lots of major work. Not one person from web sites dedicated to these little trucks would offer me any positive info when I asked how to do something. All were very negative and gave me reasons why I shouldn't do what I wanted to do such as, don't do it, can't be done, why would you want to do that, keep it stock, world will end, cats and dogs living together kinda remarks. Well they were all wrong, I did do it and it works fantastic. This is but one example I have many more As a result of many years trying to get advice on how to do things, I no longer ask advise from websites due to the negative comments. I might be the exception here but I doubt it.
OK, I will now get off my soap box.

Now to answer the original ??. Are you just swapping out the airbox and leaving the rest stock? If yes then, leave main jets alone but change the pilot jets to 17.5 and leave needle clip in the middle slot. If swapping in a 4 into 1 exhaust with the pods then start with the mains at 112.5, 17.5 pilot jet and leave the needle clip in the middle position. That should get you in the ball park if the bike was in tune prior to the pods.
As far as where to purchase jets, the mentioned sites are a good source. Just remember to get genuine Mikuni jets not aftermarket those are numbered different and will cause you headaches.

baldy110 wrote: I will disagree with you there Ed, always pointing out the negative aspects is not helpful.

Contrary to your assertion, I don't only point out negatives; I have tried to be helpful in other ways as well. I may be a bit candid from time to time as I don't see much need to treat folks any differently than I would expect to be treated; we're all adults on this site. However, contrary to your opinion I believe I have been helpful to folks on this site, and I think his is evident by the number of times folks have taken the trouble to click on my "Thanks" button. Of course, I might have just as many folks click on my FU button if there was one. :laugh: Ed

baldy110 wrote: I will disagree with you there Ed, always pointing out the negative aspects is not helpful. Most of the stuff I build are custom made, motorcycles, cars, 4x4's, airplanes, ect.. They require extensive work and mods to complete. I used to go to all sorts of websites seeking advise on how to do things. For example, I built a street legal rock crawler from a Dodge D50 pickup. Put in a Chevy 350, swapped axles, tranny lots of major work. Not one person from web sites dedicated to these little trucks would offer me any positive info when I asked how to do something. All were very negative and gave me reasons why I shouldn't do what I wanted to do such as, don't do it, can't be done, why would you want to do that, keep it stock, world will end, cats and dogs living together kinda remarks. Well they were all wrong, I did do it and it works fantastic. This is but one example I have many more As a result of many years trying to get advice on how to do things, I no longer ask advise from websites due to the negative comments. I might be the exception here but I doubt it.
OK, I will now get off my soap box.

Baldy, I believe Ed is just giving advice to the novice KZ,er so they can ride more than wrench, back in the 70's when I got my 1st street bike It ran perfect, I immediately took off the stock exhaust & air box, & went with a header & velocity stacks, I was in the garage for weeks & weeks trying to get it to run decent, while my friends that left their bikes stock were out riding everyday
I believe people should do what they want with their bikes, & Ed is just forewarning that there is more to it ,than just switching to pods & header if they're not experienced with these old KZ's
P.S. that's good advice you gave Willy, hopefully he has enough knowledge to dial it in right,

Pete

Ed I am not saying you are not helpful, you are very helpful, it just seems you really do not like pod filters and voice your opinion about your dislike of them.

Pods may actually work well on some modified engines or in certain conditions such as running at consistently high rpm on the track. However, you are correct that for normal street use on a stock engine I do not like pods. This is because of the various difficulties they can cause, such as reduced performance at lower rpm, even after careful tuning. Much information is available on the use of pods, but unfortunately, many folks do not do the research before installing them on stock engines. They then are often surprised that they need to rejet / tune the carbs and even then they may experience reduced performance. I believe it is not a bad thing to warn folks of such issues. The opinion I have on pods on stock engines is shared by many and rejected by many, but there have been studies that back up my opinion. Below are a couple examples. The first is an article written by Yoji Hirose. He was a Mikuni engineer who worked with motorcycle manufacturers when engineering the jetting of carbs, air boxes, etc. To say he is an expert on the subject is an understatement. The second article below was published in Cycle World after extensive testing, including dyno and track time, was performed by professionals to evaluate the effect pods have on performance. In my not so humble opinion, anyone considering the use of pods on a stock KZ should read both articles before they spend any money on pods. If they still buy pods at least they were informed of the associated issues in advance by experts who had no axe to grind. If posting this information is considered negative I plead guilty as charged. Ed

If anyone has a published article that shows pods to improve performance on a stock street engine please post it. I would love to read it, and it might help bring balance to the pod discussion. Ed