Air box vs Pods on 83 KZ550

Hey guys,

I have an 83 KZ550-H that I'm restoring. Started a while back but moved onto some other projects in the meantime. Anyway, looking to get back at this one.

I currently have the stock air box installed, and the bike does run with it, though not overly smoothly. Seems to rev high and hang up a bit. The air box is cracked, and while I've made some attempts to tape it up, I'm not sure it's sustainable to leave that box on.

Looking through the forums here I"m seeing some conflicting messages on air box vs pods. Some people seem to think it's impossible to get the bike to run nicely with pods, while others seem to think that as long as you rejet right it'll be just as good...

I guess my question is :

A ) How difficult/much of a bad idea would moving to pods be?
B ) Does anyone have tips on repairing cracks in the airbox, or where I can find a replacement box?

Thanks guys!

Did you check ebay for an airbox? Places like Partzilla sell OEM parts but availability for some things is hit and miss.

It is possible to rejet the carbs for pods. A jet kit is the short cut method at the cost of about $100 or so. If you get pods be sure to get real K&N's or maybe some Uni's. Those cheap dimestore quality pods from Emgo and similar are junk.

You are a mind reader... I was just looking at EMGO pods haha.

Uni's seem reasonable, and I'd be willing to get a rejet kit of course. I assume I'd be looking at a stage 3 kit then?

I've been searching for an airbox replacement but haven't really found much yet. I'll do some more searching before I commit to the pods. If it's possible to get the airbox cracks sealed nicely I might go that route too.

Thanks!

Find a post or archives from member Loudhvx

He has a signature line that has all the info you need for TK22 carbs and pod set up. U will not need jets if you shim the non-adjustable needle and slide and he has the info you need to do it right.

Just a note: If using Pods on CV carbies, the K&N style filters tend to be a pain in strong side winds, my Z1R with ZRX carbies had issues with the outer slide dropping in strong winds. I now have sponge style filters which don't suffer a performance drop but don't have issues with side winds.

You can try fixing your airbox with a fiberglass repair kit or other epoxy based glues..

You can plastic weld the box depending where it is. Pics? Here's my clip on it.
Steve

I've been using the Emgo pods for about 10 years. Before that I had Uni's and K&N's. I hated the Uni's and K&N's both. They were always gummy with oil so adjustments were messy and cleaning was a big pain in the ass. They certainly did not flow any better than the Emgos, and the Emgo's seem to be more consistent. The chemicals involved with the washable pods were expensive and I don't like breathing solvents if I don't have to.

The Emgo's jet perfectly fine for me, and my friends who have used them have had no problems either.

In my opinion, the Uni's were total junk. They started drying and crumbling on the inside. The K&N gauze didn't last forever either. It's probably over $100 for K&N's and all the chemicals.

I should mention, though, I'm in an urban environment where we get frequent rain, so streets and air are relatively clean compared to a desert or rural environment. I can go 20k to 40k miles on my car before the filter looks dirty.

rrsmsw9999 wrote: Find a post or archives from member Loudhvx

He has a signature line that has all the info you need for TK22 carbs and pod set up. U will not need jets if you shim the non-adjustable needle and slide and he has the info you need to do it right.

His Gpz should have TK26 CV carbs. There is a Dynojet kit available for those. But I think he should get the bike running properly with the airbox first. It's much easier to rejet once you know all of the other variables are correct.

+1 !!!

Trying to change from an airbox to pods without impacting performance on a bike that is running well can (and usually will) be a challenge. Trying to change from an airbox to pods on a bike that is running poorly will lead to a LOT of frustration. Even if duct tape needs to be used to temporarily cover the airbox crack and get the bike running well I would do that before trying to switch to pods. That way once the bike is running well with the patched up airbox there would be a baseline from which to measure the performance of the pods. Ed

Sounds like your running issue may not be just airbox related. Check for vacuum leaks first. before you dive in any further.

Like most 550 owners, the airbox to carb boots get hard with age, and the airbox is not the easiest to reinstall once removed because of this. Buying these new boots is usually the fix. Most remove the air box, and go with pod filters, then rejetting is mandatory.