TOPIC:

I've recently bought a 79 650SR and it came with the K&N style pod air filters only , no stock air box setup. I was wondering if it might not be a bad idea to acquire the stock set up if it presented itself? I know where there is a parts bike locally that might have it. I'm not very informed ..what all should I get with it?

Well, from a particular point of view, it's *never* a bad idea to *stock up* on stock parts (pun intended).

There's no law and nobody that thinks this is what's left of a free country is saying you have to put 'em on the day you get them; rafters make a swell hang out for 'em, and they won't make so much as a peep or eat much.

The operative idea is that except in *rare* instances (like an original Eddie Lawson or Craig Vetter mock-up...) any vintage of bike is *never* more valuable than in its original, box-stock configuration. Anyone that tells you otherwise is kidding themselves - and you.

If you've got the money and the space, grab 'em - they ain't making any more...

pumps wrote:

..what all should I get with it?

here's the pic from kawasaki.com

i bought the stock air box on ebay, and wish i had got the air injection plumbing as well (that injects fresh air into the exhuast to burn off any unused fuel)....parts #18 to 27....depending where you live, they're constantly upgrading emissions testing, and it'd be nice to have those parts stuck away in the basement somewhere.



Post edited by: duncan, at: 2006/05/21 12:55

You know, I did see some of that injection plumbing stuff blocked off when I had the seat up. That's a lot of parts. I think I will acquire all that stuff. I saw some on ebay too.

I am a new owner and as I understand it the pod style air filters supply more air to the intake and so improve performance. HOWEVER if I were to be caught in the rain I might get stalled out because I would be sucking water into the carbs? Whereas the stock airbox intakes it's air UNDER the seat and so is more protected from water..am I correct so far? Please correct me if I am wrong..

Yeah......what duncan said!!!!! Get the parts from wherever......
On the other hand....and there are those here who know WAY more than I....pods have an advantage, they suck more air. You just need to tweak the carbs to to suck more fuel, as well. Got to maintain that magical "whatever-to-one" fuel/air mix.
wiredgeorge is the man to talk to re: ANYTHING carb-related.......trust us ALL on that one. Good luck no matter what you decide to do.

Post edited by: indykaw77, at: 2006/05/21 20:24

You are correct that the pod filters could possibly suck water into the carbs if out riding in the rain. And yes, the stock airbox does intake air from directly beneath the seat area.

Another couple of issues that are also related to pod filters, is that the outer two carbs (#1 and #4) will recieve more air flow since there is nothing really there to block it from reaching them. This can be compensated for by using slightly larger jets in those two outer carbs. But even with perfectly jetted carbs running pods, they are susceptable to wind gusts.
This will cause a slightly lean condition, noticeable in how the bike will feel like it's surging.
While it probably won't harm anything, it can be frightening the first time it happens, and then on basically just an annoyance.

If you ask most folks running pods, they'll tell you that it's pretty much a crap-shoot in trying to get the carbs jetted perfectly as I'm sure you probably already know. But once they're "dialed in" just right, they really perform great!

For your own piece of mind, you can obtain all that EPA plumbing that duncan suggested if you wish.
Most of the rest of us have already yanked all that eyesore equipment from our bikes and "round filed" it to free up space, and to lessen the components that can (and eventually will) fail due to normal wear and tear and old age.

pumps wrote:

...HOWEVER if I were to be caught in the rain I might get stalled out because I would be sucking water into the carbs? Whereas the stock airbox intakes it's air UNDER the seat and so is more protected from water..am I correct so far? Please correct me if I am wrong..

It _is_ possible to find yourself in such a cats and dogs downpour with a set of pods that a motor will wonder if you turned it into a bilge pump on the Titanic, but you gotta really work at it...

Been there, done that. It ain't fun.

But even so, I wouldn't put "possibly drowning the motor" at the top of the list of *whys* not to install a set - and that's a pretty short list.

Performance, ease of maintenence, style; they're all valid reasons. But at the same time, I wouldn't be in a hurry to fill a dumpster with stock units either. If you've got the room, keep 'em around - they don't eat much, and it might pay off some day.