| Author | Message | ||
     Cmgaviao |
I'm sure I'm going to have several of these, but I'll start here. As I've been wandering through the postings of pics of other people's Old School bikes, one of the most common mods I've seen is the removal of the airbox and airscoop. Is there any mechanical advantage to doing this and going with the forcewinder (or other after market part)? Or is this an aesthetic question? Oil Cooling / Air cooling: Has anyone tried attaching an XB oil cooler to their bike? Is this a big help?(I've seen them go fairly cheap on ebay). I seem to get heat problems after a ride in the mtns in stop and go and also doing daily commutes in stop and go. Thanks for the input. CM | ||
| Jackbequick |
I personally found the "breadbox" on the M2 to be pretty hideous. Both in looks and in the way it stock out from the bike. I went with a billet spam can style air cleaner just to clean up the looks. I like that and its just out of the way of my knee. It probably has a little less restriction than the stock system (rejetting was not required) and I can hear it under heavy acceleration but for normal riding it beings no attention to itself. I doubt that it made much if any change, in either direction, on performance. Some of the dyno testing reports indicated that the Forcewinder can actually lose you some horsepower. I also took the breathers (aka air box oilers/spooge makers) out of the intake loop rerouted them to a catch can of sorts. Jack | ||
| Sflabuell |
I went with painting the breadboxes, an idea I got after seeing a few on Badweb. I love the look, and the newest question, "So, did you add these or did they come stock? I've never seen a Buell with those before". LOL. OK, I never expected to hear that! But not one person yet has thought they don't look great, and painting them came in well under the Forcewinder and the tank accents. And no dyno time to reset the world back to pre-Forcewinder fun.. I posted a pic last year when I got it done. But... the Forcewinder looks AWESOME! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
My bike was a demo bike for Boston H-D and they "pimped it out" They gutted the airbox which on an M2 and S3 will add a couple of easy horsepower for $2 Mine is an X1 and what they did was actually allow unfiltered air into the intake! (they no longer sell Buells) I personally don't like the way the forcewinder looks but I'm tall and there was no other setup that provided the knee room I needed. I WANTED one of those tilted carbon fiber spam cans but I tried someone else's and it nailed my kneecap bad. | ||
| Jackbequick |
On the AFT billet filter my knee will touch the back edge of it when I'm knee hugging the bike. But I don't ride that way. I have a 33" inseam. It uses a K&N filter that is both smaller and thinner than most of the others on the market. It is only about 1-1/2" wide so it fits pretty flush. I'm happy with it. Jack | ||
| Hippyjoe |
I seem to get heat problems after a ride in the mtns in stop and go and also doing daily commutes in stop and go. Stop and go traffic is hard on air-cooled engines. In fact I believe that's why lane-splitting is legal in California, to allow bike riders the opportunity to avoid overheating. An oil cooler won't do you a whole lot of good without a fair amount of wind blowing through it. Depends on how long your "stop" time is, vs. the "go." What I like to do is tune my bike to run the coolest it can. For me that means cam choice, carb jetting, oil selection, exhaust, single fire ignition timed right, along with riding style. Bear in mind I ride a big twin and not a Buell, YMMV, but in general I think a Harley's a Harley in the temperature dept. The Harley oil pump doesn't make a whole lot of pressure, especially at idle, so I don't run an oil cooler, it's extra plumbing IMO. I see you ride in Atlanta... outside of California that is the worst bumper-to-bumper I've seen in the states, without the option to split lanes. Good luck. (Message edited by hippyjoe on May 06, 2006) | ||
| Hippyjoe |
I think if I had to commute in Atlanta I'd try to hook up a fan. If I couldn't do that I'd prolly get a bike w/ a radiator. Unless the cops look the other way on lane splitting...? I never rode my bike on the 285, I'd take the side roads. Hell I don't even like driving a car on that road. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Getting stuck in a traffic jam with all the cages would take all the fun out of commuting on a bike. Not that I commute anywhere any more. When H-D was developing the V-Rod, they went to some effort to make sure that it met "parade duty" specs which is something like hours on end of walking speed with a lot of stops. All the older H-D big twins (and current ones too I'd guess) were supposed to meet that parade duty spec for police work and the like. I'm thinking the Buells are not parade duty bikes. Jack | ||
| Djkaplan |
I've been stuck for hours in Atlanta traffic with my M2 and it ran just fine. I couldn't keep the breadbox on my bike for aesthetic reasons, but I do admire the concept. I still think the best air box is a gutted breadbox.. even better than the CF race filter. The race filter is beautiful and is a visual link to the HD roots, but it intrudes on knee room enough to make it's carbon fiber cover vulnerable to breaking. Mine only lasted 45 minutes. I use a Forcewinder purely for the room it gives my knee. | ||
| Essthreetee |
I went with the gutted airbox for a couple of reasons...I like it (I know I am strange) and it was CHEAP!!!! So for the results and comparisons...I couldn't justify the cost. Plus I like to use my lower fairings in the winter, and didn't want to rig up a bracket... I have also thought (had concern) about the oil/engine temp. Last summer I had quite a bit of knocking in stop and go traffic...I have been looking into an oil cooler...but I am also thinking about one of these...http://www.americansportbike.com/shop/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=51F1363094&rnd=6900 688&rrc=N&affl=&cip=70.135.38.182&act=&aff=&pg=prod&ref=PROD157&cat=&catstr= Seems like it would allow more heat to dissipate without pushing it through more hose... (Message edited by Essthreetee on May 07, 2006) | ||
| Whodom |
CM, I've had my S3 for almost 2 years now, and I'm finally getting around to doing some of these mods. The thing that strikes me about the stock air filter element is that it seems like it's sized for a Briggs & Stratton 3.5HP lawnmower engine, not a 101 HP Buell. I haven't quite made up my mind which way I'm going on replacing it. The Force looks cool, but I can't quite get over the idea of having to install a "sock" on the filter if I'm riding in the rain. The carbon fiber "ham can" ABS sells looks cool, and the filter element on it is HUGE compared to the stocker. DaveFL has installed an XB oil cooler on his S3. See his post with details here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/3842/81131.html?1093542951 | ||
| Djkaplan |
"I can't quite get over the idea of having to install a "sock" on the filter if I'm riding in the rain. " My sock blew off years ago and I found out the Forcewinder works in the rain if you keep it properly oiled. I wouldn't ride it in a monsoon without the sock, but for anything less, it works fine. It looks better without the sock too. | ||
| Raceautobody |
make your own forcewinder style air cleaner to fit inside your air box. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show.cgi?tpc=47623&post=624577#POS T624577 Now it seals. (Message edited by raceautobody on May 08, 2006) | ||
| Whodom |
RAB, That's definitely a slick setup, but it still leaves you with that B.A. airbox hanging off the side. | ||
| Djkaplan |
It may have been more effective to gut the airbox and use a venturi ring instead of enclosing a Forcewinder type elbow. | ||
| Raceautobody |
My airbox never sealed properly since new. Even with the stock setup I would find small sand on the clean side of the airbox. The only way my bike is going to last is if the motor only gets clean air. I made that elbow to enhance longevity not so much power. But it sure gives a healthy intack honk. Also I like the look of the scoop and airbox. (one of the few that do). Al (Message edited by raceautobody on May 08, 2006) | ||
| Sloppy |
I'm EXTREMELY disappointed with K&N filter's. While they do flow more air, they flow more dirt and they get dirty quicker as well. I had a K&N and the standard paper filter dyno'd and I had less than a 0.5 decrease in peak hp with the paper. Stick with the paper element -- unless you enjoy cleaning sand from your intake... Instead of running an oil cooler, just use a good quality synthetic oil (Mobil1). Before you put on a cooler, measure your oil tank temperature after a hot ride. The HOTTEST mine ever got was maybe 220F, which is well within synthetic territory. It's cheaper and more reliable to use synthetic than a cooler (IMO). Make sure you route the engine breather lines outside the air intake. | ||
| Whodom |
Sloppy, Are you running a stock air box, gutted box, or something else with a paper element? I have also read unfavorable reports on K&N's dirt trapping ability. The main problem I see with the stock element is it's so dang small. Do you know if you can get a paper element for the Buell race filter (carbon fiber ham can) like American Sport Bike sells? | ||
| Hippyjoe |
I've been stuck for hours in Atlanta traffic with my M2 and it ran just fine. That makes me feel good about getting an M2. Any other Harley I've been on would start to have fits after idling for 20 mins in summer w/no wind. My sock blew off years ago and I found out the Forcewinder works in the rain if you keep it properly oiled. I run a K&N that is open in the front as well as the side, no problems in the rain. I do cover it overnight. If you're getting too much water in the intake the bike will cough, otherwise I kind of think of it as the old "water injection" technology that hot rodders would use. On the old Sporties the "ham can" would be the first thing a new owner would toss, along with the mufflers! Now I find myself digging mufflers, and the looks of the cf ham can. (Message edited by hippyjoe on May 08, 2006) | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Like I said in my previous post, an X1 airbox will not filter the air if you gut it like with an M2. The "clean side" flaps like a wing at certain RPMs! If you have an X1, don't take out the white snorkel unless you plan on replacing it with something like RAB's. I was finding little ROCKS and sand in mine while the air filter was clean. | ||
| Sloppy |
Whoodum: I just run the stock paper element. In comparing my dyno results to others with a ham can there's barely a difference. If you compare the size of the air filter to the size of the throttle body you wouldn't say that the air filter is small -- I'd say the filter can flow more air than the throttle body can. I run a gutted air box with race ECM, header and muffler. On a modified motor it may be a different story however... |
