Most people seem to like K&N's or Emgos, but I have noted with some amusement that Uni offers a foam cover for K&N pods. I like foam and oil in my filters...
The other unusual thing is my aims. At my age I don't need any more power in this bike (if I get some more that's OK but it is not my aim). What I would like is ease of service and looks and retaining the excellent fuel economy, which is 51.1 MPG US. Also I am about at sea level and sometimes ride into the mountains. So, I probably want the jetting a bit leaner than most folks.
I've seen suggestions for mains going from 120 up to 138 or so. Lots of people like 40's for pilots. Not sure about the needle, maybe 1 shim? (Of what thickness?)
Does 120 mains, 1 shim, 40 pilots sound like a good starting point?
Do yourself a huge favour and throw those pods out. In 12 years of TBS onwership, I have heard all the claims yet I have YET to see one, just one TBS or TB with pods or hacked open airbox running right.
What do I know though! I just passed 100,000 km on my bike.
I've read of difficulties concerning mods with Mikunis, here & on the T3 Sport Touring section, but results with Keihins seem much better?
Using train5's generously shared dyno results I'm running a fully opened airbox with 128 mains, 40 pilots & DJ needles. Runs really well at all revs/throttle. Plugs are fine & mpg is around 60 (Imp Gal) - even thrashing around the Pyrenees I didn't get less than 55mpg IIRC. (But I do avoid continuous v high speed running on m/ways & such.) See more info here:
The cool thing about the T3s is they respond well to either pods or the stock airbox, as long as some degree of individual adjustment and dyno testing with exhaust sniffer is performed. The setups on this web site are for a starting point. Jet sizes, needle position, carb sync, airbox holes, valve clearances, advance curves and silencers (at a minimum) all play a critical role in the way the motor will perform, and before digging into that process, be willing to ride it thru. As a strong advocate for pods, I've seen large variations in the results due to not completing the process with a dyno run to verify safe and efficient mixtures. I've also seen stock setups that did not run well, even when adjusted as per the factory shop manual recommendations. That said, the factory did their homework and came up with stock settings that work well in most circumstances, and meet emissions as well as rideability. But if horsepower, and torque move you, go for the pods! Anyway, one way or other, enjoy the ride! tommyturbo2
Well, just to calm folks down, I won't be cutting anything. Like a lot of other parts the air cleaners will go into a box. If this experiment fails, I can always put it back.
So, since nobody gagged at my initial guess of 120 mains and 40 pilots and one shim, I guess I will give that a try. Again it is just a starting point.
I'm a long way from being an expert, but my guess is that even 120s with a stock exhaust might be a touch rich. Personally, I'd try 3 steps up from stock on the main (that would be a 97.5 on a Mikuni, not sure what the progression is on your carbs), leave the pilot stock, and either shim the needle a bit more (2-3 shims) or get an adjustable one and start 1 notch richer than stock.
Bravo Merlyn! As an alternative to either set-up, for those who want to make air filter servicing easier, contact Blue Trophy. He's fabricated a setup that splits the airbox into a left and right side, which allows it to be removed and serviced without having to remove the carbs. tturbo2.
Merlyn, I've been contemplating pods on my Legend for a while but was hesitant because my bike has miks on it. But after reading your post I think I'm gonna be looking up a set UNI pods. I believe the elevation in Fargo is similar to Vegas so it should be pretty straight forward. Can't help but wonder if some of the people who encounter problems with pods have other underlying problems they are unaware of?
RM
Unis should look interesting in there :: grin :: I'll look forward to pics!
I think underlying problems are part of the reasons for the bad rap pods get. I think improper mounting is a bigger reason, though.
If you seat the pods all the way back on the carb, the step in the rubbers seal off the air jets and it will run like crap. I've seen it happen more than once, and I think it's a very common problem with pod installs.
You have a point. I'll probably be calling the guys down at done city cycles in Florida for fitment info as they have helped me with some bikes in the past.
Merlyn,
I was just checking out uni dual layer pods online. I just noticed the dual layer pods I wanted to run have a 4 inch O.D. Which won't Work. back to the drawing board.:banghead:
Sent from my LGL55C using Motorcycle.com Free App
My bike is used and at some point it had the carbs swapped out for miks. One of the PO's must have seen what the khenins were going for on fleabay and swapped them out to make a quick buck. No matter, she runs great anyway.
There is another thread on Emglo pods on Keihin carbs touting 40 pilots, 140 mains and no change to the needle. From this thread I'm getting the impression that 140 is way too big for the mains. Any thoughts?
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