AI on all (newer) Bonnevilles?
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235 Posts
Leaving it on will make your pipes turn blue (or more blue than with it taken off). It is better for the environment though. Maybe thats worth some blue pipes... January and still no snow here in Sweden makes you a bit worried about that green house effect of ours...
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1,685 Posts
I'm leaving mine alone as well. I'll stick to accessorizing until my warranty runs out to minimize the grief if something goes wrong. After that I'll consider some mods to enhance performance, including AI and Airbox removal, exhaust, etc. Besides, I'm just getting back into riding for the first time since I was 14 so I'm not even close to wringing out the performance the stock bike offers.
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913 Posts
The AI on my ride is soon to go (I'll explain in a minute).
First, two reasons why I chose to leave it on til now:
Fantastic popping on decel. I loved this. Poor personal taste or whatever but IMO loud popping and sputtering under hard engine breaking is just the coolest sound ever.
Super gas mileage. I'm talking 52 to 55 MPG on back roads. Why mess with a good thing? Since I use the bike primarily as a daily driver, I was happy to sac a little performance by running the factory set-up.
HOWEVER... my bike was running way lean and became really tough to start when the temps dropped below 35F. I attempted to adjust the pilots but in so doing managed to break part of the carb casting (trying to remove the tamper plugs
)
SO... got a new set of carbs (thanks to SCCTrim) with a pair of K&N cone filters. These carbs have been set up with much larger pilots and mains than stock. I may regret it but with this set up I'm going the performance route. When I KARK the air box I'll remove the AI at the same time and clean up the overall look of the engine.
I guess it's kind of like cutting the seal on a computer once you decide to upgrade... there's just no turning back. :wink:
First, two reasons why I chose to leave it on til now:
Fantastic popping on decel. I loved this. Poor personal taste or whatever but IMO loud popping and sputtering under hard engine breaking is just the coolest sound ever.
Super gas mileage. I'm talking 52 to 55 MPG on back roads. Why mess with a good thing? Since I use the bike primarily as a daily driver, I was happy to sac a little performance by running the factory set-up.
HOWEVER... my bike was running way lean and became really tough to start when the temps dropped below 35F. I attempted to adjust the pilots but in so doing managed to break part of the carb casting (trying to remove the tamper plugs
)SO... got a new set of carbs (thanks to SCCTrim) with a pair of K&N cone filters. These carbs have been set up with much larger pilots and mains than stock. I may regret it but with this set up I'm going the performance route. When I KARK the air box I'll remove the AI at the same time and clean up the overall look of the engine.
I guess it's kind of like cutting the seal on a computer once you decide to upgrade... there's just no turning back. :wink:
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3,328 Posts
pabonne: kinda like the guy who goes into the marina shop to buy some fish hooks and comes out owning a 60 foot yacht. But I know the feeling: once you start where do you stop?
My bike is bone stock by choice. I do have touring accessories but no performance mods at all. Not quite sure why you had popping on decel, I never have; nor am I sure about the running super lean, other than the stock settings are lean for environmental reasons. But my plugs don't look like they are burning up or anything like that. In any case, neither would be affected by the AI tho, since it is downstream of the combustion cycle.
As for the harder starts at lower temps, I have that problem too. I do find that if I turn it on and just leave it on for a minute or so to allow the carb heaters to warm up it will start on the second or third dab of the starter. It is no more cold blooded than many of the other bikes I have owned, and less than most.
I too get really good mileage, over 50mpg routinely, even at higher highway speeds (70-80). In fact, it gets better mileage than my 550 Hawk - at any speed.
It will be interesting following your adventures in mod-land. Do keep us informed.
Meanwhile, with this great weather I hope you can get some pleasure riding done (or is the bike still down from the busted carb?
Regardless, enjoy the Bonne and ride as soon as you can.
Oh, and LIJ: I like blue pipes so that isn't an issue with me. But some folks here are absolutely paranoid about them. Most of my old bikes in the 60s, 70s had blued pipes so its sort of what I grew up with.
Monte
My bike is bone stock by choice. I do have touring accessories but no performance mods at all. Not quite sure why you had popping on decel, I never have; nor am I sure about the running super lean, other than the stock settings are lean for environmental reasons. But my plugs don't look like they are burning up or anything like that. In any case, neither would be affected by the AI tho, since it is downstream of the combustion cycle.
As for the harder starts at lower temps, I have that problem too. I do find that if I turn it on and just leave it on for a minute or so to allow the carb heaters to warm up it will start on the second or third dab of the starter. It is no more cold blooded than many of the other bikes I have owned, and less than most.
I too get really good mileage, over 50mpg routinely, even at higher highway speeds (70-80). In fact, it gets better mileage than my 550 Hawk - at any speed.
It will be interesting following your adventures in mod-land. Do keep us informed.
Meanwhile, with this great weather I hope you can get some pleasure riding done (or is the bike still down from the busted carb?
Regardless, enjoy the Bonne and ride as soon as you can.
Oh, and LIJ: I like blue pipes so that isn't an issue with me. But some folks here are absolutely paranoid about them. Most of my old bikes in the 60s, 70s had blued pipes so its sort of what I grew up with.
Monte
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