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Stupid question - no airbox?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Shannon72, May 28, 2009.

  1. Shannon72

    Shannon72 Member

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    Okay, so I've had my bike for...four years now. Haven't done much with it other than general maintenance - oil/filter changes, cleaning, some minor electrical work - and it's been running okay. Originally I thought I'd only have the bike for a year or two, but with today's economy, I really want to start knuckling down on her and make her a great ride rather than just a satisfactory one.

    I was told she was an XJ550R when I bought her, but the PO was kind of an idiot altogether - he hand-spray-painted the cherry red finish with black "so th'cops wouldn't be so quick t'pull me over."

    Recently I started looking for new pod filters (the sponge-based Unis that the PO had put on it were starting to wear away), but every time I tried to talk to the local OEM folks about air filters, they kept showing me this: http://www.knfilters.com/air_filter/yam ... _seca.aspx

    My response was "That's NICE, but where would I PUT it?" "In your airbox," the guy at the store says. So I say, "WHAT airbox?" And he looks at me like I'm crazy. He spends about five minutes pulling up engine diagrams, finally showing me this: http://tinyurl.com/m25n7p

    "There's your airbox," he says, and I LOOK at the picture, and I say "I don't have one of those." And he looks at me and says "You HAVE to. Maybe you just missed it." I shake my head and say "No, what I have are four separate little filters that go right into the carbs, one for each." And the guy says "Huh. So somebody took your airbox right off." And I'm all "Whatever," because I don't remember seeing any big empty space on my bike where something like that should go...and if I HAD one at one time, wouldn't removing it be really stupid?

    I eventually ordered some K&Ns to replace the Unis, and hopefully they'll show up soon, since I don't dare ride until they do, but here's my question - am I an idiot, or is there an '82 XJ550R that doesn't have a separate airbox/filter? Or is my bike not what I think it is? I just ask because, before I start trying anything really major with it, I'd like to make sure I'm looking at stuff for the right bike in the first place.

    Thanks!
     
  2. tennsouthernbelle

    tennsouthernbelle Member

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    Yup, you should have an air box.

    My PO ripped mine out and ewwwww.

    I have K&N pods on mine, look nice but it was a bitch to get the bike running right.

    It's also a bitch to put in a replacement air box. I don't know about the 550, but my 650 would require unbolting the engine and squeezing one in there.
     
  3. Shannon72

    Shannon72 Member

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    Huh. But where would it GO? Where the pods are now?

    I tell ya, considering the guy who owned this bike before me, it's amazing she runs as well as she does.
     
  4. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    OK; first off, this is an XJ550RH. It's an '81, with the fairing removed.

    The part of the airbox you can SEE is that black plastic piece directly in front of the sidecover, that the boots from the carbs go into.

    Removing the airbox DOESN'T leave an obvious gaping "hole" the blasted thing is very oddly shaped and FITS into and around the frame, etc. Which is why you can't replace it without pulling the motor.

    [​IMG]

    All the 550s, Seca (R) or Maxim, had an airbox to begin with. Hacking it out and replacing with individual "pod" filters was unfortunately an overly-popular mod "back in the day."

    Unfortunately, fitting a CV-carb equipped bike with individual pod filters sets up a bit of a tuning challenge.
     
  5. tennsouthernbelle

    tennsouthernbelle Member

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    Yes, it's one big box with four boots that one go to each carb. Then one big filter goes into the box.

    I finally have my bike running. I'm not gonna fix what ain't broke by putting in an air box, even if I ever found a decent one.

    Remember to oil up the K&Ns good before you put them on your bike.
     
  6. tennsouthernbelle

    tennsouthernbelle Member

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    My golly Fitz all the pics of your bikes are making me drool.
     
  7. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Maybe this would help more: The part I circled in red is the part you can actually see in the pic. The blue arrows are the actual air INTAKE which is under the seat, 'way back in front of the rear fender. You don't see most of the airbox when the bike is all together.
     

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  8. Shannon72

    Shannon72 Member

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    Thanks for the info, folks. Fitz, your bike looks so NICE compared to mine. I see where the filter box is, and yes, that's exactly where I have four crappy little sponge filters, the outer two of which have worn away against my calves over the past few years.

    Unfortunately the 'garage' I have is barely worth the name - there's no electricity, no workspace, and to even store stuff in this 74-year-old outbuilding you have to cover it and cover it good. So anything that involves complete engine removal? Probably not happening.

    As y'all can probably guess, I'm not the most savvy of grease monkeys - I have the Clymer guide, and I'm looking into getting the XJCD, but this is really the first engine I've ever even done anything as complicated as changing the oil on...but I'm trying! TSB, when you say "oil up the K&Ns" do you mean regular (clean, of course) engine oil? Or is there yet another special fluid I don't know about (we won't talk about what kind of idiot I made of myself the first time I heard about 'fork oil')?
     
  9. tennsouthernbelle

    tennsouthernbelle Member

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    lol, I know I was told 'oil the filters' and I was like WTF?!

    You can pick up an aerosol can of 'filter oil' at the auto parts store. K&N has a specific brand. But save your money. I promise when you go in and ask for K&N filter oil, they won't look at you like you use finger paints in your spare time.
     
  10. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Yes, sorry to say, the K&N filters take special filter oil.

    Thanks for the compliments folks; I didn't buy it that way, it took BEAUCOUP work (and a few $$$ but not too bad) to get it that nice. I would say more blood and sweat than dollars. Hardest part (except getting the fork caps out) was FINDING a stock exhaust system, and that was pieced together.

    Track down a factory book; I got mine off eBay for $15, grubby fingerprints, coffee stains and all.
     
  11. joe-craft

    joe-craft New Member

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    hello, im new here, just got a question? when i get the pod filters, what size is the inside diameter of the lip on the filter?
     
  12. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    It depends on your bike, the different displacement ranges use different size carbs.
     

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