Baggy Airbox Mod?

[MSW]

Spew,

Did you check/replace the copper exhaust header gaskets? Sounds like you've still got the stock header, but if you've R&Red them a couple of times, that's where a leak could be. Also you might want to check the fitting of the can. I use exhaust sealer when I R&R my can or connector pipe.

Just a thought.

[AtomicSpew]

Good tip--yes, it's the original header, and no, I didn't look at those gaskets; I'll do that as well. I did go back and sealed up the can with exhaust sealer as well, and that helped. The pops aren't as bad as they were, and I understand some popping is inherent to the bike, but mine still seems excessive at times.

Has anybody done the aftermarket header from tunebike? It seems that could be a nice upgrade...

[MSW]

I have the tunebike "powerheader" and connector pipe with a Holeshot can. I also did the tunebike carb mod.

I did the headers and can first, which made the bike run so lean that I couldn't really get a good tune to compare power gain from the headers/can alone. Since I've done the carb kit, there is a noticeable gain in power. However, it's also swung way over to the rich side, and I'm having trouble dialing in the carb with the kit (likely, though, this is mostly due to my lack of mechanical skills).

Overall, I'd say that the gain in power makes the header/connector/can definitely worth it (although just getting rid of the SPAM can improved the looks of the bike so much that it was worth it on that basis alone). On the other hand, while the overall power has improved, there has not been much improvement in the throttle response. Therefore, if I had to do it all over again, I might have bitten the bullet, skipped the carb kit, and gone directly to Keihin FCR 39 carbs.

That said, though, once I get the carb dialed in (either through more learning or starting over with new jets), I think it will be great. At least until I can scrape together the money for the Keihins, that is.

[AtomicSpew]

MSW-
Isn't there some modding that needs to be done to fit the FCR 39's? That's good to know about the lean-nish tendency after you did the upgrade; I've never torn apart a carb, so if I did the conversion I would likely just save myself the frustration and hire it out. I know I need to stop being a pussy, bite the bullet and dig into the XT225's carb so I can get some much-needed knowledge on this subject. I'm OK with basic wrenching, but carbs intimidate the shit out of me. Have you ever looked at the "exploded view" of one of these monsters??

[MSW]

Interestingly, I'm not as intimidated with carbs as I am with motor internals. One of the first things I did to my very first bike 25 years ago (a 1976 Honda CB750F that I kick myself for letting go of to this day) was to completely rebuild the carbs. The key is to take them all the way off of the bike, have a large, CLEAN workspace on which to work (say, the beautiful antique mahogany table in your formal dining room), and muster all of the patience you have at your disposal. If you've ever put together a model car or plane, you probably have all the skills required (except you should never use model airplane glue to put your carb back together).

Of course, I also believe that tuning carbs involves black magic and animal sacrifice, which is the reason I've never had much success at dialing a carb in just right. Surely it has nothing to do with my complete lack of mechanical aptitude.

As for the FCR 39, I've done what feels like a ton of research on them, and I still feel like I don't know anything. I will say that every Baggy I've seen that has FCR 39s on it has had an aftermarket intake (e.g., K&N pods). That said, I've also heard it recommended that instead of 39s, you should probably go with FCR 33s or 35s (I believe the stock is 33), in which case the FCR might fit with the standard airbox.

Hey Wonky or Bill, what's the scoop on fitting the Keihin FCRs with the stock Baggy airbox? Any chance? And what's the thinking on size? 33? 35? 39?

BTW, Spew, if you want to do the tunebike carb kit, you can do it very easily yourself, and the carbs do NOT have to come out of the bike. I did the mod in about an hour. And, since we live so close, I'd even be willing to come over with some tools and help out with the upgrades for the small price of a frosty malted beverage or two.

[ZzerO]

i did some carb 'tuning' myself this week. i got some advise from some 'experts' and i found some information on this site : http://www.660er.de/Tenere/Vergaser.htm . its in german but i used babelfish to translate it and i could understand the most of it.

so the things i did:

firts of all i cleaned the carbs completely and removed the spring in the secondary carb( for better throttle reponse).
then i redrilled the hole that is next to the needle( secondary carb) to 4 mm, aslo for better throttle response(air gets faster threw the hole and the needle moves up faster)


in my case the carbs wherent syncronised properly. at full throttle, the secondary valve wasnt perfectly horizontal: it was like this:


instead of this:



so i adjusted it as is discribed in the manual:



i havent tested it yet, cause my Skorpion isnt 'finished' yet but next week i will be able to test it and then we'll see if i didnt mess up anything

[AtomicSpew]

(except you should never use model airplane glue to put your carb back together).

Ha! Noted!

Of course, I also believe that tuning carbs involves black magic and animal sacrifice, which is the reason I've never had much success at dialing a carb in just right. Surely it has nothing to do with my complete lack of mechanical aptitude.

I think you're on to something here, and up where I live, there are some stray cats that would never be missed...

BTW, Spew, if you want to do the tunebike carb kit, you can do it very easily yourself, and the carbs do NOT have to come out of the bike. I did the mod in about an hour. And, since we live so close, I'd even be willing to come over with some tools and help out with the upgrades for the small price of a frosty malted beverage or two.

Cool. Sounds like the kit is fairly straight forward, but I'm always down with spending an afternoon wrenching a little and drinking a little more. And by your sig line, I think we have the same taste in a few things (Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout ranks with me)! I'll for sure be in touch if I do the kit, and sooner to enjoy some canyon carving when I get the bike back together. Thanks for all the tips (and laughs)...

[CasterTroy]

Has anyone got any pictures of those small vents installed?