Comments on: k&n filter bags

By: ed

ed — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:24:06 +0000

In reply to mike.

@mike
based on what you said… you need to increase your slow jet.
yes. v-stacks would make it worse.
keep the pods. the stock air box sucks. no, there isn’t a 4-1 solution.

By: mike

mike — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:44:06 +0000

hey thanks for this info it’s been real useful.
i have a 79 cb650. took off the stock airbox and switched to pods. bike ran real lean so i took it to a guy who cleaned, rejetted and synced the carbs. he did not drill out the pilots though. bike has a better top end but still bogs out in low rpms.

V-stacks would make that worse right? is there a 1 into 4 solution or should i just put that ugly plastic piece of stock filter back on?

thanks for your help

By: chin on the tank – vintage motorcycle enthusiasts in philadelphia » Blog Archive » cb650 – pod filters

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:23:43 +0000

[…] Better than pod filters are velocity stacks. Bike runs best with these. They’re a little hard to find though. You want 43-46mm. But… you’ll want to run k&n filter bags. Info HERE. […]

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:46:01 +0000

As long as you use the kn oil for the filter and not over do it. You will never have an issue with it getting sucked into your carbs.

By: ludwig

ludwig — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:47:44 +0000

all pod filters should be oiled. k&n typically come pre-oiled, but not in all cases. a little bit of oil won’t hurt your carbs. just do a 50% gas/oil mix and let it dry, no big deal and it catches all that dirt and dust.

By: ed

ed — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:14:33 +0000

ha… you know I didn’t mean it like that.
I appreciate your input. I really do.
I ran pods on the 650, and for whatever reason, the 650 runs best with v-stacks, so I keep it that way and always run the k&n bags.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Damn, Ed. So now I’m just a milquetoast stock-is-safe type of guy? My feelings are sore.

Yes, stacks and pods are cool. The former are really more for show bikes and drag bikes than those that are seeing frequent street duty. Pods are the perfect compromise. Much better airflow while still protecting your expensive investment (or preventing a future expensive investment) in precisely built motor.

FWIW, I modify the shit out of most of my bikes for performance reasons. I just try to hide it when I can ;-0

And I run K&N’s on all of them. Redoing motors is a pain the ass.

Jason

By: ed

ed — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:33:16 +0000

I get what you guys are saying. Real engineers designed the stock airbox system the way they did for a good reason. Diverting from it will only lead to problems at some point, some day .

However… pods and velocity stacks are fucking cool. I guess I’m willing to risk reliability and longevity for the sake of messing with stuff because that’s what interests me.

I’m not recommending people do what I do… but If you do wanna run pods or v-stacks, which, a ton of people I know do… the k&n bags at least help.

@Ludwig
I’ve read on forums oiling pod filters can be negative because the oil can (overtime) get sucked into the carbs and clog jets and gum them up, so I’ve never oiled pods before.

@Jason
I understand your point and clearly I won’t dispute you know a million times more than I do, but I’ve been running the velocity stacks for a couple years now and have had no problems (that I can tell).
For everyday riding, it seems that always using the k&n bags overtop the v-stacks eliminates most dirt etc getting inside, yet you reap the benefits of (what seems to be) faster, more dense air intake.
When going from pod filters to velocity stacks I increased my main jet and noticed a significant increase in power / throttle response.

But yes, if you wanna be a safe, betting man. Leave your bike stock.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:14:49 +0000

Sounds like Ludwig is someone who builds motors . . . and anyone who does will tell you not to run stacks. . . unless they’re trying to drum up business. They offer little benefit except in all-out drag racing and the detriments should be obvious. Ever see how clean and precisely finished the internal surfaces of a motor are? How about after sucking in dirt, sand, dust and what-else. Bad news.

By: ludwig

ludwig — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:31:40 +0000

make sure that you oil your pods properly, otherwise you might as well run open carbs.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:28:36 +0000

Hi Guys,

Question – Can I and would it be worthwhile to fit velocity stacks to a 1974 cb 200?

cheers

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:15:56 +0000

I have K&N filters on that bike. I was not 100% sure that was the reason for the bike to be running so rough. But I can say that once the rain stopped and i was able to dry everything out, the bike ran fine over the next 5 days through the Adirondacks and northern New England before making it back to Philly.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:51:13 +0000

@Tom what pod filters were you running?

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:21:33 +0000

I cant vouch for the bags, but I can vouch for being caught riding in heavy rain for a few hours in the poconos a few years back on the 500 with pods and that was pretty rough. The bike was barely running on maybe only 2 cylinders and was maxing out at around 50mph with full throttle. Once i got to the next town and had to slow down, the bike died and had to wait until everything dried out. Would have loved to have know about these things then.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:11:28 +0000

Saved me in Arkansas during a torrential down pour. I think they look crappy but you can’t beat the function. I think they were designed for water crafts and off road stuff.