Kawasaki Vulcan Forum banner

99 vulcan 500

4K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  fastpakr 
#1 ·
anybody have pics of aftermarket air filters on the back of the carburaters ,so I can do away with the airbox,!Where do I get them!:nerd:
 
#2 ·
Pod filters and CV carbs don't play the best together. Have you, been down this road in the past tuning CV carb for pods or would this be a first attempt?

General consensus on bikes with CV carbs is to keep the air box.

As for pods, just measure the carb spigot diameter and the room around where you will be putting them once the air box is gone and order the appropriate filters.

You will also need to come op with a carb support.
 
#4 · (Edited)
anybody have pics of aftermarket air filters on the back of the carburaters
Here is a pic of the K&N pod filters I used to have on Hidalgo.

https://bikerbillsvulcan500rebuild.shutterfly.com/28

Here is the part number for the filters: http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?prod=RC-1820

Here is the Dyno-Jet kit for rejetting the carbs: http://www.dynojet.com/pdf/2128.pdf

You will have to also install a crankcase filter and find a way to 'cap off' the epa valves.

Hope this helps.
 
#7 ·
Yes I did.

After the restoration I was trying to improve fuel economy. Hidalgo's fuel economy was in the upper 30's/lower 40's. With others claiming fuel economy over 50mpg I wanted that too. During the teartown/rebuild I found several things in the engine that should have, in my mind, been causing Hidalgo to use more fuel than she should. I had 'modded' her engine by adding pod filters, EX500 carbs (34mm), and the EX500 cams. Thinking that one, or more, of these items was causing the poor fuel economy I removed them one-by-one and reinstalled the original stock items. In the end I determined that the fuel economy issue is related to the way I drive/ride and not due to a single component of the engine. Here in Texas the speed limit on most roads is 75mph. Riding a constant 75-80mph with a huge windscreen/fairing requires a fair amount of horsepower and it takes fuel to make that horsepower.

Anyway when I put the stock airbox back on I noticed that it was quieter (no overpowering intake valve noise), Hidalgo had more 'punch' off the line and the power was smoother in the delivery. Sure she didn't rev as freely but she was more 'driveable', especially around town. I'm getting older so this suited me just fine.

btw, my favorite power combination was to just use just the EX500 cams. The power is slightly improved with a nice 'growl' from the exhaust. :)
 
#8 ·
All carbs, particularly CV carbs, use carb signal to operate correctly and anything that will upset that signal will result in poor fuel metering. This can sometimes be compensated for but requires plenty of patience and adjustments with most folks running out of steam before the carbs are dialed in. That is why the air box is there in the first place. Air quality counts as much as air quantity.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Blaine, do you remember what jet combination you ended up with?

Also - clarification question for Bill and Blaine... The K&N filters that Bill linked appear to be 51mm, rather than the 54mm Blaine stated. I'll try to measure the carbs tonight, but wasn't sure if one of you was sure which was correct.
 
#12 ·
The 51mm (2") flange is for the carbs on the 500C model. The 54mm (2 1/8") flange is for the carbs of the 500A model. The carbs have different throat sizes.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top