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Air Cleaner : mods, decoration

9K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  tang56 
#1 ·
Ok, so I have been doing research most of the week on the air cleaner housing/filter. Yes, I have seen the gadget page on using the 9" car filters, I have seen plenty of them horned mods and Kuryakin, etc...

1. The 9" dish style cleaners seem big to me. Anybody know if there is a similar way with a smaller 6" or 6.5" size? I understand the back plate would have to be replaced. Most of the smaller filter elements I found seem wider than the 2".

2. I am not fond of the horn/spike thing. Looks dangerous. :) And, no offense, but seems like a high price for a tiny housing and a filter element.

3. In another topic, has anybody "decorated" the air cleaner housing itself? It is round, chrome and .. blah. Can this be powder-coated? Etched? Post pics if you have done anything to it..

Then I was thinking of doing my own thins : cut the oem cover back keeping the round edge, close the air horn entry, and add a car style element, basically the Cadman mod but keeping the original oem cover. If it could be decorated, it wouldn't look bad.. just an idea.

If you have any picts (of modified oem covers) would love to see them. Mine is an 03 1600 Classic, but I think most 1600 covers look the same.
 
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#2 ·
Slaponte. I was in the same boat as yourself. I've gone the Chucksters way with the 2plate style so that I can still use the stock dog bowl setup.
As for decorations of the cover, I'm looking at spraying it with a product called "Shadow" which is a black chrome spray pac by dupli-colour. I'll be putting a style of sticker on it before spraying so as to get a contrast between chrome and black chrome.
Not to fond of a lot of chrome on my ride as the glare gets to me with all the sunshine we get down here.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, I have been looking at chrome etching sprays but I have never done this and might have to test try first before deciding. I have also considered 6 to 8" round decorative plates that might be bolted using the same center screw for example.

For now, I got the oem filter so I can use the bike. I have noticed how the small amount of air that goes in is picked up from between the cilinders, and then routed between the cilinders so that ends been a very hot charge. So moving the intake path to the sides of the bowl with fresh air must do wonders.

I might get an extra set of oem bowls to "play" with. :)
 
#4 ·
That's why I've gone over to the 1 side. It's all to do with volumetric efficiency. The cooler the air u can get into ur cylinders the better the engine performs plus fuel economy.
 
#5 ·
+1 on Chuckster's intake kits!!

I also fitted the dual plate model using the original dog bowl on my 1600 Nomad, a "stealth" air intake!! I removed the cross-over tube (dumb idea Mr Kawasaki) completely as well as the air injectors, solenoids & associated plumbing (used coasters from Chuckster as well). I modified the LHS original mounting bracket to mount the original DB as a 'dummy' intake to balance the look. I later fitted a TFI and Cobra True Duals (from the US also).

This 'big 3' combination absolutely transforms the bike, without any real impact on fuel economy. I also found I could run on either 91 (not E10!!) or 95 without any major difference or performance impact.

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