Pod possibility (this is technical, not performance)

[Clumzi]

Well, it is actually a little performance and a little appearance, but mostly technical

My air box assembly is haggard. Removing the carbs last time almost completely wrecked the thing and it looks like hell. Now, I've poked about for info here concerning pods and most folks seem to say that without a 4in1 to go along with the pods as well as a new jet kit the pods don't help and my even hinder the low rev performance. If for no other reason than to make getting the carbs on and off the bike I'd like to get pods for the thing, but the cheapest I think I've seen pods anywhere is for $60 a pop.

So, I understand that pods won't do me much in the way of favors in terms of performance without the afford mentioned stuff, but it would make getting the carbs on and off the bike easier, it'll make the bike look nicer and I'm likely to need a new air assembly anyway so, after all this long winded nonsense...

Who makes the cheapest pods on the market?!

[Steve]

I can't answer the question, but I do have to question your motivation.

Previous posts from you indicate that you are trying to resurrect a set of 650 carb bodies to put on your 550. Toward the end of the thread it appeared that you were finally catching on to the fact that it was possible, but you have to move all the 550 jets to the 650 bodies.

Now to the airbox vs. pods thing: Once you have everything cleaned and put back where it should be, there is no further need to remove the carbs until you neglect them long enough that they need to be cleaned again. Note that since I cleaned the carbs on my wife's bike four years ago, they have not been off the bike, so it's not hard to care for them properly. By switching to pods, you will be changing some jets, sometimes more than once, guaranteeing that you will be removing the carbs multiple times. Yes, it will be easier with pods, but please realize that you are doing this because of the pods.

Then you have to look at the pods themselves. The cheaper pods that you are looking for might not be so good at filtering the air that goes through them, even though they will get dirty. They are likely not cleanable and reuseable, so you will have to pitch them and get another set. Better pods, like K&N, can be cleaned and re-used many, many times, although the cleaning and re-oiling process usually takes overnight. Oh, yeah, the oiling thing. You have to oil them very lightly for them to filter the air properly. Over-oil one or two filters and you throw off the mixture for those carbs until the oil situation works itself out.

Sometimes you don't need a new light on the subject, just a different filter.
(sorry for the pun, I just meant that you need to look at it differently)

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[82gs1100]

ya cheep pods will suck dust right into the engine and youll spend more inthe long run. if you run pods u mite not have to change the 650 jets. mite

[Clumzi]

So the cheapy pods are that bad, huh? Alright, thanks for the heads up. If they are going to cost more in the long run there is no sense in it. -nick

[Nessism]

Those cheap Emgo pods are paper filters, and are not washable. Some people make the mistake of thinking they are K&N type but this is not true. For the price I think they are ok, and I've never seen any information that indicated that they don't filter adequately. If anything, I'd expect them to filter better than a K&N which is actually a pretty margional filter in of itself. K&N's flow lots of air...because they don't filter that great.

[Clumzi]

lol, I just dug this up via the search

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=97315&highlight=pod+size

Oh well. I'm sold. Screw pods . I'm just dreading pulling those carbs out again after what it took last time. Might be time to look for a used air box. -nick

[Flaggo60]

I'm looking at pods as well, for the simple reason that I can't get the carbs back with the airbox installed-there simply is not enough room. I know we spent some time on a thread I raised on this subject, and I tried the lube techniques offered as well as heating the area with a hair dryer (I'm working outside), but I simply could not replace the carbs without the risk of serious damage to the new carb boots that I installed.

Maybe the 650 is tighter than the others, I don't know. The airbox just will not shift back far enough to allow reinsertion of the carbs, there is not enough room between it and the frame. Maybe the factory installation of the carbs into the airbox scenario was done with the motor unfastened.

So, I ordered four Emgo pods and I'm going to give them a try. They're disposable, when they're dirty you replace them, and they're priced that way, as opposed to K&N's which are permanent. Still, I'm keeping the airbox and I'll see how i feel about them after I've had a chance to see how this little experiment will go.

[Clumzi]

Just curious, what size EMGOs? I don't have a mm tool handy and after searching I've actually seen conflicting info. Since all the BS32s are the same, they should all use the same size pods, right? -nick

[Flaggo60]

Just curious, what size EMGOs? I don't have a mm tool handy and after searching I've actually seen conflicting info. Since all the BS32s are the same, they should all use the same size pods, right? -nick

The listing said 54 mm. I ordered from Z1 Enterprises, around $7 each plus shipping. If they're wrong at least I'm covered for an exchange.

[drhach]

I'm looking at pods as well, for the simple reason that I can't get the carbs back with the airbox installed-there simply is not enough room.

If they came off, they should.......go back on.

[Flaggo60]

If they came off, they should.......go back on.

You'd think so wouldn't you? The fact remains that I can see possible grievous damage to the new intake boots, as removal from the old ones wasn't pretty. Now, as its getting to be winter here soon, I may park the whole problem and try again in the spring when its warmer. Still, I'm going to see what the pods do for (or to) me....

[Nessism]

If they came off, they should.......go back on.

No kidding.

Suzuki certainly didn't do mechanics any favors with the design of the airbox fitment on some of their bikes. The 850/1000 is ok, airbox moves back far enough, but the 550 and 3rd generation 700/750 truely suck; you really need to cram the carbs in there. I haven't played around with the 650 so can't comment. That said, it's a newbie mistake to ditch the stock airbox if the only reasoning is to improve how easy the carbs are to install. Just deal with it and get those carbs back on. Pods suck in terms of changing the jetting, sucking water, increasing noise, leaving the crankcase vent open to the air, etc. I don't get it.

[maro]

Maybe the 650 is tighter than the others, I don't know. The airbox just will not shift back far enough to allow reinsertion of the carbs, there is not enough room between it and the frame. Maybe the factory installation of the carbs into the airbox scenario was done with the motor unfastened.
.

Hey Brother,

I'm sure this was addressed before from other 650 owners. And I'm sure you tired you A$$ off to get them back in...but it is Quite possible. I;ve done it several times...with new boots and old boots.

The trick is (with the 650 and others I imagine)...obviously slide the front part of the airbox back as far is it will go. then bring the carbs in from the left side of the frame..while sitting on the bike. I generally pop them into the outake boots, then the finagel them into the intake boots. . it takes about 15 mintues of wiggling and patience. 15 minutes doesn't sound like much...but it's a long time to wiggle something . It works though. I forgot to mention that the boots get sprayed with wd-40 before I get to fitting the carbs in. I do this all from above the bike. Once the carbs are in the outake boots, I tighten them, and then I slide the airbox forward and wiggle the intakes in.

I'm sure you heard this all before. But... there it is again. PITA, but can be done!!

[ckohlersr]

carb removal

I think I remember reading somewhere that the airbox will move back further if you remove the battery and battery box, first. Does anyone know if that's true?

[maro]

I think I remember reading somewhere that the airbox will move back further if you remove the battery and battery box, first. Does anyone know if that's true?

I know I never needed to this (81 650G), so I think there is enough clearance without having to move the battery box. It would prob be easier to just remove the airbox than the battery box/battery.