1980 GS550E Cafe Racer Conversion missing air filter system

[GSoholic]

I recently picked up a 1980 GS550E converted to a cafe racer. As you can see from the pic it is missing the air box filter housing with boots and guts. A Suzuki mechanic had told the previous owner that he only needed to drill out the main jet a setting to get the bike to run well at high speeds. I have seen a bike without an air filter so I need some expertise on the subject.

1) If I do need put a filter on it, should I go with the original set up (I have a non-running 1979 GS550E that I can get it off of) or should I go with a filter set like the EMGO Pods?

2) If I go with Pods, what size main jets should I use or is recommended?



Thanks for the help.

 

[dorkburger]

Welcome to the site. Im certainly no expert on the subject, but those knowledge will ask for more info. What exhaust, etc.
Definitely add a filter though.

Emgo pods seem to be known for making tuning difficult and poor filtration. APE pods are a less pricey alternative to K&Ns, and I've seen
some say that foam UNI filters are good as well.

Good luck. How about some pics and an intro?

 

[Who Dat?]

If somebody was intending that as a "cafe" bike, they missed the point. That airbox would have been removed, too, for a "clean" look through the middle of the bike.

Yes, you need a filter of some sort. APE filters are good, as are K&N and UNI, but stay away from EMGO, if you can.

Jetting changes will depend on what exhaust you can, but if you can find a Dynojet kit for your bike, it will get you REAL close.

 

[8ball]

The carbs on your 79 and 80 bikes should be different....and so the airbox won't work....at least the connectors to the carbs will be different, for sure.

The link below is a thread I made on another forum explaining some of the pitfalls of EMGO pods. Bear in mind that this thread is written for mechanical slide VM carbs...like on your '79. The vacuum slide BS carbs make the issues much more complex. They require a relatively still volume of air behind the carbs to work well. This is because they use a pressure difference from in front of the carb to the area behind the carb to lift the slide. Just "drilling out the jets".....well, it isn't quite that simple. Generally, you can get BS carbs to work OK in one area (ie full throttle), but they will stumble in another area( like part throttle). or vise versa.

They can be made to work. But it does require a bit of knowledge, time and patience. And almost always they will not run better than stock. The VM carbs are much easier to work with. But changing to those carbs would require swapping heads as well as carbs.

http://www.caferacer.net/forum/tips-tricks/19639-pod-filter-thread-geeto.html