Topic: CB550 Air Box Cover

[KrombopulosRyan]

Hey everybody!

Before the site crashed I had posted a thread concerning the elusive CB550 air box cover/tray.

I was looking for measurements so I could print my own since I can't seem to find one for purchase at a reasonable price.
So, I enlisted the help of a buddy at work. Below is the first prototype that we've come up with.

Bare in mind that a frame is being designed for a piece of stainless steel mesh. The frame will snap onto the top of the intake hole. If you look close you can see we've already included little tabs on the front and back of the intake that serve to clip the frame into place once it's printed.

As for the fit, it sits flush with the top of the frame. I glued some rigid foam material to the bottom of the cover, that seemed restrict the airflow to just through the intake where I want it. (Note: I'm having a couple of "L" brackets made tonight for a more permanent install, I opted for zip ties to check the fit and do a test run.)

Thanks to the people that helped me with some measurements, and for those who showed interest; send me a PM or let me know here. I will need to do some more in depth testing but I'm really happy with the initial results.

There are a couple of details I need to iron out before I print a final:

• There is a small gap at the back of the air filter housing, that is due to the odd shape of the filter housing. That is an easy fix though.
• The tabs that connect the cover to the frame don't quite line up. Small oversight, easily fixed as well.
• There are small almost imperceptible holes between the cover and the filter housing, only visible with a flashlight. A small layer of Plasti dip or RTV should seal it.
• The material used to print this was PLA, but we're thinking about a carbon fiber PLA. Something that can hold up to time, weather, and vibration for years.

[evinrude7]

nice work.

[Bankerdanny]

Sweet. I don't think the gap really matters since the cover just holds the filter in place. It doesn't need to be a super tight fit to the sides of the filter housing.

[KrombopulosRyan]

Really? I've been riding around without a cover and got caught out in the rain, that was a #$%*ty ride home.
Couldn't stop water from splashing up into my air box, even with a makeshift border made using 20 coffee cup sleeves from a gas station.

The area under the seat was just soaked, including my air filter by the time I got home.

It would seem a perfect seat isn't as important with the original cover design; it has those flanges or guides (not sure what to call them) at the bottom of the cover that slide into the air filter housing. Mine doesn't, making it likely that I can get water into the air filter housing if I get caught in the rain again, maybe having to wring out my air filter like a sponge is making me a bit of an alarmist.

Adding those flanges significantly lengthens the printing time and the material costs, the support structures that hold everything in place during printing use a lot of material, otherwise I would have included those in the design.

Now I just need it to rain so I can test that...

[TwoTired]

Sweet. I don't think the gap really matters since the cover just holds the filter in place. It doesn't need to be a super tight fit to the sides of the filter housing.

I must point out that the cover makes no contact with the filer element.  The filter element is held in place by a long curved spring.

It is not hard to imagine the cover as effective in reducing water ingress.

Cheers,

[karnage]

I just traded a good complete airbox yesterday for other parts.