Topic: replacing stock airbox on 1978 cb750

[fondofhondas]

hi. I hate the stock air box on my bike. it is a pain in the ass to remove and put back when I want to do anything with the carbs. I want to rip it out for ever, and put in some great looking, easily accessible, individual filters from, say, k&n part#rc-2314. my questions are: 1 heard bikes can run "lean" with these filters on? but coating them with filter oil can help that? also a guy i know has a ton of old hondas, says he puts these on all the time and doesn't have to adjust anything? except he says the carbs throw sparks and catches cheap foam ones on fire? 2 there is a vacuum hose that plugs into the stock box, what would I do with that if i replace the box with individual filters?

thank you for your help.

[GammaFlat]

Oh jeez.  The great filter debate... only to be upended by the great oil debate. 

My thoughts are that you'll have better luck with the way the bike runs if you keep the stock airbox.  I've run cones and gone back to the airbox (want some EMGO's?).  If you run cones, you'll likely have to play with the mixture (jets) and you'll be more vulnerable to crosswind problems.  You'll also have more noise (intake howl) and your carbs will sag over time (droop from lack of support that the airbox provides).  The 77 and 78 carb to engine rubbers are shorter than earlier, so they'll sag slower. 

I just can't wait for everyone to pile on here.  Lots of people have cones and have their bikes' running great with them. 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Only to be unseated by the great oil cooler debate.   

[mick750F]

   If you think removing the oem airbox is a PITA to work on the carbs, try getting it to run right with anything else, like pods, if you don't have a lot of experience. Pods will never give you even performance across the board like the oem airbox will. If you're talking about racing then it's a different story but a racing setup doesn't translate well to everyday riding on the street.

   Removing the airbox on one of these bikes is really no big deal. However, "foam ones" catching on fire does sound kind of exciting. 

Mike

[fuzzybutt]

Oh jeez.  The great filter debate... only to be upended by the great oil debate. 

how abouit a debate about the kind of oil to use on the fileters 

[Grumpol]

Your game fuzzy, you walk into a pods/airbox thread and challenge for an oil debate

[mick750F]

   Perhaps oil coolers can be fitted to the pods to increase performance? 

Mike

[GammaFlat]

Poor Mr. Fondohondas.  He has no idear what kinda cowpie he's stepped into. 

[BobbyR]

This is a loaded topic with strong pro and con people on both sides. I would suggest that you do a search on Pods and you will see enough opinions and suggestions for you to make a decision.

[GammaFlat]

This is a loaded topic with strong pro and con people on both sides. I would suggest that you do a search on Pods and you will see enough opinions and suggestions for you to make a decision.

Just then, thunder from the sky... and words of wisdom came forth..

[joeb]

Here ya go lets go middle of the road drill holes in your air box for better performance.   Stir the pot.

[Shenanigans]

Buy new rubber boots and keep the box.

[KB02]

also a guy i know has a ton of old hondas, says he puts these on all the time and doesn't have to adjust anything? except he says the carbs throw sparks and catches cheap foam ones on fire?

Okay, I've just got to say this:
#1. - If the Carbs on his bikes "throw sparks" and he finds this normal, this is not a man you should be taking mechanical advise from.

#2. - Yes pod filters will make carb access easier. It will also take more work to adjust correctly so that the bike runs as good (or, arguably, better).

[Geeto67]

really how often are you taking off the airbox that it is such a PITA? In the 10 years I have owned my K5 I have yet to remove it more than once per year to clean the K&N filter I have inside. Really? is it such a problem?

fond-of-hondas there is a search function on this site - just type in pods and then spend the next several days reading all the information out there. What you will find is:

1) you do not know more than the honda engineers that designed and built the bike,
2) not all pods are created equal and it is the inside transition design that determines its effectiveness,
3) That generic one size fits all crap for these bikes usually means more work on your part to make it work,
4) some riders expirence strange aerodynamics that prevent the pods from getting proper air,
5) you will most likely loose horsepower unless your bike is modded in other ways like head porting and big bore,
6) that there are people who think looking cool is better than running well and there are also people that make fun of those people - both on message boards and in real life.

[BobbyR]

really how often are you taking off the airbox that it is such a PITA? In the 10 years I have owned my K5 I have yet to remove it more than once per year to clean the K&N filter I have inside. Really? is it such a problem?

fond-of-hondas there is a search function on this site - just type in pods and then spend the next several days reading all the information out there. What you will find is:

1) you do not know more than the honda engineers that designed and built the bike,
2) not all pods are created equal and it is the inside transition design that determines its effectiveness,
3) That generic one size fits all crap for these bikes usually means more work on your part to make it work,
4) some riders expirence strange aerodynamics that prevent the pods from getting proper air,
5) you will most likely loose horsepower unless your bike is modded in other ways like head porting and big bore,
6) that there are people who think looking cool is better than running well and there are also people that make fun of those people - both on message boards and in real life.

+1 and Amen

[Johnny5]

It seems people that have the airbox really try hard to bash people that run pods and the process it takes to get pods to work well. Really who cares? You can get great results with pods with some trial and error. I had my carbs jetted for pods in a weekend. And yep, I think it looks a lot better than the clunky airbox. And nope, I rode my bike through some strong winds and never had the crosswind issue.

If a person has a little patience and can do 1 tweak at a time, then getting pods to run well isnt an issue. Personally, I feel my bike runs just as good as it did with the airbox. I wasnt going for more performance, just a cleaner look for my cafe build.

[Geeto67]

If you are dealing with a stock engine and a stock set of carbs you will not improve anything by switching to pods, it is doubtful you will actually even get the same level of performance that you get with the airbox.

I would not say people go out of their way to bash anybody, but there certainly is an air of deterence with pods because pods generate tech questions and frustration coupled with rideability issues. there are a lot of factors that affect how an engine breathes, what the airbox does is eliminate as many variables as possible so that the owner does not have to rejet anytime he rides through an elevation change. Putting pods on reintroduces a lot of those variables that honda was trying to isolate. If you are going to say airbox guys bash pods guys then it is only fair to say that pods guys are only interested in how cool their bikes look and not how well they function. I mean it is a two way street if you really want to go down it.

maybe it was really easy in your part of the world to rejet for pods but it might not be as easy for someone else far far away from you. Plus you don't ay anything about your skill level with carbs or what your seasons are, etc. You are correct about taking a scientific approach to it but what needs to be impressed is that not everybody is going to have your expirence.

[eldar]

Here is a question. How are you talking the box off? I mean, I find it a small pain and thats it. Do you remove it was one big unit? If so then yes it is a pain. If you split it, then it is actually quite easy. You just use a 10mm open wrench and go to town. OR if you are a bit impatient, get the ratcheting style of wrench and it will take even less time.

One other fail about pods is the lack or support on the backside of the carbs. these carbs weigh quite a bit and while you may not notice anything, I am sure the rubbers do not like all that weight. To remedy this, you have to make a bracket and suddenly, there goes that "clean" look.

As for sparks going out the carbs, if your bike is backfiring that badly to do that, you need more than carb work. The guy that told you that is one of the last I would ever allow to touch my bike.

[BobbyR]

Since this is the Holiday Season. Let's leave it here. If you are running a stock box and are happy with it in looks and performance, ride on.

If you have Pods and your bike runs as you like it, ride on.

If you are switching over to Pods, everything you need to know is here or in the other threads. Put on your Pods, do the tweaks and, ride on.

It is matter of taste, that's all there is to it.