Halfway To Thunder Stealth Air Intake Mod for 1500 Kawasaki

[DC]

Cool!  Thanks!   

[Troll]

air filter oil for cotton gauze air filters.. PJ-1 makes it, as does K&N. When you think about it, it's roughly $10 for the recharge kit and it has enough oil in it for about 100,000 miles.....http://www.amazon.com/99-5000-Aerosol-Recharger-Filter-Service/dp/B00029WYEY

[DC]

Do you have to use K&N oil on it, or is any oil okay?

[Troll]

Yes, there you go... I clean it and do other maintenance for the Spring so I don't really have to give it a thought. As long as you don't use compressed air to clean out a K&N, they will last forever. Just another ritual to get me in the right mood for the next season.

[Washbrook]

Firstly,

Troll, Thanks. All noted.

Secondly re the K&N Filter. Below is an extract from the K&N FAQ website page re cleaning:

4. How often do I need to clean my K&N air filter?

If you have not experienced a decrease in mileage or engine performance, chances are your filter is fine and does not yet need cleaning.  To be more specific, the filter does not require cleaning if you can still see the wire screen on the entire air filter regardless of how dirty it may appear. When the screen is no longer visible some place on the filter, it is time to clean it. When used in normal paved road, street or highway conditions, our replacement air filters that fit in the factory air box should require cleaning every 50,000 miles and our large conical filters on an intake system should require cleaning every 100,000 miles. When used in dusty or off-road environments, our filters will require cleaning more often. We recommend that you visually inspect your filter once every 25,000 miles to determine if the screen is still visible.

Below is a link to the cleaning procedures and some videos on the process.
http://www.knfilters.com/cleaning.aspx?pkid=350689&rw=3

[greenbarn]

I bought a recharge kit for  my K&N filters YEARS ago...most people over clean them and then over oil them. I clean mine once a year or about 12,000 miles...but I'm pretty sure I don't need to do it that often...just a habit I got into since I started using them about 25 years ago.

+1 on Trolls comment - I've seen a lot of them on cages come in the shop that are over oiled.  By the same token, though, I've seen a lot that look like they haven't been cleaned since they were put on, several years ago.  My recommendation is to only clean them when they look dirty, the same level of dirt that you would replace a disposable filter.  It will depend on your riding conditions and such, but like Troll said once a year is a good rule of thumb.  If his isn't dirty enough to clean more than that, anybody should be able to get a year....  I think he rides like 40,000 miles a year or something....   On both bikes??   

[Troll]

I bought a recharge kit for  my K&N filters YEARS ago...most people over clean them and then over oil them. I clean mine once a year or about 12,000 miles...but I'm pretty sure I don't need to do it that often...just a habit I got into since I started using them about 25 years ago.

[DC]

Running a 7" K&N from an 800 vulcan inside the stock cover, with a small section cut out to clear the gas tank.

A bit off topic, but . . . . . How often do you clean the K&N filter?  What's the best way to clean it?  My bike came with one. 

[Troll]

I had read about the stealth air cleaner mod, just like you. When I priced the components, I decided to try to do it myself. I've always been a fabricator, so this was not going to be a big challenge. I went to a local machine shop and had them cut me a 7"x3/16" thick aluminum plate and mark the exact center. That piece of aluminum cost me $35. I chose the thicker air filter to space the cover away from the tank, and the price was pretty good...I think I paid like $45 for it. My setup comes straight off the throttle body, and that moves it in, nearer the tank than yours is. The spacing between the tank and the edge of the air cleaner is very tight, so after a few months, I decided not to take a chance, and machined some clearance to the edge. I had decided to work in lexan, initially, since I had tools at home that would work with it, and it gave me a way to finalize the design before committing to anything. After it was all done, and I was happy with the results, I cut the right end off the air crossover tube and pulled it out the left side, leaving the area between the cylinders open, and removing the left side air box completely. I took the air bleed pipes off and connected the hose from one side to the other. In my first design, I had capped them off, but I decided I really didn't need them, since I wasn't running with the idle solenoids. I have an idea about that, too. The next time I have the tank off, I might see if I can reinstall the solenoids under the center of the backbone and connect them directly to the throttle body... just an idea, and probably not even necessary.

[Washbrook]

Troll,

I was looking at the clear Lexan backing plate and original aluminium backing plate when I asked about the air temperature sensor and crankcase vent. Now that I look at your latest photo it is very obvious.

The stock Drifter exhausts are becoming more difficult to find. Mine had cracked at the brackets when my father owned the bike and been repaired, I did not want to have that happen again and get caught with no original exhaust so I started to look for an aftermarket option. The original is now in storage in case I ever need to refit it for registration purposes [noise limitations apply here] or if I ever have to sell the bike [again for road worthy registration purposes]. The other issue I had was that the stock exhaust was so quiet, I could ride up next to a car and they would not hear me and know that I was there. I wanted people to know I was around and to look out for me. I understand the whole "loud pipes save lives" debate and I am not fully invested one way or the other, however I work on the basis that some drivers will hear me, some will not, some will see my head light on, some will not. Some drivers will not see me even as I bounce over their hood but every little bit helps someone keep out of my way. I tend not to do the 1000 mile in a day rides like you so the sound issue is not as important for me. I think my longest distance in a day is about the 500 mile mark.

You make a good point about the fuel economy. As I tend not to do the very big rides in a day, I do not mind stopping on a regular basis. To be honest I have always filled up before the low fuel light comes on so I do not really know just how far I can go on a tank. I once got caught running out of fuel [in my car] and have been paranoid about doing it again ever since. My current 4WD has a 1000 mile fuel range so I never have to worry. My Drifter is the 1999 model so I have the 16.0 Litre (4.23 gal) tank compared to the larger 19.0 litre (5.0 gal) tank on the 2001 – 2005 models. I am behind in riding range to start with.

I started the air project to get a bit more power but am not a speed freak anymore. It was more to have in case of need opposed to have so I can out accelerate HD's and other bikes. I have not really tried to be quicker than others I have been riding with though a few weeks ago one of the guys on his HD made my Drifter look like it was standing still despite me being on full acceleration. His was not a standard HD by any accounts. FYI you owned HD's for almost as long as I have been alive, I would appear to be a mere pup at 48 years.

I find your comment about your bike not running lean interesting. The read ups I have done on bigger air mods etc have mostly all commented about the bike running lean afterwards and that it was an issue that needed to be addressed. In your reply to your original post dated 15th October 2011 you make the comment that your bike had always run rich which may account for your experience compared to others I have read about. I do not know enough about the issue to really comment with any credibility though given all the tweaking you have done, you may have addressed and overcome the issue as part of your adjustment process. I suppose my adding the PC-V is in part an easier, yet more expensive, approach to solving the issue.

I have attached a couple of photos of my conversion in case you are interested.

Comparing your photos with mine, the kit approach appears to have a slightly larger gap between the tank and dog bowl. The adaptor plate then backing plate approach would appear to account for this increased gap. If you wanted create a bit more gap between the dog bowl cover and the fuel tank on your bike set up I suppose you could make a spacer plate / adapter of whatever thickness you wanted to go between the throttle body and your backing plate. In your reply to your original post dated 9th November 2011 you made the comment that there is no contact as the engine does not move as much as say a HD, so this suggestion to get a bit extra gap may not be practical or worth the added trouble.

Your filter also sits out / back towards the engine a bit further than the kit. I assume that the filter you used may be the reason for this. The kit uses a K&N E-3402 filter which has an outer diameter of 7", inner diameter of 5.5" and height of 2" compared to the Drifter 800 filter [per the K&N filter site spec] KA-8095 which has an outer diameter of 7", inner diameter of 6" and height of 2.5".

Bottom line, I enjoyed reading your write up and have learned a few things through the process. Your set up looks good and by all accounts appears to be working well and most importantly survived the test of time. I appreciate your comments, feedback, explanations and the time taken to make them.

Regards from Australia

[Troll]

     It's all about balance. When I first got the bike, it had the V&H longshots on it and it was embarrassing to ride...soooooooo loud. I put a Cobra peace pipe on it (couldn't find a stock system at the time). I ran it about 20,000 miles like that, but I was really disappointed with the fuel mileage. I started fooling with things and reading about stuff. Example: the low fuel light came on regularly at 140 miles, now, since I did the mods I did, it's 160 or sometimes more...Depending on the type of road, I have been getting as much as 50 mpg. I have a speedo healer on it, and the odometer is correct to about 100' over 10 miles. The bike has plenty of power (I owned H-Ds for 47 years, and the Drifter is quite a bit quicker than any of them). For me, it was all about fuel mileage and 1000 mile day rideability. I hate to stop for fuel every 2 hours, and too much noise makes it too tiring to do a long trip. I'm not experiencing anything that would indicate the engine is running lean..as a matter of fact, I think it could go a little leaner, but opening up the exhaust will cause a drop in back pressure, and I'll have to start over again. In the picture, at the bottom of the plate, there is an elbow with the crankcase breather hose attached, and just above it is the IAT sensor.

[Washbrook]

Just finished reading your post (http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?topic=11026.0). Interesting, I'm not quite in your mechanicaly league so bought the adaptors in lieu of making my own. I see you have posted some others so I'll read those when I get time.

I completed the Gadget mod "Halfway To Thunder A Stealth Intake Mod for 1500/1600 Engines" (http://www.gadgetjq.com/thunder+stock_acmod.htm) using the Thunder Mfg plate and Adaptor which started my post question trying to understand the implications of some of the mod changes. Looking at your pics I could not see how you fitted the air temperature sensor or crankcase vent to your backing plate.

I have photos but they are on my computer at work not my iPad. I'll post them tomorrow. I think mine has a slightly larger gap between the tank and dog bowl and from your pics your filter sits out a bit further at the rear than the above kit. I'll check this out again tomorrow.

From my reading and other comments I was led to understand that the mods would make the drifter run a lot leaner and hence needed a properly mapped aftermarket fuel management computer such as the PC-V or similar to fix this problem. I'm running the V&H Longshot pipes in lieu of stock.

[Troll]

NO power commander, just opened up the intake to let it breath. Running a 7" K&N from an 800 vulcan inside the stock cover, with a small section cut out to clear the gas tank. Stock exhaust..which got quite a bit louder with the intake mod...

[Washbrook]

Good to hear, I'm looking forward to riding i once the PC5 is fitted.

[Troll]

Go right ahead. I have also posted my backing plate and stuff on this site, under fuel injection mods. Almost 15,000 miles with it done, and very happy. Here's an example of what it did...There is a pretty good hill on the interstate about 10 miles from here. With everything stock, setting the throttle with the vista cruise, and doing 70 at the bottom, I would slow down to 58 or 59 by the top, last night I went that way, and , again at 70 it only slowed to 67.....

[Washbrook]

Troll,

Thanks for the quick response. I may have to read it a few more times to fully understand what you wrote but I do get the gist of things. I'm doing a write up of the conversion experience for some friends on another forum who have been procrastinating on doing this conversion as well for quite some time [they ride Nomads and older 1500 Kawas], I hope you do not mind if I include your explanation.

Once again, thank you.

[Troll]

  Ok, this is an easy question to answer. The air system Kawasaki uses is similar to the system G.M. used on the later non computer controlled Chevettes. That system was called PAIR for pulse air injection reaction. It was a passive system that relied on exhaust port vacuum to draw fresh air into the exhaust manifold to burn off any left over fuel on deceleration. The vacuum switching valve under the tank is like the valves that cars with air pumps have, except it's passive rather than being force fed air. The 2 square boxes on the cylinders with the 1/2" hoses on them are reed valves that prevent exhaust gas from entering the air system. There is a small vacuum hose that maintains a vacuum signal on the switching valve to allow small amounts of air to enter the exhaust during idle. If you close off the air intake to the valve with the engine idling, you can hear the exhaust sound change a little. The whole thing is necessary for emissions purposes to ensure "legal" levels of CO and unburned hydrocarbons at the exhaust pipe. When you close the throttle at speed, say to go down a hill, the air intake stops, creating a high intake manifold vacuum. Most systems use a computer trick called deceleration enleanment  (the fuel is actually shut off on decel) to prevent fuel in the system from trying to burn with a limited amount of oxygen, which gives a high unburned hydrocarbon and  CO content due to incomplete combustion). The combustion takes place in the exhaust system. When you marble the air system, or put on coasters, you are defeating the emissions hardware....I just removed the air tube from the switching valve and put a 1/2" cap on the nipple. Will it hurt the engine? NO...see I told you it was simple.

[Washbrook]

I decided to get a little more power out of my 1999 Drifter and after some research and recommendations purchased the parts for the "Halfway To Thunder Stealth Intake Mod for 1500 Kawasaki Engines" http://www.gadgetjq.com/thunder+stock_acmod.htm (I'd previously fitted V&H Longshot pipes). I installed the kit this week as I am dropping the bike off on Saturday to have a PC5 computer http://www.powercommander.com installed and and the bike put over the Dyno. Mechanically this was a very simple conversion but herein lies my ignorance.

I am not a mechanic and whilst I can follow install instructions quite easily [when they use the same terms as the service manual], I also like to understand the implications of doing things when I can. Through researching this forum and others I have managed to satisfy all my questions [such as removing the ISC values from the equation etc] about the install except for one:

Background, The kit requires that I remove the fresh air hose (which appears to be the Vacuum Switch Valve Air Hose in my service manual) and plug it with a supplied plug.

Question, Are these the same? What is this actually doing? Are there any long term issues with doing this? Any other comments?

Any helpful comments would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.