Advice on previous owner mods, Airbox, CCT's etc

[RickTheHuman]

Hello VTR comrades!
Started on the CCT stopper mod last night. (MCCTs are on the list for later)
While the bike is apart it gave me a good opportunity to check out the air box mods mentioned by the previous owner. The snorkel has been removed from the front of the air box and that's all I can tell really. The plastic shroud to the front of the carbs is still in place. He mentioned he had "played" with the jetting the suit. I think the bike is running pretty good at the moment. Starts easy, Pulls clean from all revs in all gears and has good throttle response with plenty of power, however having not recently ridden another VTR I have no comparison. It has been mentioned to me that the VTR does not really respond well to these types of mods.
Can anyone advise on reinstalling the snorkel and attempting to retune?
I should mention the bike is running Remus Carbon slip ons. The rest of the system looks stock to me. It has 50,000 Klms on the clock.
What way around does the snorkel fit, facing Up/Down?






Cheers

[VTRDark]

You have a K&N filter in there too. Looks like it could do with a clean and oiling. I wonder if you have the block off caps in the corners too. There should be 2 triangular shape rubber caps that sit in the corners of the airbox Mmmmm I'm not sure you want to dig deeper......like into the carbs I mean. Depends on your mechanical abilities and feel for things. If it's running good for you then leave as is. You may very well in future decide to have a tinker and play about if any issues arise. Get your CCT's done and ride the bike. Get to know it. I would suggest putting the snorkel back on though to see how she runs with it in place. It goes on with the L pointing down by the way.

Here's some more info on air box mods
http://www.burniemorgan.com/firestorm/airfilter.html

If you look at the second pic down you can see the snorkel. Note that it also has the standard filter.

(:-})

[RickTheHuman]

Thanks for the reply mate.
Yes it has the block off caps in position.
I am fairly competent with carbs and have experience jetting and tuning Dirt bikes. However the combination of two carbs is new to me, and I am really keen to learn to check/adjust balance. (I have read the guide on here)
I have a copy of the Honda Service Manual.
While the carbs are off I am going to check the jet sizes for reference. I'm assuming they would of been changed when the exhaust was installed.
I will also reinstall the snorkel and see how she goes as you suggested! I agree if its running good I won't make any changes, but I also want to make sure I am getting the best out of her
Do you think a dyno tune would be beneficial and worth the money?

Cheers

[VTRDark]

Two carbs is not an issue. Treat them as you would one, they are both individuals with regards to tuning. The only difference two carbs makes is that they need to be in balance with each other. As you have played with jetting before these will be real easy to work on because of their size. Not easy to tune mind. YET AGAIN BECAUSE OF THEIR SIZE THEY ARE TEMPERAMENT AND SMALL CHANGES (sorry cap lock) can make a big difference The trickiest bit with these as a beginner is getting the diaphragm springs and caps back on. I guessed as much that you had been doing some reading.

Did you also see the following link:
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25177

The biggest difference between these and dirt bike is that with dirt bikes the mixture is set my adjusting the air flow / mixture screw on the airbox side. With these mixture is set by adjusting fuel flow / mixture screw on the engine intake side.

As for the Dyno from what I have heard with the cost of dyno runs over there it's a waste of money. The dyno is only another tool in the toolbox.

(:-})

[RickTheHuman]

Excellent info, Thanks!
Also thanks for the link. I had not seen that one yet. Will be handy
Once I finish the CCT's, clean and oil the filter and take it for a ride with the snorkel reinstalled I will report back here on how it runs.
Also what is the purpose of the blanking caps you mentioned earlier?
Thanks again

[VTRDark]

No worries. It was a bit tricky writing last night though as I had a drink As for the link...that came from the following thread:
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 14#p238578

The blanking caps separate the crankcase breather and atmospheric air which is filtered through a foam filter to feed the carbs. The rubber blocks separate this atmospheric pressure from the airbox pressure inside the box.Standard filters come with these already moulded into the plastic. One more thing you should be aware of, is the the little yellow foam filters have a habit of disintegrating into fine particles like sand and gets sucked into the carbs. So replace these if worn. They sit under the rubber blocks.





Once you have put the snorkel back on it takes a bit of wiggling to get the lid back in place. There's a bit of a technique to it actually. The best way is to hold the air filter in the lid and put them on together. Pointing down from the rear at a slight diagonal angle, push and wiggle the snorkel down through the gap in the frame behind the headstock and lower the lid down.

(:-})

[RickTheHuman]

I have a question regarding CCT's and seeing as I have this thread started, I will ask it here
I fitted a stopper to the rear CCT last night as per the guide on here.
Once reinstalled I removed the Key from the 1/4 turn clockwise position to release the CCT. It didn't "snap" back as I was expecting. It moved halfway back to the original position and needed some gentle help by twisting the key to get back to where it was.
I'm thinking its a sign of a weak spring. Has anyone else noticed this? Im sure it will settle back to where it was once the motor is started.
I am doing the front CCT tonight.

Cheers

[VTRDark]

Most likely weak as you say. You my have even weekend them more by moving things which can't be helped. Hopefully they will settle and be OK. Turn the engine over by hand at the crank a couple of times before starting to make sure things settle into place and is all OK.

If one is serious about having a stop mod then it should be done with new CCTs IMO. The only problem is it means fitting them twice as they need to be in place to get the right measurements. from 1/4 and 1/2 turns. Either that or go manuals and be done with them. Otherwise doing what you have done and fitting a stopper to the original older ones in god knows what condition, is the last next best thing. It's better than nothing and if you do have a failure it wont be catastrophic. You may end up buying new CCTs anyway.

(:-})

[RickTheHuman]

Thanks so much for the info again mate! You're a legend
Yep MCCT's or new stopper modded CCT's are on the list... But this mod was free... and I want to ride until I can manage to get some.
At least I am getting to know the VTR! It is a dream to work on compared to my last bike (DRZ). Removing/installing the carb on that was a PIA.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply

Cheers

[VTRDark]

Removing/installing the carb on that was a PIA.

[in my best aussie accent)Nah mate it's all in the technique...a bit of XXXX helps though.

(:-})

[RickTheHuman]

Removing/installing the carb on that was a PIA.

[in my best aussie accent)Nah mate it's all in the technique...a bit of XXXX helps though.

(:-})

XXXX wouldn't be a bad beer....If there were no other beers on Earth. Although it would still make that particular job more enjoyable.

[AMCQ46]

its not a weak spring, they will not snap back to the 1/4 turn after reinstalling, as the chain slack has moved to both sides when it was out. once you turn the engine a full rev it will walk back to its fully out position and you can then recheck that you got the 1/4 turn you measured

[RickTheHuman]

its not a weak spring, they will not snap back to the 1/4 turn after reinstalling, as the chain slack has moved to both sides when it was out. once you turn the engine a full rev it will walk back to its fully out position and you can then recheck that you got the 1/4 turn you measured

Thanks buddy! Yep the front was exactly the same. Although once I turned it over a few times it still hadn't returned to the original position. I helped it a little with the key. I'm guessing it will have settled after running the bike.

[RickTheHuman]

I completed the stopper mod last night. Rear stopper ended up 9mm and the front was 8mm.
I also adjusted the TPS to 500, cleaned and oiled the air filter and fished out a couple of air box lid screws from the valley that looked like they had been there a while.
Bike is all back together now, warmed up this morning and promptly ran out of fuel as I pulled out the drive...or so I thought.....forgot to open the fuel valve ..bugger.It warmed up for a good 4-5 mins on what must have been left in the carbs! After adjusting the TPS, starting seems to have improved and idle is smoother too
This forum is great
Cheers
EDIT - also reinstalled air box snorkel.

[RickTheHuman]

Another question.
Took a look at the upper rear shock mount and it appears to already have a spacer installed...?