91' nighthawk brat/cafe never seen this before

I would love to see proof on a dyno that those little pods flow more air then the stock. There is just no surface area compared to stock.

I do have a k&n in the stock air box. But I wouldn't put pods on.

On a four cyl, the center pods see hotter air then the 2 outers too.

Good tuning then means different setup for the center carbs vs the outer.

But good luck with the bike. The engines are pretty bulletproof.




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mydlyfkryzis said:
I would love to see proof on a dyno that those little pods flow more air then the stock. There is just no surface area compared to stock.

I do have a k&n in the stock air box. But I wouldn't put pods on.

On a four cyl, the center pods see hotter air then the 2 outers too.

Good tuning then means different setup for the center carbs vs the outer.

But good luck with the bike. The engines are pretty bulletproof.




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Ya, realistically the outer 2 carbs should be up ONE size from the inner 2 since they run a tad cooler. Mixture is a more finicky beast. Keep at it!
 
MotorbikeBruno said:
Ya, realistically the outer 2 carbs should be up ONE size from the inner 2 since they run a tad cooler. Mixture is a more finicky beast. Keep at it!

really don't want to get into this pod debate as it has been beaten to death. it works for some, but not for others. its a matter of know how and patience. the inner two carbs are set up differently and run larger jets instead of smaller ones.
 
Maybe beaten to death, but still not clear to many who have 4 cyl. bikes. A lot of people still think you can bolt on the pods and go....

Have at it....tuning two 2 cylinder engines is a lot of work (That's what it is like, 2 separate engines) , and since I suspect you aren't racing professionally, a lot of work for a relatively small gain....if any at all...

From my perspective, the whole pod thing is a cosmetic thing, that may decrease performance. I understand the open look removing the airbox does, but its a shame to reduce power for looks.

It's like short, open pipes. They decrease performance too.... Tuned headers offer increases, as well as intake work, but the short open head pipes are just loud. Also a cosmetic thing.

You just don't see many real examples of a well tuned engine in the cafe scene. The majority are beautiful works of art, but actual performance seems to be lacking. The fat, old style tires are in this group too. Looks nice, but don't handle or grip well.

I really like the supertrapp muffler, this is an actual performance enhancer. If I could find one for my NH, I would snap it up in a minute.

Don't let me deter you from your vision, I am interested in some of the aspects as I have the same bike.

I like real performance enhancers and handling enhancers. For instance, a front Superbrace is on my short list to improve the handling. This is contrary to the cafe racer remove the fender and the brace for looks. I had 2 major tank slappers in my past, though neither time did I drop the bike, and after that, I like to everything that reduces the possibility of severe wobble.

So if you are making the bike faster, stiffen the front fork....don't fall for the fat tire, no fork brace/fender trap....I am assuming you will ride the bike...so be safe.
 
you have pod baited me, but I'm not going to bite.

thanks for the words and I'm glad you like my build.
 
I love my nighthawk, any of you fellow nighthawk owners have a spare exhaust stud? Snapped one installing my Vance n Hines 4to1.
 
CentexHawk said:
I love my nighthawk, any of you fellow nighthawk owners have a spare exhaust stud? Snapped one installing my Vance n Hines 4to1.

Double check your local dealer, I found a stud there once. Saved me a lot of hassle and wasn't that expensive.

As for Mr. Wolf! Can't wait to see more progress sir.
 
Nice man, there about the same as the vintage k and n's I'm looking to trade my old clip ons for right now.
How's progress?
 
she's a runner..
 

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i have finally sorted out an ongoing electrical issue with the bike. turns out the ignition control module (ICM) or CDI was faulty.

still a long way to go, about 70% done. will update more regularly now.
 
mydlyfkryzis said:
Maybe beaten to death, but still not clear to many who have 4 cyl. bikes. A lot of people still think you can bolt on the pods and go....

Have at it....tuning two 2 cylinder engines is a lot of work (That's what it is like, 2 separate engines) , and since I suspect you aren't racing professionally, a lot of work for a relatively small gain....if any at all...

From my perspective, the whole pod thing is a cosmetic thing, that may decrease performance. I understand the open look removing the airbox does, but its a shame to reduce power for looks.

It's like short, open pipes. They decrease performance too.... Tuned headers offer increases, as well as intake work, but the short open head pipes are just loud. Also a cosmetic thing.

You just don't see many real examples of a well tuned engine in the cafe scene. The majority are beautiful works of art, but actual performance seems to be lacking. The fat, old style tires are in this group too. Looks nice, but don't handle or grip well.

I really like the supertrapp muffler, this is an actual performance enhancer. If I could find one for my NH, I would snap it up in a minute.

It's cafe bikes, everything is about cosmetics.

Racing bikes use pod filters, because they spend most of their time wide open. They can run fine, but the work required to tune the needles and jets could be substantial, and its empirical. I'm not sure how many people bother to synchronize carbs , even if they rejet them.

The airbox acts as a plenum buffer for air pressure, and insures that all 4 carbs get the same ambient air pressure, this is obvious at low-mid range throttle openings. This is why modern high performance bikes that still used carbs have huge airboxes that have now taken over the "gas tank" volume.
I've seen people put baffles into pods to restrict air flow back to the airbox rates, but that does not solve the issue of each cylinder getting air at slightly different pressures. Again, this doesn't matter at open throttle, where the vacuum rate is so high.

You run into similar problems with pipes, they will give you more power, but not always where you want it. Straight pipes make more noise, that's it.

There are a few things you can do to increase HP, theoretically, and may even register on a dyno test, but the reality is most people can't tell the power difference, just the psychological effect of a louder bike.

Pipe wrapping falls into this category. This is what race engineers call "performance gains by the frog's hair". Whatever, the point is to get a cool looking bike, but all the tattoos and hard-knocks education likely won't end up with a better bike that was designed by professional engineers.

The sad truth is that most cafe bikes are art pieces, and while they may make a website/magazine and get accolades, they will spend most of their time on a trailer or do very little mileage in the hands of the owner who just thinks it looks cool. Same is true for supercars, few are driven more than 1000 miles a year, and most are sold within 24 months.

It's ok, it's fun, that's what life is for.
 
And that's why so many Cafe Racers are sold as soon as they are "finished" because as motorcycles they are usually not very good. Cool doesn't go around corners or even run that well in a straight line, but wait a couple of years and they will be back on the market for pennies on the dollar when the fad is replaced with something else.

If it gets even a few people interested enough in bikes to hang around, that will be a useful outcome.

Of course no all "builders: fall into that camp. There are a few who caught the performance bug and want their bikes to work well and perform as well as the platform allows.
 
If a mod adds performance AND looks good, I am all for it. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why someone would actually degrade performance (handling, engine power, braking) because it looks good.

Teazer, you are right on the money... Maybe I should invest o n those discarded airboxes,, so when the cycle (pun intended) come around and people want stock, I can sell used airboxes for $300 instead of the $20 they are now.
 
geez guys, are you still on my build thread talking about pods? come on. it really is impossible to avoid this topic, why does it have to come up every time..

also, please don't insult me by calling my bike a fashion trend or a trailer queen. have you seen my builds?

this is a place for constructive feedback and input from fellow bikers. pods and pipe wrap, FFS I'm so tired of it.
 
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