Dumb question, air filters+rain
- Thread starter Seabeast
- Start date
I 2nd the inner rear fender and otherwise search for "rain sock".
Already mentioned by others, but decent front and rear fenders are a must. Next thing to do is to throw away those restrictive air cleaners and fit a decent airbox that will act as a plenum to smooth out airflow fluctuations and add breathing capacity. As a bonus, it also protects the filter.
Thanks for the replies, I mean that I see millions of modified bikes with this kind of filters and no fenders. I don't intend to ride when it's raining but specially in Finland where i come from, you never know when it's raining or snowing, so, for those occasions I am looking for a solution. This rain sock will definitely be an addition to my riding gear, also for myself if I can find a bag that's big enough.
What comes to fenders, I have a small fender to the front end but I guess that's just small enough just to improve(?) the looks.. For the rear I think a plate can be added to the frame behind the air filters. The decent airbox is one good option, but it has to be self made as I haven't found an aftermarket solution for that. It's not a problem but timewise this summer will go with this setup.. Do you know if there are some aftermarket boxes?
What comes to fenders, I have a small fender to the front end but I guess that's just small enough just to improve(?) the looks.. For the rear I think a plate can be added to the frame behind the air filters. The decent airbox is one good option, but it has to be self made as I haven't found an aftermarket solution for that. It's not a problem but timewise this summer will go with this setup.. Do you know if there are some aftermarket boxes?
cyclefreak
Over 1,000 Posts
Words of wisdom!!!!Tim said:Inner rear fender and ride faster
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stroker crazy
crazy as a fox
If you ride in the rain without a decent front fender the air filters will be the least of your worries.
The water sprayed from the front wheel will feel like a fire hose, soaking you to the skin and eliminating any visibility.
(or so I've been told
)
Crazy
The water sprayed from the front wheel will feel like a fire hose, soaking you to the skin and eliminating any visibility.
(or so I've been told
)Crazy
I never ride in the rain. At least until I'm riding and then it rains....
TheCoffeeGuy
Books, Books, Books, knowledge is within
Use a front fender and dont ride in the rain.
TheCoffeeGuy
Books, Books, Books, knowledge is within
The fender is not for the rain or the looks. All these older bikes need the cross member that the fender attaches to to stabilize the forks which twist and torque under pressure and the stress of driving. Its strictly a safety thing.
You see many pictures of bikes on various sites. They are not all drivers. As in they do not all have a license to ride on the road. Many are just show girls which never actually go out for the day. Many do not have legal lights or other attributes. For example many do not have a chain guard, This in itself is illegal in many jurisdictions from a safety perspective.
You see many pictures of bikes on various sites. They are not all drivers. As in they do not all have a license to ride on the road. Many are just show girls which never actually go out for the day. Many do not have legal lights or other attributes. For example many do not have a chain guard, This in itself is illegal in many jurisdictions from a safety perspective.
Yes - the front fender is important for locking the fork lowers together, so they move up and down at the same time. Otherwise there’s tons of force applied at the axle, twisting, changed geometry etc.
The front fenders usually have a thick metal bracket that is the brace you need, at minimum. Aftermarket fork braces are heavier, doing a better job. I ran without a front fender but had a proper fork brace.
No rear inner fender either. And I didn’t ride in the rain (not often).
The front fenders usually have a thick metal bracket that is the brace you need, at minimum. Aftermarket fork braces are heavier, doing a better job. I ran without a front fender but had a proper fork brace.
No rear inner fender either. And I didn’t ride in the rain (not often).
Alex jb
Been Around the Block
I had a non OEM fibreglass fender on my CD when I got it, noticeably wishywashy.
Made my own 6mm alloy plate fork brace/bracket, down sized the fender a bit and fitted it closer to the tyre.
Much more positive front end feel now and keeps more water off despite being smaller.
I have the same problem at the back though
Nice bike, getting out and enjoying it even if it rains on the way home is what it’s all about.
Looks like your number plate will hit the tyre way before the suspension bottoms out though.
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Made my own 6mm alloy plate fork brace/bracket, down sized the fender a bit and fitted it closer to the tyre.
Much more positive front end feel now and keeps more water off despite being smaller.
I have the same problem at the back though
Nice bike, getting out and enjoying it even if it rains on the way home is what it’s all about.
Looks like your number plate will hit the tyre way before the suspension bottoms out though.
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carnivorous chicken
Over 1,000 Posts
TheCoffeeGuy said:
The fender is for the rain (and rocks, and debris, and whatever). Most fenders also do have brace built in, but if you only want the brace effect the other comments work. Eliminate the fender but put in brace, and live with rain/rocks/debris/blood from roadkill, etc.
And I'll second the comments about pods on CV carbs -- they don't work that well unless you really know what you're doing.
A lof of folks are concerned with looks over performance, but the only people who fall for that are people who don't know any better. People who know how bikes work just shake their heads.
Let me not continue to pile up on everyone else throwing poo on you.
Throw a plate in there to act as a fender, it looks like with your frame you could still add something similar below your tubes and not hit on the pods. Sure its not see through, but its still really clean looking and it'll protect your filters.
Throw a plate in there to act as a fender, it looks like with your frame you could still add something similar below your tubes and not hit on the pods. Sure its not see through, but its still really clean looking and it'll protect your filters.
On my RD350, I removed the stock air filter box, but kept the stock air filter connector, often called "Y-boot" since it is Y-shaped. And connected a large K&N where the air box was connected. This puts the (single) K&N in a vertical position, a little more protected than your individual filters. In addition, I use a K&N "Drycharger". This is a polyester sock that fits over the K&N filter, and repels most of the water. So far this has worked great.
It is hard to see if your filters are genuine K&N, or some kind of copies. In any case, they will most likely hurt performance. You should look into having at least 50 mm of tubing or velocity stack between carbs and filters, maybe as much as 120 mm. This may not look "cool" but would help performance. Also, larger filters could be an improvement, maybe try UNI foam filters instead of K&N, as many believe they are better in the rain and also help you avoid some undesirable effects from the "end plate" in the filters you have. This has been a frequent topic on www.xs650.com.
It is hard to see if your filters are genuine K&N, or some kind of copies. In any case, they will most likely hurt performance. You should look into having at least 50 mm of tubing or velocity stack between carbs and filters, maybe as much as 120 mm. This may not look "cool" but would help performance. Also, larger filters could be an improvement, maybe try UNI foam filters instead of K&N, as many believe they are better in the rain and also help you avoid some undesirable effects from the "end plate" in the filters you have. This has been a frequent topic on www.xs650.com.
pidjones
Over 1,000 Posts
My first bike, back in the early '70s, was a 650 Triumph TR6C "chopper" with hard tail and 12" over springer front end. Besides the crap handling and gorping up of what could have been a great bike, it had no front fender. I rode it ONCE on a wet road - rain had stopped. The front tire pumped water up UNDER my face shield and into my face/up my nose. I traded it for an RD250 the next week! The GL100 that I'm working on will prmarily be for showing at small town shows in my region - but it WILL have a front, rear, and inner rear fender.
