arnout

Let me Google that for you.

1 of 2 september pas? OK, I will keep it in the holes.

That's a shame.. Why has it been cancelled? Would also have liked to ride the nearby Luttenbergring "nu we er toch zijn".. Perhaps organize our own "bike meet" instead? (perhaps located a bit more towards the West of the NL?)

Cool.. Thanks for the write-up. I have oiled my set of RamAirs with K&N oil but haven't been out on the bike yet to try them out (due to blistering heat and oddly enough me having a cold at the same time.) Uhmm.. The whole point of me digging up this topic is that I found the spark plugs on my Kat had turned black with soot after switching from dusty old K&N-pods to OILED RamAir filters. Plenty of other sources also confirm oiling foam filters (to make them actually work) decreases their airflow, BUT I've now learned it probably makes a big difference to as what type/thickness of oil is used in relation to how much airflow suffers. I've also now understood I used the wrong type of foam air filter oil and probably over-oiled the filters too. As you're a car racer you might find this discussion interesting: click. Found this email correspondence with RamAir via Google:

I think it would. Smaller valves and ports. As I've got both 750 and 1100 top halves on the shelve in my kitchen workshop I might be able to do further comparisons, but as it far to hot right now to be lifting anything heavy and first move all the stuff stacked in front, I'd rather not.

Mikuni BS26SS it says in my German service manual on the (4 cyl.) GSX400F. Just found a service manual online in English: click.

Wow.. Stunning Kat.. Sorry, no key set.. Try the Marketplace once you've reached the 50 posts needed to unlock access..

Finally some confirmation the filters are NOT pre-oiled! Thank you coombehouse for taking the effort to contact RamAir. As for the need for oiling depending on the dustiness of the environment is a bit of a vague statement I think. That says to me oiling is indeed required for good air filtration. In a dust free environment there's obviously no need for air filtration (doh!). In the real world I ride my bike fequently past dusty building sites and over dusty country roads.. So I think I'd better oil my foam filters. The main drawback -as reported- is the decreased airflow of oiled foam filters. The thicker the oil, the more airflow suffers in favor of better air filtration. So a trade-off. Filter oil and water turning into an emulsion sounds bad, but perhaps this is more likely with "bio" filter oils than conventional petroleum based filter oils? Bell mouths is a variable not yet well addressed in comparing K&N cotton-mesh and RamAir foam filters. Perhaps the absence of bell-mouths/stacks with running K&N filters contributes to the poor part throttle response behavior now attributed to the closed end cap ? It seems to me the optimal "pod filter" would be a combination of parts of both types. A cotton/mesh material covering the whole pod and a incorporated velocity stack to mount the filter as one unit onto a carb.

The stud spacing is the same, but the cylinder sleeves would probably not fit into the 750 bottom end (without machining). The 1100 cylinder block will need maching too to the shorten it to suit the shorter 750 studs and shorter 750 stroke.. I believe the wrist pins 750 and (early) 1100 are both 18mm. Fitting an 1100 engine in your 750 seems like less work.

Ik zat hier ook naar te kijken als mogelij.. Uhmm.. English, OK.. I was looking at this potential interesting bike meet as well after spotting the invite earlier on Dutch motorcycle-forum, but for me as well the long boring ride (to get there in time) isn't very appealing. If however a small OSS delegation (and so at least some decent bikes) will be present, it might be worth the effort..

Thanks for the tip, but I was (sort of) joking about cutting the foam filters up (for now). That's what I found earlier as well but thought was strange and conflicting both with my own experience (new filters feel bone dry, not tacky whatsoever) and the report of others finding dust in their carbs after running the RamAir sock filters for a while. Perhaps the so called "polymer treatment" relies on static cling properties to capture dust?? That's the only explanation I can come up with.. So.. To get some clarity about it all I tried contacting RamAir with my questions, but have received no response to my repeated queries via the online contact form or via email. Perhaps the email address I had to track down via Google (not on RamAir website) was incorrect? info@ramair-filters.co.uk (Maybe non-UK residents are blocked?) Maybe someone else can have a go? Of course there is a phone number too, but I'm not a native English speaker. Writing is OK but verbally I'm pretty poor..

I was thinking about getting a cheap used car air filter panel from Eblag and cutting it to size. But using (oiled!) foam filter material would work too of course. Perhaps cut up my set of RamAirs to patch the K&N's

Interesting read indeed. Like it said in the article many car manufacturers experimented with variable intake lengths, and Yamaha used a version of this idea on the R1 (separate set of stacks moving in and out). So the length of velocity stacks/trumpets/ducts/ram pipes/whateveryoucallthem plays a big part in where the engine delivers its torque/power. I think adding a flange right in front of the intakes like is done by fitting dual K&N pods, introduces an extra variable to this equation (that isn't covered in the article). The article states intake lengths however have no impact during part throttle as pressure waves bounce off the butterfly valves. In case of (flat)slide carbs that would only be the single throttle slide though. Also the issue that's being discussed in this topic is that people DO experience a difference in engine response part throttle between a K&N and a foam filter setup. So I guess where the length of the intakes stops being a factor at part throttle, other variables like the K&N flanges apparently do still play a part in how the engine performs. Perhaps this is more manifest with (flat)slide carbs then CV carbs, as there is less blockage for pressure waves to travel past openings? It seems this issue is of greater importance for road bikes rather than race bikes as road bikes spend a lot more time running part throttle.

Perhaps I should've explained myself better. Improving the airflow isn't the objective with the modifying idea (especially as the K&N's appear to flow air better than oiled RamAirs already). The idea was to remove the reflective surface -the rubber flange- as to solve the problem with pressure waves bouncing back into the intake. I guess sticking a piece of material that would absorb or deflect these pressure waves onto the inner face of the flange would work too. I presume you did not use any oil on the RamAir filters? If you did, what kind (and how much). For racing bikes air filtration isn't nearly as important as for road bikes as the milage is far less. The aim is just to stop larger particals (plastic bags, birds, nuts/bolts) from getting sucked into the engine and sacrifice as little power as possible. Yup, these RamAir filters are pretty cheap. And the construction and material seems very good. But if you're not using any oil on foam filters they simply do not filter dust from the air that otherwise gets sucked into the engine. That's when cheap filters become pretty expensive over time.

Slight correction due to misunderstanding: So the thicker the oil you use on foam filters, the more the airflow is restricted but the better the dust/particle retention. So key is finding the happy medium between airflow and protection with the specific type/brand of oil you choose. The oil I used was quite thick and felt tacky and stringy like glue on the filters. Probably better used for foam filters on off road bikes.

Ah.. Using thinner oil makes sense. A fellow Kat owner also experimenting with these RamAirs filters however did use the specific RamAir-oil but experienced similar problems with over rich mixture and sooted plugs.. Perhaps that stuff isn't as thin as the Motorex oil you mention? I have a spraycan of K&N oil, which is really thin indeed, and I'll probably give that a try first. (Spray on, bag it, work oil through, let dry?) If that doesn't work (well enough) I might have a go at modifying the dual K&N pods and replace the rubber back flange with a panel of rippled cotton mesh.

Sorry to dig up this old(er) thread, but this way people don't have to repeat their earlier posts again. Right.. So, inpired by this thread I went ahead and ordered some RamAir sock filters (MS-006) to replace my dual K&N's. In order to fit these foam filters onto my RS36's I first had to make a set of suitable bell mouths aka stacks. To my surprise and wonder the foam filters I received felt completely dry, leading me to assume these were in fact NOT pre-olied. I searched the RamAir-website for definitive info on this, but only found they sell a cleaning kit containing filter oil. So I concluded these foam filters apparently DO need to be oiled before use, and so I oiled my set with a generic foam filer oil and preceded to fit these onto the stacks on the carbs. Compared to the K&N's the smoother response especially part- throttle was noticeable, and in that way I was very pleased. After a few 100 km's however the engine started to run increasingly rough misfiring occasionally. So I pulled the plugs (after first misdiagnosing the carbs) and found them covered in black soot.. Which explained the misfiring, but had me puzzeled about the obvious sudden rich mixture. I tried contacting RamAir about my findings via the web page and email but have received no response yet. So instead I'll post my query here. Are these filters supposed to be used dry, so NOT oiled? Or is the specific RamAir-oil in some way different that will not hurt the air flow as badly as regular filter oil? Non-oiled foam filters will probably work fine, but hardly filter any dust at all. Is that the trade-off that is connected to using this type of filter? Hoping someone can shed some light onto this matter.

What exhaust (and muffler)?

I know little about watercooled gixxers of even gixxers as such, but found these numbers on another forum:

Sorry, no suggestion for any direct caliper replacements. The feel and force of the stock EFE/GS1150 front brakes was terrible from new. From the rock hard lever and poor deceleration performance I deduct a mismatch between the master cylinder and the calipers on these bikes. It would be interesting to find out if fitting a smaller bore m/c could actually correct this and produce accepable braking performance using the stock calipers and discs.

I'm a bit of a purist with regards to keeping original models recognizable. Mods are fine, upgrades even better, but I think a Kat should always ook like a Kat, an ET like an ET, and an EFE should only have EFE bodywork. If not, an old zook looses its roots and identity. But then again, this is YOUR bike, so whatever you think looks cool/good is fine. I see you haven't fitted (found?) an oilcooler or oilstat yet, so no decisions on that front? Also on earlier progress.. The swingarm angle looks pretty steep. That's fine, but have you checked the amount of chain drag on top of the swingarm is acceptable? Or perhaps you have already moved the position of the swingarm pivot to compensate? Also.. I like the look and detailing on the rearsets/pegs, but they seem positioned uncomfortably far back?

It might. I have an early Dyna 2000 system on my 1327 EFE. This unit has 5 preset advance curves and the curves designed for 4 valve engines have an initial advance of just 5 deg. before going up to 15 deg. at around tickover. So this helps a lot with preventing the engine backfiring at startup. I believe the later Dyna 2000i units were/are fully programmable. They are costly however and have a bad reputation for breaking down (early batch of the 2000i version I think). Obviously a single switch for engaging the ignition separately seems like a much better deal if you're only looking to solve the kick back issue than forking out for Dyna 2000 system. Beside Dynatek there are other iginition suppliers too, like Ignitech, if you do want to fit an aftermarket ignition system.

The "kick back" is the engine backfiring, turning the opposite direction and so hammering the starter clutch and starter motor. Holding off the ignition from producing sparks untill the crank is actually spinning - like the mod Gixer1460 is talking about- is one way to tackle this problem, altering the ignition advance at very low rpm is another. Before aftermarket ignition systems became affordable, some drag racers used to modify the signal generator plate on the LH side of the crank so it could be rotated a few degrees via a lever. This setting would decrease the stock advance momentarily making the engine less susceptible to backfiring. The EFE has an electronically controlled advance, but the mechanical advancer on the earlier engines can be modified to alter the angle of the advance (or so some people have reported) and would not need a signal generator rotation setup. Thesedays aftermarket iginition systems have become available that offer adjustable igintion timing curves solving also the kick back issue. Of course these are always more expensive then a simple separate ignition switch like Gixer1460 suggests though.

What kind of Cometic (head?) gasket are you using? Cometic sell a multitude of types but for the GS(X)1100 engine I believe they only offer a copper and graphite version.

Hmm.. It had me puzzeld at first too how the stator could've come into contact with the rotor, but chips of the magnets and leftover bits from the starter clutch stuck to the magnets will have bridged the gap. It seems bits stuck to the outside of the rotor hit the stator wires bracket. Personally I wouldn't be much alarmed by magnet chips in the engine. I Think these would stick to the first steel part they come across and not spread throughout the engine. I've had cracked/chipped magnets in rotors on my bikes, but even small bits always stuck to the rotor. It would seem not only the start clutch takes a beating whenever the GSX1100 engine backfires upon starting, but also these magnets may crack in the same proces.. Using any of the rotors with cracked magnets of course poses a big risk of repeating the same damaging operation (sooner or later). At least I'd try to epoxy glue any lose magnet parts if you cannot find a rotor in better condition.