More Air

Since I purchased my Bonneville, I've read all there is to read about removing the air box.  Some say it's good, others say it's bad.  Yes, you get more power but you lose low-end torque, they say.  Yes, you get more power but you also get more noise.  Yes, you get more power but the bike has an air box for a reason.

I've read all that and the phrase that kept popping up is 'more power'.  Hmm, more power you say?  Well, I'd like to give that a try.  So, here we are, nearly six years after buying the bike, and I'm just getting around to removing the 'box.

Previously, I did all the "free" air box mods: removing the snorkel, widening the intake opening and removing the restrictor.  That worked well for a time but I couldn't resist the allure of More Power.  More power is better because there's more!

Prefab removal kits are available from numerous online vendors and they come with all the filters, mounts and a nice metal battery box.  The problem is they're all around $300, which is one of the reasons it's taken me six years to eighty-six the 'box.  Three hundred dollars for some filters and a bit of metal?  There has to be another way.

I lieu of shelling out the cash for a fancy kit, I decided to chop up the stock 'box.  Naturally, I wasn't going to chop up the 'box that came with my bike, so a spare was sourced off Ebay for $10.  Using other chopped air boxes as guides, I carved that mother up.

Next I had to put it in and here's how that went down:

First, let's get a look at what's behind the side covers:

As you can see, a whole bunch of stuff goes on the air box.  Carving it up retains the spaces for that stuff while giving you room for the pod filters.  So let's go ahead and take all that stuff off.

To get the 'box out, we'll have to remove the rear fender, so let's do that:

Getting the 'box out also requires dropping the rear wheel.  Time to get the jack out and lift the bike.

When dropping the rear wheel, the swing arm will contact the side stand/center stand stopper on the left silencer.  Twist it out of the way and you should do the same for the right one, just to be safe. I didn't and got some gouges on the pipe.  Thankfully, they're not noticeable.

With that done, unbolt the top shock bolts and ease the wheel to the ground.  That wheel is heavy, isn't it?

Removing the 'box requires a lot of finagling and the removal of both sides.  Also, the bike needed to go a bit higher to get the box all the way out.   Once it's out you should see this:

This:

And this:

Take this time to rejet the carbs.  It will probably never be this easy to do again.  What jets to use?  That's a very good question.  Everything I've read put the jetting in the 140 range.  I bought jets in sizes 140, 142 and 145 to give me some wiggle room.  Since I'm at an altitude of 5,280 ft., your jetting requirements will be either higher or lower depending on where you live.  I split the difference between what I bought and went with the 142 jets and set the idle mixture screws to 2.5 turns out.  I also installed my new Innovate MTX-L air/fuel gauge to make tuning easier. 

Right, with the jetting done it's now time to put the filters on.  I used foam filters from Uni because they flow better than K&N filters and are much cheaper.  I'll be honest, the better flow rate wasn't my top priority.  Oil them before installation and you should be rewarded with this view:

 

Ah, what a lovely sight.  Next it's time to put the carved 'box in.  Here are a few shots of my carved 'box:

While not exactly a masterpiece, I don't think it turned out too bad for using a pair of side cutters instead of a Dremel.  Installing the carved 'box is a breeze.  Also, you'll want to brace the carbs since the old airbox did that job.  You could buy one of the nice braces online for molto scarole or you could go to Home Depot and buy a nice aluminum-and-stainless-steel turnbuckle for $5.00.  The choice is yours.

Once the carved 'box was in place, there was a bit of a clearance issue.  The mount for the starter solenoid was making contact with the left pod filter:

 A bit of trimming with the side cutters and all was well:

Now it's time to bolt all the stuff to the 'box:

 It looks tight but there is a lot of room between the fuse box and the pod filter.

On this side, you'll notice an extra filter.  That's for the crankcase breather.  Normally it would vent straight to the air box to be ingested by the engine.  Since that part of the 'box is gone, it will have to vent to its own filter.  The stock rubber hose will work in a pinch with a filter of the correct size but I found it easier to buy new line and use this filter from the parts store.  A quick trip to Home Depot for the correct adapters and that was done.  A side benefit is that it hides the filter behind the side cover.

Finally, bolt the wheel back up, swing the exhausts back into place, bolt the fender on and install the side covers.  I found the side cover on the right to be a little bulky to put back on but I figure it's because of the pod filter.

Initial test rides show a slight dip in torque below 3,000 rpm but a nice, throaty wail and lots of thrust above that.  I might put the 145 jets in just to see but right now, it's running quite well.  A/F readings show a nice 12.5-13.0 at idle once warmed up, a cruising ratio of 13.5-14 and full-throttle readings of 13.0-13.5.

I'm quite satisfied and it was worth the wait.  This mod will tide me over for the time being, at least until I can spring for some 39mm FCRs.  In the meantime, I'm looking into some bits for the front suspension, so stay tuned for that.

Something New

I'd like to shift the focus of this blog for a second toward vehicles of the four-wheeled variety.  I'd like to talk about cars.  Don't worry; I'll get back to bikes soon enough.

Anyway, I recently traded in my beloved '04 VW GTi on a new car.  I had my old GTi for eight years and it was a wonderful, fun and dependable car.  I loved it and didn't want to get rid of it.  That car saw me through college, took me on road trips and delivered me safely from Pittsburgh to Denver without missing a beat.  It was a wonderful machine and I wish I could have kept it, if only for nostalgia's sake.  You were a dear friend and I'm going to miss you.

But, like all relationships, this one had to end.  The old girl was getting, well, old.  Before something major happened or before it depreciated too much, it was time to move on.  So I went car shopping.  I would have rather bought a bike, but necessity trumped desire in this case.

The first stop was to look at the Fiat 500 Abarth, a car I've liked since it debuted in Europe a few years ago.  There was trouble from the start when I was wandering around the lot.  $24,000, $28,000, $31,000... Are people really paying these prices?  I also noticed that most of the Abarths were 2013 models.  Hmm, could that be related to the price...

Since I was there, though, I may as well go on a test ride.  The salesman, who I think got his fashion tips from Huggy Bear, through me the keys and told me to take it on a nice long drive.  Well, if you insist.

You sit up high in the Abarth and it feels vaguely like you're in a van.  Also, the interior plastics and overall quality is not that great.  I'm sure it would be alright if the car was $20,000.  At $28,000, it's poor.

So, on with the driving.  On the road, it doesn't feel that quick.  According to the magazines, it has equal performance to my old GTi but it doesn't feel it.  With my old car, the turbo would spool up quickly and you would feel this rush of power and torque.  With the Abarth, I kept waiting for that to happen and it never did.  Also, the Abarth had an exhaust that was supposed to sound sporty but it really sounded like the muffler fell off.  If I was 16, I would have liked it.  Since I'm nearly 30, I didn't.

It held the road well, though, and braking seemed pretty good.  I'm sure it would be very fun to throw around a twisty road but I have a motorcycle for that.  Yes, I'd like a fun car but I need it mostly for hauling people and stuff.  The Abarth had no room for either.

By far the worst thing about the Abarth was the shift light.  Dear God, I don't think a more annoying piece in any car exists today or ever.  In the middle of the boost gauge, which is left of the steering wheel, is a yellow light that screams SHIFT UP constantly.  It's like SHIFT UP, SHIFT UP, SHIFT UP, SHIFT UP!  I wanted to rip this thing out of the dash.  That alone would put me off the car.

So, that's off the list.  On to something else.

I walked across the street to the VW dealer to look at new GTis but all they had were DSG models.  I wanted a paddle shift trans as much as I wanted a sex change, so it was on to another dealer.

The next stop was at a Mini dealer.  I've driven many Minis over the years and they are fun cars but are very small and very expensive.  Since the hatchback model has virtually no room for rear passengers or luggage, I was interested in the coupe and roadster models.  The roadster sounded interesting because I'd never owned a drop top before.  I walked around the lot and the models there made the Abarth seem like a bargain.  One model, a John Cooper Works roadster, was $45,000.  For a Mini!  To put that in perspective, that's $5,000 cheaper than a Porsche Boxster.  Let's see, Porsche or Mini; which do I want more...

Well, that was out.  What's next?  Lunch.

After that, I walked to the Ford dealer.

I was interested in a Mustang and the Focus ST.  I looked at the Mustangs but i couldn't justify paying $30,000-plus for a car that isn't very good.  The only real redeeming quality about the Mustang is its V8.  Everything else about it is pretty terrible.

The Focus ST was different.  It's a hot hatch like the others on my short list.  Also, I've driven all the older versions of the Focus (and its cousins the Mazda3 and the Volvo C30) and they were very fun to drive.  I walked around the Focus, looked in the windows, sat in it and decided I couldn't do it.

I grew up in a GM family and have never liked Fords.  I would feel like a sellout.  Plus, the interior was just okay and it had way too many buttons.

Welp, time to look at VWs.

All this time, I had my heart set on a new GTi.  These other cars had to work really hard to sway me off the GTi and they all failed miserably.  Getting in the new GTi was like going home.  All the quintessentially German touches of my old GTi were there: the logically laid out dash, the minimal buttons and the quality of materials.  This one also had the plaid seats, which is just the coolest thing ever.

On the road, the car felt even better.  The body roll that plagued my Mk IV was gone, as was the numb steering.  I was leery of the electric steering but it felt great.  It was as easy to steer as a GM car from the 70s in a parking lot and then stiffened up at speed.  Also, the clutch was nice and light and the shifter snicked perfectly in to each gear.  The shifting was fantastic and it liked to be shifted quickly, unlike my old GTi, which didn't like to be rushed.

The interior was nice and roomy, as well.  The trunk area was reduced to make more room for passengers, which I can live with.  I like that while everything had changed inside, nothing really changed.  The controls for the lights, radio and HVAC were all in the same place as my old car. 

So, that;s it, then, i bought the new GTi.

Well, not so fast.

There are issues with the new GTi, too.  You see, the Mk VII models are coming later this year, so VW really scaled back on the 2014 models.  Only two levels are available: the Wolfsburg and the Driver edition.  The only option is the DSG 'box.  Also, the 2014 GTi is only available in black, gray or white and only available as a five-door.

I'm fine with only having the choice between two trim levels.  The Wolfsburg had all the stuff I wanted (except a sunroof) and was significantly cheaper.  What I didn't want was black, gray or white paint and I didn't want a five-door.  Five doors are fine for the regular Golf but a GTi should be a three-door.  If you want a GTi with more doors, buy a Jetta GLI.

So, what to do?  I pondered this as I looked around the Internet that night.  Hold on, what's this?  A 2012 GTi?  With low miles, three doors and a six-speed manual?  And it's red?  Hmm...

I went to look at the car and to my amazement, it was perfect.  I was hesitant to buy used because I got such a screaming deal with my old GTi I didn't think it could happen again.  This 2012, though, proved me wrong.

Not only was the car right, the price was right and it's a Certified Pre-Owned VW, which means more warranty when the factory one runs out.

So there you have it.  Out with the old and in with the new.  Early impressions of the new car are quite good.  It's much faster than my old GTi while also being quieter and roomier.  It doesn't have a sunroof and a few of the things I liked about my old GTi aren't in this version, but I can live without them.

I think i made a good choice.

This pic from my phone is the only one I have so far.  It's not a good pic, I know, but it proves I'm not lying.