G
Guest
·There is an old rule of thumb that a 10 degree F drop in intake air temperatures will produce 1% more power. It's not exact, but pretty close.
After taking a good look at how (and from where) air is pulled into the airbox, I made a few changes to my 1050 Triple:
The airbox pulls air through two "snorkles" that bend around the front of the airbox. This is blocked by the Secondary Air Injection (SAI) hardware - which was soon removed after using Kuhlka's excellent billet block off plates. Next, the headers were ceramic coated and wrapped with thermal header wrap - in order to keep as much heat IN the exhaust and OUT of the intake and cooling system.
The biggest issue with this is where the air comes from prior to reaching the airbox snorkles. It comes from the backside of the radiator and header - pre-heated before it gets to the airbox. Anything that can be done to allow the engine to pull in air that has NOT been heated by the radiator, oil cooler, and header, will help produce more power. How much power is the question.
I made a simple air dam and ducting that blocks air from the radiator and (hopefully) allows cooler air into the airbox. This dam covers the top of the radiator and encourages air to be pulled from the front sides of the frame. Using 1/8th inch thick PVC sheet, I cut it to match a cardboard template, I used a heat gun to shape the PVC sheet and zip-ties (cable ties) to hold it in place. Thermal shielding is used to keep heat out of the PVC ducting.
The first few rides using the "cold air kit" showed over a 20 degree F drop in intake air temperatures, and a cooler running engine. Throttle response is noticeably improved. Dyno testing and tuning will have to wait two weeks, but ANYTHING that reduces intake air temps helps.
The first photo shows the PVC ducting inside the frame, in front of, and below the airbox snorkles.
The second photo shows the PVC air dam covering the top of the radiator - blocking a good bit of hot air entering the intake.
After taking a good look at how (and from where) air is pulled into the airbox, I made a few changes to my 1050 Triple:
The airbox pulls air through two "snorkles" that bend around the front of the airbox. This is blocked by the Secondary Air Injection (SAI) hardware - which was soon removed after using Kuhlka's excellent billet block off plates. Next, the headers were ceramic coated and wrapped with thermal header wrap - in order to keep as much heat IN the exhaust and OUT of the intake and cooling system.
The biggest issue with this is where the air comes from prior to reaching the airbox snorkles. It comes from the backside of the radiator and header - pre-heated before it gets to the airbox. Anything that can be done to allow the engine to pull in air that has NOT been heated by the radiator, oil cooler, and header, will help produce more power. How much power is the question.
I made a simple air dam and ducting that blocks air from the radiator and (hopefully) allows cooler air into the airbox. This dam covers the top of the radiator and encourages air to be pulled from the front sides of the frame. Using 1/8th inch thick PVC sheet, I cut it to match a cardboard template, I used a heat gun to shape the PVC sheet and zip-ties (cable ties) to hold it in place. Thermal shielding is used to keep heat out of the PVC ducting.
The first few rides using the "cold air kit" showed over a 20 degree F drop in intake air temperatures, and a cooler running engine. Throttle response is noticeably improved. Dyno testing and tuning will have to wait two weeks, but ANYTHING that reduces intake air temps helps.
The first photo shows the PVC ducting inside the frame, in front of, and below the airbox snorkles.
The second photo shows the PVC air dam covering the top of the radiator - blocking a good bit of hot air entering the intake.