Airbox ?

[Valkorado]

Back to working on the Bullet.  Yesterday I had the airbox off to work on some lines under it.  Struggled a bit getting it back on.  Still not sure it's right.

Being a visual guy, later that night I was browsing for some pics to see if I'd missed a magic trick to make the octopus slide on the more easily, and I found this pic (not my bike).



The air supply tubes on the left side of the pictured airbox are facing rearward.

Well, heck!  Looking down into my airbox, the tube horns are all forward facing,  have been since I purchased the bike.

So is the left rearward, right forward facing position the correct (OEM) setup?  I dont look forward to taking the airbox back off again, but if flipping the left side supply tubes around will make everything fit together better I'll sure do it.

[Bret SD]

That's a good question Seth, I can't remember which way mine were turned the last time I had it off.
Question is, does it change the orientation of the down tube connectors at all? When I took mine off I found two of the tubes with the plastic folded over on the inside, luckily they weren't cracked and I was able to get it back together with a good connection.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

That is how mine were arranged when I took my airbox off. I wasn't sure either, so I looked at some Youtube videos. I found a video by Dag, who is well respected here in the Valk community, where he was installing a Dial-a-jet system. There were a few good shots of the airbox inlets that confirmed mine were normal.

[John Schmidt]

If you look closely at the point where the tubes enter the airbox, you'll see there's a notch and a small corresponding bulge that fits in them. Frankly, I've never paid attention to the direction the tubes are pointing internally, if the tubes are sticking out the bottom of the airbox I just put it on and closed it all up.  Now you have my curiosity peaked.

[Valkorado]

That's a good question Seth, I can't remember which way mine were turned the last time I had it off.
Question is, does it change the orientation of the down tube connectors at all? When I took mine off I found two of the tubes with the plastic folded over on the inside, luckily they weren't cracked and I was able to get it back together with a good connection.

Thanks for the reply Bret.  I'm thinking it would change the orientation a bit because of the notch and groove hookup on the rubber downtubes.  

I noticed one side of those tubes has slightly thicker rubber that protrudes out a bit further than the other side.  Whether that affects how the round air exit hole lines up I don't know...

[Bret SD]

That's a good question Seth, I can't remember which way mine were turned the last time I had it off.
Question is, does it change the orientation of the down tube connectors at all? When I took mine off I found two of the tubes with the plastic folded over on the inside, luckily they weren't cracked and I was able to get it back together with a good connection.

Thanks for the reply Bret.  I'm thinking it would change the orientation a bit because of the notch and groove hookup on the rubber downtubes.  

I noticed one side of those tubes has slightly thicker rubber that protrudes out a bit further than the other side.  Whether that affects how the round air exit hole lines up I don't know...

I'll be watching as this unfolds, always ready to learn a little sumthin sumthin.. I want to say mine were turned in opposite directions for each bank, and I believe John and Ken are right about the orientation. The notch John speaks of is pretty telling I think. 

[F6Dave]

It would seem to make sense to have the pairs facing in different directions, like in the photo, so they could draw air, and deposit dirt, more uniformly on the filter media.  I've read that Honda airboxes were extremely well engineered.

[Avanti]

Any air box I have ever removed and replaced has faced in opposite directions. The manual also shows orientation in opposing directions.

[Madmike]

I don't think you need to take the airbox completely out of the frame to turn the connectors.  Just lift it so the hoses are off the carbs and then you should be able to turn them by hand.  They align with index tabs as others have said.  I put the clamps on the tops of the carbs then push down on the airbox to get it close then use a long 90° seal pick to make sure that the hose will start over the carb inlet.  I have also used a cotter pin hook to help.  I do one side, get it started and then the other, when the hoses are near I lift the clamps into place then go side to side to make sure it is down properly.

[The emperor has no clothes]

If yours are all turned forwards someone screwed them up. The pic is correct. When you get them turned correctly check the seal. After this amount of time I imagine the rubber will be deformed. You might need to add some glue/sealant. Someone else did this once, I don’t remember what they used.

[Mooskee]

They go like this



If you look closely at the top of the tube in this pic, you will see the notch John mentioned above.
The notch and tab ensure that the bulge is on the bottom. I THINK the bulge is a moisture drain, but I'm not sure. I just know it goes on the bottom.

[Valkorado]

Thanks all!  

Dag's video helped, got that sucker back on!

Re: seals.  Mine look about as good as the ones pictured in Mooskee's post -- terrible.  I didn't take the time to try and redo them today, maybe an autumn project...