Buell Air Box Mods
Everybody hates the airbox, but the truth is, I like the thing. Ever since I first saw it I thought, "Wow, what a great still air chamber, I wish someone would only make a ram-air lid/conversion kit for the thing!" Well, nobody did so I began my own project.
Project definition: To allow the engine to breath more air through less restriction. Possibly supplemented with ram-air. Also must take into account float bowl pressure in the event ram-air is utilized/successful. Third: float bowl pressure compensation should allow for air pressure fluctuation with or without ram-air.
Actions:
Result:
Above : The fiberglass NACA duct was obtained from an aircraft supply house. I'm not a body work guy so don't beat me up too much on this one.
Inside the Box! Large K&N flows a S**t-load of air (that’s a technical term). Milk Jug lids cover the resonance holes quite nicely thank you. Rubber plug for the breather was found in the shop. Not sure what it came from, I'll probably swear about loosing it from what ever it came from later in life. An O-ringed copper tube runs from the float breather to a 1/4" Swage-Lok union. Blue Imperial Eastman hose runs to a 1/4 barbed hose fitting at the carb bell mouth. A small brass tube with a hole facing into the direction of airflow, is attached to the hose barb, inside the intake horn. Copper above routs front breather outside box.
Above: This is not your father's Dynojet! Stuska Dynamometer console sits in the shop waiting to tell if modifications help or hurt. This is where my R&D takes place.
Vibration Isolated engine stand was designed for snowmobiles and Suzuki/Kawasaki fours. The chain drive adapter creates a semi-chassis dyno out of an engine dyno. Power is taken at the output shaft of the motor. The water brake is the gray round thingy in the foreground. The cooling tower sits above it. The brass lump underneath is a water pressure regulator.
Shot of the swing arm. This allows input shaft height compensation. The blue gear thing-a-ma-bob is an automatic elastomeric chain tensioner. Drive shafts are stainless steel and input shaft is mild steel. Input and lower drive shaft are designed to handle 600 ft.-lbs. of torque with out twist. Driven shaft is designed for 265 ft.-lbs. The Lovejoy flex coupling is a work of art. $250 nets you a grease filled geared flex coupling that allows for axial and radial shaft mis-alignment while withstanding 600 ft.-lbs. of torque. Homelite 2-stroke water pump gets a break before the fun begins. Behind the pump is a Nitrous tank. Wish I could mount some wheels to that!