Hello Everyone; I take ownership of a new (that's right new!) Terra this week and was hoping to get a definitive airbox fix answer. If I fix the opening where the filter goes into the airbox will that be enough, or does dust also enter through the seal that seperates the two airbox halves? I am sticking with the standard filter configuration for now. Thanks!
Few things in this world are definitive, but yes, it's likely that dust will get in. I would say you have to open the air box up and check/improve the seal all the way around the air box. Pay particular attention to the area just above where the air filter sits. Most (all?) of us have found no rubber gasket between the clam shells in this area. It's time consuming, but not hard, to get the airbox off. As usual, if it feels like you need to use force then you've probably missed a fixing screw. Tip: try to have an fairly empty fuel tank - it saves a bit of mess when you disconnect the fuel line. I replaced the rubber seal. Greased all the seams & then silicone sealed the external seams of the air box. Along with a foam filter & 3d printed mount, I don't see any evidence of dust getting in anymore. There is plenty of info here and at ADVrider about why you should & how you should fix the airbox. Good luck with the new ride. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.
It is very important to check, however if you are one of the lucky ones like I seem to be there is nothing to worry about. I ride in hot dusty conditions most of the time and have regularly checked my standard Filter and Airbox arrangement. By careful inspection of the airbox surfaces immediately post filter cage I have no evidence of any dirt passing the filter whatsoever, it is all squeaky clean. I was tempted to open my airbox completely and thoroughly inspect the throttle body etc, but to me this is overkill. Even if the seal between the airbox two halves is not absolutely 100% there is still very little chance of a large amount of dirt getting into the engine. The whole lot is well covered by the plastics and a small leak will not give you any trouble despite what some say. Pay particular attention to the way the filter sits in the cage and apply a good seal of grease around the rubber part when replacing the filter. and all should be well. You will need to ride your new bike for several dusty miles before you will possibly find evidence of leakage and dirt in the box. If you do find any, then it is time to act, but until then...enjoy the ride. Dont forget - Basic Must Do's Remove the oversize steel tailplate holder. Water in Swingarm = Drill holes Hot Running is cured by Cannisterectomy and Burping of Cooling System Hot exhausts is cured by De-Cat Lean Stumbles = $$$$ on Fuel Injection Gizmos or possibly a $1 AIT spoofer such as I have fitted. YMMV but there is plenty of very good information posted on all of the above 'easy fixes' to give yourself a really good bike. Cheers, MH
Check the thread index here: http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=24352468&postcount=4293 Lots of useful information there. If there is one most important item I would say it is the airbox fix. The pod mod can be done without removing the air box. Look at the link above and find "Air Box/Filter Mods"
While doing a valve check I opened up my air box to find a small leak at one corner. I have been running the UNI foam filter from about the first week The air box was for the most part clean. I have sealed the divider wall off and applied sealall to the out side seam and will run the stock set up except for the foam filter. Now as I am a rider from the old days I do not just slide it back in the pocket. There is about a big handfull of heavy chassis grease sealing the filter in the frame and the assembly from the air box. I will also be using the lawnmower pre filter idea from some where on the site, and yes I have been in the dust with it.....the dirty side of the airfilter was black with crud.. M2C
The pod mod is really not that difficult if you are savy with a hot knife and creative when resealing your work. I think it is the only guarantee and will only improve your performance. I also really enjoy this kind of work on my bike. Cheap to do. Few factory intakes or filters are that great anyway (hence the filter and intake mod market). Do your research,plenty of it on this site if you search pod mod. I spent at least 2 weeks researching before I decided to do it and the evidence, risk and reward seemed obvious.
Another new terra owner here. After reading about the airbox problems I went ahead and opened the airbox and yes, it has plenty of dirt after only 800 miles...Following Charlies instructions in the other forum I was able to open the airbox and have a look but I was unable to fully remove the cover, which is what I need to do in order to clean it and seal it properly. Anybody out there knows of any tricks to remove it that I might have missed -or that is not in Charlie's thread? I have been using a lace and a hoist to lift the upper part of the tank effortlessly but I fear pulling to hard and ending up cracking the tank... I guess a more specific question is, should I be able to pull up the tank enough to freely slide the airbox cover to the side without braking it -is the tank flexible enough? or, can the tank be loosened wherever it is attached? any advice will be greatly appreciated
I unbolted the fuel pump to give slack on the fuel line to remove the airbox completely. I also left the cut out off the bike. Has not been an issue yet. Dont see a reason to keep the air box sealed if you arnt using it with the factory filter. I ride around St. Helens a lot and the moon dust has not been an issue even pre-mod.
http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/how-to-check-your-valve-clearances-pictorial.34537/ This can be a good reference for what's needed to remove the air box.
If the exhaust is removed from the mid-pipe back and the bike is lifted a little from under the motor, then the rear subframe etc will drop enough to easily remove the airbox. The tank will lift to a steep angle so check what's stopping it & go from there. No need to undo cables etc. although it might be an idea to have a chock ready to put in between the subframe and the tyre in case it drops enough to concern you. 18" rear v's 17" rear tyre might make a difference I suppose. It sounds like more work but its really simple & after you've done it the 1st time you will be heaps faster when you do it again. I spent much more time looking and scratching my head than I did when I just got on with it & unscrewed more bits. There should be no reason to force the airbox. If it's tough, then chances are that something still needs unscrewing. Doing it the way I do also gives you a better view when refitting it. The gasket to the throttle body can fold over a little and still 'feel' like the airbox is in place.
WARNING!! If you just rely on checking that the stock air filter is sealing at the front of the air box, you are sticking your head in the sand. When new, I greased the surrounds of the stock filter & made sure it was properly seated. Until I worked up the guts to crack the bike open. What a horror I found. Luckily Engenia fixed my air box with the 3D printed foam filter frame & a new clamshell seal. No further problems. It's not over the top to make sure your engine isn't breathing dirt.
Sussurf, Have you checked your air box since doing the fix? Just wondering how it has performed. I have everything(wait I'm missging sealer or something ) to go that route, just havent got into it.
I've cracked the bike open twice since and it's as clean as a whistle. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that anymore. My bike sees a fair bit of dirt riding.
Forgot to mention 2 things, i found clean oil in the airbox, assuming ut was from the light spillage during the first oil change. 2nd when the air box is off is a great time to run acsessory wires to the front of the bike for your power needs.
I just installed a 3d printed filter frame on my bike after already having about 4k miles on my bike, inside my air box looked perfectly clean already.
A little off-roading mostly on road but in England that's enough that the outside of my filter was nasty black from road grime/spray. I did look inside with a scope too. I've been using a UNI for about half of those miles and this was my second time cleaning it.
Bear in mind fellas, there are two styles of 3D printed filter frames. The original developed by the guys in the US clipped together and is quite weak. The one I had printed broke in minutes so I redesigned it and called it version B. It is now vastly beefed up and printed in the directions that maximise strength. It also uses an M4 winged screw to hold the two halves together. I've done over 10,000 kms with it, 1/3 on gravel including the Old Telegraph Track, and had no problems. There are a dozen others that are using it with the same degree of success.
