Cleaning the air filters 1985 fj1100

[ryanschoebel]

Hi all, I am new to the forum, and motorcycles overall. I decided to poke around my bike today, just to get a feel, and decided to clean my air filters. I ended up having to pull the entire gas tank to get at the filters on a 1985 fj1100. Is that normal, I am I simply overlooking something? It seems like a real hassle, and not knowing what I was doing, I ended up dumping a bunch of fuel all over I won't do that again, but still.

[FJ1100mjk]

Hi all, I... decided to clean my air filters. I ended up having to pull the entire gas tank to get at the filters on a 1985 fj1100. Is that normal, I am I simply overlooking something? It seems like a real hassle...

No, it's not normal. You should've only needed to remove the seat, one side panel, and the three Philips screws that hold on the access cover for the filter. Don't worry about your wasted efforts though. They're not really wasted, because you're just familiarizing yourself with the bike. Things like that happen to a lot of us.

If you don't have one already, you should look into getting a genuine Yamaha Service Manual. They're worth the price. You can find them used for a decent buck on eBay from time to time.

[ryanschoebel]

Hi all, I... decided to clean my air filters. I ended up having to pull the entire gas tank to get at the filters on a 1985 fj1100. Is that normal, I am I simply overlooking something? It seems like a real hassle...

No, it's not normal. You should've only needed to remove the seat, one side panel, and the three Philips screws that hold on the access cover for the filter. Don't worry about your wasted efforts though. They're not really wasted, because you're just familiarizing yourself with the bike. Things like that happen to a lot of us.

If you don't have one already, you should look into getting a genuine Yamaha Service Manual. They're worth the price. You can find them used for a decent buck on eBay from time to time.

The way that you phrase it, it sounds like you expect one filter? on my bike, i have 4 smaller, individual filters. I assume one for each carb? And i do have a manual, somewhat. A Forum guy by the name of Red emailed me a copy last night, but i havent done anything but skim it yet. I do appreciate him doing it though, as im sure it will come in handy.

[red]

Hi all, I... decided to clean my air filters. I ended up having to pull the entire gas tank to get at the filters on a 1985 fj1100. Is that normal, I am I simply overlooking something? It seems like a real hassle...

No, it's not normal. You should've only needed to remove the seat, one side panel, and the three Philips screws that hold on the access cover for the filter.

The way that you phrase it, it sounds like you expect one filter? on my bike, i have 4 smaller, individual filters. I assume one for each carb? And i do have a manual, somewhat. A Forum guy by the name of Red emailed me a copy last night, but i havent done anything but skim it yet. I do appreciate him doing it though, as im sure it will come in handy.

Ryan,

You have an "upgrade" in the air filter department.  This set-up would not be in the manuals, but somebody here may have paperwork for their own installation, which should help with yours.  Without seeing what you have there, I'm guessing that what you did was about right.  Look at the cone-type or the K&N air filters from RPM, and if either one is the same as yours, Randy at RPM may be able to supply any tech data or installation sheets that might be needed.

[Pat Conlon]

....You have an "upgrade" in the air filter department.....

I have many names for those fucking filters and "upgrade" is not one of them.

Throw them away. Throw them far away. Put them in a trash barrel and light them on fire.

Get a pair of these: http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARPMPod
At least they manage to stay on your carbs and actually filter.

[ryanschoebel]

....You have an "upgrade" in the air filter department.....

I have many names for those fucking filters and "upgrade" is not one of them.

Throw them away. Throw them far away. Put them in a trash barrel and light them on fire.

Get a pair of these: http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARPMPod
At least they manage to stay on your carbs and actually filter.

hahaha, sounds good  Would these be better than trying to revert to whatever the original set up was?

[vegetta58]

Does the tank have to be removed to service Randy's(RPM) Dual Filters. Thanks

[Pat Conlon]

Good question. Are UniPods better than the oem filter box?

Some say no, some say yes.

There are many of us (myself included) who have the Uni's and swear we will never go back to the oem air box.
Yes, we have to remove the seat and both side covers and (at a minimum) lift the tank (block of wood under the back of the tank) or remove the tank to remove the UniPod filters for servicing vs as Marty said above, you only need to remove the seat and side cover to get to the oem filter.

Where the Uni's shine is when it come time to r/r the carbs for cleaning. (It's not a matter of if, but when)
The Uni's make this task far easier than struggling with the air box.
You sure gain a lot of room under the seat area with the oem airbox removed.
There has never been an issue for me riding in a heavy rain with the UniPods.

There can be a slight performance benefit in using Uni's along with an aftermarket free flowing header and ignition advance.
There is little performance benefit just using UniPods by themselves. (although I do love the growl)
The air velocity passing thru your CV carbs will increase with Uni's, meaning that your needle will be in a slightly lower position in the needle jet, so it is recommended to shim your needles. http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=4714.0

If you are doing all three engine mods, UniPods, Exhaust and ignition advance, along with the needle shims, it is recommended to rejet your carbs, and up the size of your pilot jets (from 37.5 to 40 or 42.5) and up the size of your main jets.
You may want to do this rejetting anyway (regardless of the mods) the USA FJ's are set lean from Yamaha to begin with..

I'm sure others will chime in on the importance of retaining the oem airbox. I have heard these opinions before but I am not convinced.

Cheers  Pat

[ryanschoebel]

Does the tank have to be removed to service Randy's(RPM) Dual Filters. Thanks

From what i understand, yes and no. As pat said, you can lift the tank, not necessarily remove it. However, if im right, the only set up that doesnt require lifting/removing the tank is the original OEM airbox. That is designed so that you dont need to.

[ryanschoebel]

Good question. Are UniPods better than the oem filter box?

Some say no, some say yes.

There are many of us (myself included) who have the Uni's and swear we will never go back to the oem air box.
Yes, we have to remove the seat and both side covers and (at a minimum) lift the tank (block of wood under the back of the tank) or remove the tank to remove the UniPod filters for servicing vs as Marty said above, you only need to remove the seat and side cover to get to the oem filter.

Where the Uni's shine is when it come time to r/r the carbs for cleaning. (It's not a matter of if, but when)
The Uni's make this task far easier than struggling with the air box.
You sure gain a lot of room under the seat area with the oem airbox removed.
There has never been an issue for me riding in a heavy rain with the UniPods.

There can be a slight performance benefit in using Uni's along with an aftermarket free flowing header and ignition advance.
There is little performance benefit just using UniPods by themselves. (although I do love the growl)
The air velocity passing thru your CV carbs will increase with Uni's, meaning that your needle will be in a slightly lower position in the needle jet, so it is recommended to shim your needles. http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=4714.0

If you are doing all three engine mods, UniPods, Exhaust and ignition advance, along with the needle shims, it is recommended to rejet your carbs, and up the size of your pilot jets (from 37.5 to 40 or 42.5) and up the size of your main jets.
You may want to do this rejetting anyway (regardless of the mods) the USA FJ's are set lean from Yamaha to begin with..

I'm sure others will chime in on the importance of retaining the oem airbox. I have heard these opinions before but I am not convinced.

Cheers  Pat

Hey Pat, Im confused, and not only because i only understood about half of that haha. (sorry, still learning!) Are the uni pods what i have? I thought you didnt like those? (that is of course me assuming uni pods is referring to one pod or filter for each intake?) and as for resetting my jets, i dont know too much about motorcycle engines, but i can tell just from smell, my engine smells very rich upon idle, during, and after warm up. Im gonna go ahead and do some research to try and better understand everything you mentioned before, but as always, i really appreciate all the help and answers so far!

[Pat Conlon]

Yea, sorry....I see your confusion. I call the RPM foam filters UniPod filters. I'm refering to the Dual pod foam filters made by Uni sold by RPM.

The individual pod filters (of which you have 4) have filtering issues and (by the nature of their design) the #1 or #4 filter is snug against the perimeter frame rail. What happens is, under load, the torque causes the engine to move in the frame which knocks those filters off the carbs. Many a FJ'er has found those filters laying on the top of the engine case after long rides.
So....They don't filter well when they manage to stay on, and they sure as hell don't filter well laying on the top of your engine case.

The RPM Uni dual pod foam filters have no clearance issues, they stay put, and being a 2 stage foam filter design, they actually do a good job filtering.

[ryanschoebel]

Yea, sorry....I see your confusion. I call the RPM foam filters UniPod filters. I'm refering to the Dual pod foam filters made by Uni sold by RPM.

The individual pod filters (of which you have 4) have filtering issues and (by the nature of their design) the #1 or #4 filter is snug against the perimeter frame rail. What happens is, under load, the torque causes the engine to move in the frame which knocks those filters off the carbs. Many a FJ'er has found those filters laying on the top of the engine case after long rides.
So....They don't filter well when they manage to stay on, and they sure as hell don't filter well laying on the top of your engine case.

The RPM Uni dual pod foam filters have no clearance issues, they stay put, and being a 2 stage foam filter design, they actually do a good job filtering.

Gotcha, that makes more sense! I will place an order for a pair this evening, and put them on once they arrive.  However, when i put them on, i should shim the needles? Is that relatively hard to do?

[red]

Are the uni pods what i have? I thought you didnt like those? (that is of course me assuming uni pods is referring to one pod or filter for each intake?) and as for resetting my jets, i dont know too much about motorcycle engines, but i can tell just from smell, my engine smells very rich upon idle, during, and after warm up. Im gonna go ahead and do some research to try and better understand everything you mentioned before, but as always, i really appreciate all the help and answers so far!

Ryan,

Most likely, you have one of these three items, for air filters:

http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARPMPod
http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARC-0984&cat=39
http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3AConeFilter&cat=39

Which one do you have there? 

If you have been through the Owners Manual, then you know where the choke control is located, and how it works.  If the exhaust smells rich, make sure that the choke control is fully OFF when riding, and that the choke controls on the carbs are going fully OFF as well.  You should be able to watch the choke controls on the carbs respond to the choke lever (ring) on the handlebars.  After you see how the carb chokes work, try to push the chokes on the carbs more fully OFF by hand, and if you can, then you need to clean and lube the choke cable (or just replace that cable).  Lubricate all of the choke linkages, also.  There is a gadget made for getting lube into a cable, which also needs a needle-spray can of petroleum lube (NOT WD-40!) with the skinny red straw.  Wal-Mart and lots of MC shops sell these cable-lube gadgets.
https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0182-Cable-Luber/dp/B0012TYX9W

If the chokes all work as intended and the exhaust smells rich, maybe the air filters are somewhat dirty (clogged), or you may need some expert help in cleaning, adjusting, or re-jetting the carbs.  Don't be in a rush to re-jet the carbs though; the problem is often very much simpler.  Add SeaFoam to the gas tank just before you fill it (following the directions), before you have anything mechanical done.  Every auto parts store sells SeaFoam. A tank or two of treated gasoline can fix a lot of problems.  Yamaha shops may balk at the carb work (maybe because they have little or no experience), but a good independent MC mechanic shop can probably do it right. 
Keep in touch.      

[FJ_Hooligan]

The air velocity passing thru your CV carbs will increase DECREASE with Uni's, meaning that your needle will be in a slightly lower position in the needle jet, so it is recommended to shim your needles. http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=4714.0

Pat, fixed it for you.  Easy to get confused on this subject

[ryanschoebel]

Are the uni pods what i have? I thought you didnt like those? (that is of course me assuming uni pods is referring to one pod or filter for each intake?) and as for resetting my jets, i dont know too much about motorcycle engines, but i can tell just from smell, my engine smells very rich upon idle, during, and after warm up. Im gonna go ahead and do some research to try and better understand everything you mentioned before, but as always, i really appreciate all the help and answers so far!

Ryan,

Most likely, you have one of these three items, for air filters:

http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARPMPod
http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3ARC-0984&cat=39
http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Carb%3AConeFilter&cat=39

Which one do you have there? 

If you have been through the Owners Manual, then you know where the choke control is located, and how it works.  If the exhaust smells rich, make sure that the choke control is fully OFF when riding, and that the choke controls on the carbs are going fully OFF as well.  You should be able to watch the choke controls on the carbs respond to the choke lever (ring) on the handlebars.  After you see how the carb chokes work, try to push the chokes on the carbs more fully OFF by hand, and if you can, then you need to clean and lube the choke cable (or just replace that cable).  Lubricate all of the choke linkages, also.  There is a gadget made for getting lube into a cable, which also needs a needle-spray can of petroleum lube (NOT WD-40!) with the skinny red straw.  Wal-Mart and lots of MC shops sell these cable-lube gadgets.
https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0182-Cable-Luber/dp/B0012TYX9W

If the chokes all work as intended and the exhaust smells rich, maybe the air filters are somewhat dirty (clogged), or you may need some expert help in cleaning, adjusting, or re-jetting the carbs.  Don't be in a rush to re-jet the carbs though; the problem is often very much simpler.  Add SeaFoam to the gas tank just before you fill it (following the directions), before you have anything mechanical done.  Every auto parts store sells SeaFoam. A tank or two of treated gasoline can fix a lot of problems.  Yamaha shops may balk at the carb work (maybe because they have little or no experience), but a good independent MC mechanic shop can probably do it right. 
Keep in touch.      

Hey Red, I have exactly the third one. I do know about the choke, and it operates as it supposed to . I only use it to start and warm up, and then completely shut it off when riding. Thankfully, i do know what seafoam is at least!   I have worked on engines before, but never carb engines. Only fuel injected unfortunately. I did clean the air filters yesterday (after dumping fuel all over them taking off the tank )  ill try the seafoam as well, and see if that helps the rich idle.