Saturday, August 14, 2010

Air Injection Removal

Ok, I know I had promised myself to leave well enough alone for a while, but every time I looked at Thruxy my eyes were distracted by the pretend second spark plug, otherwise known as the air injection system...

With the removal kit in the garage, and the generalised promise that this modification would make the exhaust run much cooler to stop the headers turning blue, the urban myth that this would provide a little extra hp ( not a chance in hell ) and the real chance to rid the clean cafe lines of those numerous hoses and pipes only design to keep some government suit in a job, I set myself  a little garage therapy.....

The first step is to remove all of the panels and petrol tank to open up the air box entry and the cylinder heads....

Removed Cosmetics out of harms way





With all paint removed, I was left with easy access to all components I had to remove....





The first step is to remove the cylinder export tubes, which is relatively simple as long as you have a 13mm ring spanner, given the relatively tight surroundings.... It is vitally important to ensure that upon removal, the exposed hole is protected from any dirt / dust or otherwise, to ensure nothing finds its way into the engine, which can only spell disaster......

Export tube removed






Now is the time to replace the export tube with the bolts supplied in the removal kit.... The most important part of this process is to place anti-seize grease on the bolts thread and cooper washer.

If you rush in and don't apply anti-seize grease,  you will find yourself in the position where the bolt will weld itself to the head given the extreme temperatures... Given the ease that my export tube came undone, I can be sure the factory did not miss this step   :-)





With the engine safe from danger, with the export tubes replaced, it was time to remove the remaining hardware of the system, including a solenoid attached to the framework by 2 x 8mm bolts







With air injection system removed and the bike back together, it was time to cross my fingers, crunch my toes and summons the bike gods, as I gently pulled out the choke lever , massaged the ignition key and prompted the start button, hoping for the instant rumble of  the twin, that had never failed me before....And as though all of my affection for all things 2 wheels was acknowledged, there it was again, first time, every time.. the music that sounds freedom through dual stainless pipes...

Thank you for rewarding the clumsy, but heart felt tinkering,  that is every bit as enjoyable as the blurred scenery leaving my peripheral vision out on the open road... just don't tell my wife, she thinks these garage sessions are a hard slog.... :-)


Much Cleaner Engine Lines From Side on

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