So my buddy backed out our first ride of the season today.. I think it hit 50! I took it out and put like 10 miles of local riding on it... man maybe I really am getting old.. or I havent ridden in too long.. but the Micron full system I have is damn loud.. I pulled over and put the ear plugs in... I'm really considering putting a stock header and a quieter slip on.. or maybe even.. .ACK! stock.. but its just speculation at this point..

rant on

So after I came home I decided.. why not check the air filter? I pulled out the service manual and started taking the trim pieces off.. removed thre front tank bolts and loosened the rears.. lifted the tank up .. and the air box started coming up with it.. wonderful.. after a few tries to pull the tank away.. nothing.. I use the insulated handle part of a set of diagonal cutters to pop it free.. pop.. off it comes.. it was sticking to the foam of the underside of the tank ... keep in mind I bought this bike over the winter and I'm still getting accustomed to it..

The ram air tubes were a pain too.. so I decided screw it.. put it back together... so I did and it was running like crap.. then it wouldnt idle at all.. then the battery died from trying to start it... fork!

I put it away, put the charger on it.. and went to visit some neighbors.. I was thinking that the airbox might have lost its seal on the carbs, but wow.. that was a lot of trouble for a leak... a call to a guy I know with a 99 F4.. he said that is probably it.. so I go home and loosen the clamps, raise the airbox and push it down... tighten the outside clamp some... and it fires right up.. smooth as silk...

I guess I will ride again tomorrow after all.. can't believe what a pain in the *** it is to do that.. and apparently I don't have the 22mm combination wrench mentioned in the manual to prop the tank up.. so doing that by myself also sucked...

I never did get the air filter out.. but I found that one of the vacuum tees off the bottom of the air cleaner assembly was broken off... I'll scour ebay for another one I guess....

/rant off

 

Someone posted a How To for something. Of what, I don't remember. But what I do remember is this: He used a short handle window squegee to hold his tank up

The carbed bikes are very, very... very sensitive about their air. Spicymeowmix will tell you the difference 1 hose can make. I can testify what'll happen if the air solenoid stops working. But no worries.. The smile you get singing thru 6 gears is worth the headache