pods and exhaust on my 440

as i rebuild my 81 440 ltd i am planning on going with pod filters and mac's 2-1 exhaust, does anyone know if i will have to rejet my carbs? i am asuming so, and if i do, where can i find jets for it? i had the pods on for a while with stock pipes, and i think it was running way lean, dont know if it was the filters or just dirty carbs. thanks in advance, andy

andy22285 wrote:

... going with pod filters....

foolish mortal :laugh:

But "Good Luck" anyhow!

Patton wrote:

andy22285 wrote:

... going with pod filters....

foolish mortal :laugh:

But "Good Luck" anyhow!

not gonna help, just be a dick?

YES you WILL have to re-jet. If you do a search of the archives here you will find a ton of info about pods and exhaust changes. Be aware there are pro's and cons to doing it. But if you are sure you want to someone here will help you do it but also be aware that it's not just cut and dry. You will most likely need to do some tinkering to dial it in. Sometimes it's not worth it...and sometimes it is. But do your homework by searching the archives so you don't go into it blindly. The pros and cons are very real.

PS: calling anyone here a dick....not a really good move....most folks here will become your friend. But civility does rule.

andy22285 wrote:

Patton wrote:

andy22285 wrote:

... going with pod filters....

foolish mortal :laugh:

But "Good Luck" anyhow!

not gonna help, just be a dick?

He was trying to help by warning you what a dumb idea it is to replace the stock airbox with pods. But, it's still a free country.

why is it such a bad idea? thats what im trying to figure out. my local bike mechanic told me it wouldnt be a problem to add them, i just wanted a second opinion.

Your local mechanic is absolutely correct, not a problem at all to install pods in place of the airbox.

Getting it to run right again after installing the pods is no problem either, as long as you're willing to pay for all the hours it's going to take to get the jetting right.

I don't understand why you'd want to though, no noticeable power increase, no practical advantage at all that I'm aware of.

I can understand the MAC exhaust if your's needs replaced, good stock exhaust is hard to find.


I'm a mechanic also, if someone were to ask me to install a 600 hp Cummins diesel motor in their KZ. my response would be "Sure, no problem", at $50 per hour I'd be happy to do so. And my bank account would get a lot fatter

#1 Pods will make it easier to take the carb rack on and off the bike.
True in a sense. If your carb boots are hard and dry taking off and replacing the carb rack is a nightmare. BUT With soft boots it is also easy to remover and replace the carbs. Just fold over the boots on themselves and you get another inch of clearance. Once the carbs are in position unfold the boots over the carb throats. It's quite easy. New boots RULE!

#2 pods will increase HP. Not as far as I know. Some may argue.

3# Pods are susceptible to rain and wet weather. yep that is true but it must get pretty wet.

#4 Pods are susceptible to side drafts (wind) and sometimes the blast coming off cars and trucks you are trying to pass. Produces a lean-out lag. Got to say I have experienced this firsthand and it made me go back to an airbox.

#5 Cheap pods suck. Period.

#6 Jetting a podded bike and getting it to run right sometimes requires a lot of fiddeling to get right and sometimes... well... the results are not the cats nads. Be prepared to swear a lot or spend a lot of time with your bike in your garage. But you may not be fussy or you may get lucky too.

#7 jap engineers know their stuff. They have made a reliable bike that makes pretty good power across the rpms. Not saying you can't make it better but what is the cost in time, money and frustration?

#8 If you do go with pods make sure you wire on those side covers cause the extra room behind them will cause them to eject somewhere along the road. Good idea to do this anyway as these sidecovers are getting far and few between and aftermarket ones leaves a lot to be desired.

Listen to these members. They have been there and done that. Your mechanic is in love with your wallet. It's his job. Learn how to work on your own bike. You will save a ton of money and if something happens out on the road you are more able to get home and fix it yourself. get a Clymer Manual.

Even if you only change the exhaust you might have to rejet but as was said stock exhaust is hard to find and expensive if you do find one. There is a reason for that. So if money is tight and your exhaust is shot the smart move might be a 4 into 1.

So to sum it up what do YOU want and how much are you willing to give up for it? AND remember you DON'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT.....but if you try sometime....you get what you need. Sorry I had a Rolling Stone's Moment :woohoo:

andy22285 wrote:

why is it such a bad idea? thats what im trying to figure out. my local bike mechanic told me it wouldnt be a problem to add them, i just wanted a second opinion.

Take the needles out and look at them: the length and taper are cut to exactly match the flow rate down the bore at various throttle openings. When you change the flow characteristics (even slightly) you move off the optimum operating point and create a condition which will not match the carb even if you tweak the hell out of it.

Locozuna wrote:

#7 jap engineers know their stuff. They have made a reliable bike that makes pretty good power across the rpms.

Pods will increase max airflow and therefore, possibly allow more fuel air mix into the engine (if properly jetted). So, you might get a slight increase in peak horsepower at wide open throttle at the expense of not running right at many other spots.

i got the pods because the original air filter housing was missing. now i want to keep the pods because i like the looks, and i found an air filter housing, but cant find an element for it.

thank you locozuna, thats the help i was looking for.

Pods ROCK! Just make sure you go with K&N and not EMGO. The other thing I wanted to mention is to be sure to DIAL-IN your pilot air screws on your carbs AFTER installing pods. It sounds like you were running a bit lean. PODS give more air, more air will give you an even LEANER mixture, so be sure to screw your pilot screws IN just a little bit, The best way to do this is 1.) install PODS, 2.) Change/Clean your spark plugs. Ride the bike through the RPM range, 3.) Remove/Read spark plugs. If they are white, it is too lean. If they are black, it is too rich. You want a light brown, tan, or even a greyish color. If that's not what you have, you need to either screw IN pilot air screws for a richer mixture or unscrew pilot air screws for a leaner mixture. Just make sure all pilot air screws are adjusted exactly the same for all carbs! Start with manufacturer's specs and then adjust from there to reach the perfect color. This step is often overlooked but it extremely useful/important. This is the process I had to go through when replacing my airbox with PODS. I hope this helps! There is nothing more satisfying than dialing in your fuel/air ratio so that your plugs read the perfect color and your combustion reaches maximum efficiency.

*Just make sure you make this adjustment with clean pod filters installed, otherwise your readings will be off.

*You shouldn't screw/unscrew pilot screws more than half a turn in either direction from manufacturer's specs!