HRC spend millions every year developing cutting-edge race bikes. The best air-filter they can come up with is steel mesh - just a something stop stones, birds and other object being swallowed by the engine. I like this simplicity. For years I've raced my Aprilia RSV completely open with no air-box or filters with problems (thankfully I never put her in the gravel). Vee twins like to breathe. The less you put between the velocity stacks and cool air, the better.
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HRC Air-filters as used in WSBK
With input from my mate Steve Hillary at Redmax Speed Shop (my engine man), I decided to go for a completely open airbox. 'Box' wouldn't describe it... too restrictive. It would be an 'air-area'. I didn't want to risk anything getting into the engine that shouldn't be there, so got some HRC air-filters. With the trick Oronero carbon air-runner supplying cool air, I reckon it'll work.
Onto the job of making something to attach the air-filters to. Needed to do 2 things:
1) secure the air-filters
2) shield the air going into the velocity stacks from the hot air coming off the engine.
This is where they'll go
Heat-shield cloth - NASA stuff!
Measure it up, cut and mark it...
Resin the air-filter bases
Cut some holes...
Fit
Resin in place to get the right shape...
... once set, trim to shape and get going on the tricky front cylinder...
Riv-nut the filters - no possibility of anything coming loose then getting sucked into the engine
Fabricate some ally brackets
After a whole lot of fitting, adjusting, fiddling and a lot of swearing, we're just about done...
I didn't have time to tart it up before I dropped the bike off at Steve for the engine rebuild. A splash of paint over the pink resin would make it look less home-grown - any ideas on color? I was thinking a plain matt grey or black.
I also fitted the Oronero air-runner and other carbon deliciousness... more of that later. Steve has been working on the engine and I'll get pics of that up soon as well. We're getting there!
