[T-BOOGIE]

Hello All,

I was on ducatisuite.com and was interested in the side pod removal article. What are theses pods really used for? I hate the way they look and most likely will ditch them, any worries before I do this? Thanks!

 

[test-reg]

one of the pods holds and hides the vent tubes from the carb float bowls. if you want to loose the pods, just relocate the vent lines. do not remove the two check valves.

 

[T-BOOGIE]

Thanks for the reply howie. I noticed there are actually 3 lines, the 2 carb vent tubes and another one. (2 into the left pod and 1 into the right) What is the other tube? Thanks all.

 

[test-reg]

yep, there is a third tube going to the right pod. i traced it and it disappears somewhere between the carbs . no mention of any of these in the shop manual ???. i think it's another vent though.

 

[memonstro]

I remove the side pods on my Monster about 1,000 miles ago and haven't had any problems.It really cleans up the sides of the bike. I followed the instuctions on the ducati suite web site.

 

[T-BOOGIE]

memonstro, what is the 3rd line used for? There are 2 lines into the left pod and 1 into the right, any insight? THX!

 

[jongdg]

They're part of the emissions kit.

 

[blsexton]

I too performed the pod-ectomy but my bike seems to run a bit rougher at low speeds (25-30mph).

 

[CRASH!]

I wouldn't exactly call those lines "vents." They are actually atmospheric pressure reference lines. The slide in the carb moves back and forth because of the pressure differential between the venturi and the reference chamber behind the flexible membrane that the slide is attached to. I believe there is another atmospheric reference in the carb as well, but can't remember where at the moment.

That reference chamber is vented (oops, I used the word "vent" after all) to atmosphere.

So those pods are intended to give a quiet, turbulence-free atmospheric reference for the carbs. Consequently IF there were any problem caused by removing the pods, I would expect them to manifest at HIGH speeds, not low. That's where you could have turbulence or a partial vacuum caused by some airfoil effect.

Eric, the BCM mechanic who wrenched my 6k service last year, said he just cut the hoses on his and tucked them in by the engine and has had no problem. I haven't heard of others having any problem either. Don't know why Ducati put 'em on!

I hated the pods at first and looked into their function and removal. I guess I got used to them . One thing that bothers me is that if I take them off, I'll still have the frame brackets up there. So I'm telling myself I'll remove them if I ever remove the frame for clean-up and painting. Then all extraneous brackets will go and the welds will get cleaned up.

 

[scduc]

My mechanic told me the same. I ditched the pods for the clean look and have noticed a slight sputter here and there. Especially when maintaning speed and under acceleration. I just had the valves adjusted and the carbs sync'd. I'm planning on putting the pods back on.

 

[ericmonstro]

perhaps you can just route the vent hoses somewhere that is low turbulance AND out of sight. Somewhere under the tank.....?....seat...?....the stock hoses probably aren't long enough to get TO far from the carbs.

Thoughts? I've been cleaning up my frame by removing all the straps, and reattaching the wires to other interior frame members. The pods were next to go.

 

[Owassatpk]

The third (small) vent line vents the carb float bowls. It is connected to a "T" shaped connector between the two carb bodies. The location/routing is very important based on my experience. Mine was routed down to the left front of the engine with the other hoses. Air flow over the end of the hose created a vacuum and was sucking fuel out of the float bowls. This made the bike run lean at speed. You could feel the bike slow down from gusts of wind. I rerouted the line to a dead air space by the battery and the problem went away.

 

[iamic]

Just for clarification, the problems related to side-pod removal that you are discussing are only an issue for carburated Monsters, right? There shouldn't be any "venting" problems with an FI Monster?

 

[CRASH!]

First, there are no side pods on FI monsters so donna worry about it.

Second, I had a chat with Bruce at BCM yesterday about the pods and he set me straight (reference my post above).

He said the side pods were installed to pass a California "tent test" in which the bike is run on the dyno (without a cooling fan) and then put into a sealed bag. HC is measured. Carbed bikes will have trouble with that. The engine is hot as hell and fuel in the float bowls WILL vaporize. So the right side pod contained filters to catch vapors from the reference side of the carb body. Bruce said it seems that shortly after the redesign, Ducati stopped bothering with the filters. Sure enough, I peered into the pod and there is no filter in there.

AS for turbulence affecting the reference pressure, there is a ballast valve in the line. It's the fat part between the carbs and the pod. YOu can pull the line from the ballast valve and remove the pod. No muss, no fuss. Just leave the valve hanging there.

The left side pod, as noted above is for the float bowl vent line. Bruce said I could cut that line in any convenient place. Based on the experience above, it may be prudent to place the line carefully. I can't offer specifics on that yet.

 

[iamic]

I guess I misunderstood what was meant by "side pods" - thanks