Carb balancers and air boxes

Got my hands on a set of carb balancers as i'm doing a rejet this weekend, so in anticipation i deceided to do a dry run this evening.

All the tubes were connected already i have a scottoiler attached so i used the T junction for the back carb and the 1st dial, and the front carbs nipple already had a closed off pipe which i joined to the 2nd dial.

I warmed up the bike and connected the gagues up started her and the needles fluttered away, and continued to do so, and still continued to do so, infact they were both pretty much in sync but the issue was i coudlnt get an exact reading at all, they were moving so much and so fast it was terribly hard to tell where they were resting / stopping.

I adjusted the carb dials so the needled didnt move as much however the needles were still jumping back and foth on both side way to much to dertermine if it was close to a good sync.

At the moment i know the bike is running well, and i assume if any thing they are only a little out of sync.

My question is how steady should those needles get ?


My second issue was getting the airbox back on, possibly the most fustrating thing ever, i could apply pressure on each end and they would sink, but the catches would simply not take hold, should i use some wd40 around the lip to help this ? or perhaps shoudl i remove the bottom attachments and simply attempt to bolt those on to the carbs with the air box attached ?

any idea's ?

[Bibio]

insert a 'restrictor' in the lines.. basically a narrower hose inside the main hose, connect the restricted end to as near the carbs as you can.. 5cm then insert restrictor then attach rest of main hose..

or just 'pinch/bend' the hoses when you are doing readings. (fish tank air hose clamps work well)

either of those methods should reduce the 'fluttering' of the needles.

Oh god damn,, i just realised, the gagues came with T connectors and little screw's on the top, clearly these are the damn restrictors.

*feels like a fool*

[Bibio]

the screws on the gauges are for calibrating the gauges (you have calibrated them?)... the little connectors with a valve on top are indeed the restrictors...

The needles are both starting at the same position on the gauge's

[flymo]

Originally Posted by drag

The needles are both starting at the same position on the gauge's

Just run each needle against the same carb one at a time and adjust so they all read the same under a vaccuum.

Thats a handy tip alright, saves worrying about unbalanced gauges.

Now any tip's on the air box

[flymo]

Originally Posted by drag

Now any tip's on the air box

Not entirely sure what you mean with the airbox but sounds like it might just be the rubber boots that wont stay connected, that right?

Getting them on can be a problem if they are older and have gone hard, best solution is to replace them with fresh ones. But if its not sitting properly maybe they arent fully positioned. Is this a curvy SV?

They do need some wiggling, I normally take the air filter out and check that all the lips are on right. Else go round and give them a little assistance.

[Sir Trev]

I never bother removing the airbox when I check mine. My (possibly fallible) logic says test the balanaces with the bike set up for normal use, and when I ride it the airbox is always attached.

Can anyone shed light on why you would do it with the airbox removed??