Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Performance Mods AI removal with California Emissions

I picked up an 05' BA the end of this summer in MA and was planning to remove the AI kit when I discovered I have a California Emissions bike. Has anyone tried to remove both. I've read that removing the AI without touching the emissions can cause rough idle and difficult starts.

I had the California emissions on my 2004 TBA. When I removed the AI I really didn't have much trouble but you have to plug all vacuum ports on the carbs. I ended up ripping all the CA emission stuff off anyway. It's easy, all the hoses and cannisters connected to the carbs and the little 12v vacuum pump come off. The hose that runs from the T between the carbs to the cannister under the bike needs to stay and leave it open. Do not plug the hose. I would balance the carbs after this mod.

I may be way off here but i have a theory about this thats at least worth considering. When i did my AI on my cal bike with EVLS i was one of those who had the starting/warmup problem. But it soon went away and i tried to figure out what it was i did that changed that. Just the other day in fact an idea hit me about this. When i ordered the AI kit i also ordered the carb balancer. I did the AI first and now i'm thinking that when you remove the AI and plug that carb vaccum port, it may upset the carb balance. When i finally did the carb balancing it was way off. The question is, was it after that when the problem disappeard? It's been a while so i can't say for sure. But up till now i figured it went away about the time i installed my pipes. But now looking back it could have been after i balanced the carbs.

So i may be wrong, but in short i'm thinking that plugging the vaccum port after AI removal throws the carb balance off which causes the start/warmup problem, and balancing them after that fixes it. Worth considering at least.

Just my $0.02 on this mod as well since I have done this mod as well. The T connector between the carbs must remain open (you can leave the hose on it but make sure it's open to atmosphere) because you will have fuel flowing up through the carb jets and into your airbox if you close it off. The pressure or 'head' (fluid dynamics term) from the fuel in the tank (higher elevation and potential energy) is more than the pressure exerted by the float bowls to stop the flow. This causes the fuel to flow past the bowls, fill up the carbs and then flow out of the jets. The atmospheric pressure lets the float bowls do their job and float up to stem the flow from the tank.

Thanks for the input. I think I pull off the CA emissions as well. I plan to balance and rejet the carbs once I decide upon pipes...probably Thunderbike. Still looking for more reviews.

The AI system is completely separate from the vapor recovery system.
The vacuum lines attached to the manifolds operate control valves and replacing them with caps or plugs shouldn't have any affect on the idle unless one of the valves or hoses was leaking.
The only difference you will see if you remove the vapor recovery system is a slight reduction in fuel economy and maybe a little burning in your eyes when stopped on a hot day.
If you do remove the vapor recovery system, you should see about getting a rollover valve and fit it to the tank vent hose. Otherwise, you risk a fire if the bike falls over.

Another reason for leaving the evap emissions system on is if you park in a garage. Taking it off will allow gas fumes to escape to the atmosphere. On warm days, your garage will get a very strong gasoline smell. The evap system prevents this.