Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Performance Mods AI Question

I picked up the AI kit with my new America yesterday, intending to install it this morning. After reading the instructions though, I realized my Scotchness had once again bitten me in the butt. I could have let the dealer do all this during assembly, but noooooooo..., I had to save 50 cents.

Anyway, my question is whether there might be an alternative to pulling the seat and tank on my brand new America. Is there a reason I can't just pull the rubber hoses off the injectors and plug the hoses? Is there a reason the injectors can't just stay in the head?

Jack

I recommend taking off your saddle and tank: With those two items out of the way you'll 1) have room to work and 2) won't bang wrenches into your tank. The both come off very easily.

I didn't take my tank off when I did the AI removal. Just removed the mounting bolt and lifted it up a little to get little better access. Did take the seat off to do that of course.

If you have the kit, you might as well used the block off bolts for the head. The injectors in the head need to be blocked off properly so the head is sealed up tight. I bought my bike used, with the injector bolts plugged with some misc bolts. Which in time loosened up and fell out while i was riding. Talk about loud

besides with the injectors out of the way you can change the spark plugs alot easier which would help out with the laziness you obviously suffer with..haha

Like i mentioned my AI was already removed so Ive never done the job myself, but Im pretty sure you can leave everything on the bike as long as everythings plugged up on both sides (head, carbs etc)...with the AI removal kit.

Honestly you should suck it up and remove the tank and the seat. Theyre both an easy job and not really that time consuming. I myself am just like you, I'd rather change the things out without disturbing anything else. I hacked my airbox with a sawzaw while it was still on the bike.

All that mentality does is make you work in less than pefect conditions. Without the proper clearance to turn wrenches youre just gonna add more time and aggrevation to the project than you would if you removed the proper pieces and did the job right the first time.

You should be thanking god that you have one of the last modern motorcycles that will allow you to work on it yourself. The newer models coming out will be alot more complicated for the average joe to work on and pretty soon we'll all get emails from our bikes for when its time to take it to the dealer and pay them to remove 45 pieces in order to change the left blinker light bulb.

To answer your question, Jack; yes, the injectors can stay in the head if you block them off. Unfortunately, getting the black hoses off them is a pain.

Like you, I didn't want to/couldn't be bothered to remove the tank so my solution was to block off the pipe from the airbox to the AI pump-thingie. Remove the LH side panel, yank the big pipe, block it with whatever (I just taped the end) then stuff it back in the hole. As an added precaution, I removed the thin carb-to-AI pump pipe at the pump, connect the now-free end to the nipple on the other manifold then use that cap to plug the nipple on the pump-thingie. Clear?! :$ I dunno what the technical terms are but what I'm getting at should be evident when you look at the bike.

I've now done the complete removal, mainly to tidy up that area.

Please do yourself a favor and take the seat (1 bolt) off, take the console (3 allen screws, 1 plug connector) and 1 tank bolt off. Remove the fuel line clamp and hose. Lift the tank and reach under and unplug your vent hose. You'll be glad you did. Because you'll have learned how to access many critical parts. Remove all the AI pumps, canisters and hoses because all together they weigh about 5 lbs. You'll also have a much cleaner bike.

Thanks all! I'll decide this weekend how to proceed. I forgot to mention that I'm also concerned about the length of the injectors. My deep socket probably won't be long enough, and it's not clear to me how to remove them otherwise. Any tips on that?

13mm offset box wrench.

You all make this sound so easy. Any pictures?

I have a hard time tearing stuff off a perfectly working bike to improve it.

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You all make this sound so easy. Any pictures?

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No. But trust me it's as simple as it gets. It will take you longer to remove the tank and replace it that the
AI-ectomy, and the tank removal is quite simple. You'll be much happier with the tubes removed than blocking the tubes. It just looks so much cleaner. I waited over 26K to take it out - just to prove a point about the lack of bluing. I only took them out so I could do the plugs easier. The results, particularly in just appearance and ease of cleaning alone where well worth the time it took.

All you need to do is plug the hose from the air box with something and remove the vacuum line from the left intake and cap the nipple on the intake. This will disable the AI. Personally I like having those tubes out of the head since it makes it so much easier to get at the spark plugs. I also put a custom head light on my SM and the wires are where the AI pump was.

I too was apprehensive about removing the seat and tank from a brand new bike, but you learn so much more about it when you do. It is so easy, and removing the AI parts gives you a mount for your stebel horn relay. You'll find there is an allen key behind the ignition cover to use to adjust your rear shocks. You can remove the snorkel while you're under there. You'll learn how the console comes off to install your tach. Your gas tank is initialed by the painter who pinstriped it (mine is S.C.)
But most importantly you'll learn that a gas tank full of fuel weighs about 40 lbs. more than an empty tank.

Is there really an Allen key behind the ignition cover?
I am going down to the garage now to have a look

This was previously posted. Its for an 07 but pics are included.

http://www.radwarrior.com/2007/10/07/RemovingTheAirInjectionFromMyTriumphBonnevilleAmericaTBA.aspx

This is exactly what I was looking for!!!! Without looking at the bike, I didn't know what the AI even looked like. Thanks for making this project much easier.

way too easy !!!!! I did mine as follows. Crush the chrome pipe as close to the head as possible with a pair of heavy duty pliers then with a pair of heavy duty side cutters cut the flat section that you just crushed and then a deep socket will remove the injector. no need to loosen or remove the seat or tank. did mine in about 30 minutes.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppp !!!

Heres what I did. I left the AI installed and operational, after all, the engineers must of had a reason for it to be there.

go for it take the tank off,when you do this itmakes it easier thenext time you do mods,I bought my speedy last year and felt the same,a little nervous,just follow the instructions one step a time since the ai i have had carbs tore down and all kind of fun things.Trust these people on this sight they are great and helpful.I dont want to inflate thier egos to big but they know what they are talking about,and are more than willing to help.Personally i trust them more than the dealer.That is the beauty o fthese bikes they are easy to work on and will give you a feeling of satisfaction when the job is done and she is purring down the road.
have a good.... one ride safe
Mac

Just as an aside, when you're done yanking the AI kit, one of the spare bits left over'll be a skinny rubber hose. It's perfect for running between the vacuum nipple on one carb and the same nipple on the other carb as a balance line. Helps gives you a smoother idle, and costs nothing to do.

I am in the same boat with others a new 08 BA (July) I also have the long TOR's and re jetted carbs that were installed by the dealer. I have a removal kit but have not pullled the trigger. The last step in instructions is adjusting the carbs. This is what really scares me. Do I have to adjust the carbs once I install the AI removal kit?

Thanks,
Kendall

Here's what I did.
Pulled the battery out of the way, loaded 00 buckshot in BOTH barrels of the old 12 ga., got close enough not to hit anything i didn't want to remove, aimed at the air box, and pulled the trigger! The force of the exiting airbox was enough to pull all related hardwear out with it, including the side covers, right down to where the AI's threaded into the head. No tools needed!
As a side benefit, added to the "Rat bike" look so many are going for.