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MotoLime Leather Airbox Delete Cover and a Sprint Filter Install Tip

3.6K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  Chip  
#1 ·
I did the airbox delete yesterday using Sprint filters and a leather cover from MotoLime. I haven't seen much reference to the MotoLime cover here, so I thought I'd throw up some quick pictures and a brief review.

The MotoLime cover appears to be two pieces of about four ounce leather sewn together with a batting between them to create a diamond quilt look. I'd prefer a single, thicker piece of leather, but the price was right for this, so I gave it a go. I still might yet make my own, but this will do for now.

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I'd prefer the snaps to be hidden, but this is the only orientation that keeps them from rubbing on the frame. There's just enough leather in from the edge to the slot upon which to rest the bottom of the snap. The fit is taut and the cut is well measured all around the edge.

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The bands are just the right size to snug up perfectly around the frame - although, when it arrived the longer bands for the top were actually in the bottom slots. At first I thought there was a mistake, before I realized it was just a packaging error.

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After installing the filters and cover, I sprayed a bit of water over the bike to check run off. Everything seems ok. I'd feel a bit ripped off if I paid the listed full retail price of $120 for it; even the "sale" price of $99 is a bit steep for what you get. But I got this for $60 with a paypal $40 credit, so I'm satisfied with that return on value.

For the Sprint filters - a big thanks to @Born Loser for the tip on using the original airbox coupler to attach these filters to the throttle body intakes, as detailed in this thread:


The grove on the coupler locks onto the flange on the throttle body intake and easily supports the Sprint filter. Once inserted, the back end of the coupler blooms out to form a funnel flange inside the filter; no clamp is necessary. The whole set-up is rock solid.

BUT - I discovered too late that there is a better way to insert the coupler into the filter. @Born Loser suggests forcing the coupler in using a flat surface, twisting and forcing until it pops in. I did this with the first, but the second one was giving me problems. Then I realized that the coupler is pliant silicone. Just squeeze the coupler down onto itself, insert into the filter, and let it spring back into shape. Voila.

I say too late, because the forcing and twisting approach crinkled the wire mesh on the filters. That's going to irritate me every time I look at them now. Squeezing and inserting the coupler would have left the filter grooves pristine. Oh, well.

The last thing I noticed after sprinkling the bike, is that while the Sprint filters are indeed hydrophobic, there's no place for the water to run off when it settles into the grooves on top. I might just go with a set of K&N filters and rain socks in the future (and then there will be a slightly crunched set of Sprint filters available at a discount here).
 
#2 ·
Looks good. You must ride in a lot more rain than me to worry about a few rain drops. I ride a very similar bike:
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#3 ·
You must ride in a lot more rain than me...
I used to ride quite a bit in the rain; I guess old habits die hard.

Nice bike! I have a few more miles to go before I sleep. I have a NRC plate holder for the rear fender (courtesy of @kilyung ) to put on along with multi-function rear lights; those will go on when I put up the bike for the winter.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Further observations on the airbox delete:

To put on the Sprint filter, I needed to remove that bracket in between them that hangs off the throttle body. What do folks do with the [edit] connector that was attached to it? Trying to figure out where and how to tuck it took by far the most time on this install. I ended up just hanging it very precariously by a zip tie from a short post off the side of the throttle body. Same with the crankcase breather; I just ended up loosely zip tying it to the hose that runs down to the evaporator cannister.

Also, for anyone counting motorcycle calories, the airbox delete, exhaust tip replacement, and chain guard removal have added up to just over 16 pounds off the bike.
 
#5 ·
If you are referring to the air temperature sensor I have it tucked under the soft cover along with all the other electric wires. I installed a booster plug on it about a year ago and all that stuff fits under the soft cover.
 
#6 ·
oops - my bad. Not the air temp sensor. I, too, just tucked that under the cover (though I might tap it into the left side filter at some point).

I'm referring to the connector that was attached to the bracket I needed to remove from the throttle body. I'm guessing most folks just cut down the bracket so that it doesn't poke into the Sprint filters, but leave it in place for that connector and to provide a place for the crankcase breather to attach.

I like to leave my take-off parts whole, though, whenever possible.

I might just fabricate a simple bracket to go in there instead.
 
#7 ·
Makes sense to me. Enjoy your new look ride.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for this thread. Pulled my stock airboxes today, will do the AIS delete and filter install likely tomorrow, when they show up. Good tip on fitting the coupler into the filter.

From other threads, yall weren't kidding about how fiddly it is to remove the brackets. Per a tip in a different thread from AJCycles, loosening and tipping the throttle body down was a lifesaver to reach the last screw.
 
#12 ·
Trimming down the bracket is by far the easiest solution. But like I said above, I prefer to not cut when I don't have to.

I ended up just zip tying the connector to a screw head that was sticking out between the throttle bodies, planning on doing something more permanent later. Well, it's later and I still haven't touched it.