2012 KX450F Timbersled

[sorsy1]

Hey guys I was just doing to thinking on what I am going to have to do to keep the snow out of the air box on my 12 KX450, and I thought well why not get rid of the air box all together and put on some sort of aluminum tubing with silicone grommets like on an intercooler and then stuff a cone filter on the end with a outerwear's cover. The only thing I am not sure of is the air box sensor. What would a guy have to do there? If anyone has done this before help would be great and pictures to go along with it would really kick a**! Thanks guys!

 

[Rush44]

There are a bunch of different ways to go about eliminating or modifying the existing air box. Several people do pod filter setups but one thing MOST (not all) pod filter setups eliminate is the venturi. You really need that part of the box to properly accelerate the air into the motor. Can you run the pod without it? Absolutely. You just won't get as much air into the motor and that equals lost HP.

Cut the bottom of the airbox out so that snow can drop out of it. Cut the back screen out of the cage and then add the provided TS prefilter over the cage. You can do some things like put wire in the cage to help spread that air filter out like a mushroom head for more surface area. Reference mtn-doo's "Best all around Bike" thread found here for a little tutorial. The pods still have their faults and can still ice up. So far cutting out the bottom of the box and modifying the cage has been the best hassle free setup I've seen in the last 4 seasons. I also buy a regular airbox for the summer months and just swap boxes for the winter/summer. I had the KX450F the season before last and that setup works well. Excellent bike.

 

[teal_210]

If you're building an aluminum tube, just drill and tap some holes in it and mount your sensor in the tube. That's more or less what I have on my bike.

If you mount the pod filter directly to the throttle body, just remove the sensor from the air box and either zip-ty it to the frame or slip it under the outerwears pre-filter. I know lots of people doing this with no noticeable power loss, and this is what Timbersled recommends on the SX kits.

 

[Uncle si]

Depending on location/snow conditions, stock may work great. I ran two winters in washington with only a fabric prefilter.