Review of the Outerwears airbox cover for the Honda 400EX
(written by 4punksdad)
I got my Outerwears Airbox Cover from Motoman.com &
rushed to the garage to install it. I found a fairly
hard to read set of instructions enclosed in the
package and I tore into the installation. I found it
to be nearly impossible to install this cover without
totally removing the airbox from the bike.
The removal of the airbox is a little challenging, but
not difficult. I cleaned the airbox inside & out with
starting fluid (evaporates quickly without oily
residue). The instructions showed me placing the
enclosed velcro strip along the top edge of the
airbox. I found that I had to cut the velcro into
custom fit pieces to attach it without interfereing
with the stock lid clips. I had plenty of velcro left
over to do this job twice!
The airbox was then remounted on the bike, and the lid
was ready to be mounted. Although this fabric lid has
only velcro holding it on, it actually takes longer to
install & remove it than the stock airbox lid! The
frame is very close to the edges of the airbox and a
guy with fat fingers will hate this task. The fit was
tight, but left some gaps where the stock lid clips
are attached.
Once mounted the fabric lid looks & sounds very nice.
The sound of the bike is louder than stock, yet not
obnoxious. Keep in mind, my 400EX has a stock pipe,
stock jets, and a stock foam air filter.
Time to hit the trails. I made sure I gave it no mercy
on my initial ride. I hit deep water crossings, mud
puddles, tall grass, and did doughnuts in the dusty
stuff. It felt & sounded as if the bike had a little
more mid & low end punch, and a more responsive power
delivery. After my ride I found the airbox interior to
be dust covered and so was my filter, but there was no
mud or water in my airbox. The fabric lid did have
some clumps of mud on it, so it seemed to have done
its job.
I found the fabric to be easy to clean with hot soapy
water, and it appears as if it will need to be cleaned
often. The velcro started to peel off the airbox sides
upon my first removal which must be why they sent me
extra velcro.
All in all I like the airbox lid from Outerwears. If I
were them however, I would ditch the problematic
velcro design & opt for an elastic strap around the
edge of the cover. I might modify mine if the velcro
continues to be a problem. The best parts of this mod
are the low cost (around 20 bucks), slight power gain,
great looks, and awesome sound! One other thing that
would make the package slightly more desireable would
be a cool "Outerwears" decal!
UPDATED:
Seems as if I were right. The velcro mounting design totally sucks. I was
able to modify my airbox lid & use it to hold the
outerwears in place. works better than the velcro,
seals tighter, and attaches quicker. Check out the
pics I have attached of the modified lid.
UPDATED PICS
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