I was just looking at a pic. of a buell head and realized that they have some sort of pvc valve on each valve cover. I read that xb heads had to be converted to breather heads somewhere also.

So, how do buell heads vent since they don't breath into the carb?

Is that a PVC mounted on the top cover and then routed somewhere else?

What year Ralph ?? My 98 S1W vents the same as my 06 Sportster. I don't know what kind of breather is under the rockerbox cover but they vent in the same place on the head.

I am talking about buell xb heads. They are not drilled for breathers.

I am talking about buell xb heads. They are not drilled for breathers.

Good question Ralph..I'm curious myself.:smoke

Yea Good question, I would like to know that one.
Because I can't seem to satisfy myself on just venting it into the air, And Like all, I am not crazy about the oil mist being in my carb.
Maybe a real PCV system is in odrer ??

hmm, thats a good question.

It is evidently an unanswerable question. I see l fittings on the tops in pics and I want to know if they are pcv valves. "Hello, Is there anybody out their? Just nod if you can hear me, is there anyone at home."

Here is a pic of an xb1200 motor. Notice the hoses on the top valve cover. http://i7.ebayimg.com/03/i/08/ab/eb/08_1_b.JPG

I looked on BadWeb and didn't see the answer either Ralph. I'm sure someone knows and will answer eventually.

I thought I read somewhere that they vent like the XR1200 prototype through the top of the rocker cover. Here's a pic Bert took of the XR1200 vent fittings from the show. :dunno

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/727/medium/20061015-XR1200-PROTOTPYE65.JPG

Gazza

Anyone out there have a buell xb manual to give us a better idea how they function.

http://www.sportster.org/tech/evo-tech/heads.shtml


In 2003, Buell came out with the "XB" head. Same size valves ...
.....
If you go the XB (silver) route, you'll also have to mill/drill/tap your breather holes, the XB heads have the bosses but they're not prepared because the XB breathes out the top of the rocker box.

I guess that doesn't shed any light on the PCV question though.

Here's a blast picture:

http://www.bcrider.com/photos/breathertube.jpg

The page I got that pic from (http://bcrider.com/buell.html) says the Blast vents into the carb.


And here's an interesting thread where Buell owners are talking about XB vents going into the carb:
http://www.sporttwin.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=3647.html


Gazza

one more time around for a good explanation of whether it is a pvc or just an an fitting.

Ralph I called the Buell dealer and the black thing at the top of the head is a PCV valve. He said Buell went with that configuration to prevent oil blowing out into the intake like it does on the Sportster. They cost $8, I wonder if it could be plumbed into the system on the Sportster ??

Do I win a prize ??

You win a prize. I am going to try it because the Jet heads I have are not breather heads and before I have them drill the holes I thought I would look for other options. I really like the idea of having pcv on the top cover. fortunately I have a cracked one here to play with and figure out where to put it. This is what I love about this site. I got an answer to a question that many have probably asked themselves. I just added one other thing to my list of projects this year. Thanks to you CJ I am also going to have to put on inverted fat forks. They look too good on your bike for me to skip it.

If the rocker box covers will fit on your heads, and I don't see why not, it should work. Where are you going to route it, to ambient or into your intake tract somewhere ??


Just finished my bobtail fender install but no pics, the wife took the camera to Georgia. :doh

They vent through the rocker box, not the head, through that PCV valve. Then they dump into the airbox, just like the XL. The airbox juts happens to be up, not on the side. The EPA won't let anyone vent crankcase fumes to the atmosphere.

http://www.chrishajer.com/bike/XLF/xb-breather.png

You can put XB rocker boxes on your bike and use the same style breather. I see you are going to try to modify yours, since one is cracked. You can do that too.

--Chris

I am going to play with my broken cover and figure out how I can vent to my filter in the back. If it does not work I send the heads out to have the breathers drilled and tapped.

Or just get XB rocker boxes. More money that way though.

--Chris

So it is a PCV valve! Cool,

If you could find an exceptable way of applying some vacuum to it that would be great !!

It took a while Ralph but you got it :laugh :laugh

Buell XB heads vent through the valve covers. Both covers are routed through a check valve, then penetrate the bottom of the airbox base. They protrude about an inch from the airbox base and are located inside the perimeter of the air filter. They can be quite messy if you wind it up alot. American sportbike makes a open air box kit, that has a vent relocation kit to remove the vents from the airbox and move it to a catch can or remote breather.

"vent relocation kit to remove the vents from the airbox and move it to a catch can or remote breather." Back to plan "B"
http://home.earthlink.net/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://home.earthlink.net/~cooter2360/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/vent1.jpg&target=tlx_new&title=Vent%20modifications

I changed to the XB covers with PVC valves on my 2000 x1 I use to have to dump my catch can every time I got on the bike its been 2 years since I changed to the PVC valve set up and have yet to have to dump the catch can and thats with riding the dragan a few times a year. for you guys that are looking to save cash and go th the catch can I made my own vented cans for $15 each I use to run three on the buell one for each head and one for the trans. on a hot day I would have to dump them 2 or three times if I road the bike hard.

some pics from up top

you can go here to see more pics. http://home.earthlink.net/~328redracingstripe/id1.html

earl87gta: those are some nice pics, but your X1 breathing system is the same as the XLs. People were curious about the breather setup on the XB models. Have any pictures of that?

--Chris

that is an XB breather sytem those are rocker boxes off an XB. the origanal X1 heads had the ruber butterfly valve in side the valve covers. all I did was route them to the rear of my bike to K&N fillters instead of back in to the air box. I have pics of the origanal X1 covers if you want to see the diffrence. on the origanal pre XB there is a hose barbe off the side of the head that the butterly valve vented threw on the new XB covers all you get are those PVC valves. I went to them becuse I got tired of oil in my TB. on days when she was spitting a lot of oill It would start to back fire at around 80 Miles an hour. I dont have that problem any more. oil goes to a catch can and stays out of my TB.

If your catch cans almost never need emptying, can we conclude that the pcv system is efficient enough to let the hoses coming from the pcv breathe in the air cleaner and that there will be almost no "spitting" ? Anyone thought of plugging intake manifold vacuum directly to the pcv valves like on a car ?

earl87gta: thanks for clarifying that. I saw the tube frame and didn't look closely at the breather setup.

Thanks,
Chris

No problem my bike is not a noraml Buell. I run them to small fillters to the rear of the bice under the seat. I would think its safe to say you could still run them to the air cleaner and not have to wrry about engine studder from getting fed oil in the air. you could always do what I did run a catch can for a while stock see how much oil you get then run it with the new covers and if your bike is nologer spitting oil ditch the cans. I made my catch cans coast was a hole $15 for three I put one on the trans and one on each cylinder. I can tell you this the front cylider is the one that spits the most oil dont know why but it does Ive had 2 buells and it was the same for both of them.