I haven't started my bike for a couple of weeks while taking care of some family things.  Poking around today, I opened the airbox and lo, and behold, this is what I found:





Anyone else had this happen?       Looked in your airbox lately?   

Bike is an '07 S4R Monster with 2,000 miles, bought new in April of '08, always parked in garage between rides.  Looking at the nest materials, I kind of doubt that the nest would look like that if air had been pulled through it.  So I'm guessing that the mouse or whatever took up residence recently.

So, my question is, if I attached fine screening (like window screen) around the air intake port of the airbox, would that alter the running of the bike?  Any other suggestions for keeping the cute little fellers out?

Thanks,

Kurt   

hey maybe that's why they put the screens on the  696

Add a couple of mothballs to the airbox.

No, I am not kidding.

You need a JRT, specialist in rodent extermination

Now where's the mouse supposed to live when he's not powering your bike? 

First car I ever owned was only in the shop once ... 'cuz a squirrel made a nest out of the wiring harness!  Thank god for insurance, because replacing the entire harness would have cost me $1500! 

the first time i opened up my airbox i found it filled with about a cup of dog food, mouse was stockpiling for the winter i guess. My mechanic uncle says he sees this kind of stuff a lot in cars that sit awhile/over winter.  Just be sure to vacuum out the lower box area before you start it.  and putting a fine mesh screen won't mess with performance as long as its not too fine and properly secured. 

Quote from: Kurt on September 01, 2008, 03:07:09 PM
So, my question is, if I attached fine screening (like window screen) around the air intake port of the airbox, would that alter the running of the bike?  Any other suggestions for keeping the cute little fellers out?

How about running with open (chopped) air box lid? The little guy will probably find another place if you take away the roof.

Mousetraps to remove the existing mice from the garage, then plug holes in the walls/ceilings with steel wool.  Mice can get through a hole at least the size of a dime.

Had a 1979 VW Rabbit.  Mice chewed the cloth vacuum line connectors and nested in the mass air sensor.  Sucked to be me in the summer of 1989, I'll tell you. 

That's right: I'm old.

Thanks, everybody, I'm really lucky that I just happened to open the airbox before running the bike.

Mousetraps -- for sure!  Been meaning to tighten up the garage for a while, ... .   I had to go that route in my cabin (shack, really) in Vermont few years back.

Mothballs -- just let them rattle around in the airbox?     I've used them to keep skunks and porcupines out of outbuildings, so they work.  Would keep me out of enclosed spaces, I know.

I'll check the hardware store for various screening choices -- the port isn't all that big, so maybe window screening would cut down the intake area too much.

Confession time: this happened before in this garage, in the airbox of my '94 Impala SS about 5 years ago.  (Car talk: the car died on the road once, but I restarted and drove the two miles home.  Poking around under the hood, I found the mouse nest in the airbox.  Funny thing is, the airbox and filter on the 350 CID Corvette engine are about the same size as those on the Monster.  Anyway, I fashioned a screen for the intake port.  Turns out that it wasn't the mouse that brought the car to a halt, 'twas the Opti-spark (distributor) on its way out $$$.)

As to where the evicted mouse/mice might now be, probably in the sausage mufflers of my '69 Triumph 650.  Storytime: a Triumph legend I know tells the story of the nesting mouse that entered a Triumph muffler, continued up the header pipe, found the exhaust valve full open, slipped into the combustion chamber and built a fine winter home atop the piston.

Old guy?  How old is old?   

Kurt 

Mouse problem fixed.
And any other rodents.
6.5 kg, leap a 6 ft steel fence, and loves snuggles!!!

Alas, my kitties went to Kitty Heaven after 20 years of rodent patrol.   

Now the neighborhood cats might just be chasing the mice into the garage.  Nights will be getting cooler soon, so critters large and small will be seeking shelter.

At least it wasn't in your exhaust.  A local area duc shop had a mouse decide to nest in the udder of a customers S2R.  It had hoarded food a nesting materials down there which began to burn and belch smoke when the owner tried to ride home.  Luckily he hadn't gotten far or had any real troubles.  Now lots of bikes in the bays of that shop can be seen sporting various tennis and racket balls