[txpilot]

I forgot to ask earlier. There is a hose that comes out of the bottom of the cylinder to a box under the battery. What is this and sometime smoke comes out of there when it runs, what does this mean?

[Thumper]

This is the crankcase vent. It allows the crankcase pressure to be relieved. Where are you seeing the smoke?

If its an older bike than some smoke could be expected (e.g., worn rings).

Matt

[txpilot]

coming out of the box that the hose conects to. But I only saw it once and after ridding her for about 30mins. I just got her so i'm slowly taking her on farther and farther rides. (plus I don't have my helmet yet it is in the mail)

[Bankerdanny]

The stock setup is a tube that runs to a reservoir under the seat. Pressure builds up in the crankcase and excess oil goes up the tube into the reservoir, then is siphoned back down later.

Smoke does seem unusual to me unless your rings are very worn and you are getting lots of blowby.

Otherwise there is no way for combustion gasses to make there way into the crankcase and out the tube.

[t120rbullet]

The stock setup is a tube that runs to a reservoir under the seat. Pressure builds up in the crankcase and excess oil goes up the tube into the reservoir, then is siphoned back down later.

Right idea, wrong model though.
The 96 has the catch tank under the battery box and no return back to the oil tank or timing chest.
It is a total loss breather system and when the catch can gets full it just pumps it into the air filter housing and trashes the air filter. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the catch can and it must be drained on a regular basis.
The best thing that can be done with this breather system is to off the catch can, plug the air box and put a duckbill on it.
To the best of my knowledge the iron bullet has had 4 different breather systems.
The first (duckbill only) functioned flawlessly for many many years.
The next 2 versions can be converted into the first version and will work flawlessly.
The last one that vents into the oil tank is one of those things that was a pisspoor idea in the first place and can be made better but will never work well no matter what you do.
 

[Bankerdanny]

Mine came with the duckbill ( the dealer my father bought it from must have installed it) so I was not completely sure how it worked.

[Chuck D]

Quote from T120 bullet:
 To the best of my knowledge the iron bullet has had 4 different breather systems.
The first (duckbill only) functioned flawlessly for many many years.
The next 2 versions can be converted into the first version and will work flawlessly.
The last one that vents into the oil tank is one of those things that was a pisspoor idea in the first place and can be made better but will never work well no matter what you do.
 So... I ambled out to have a closer look at my('06 sixty 5) bike and had an AHAA moment. What i assumed to be the crankcase breather hose to catch can is actually the can to oil tank? is this correct? then there is another hose which goes from the can to the back of the timing case. What's going on here? and is could this be why my used motor oil is black at a regularly scheduled change?

[txpilot]

there is deff. exhaust gas coming out of the hose. I pulled it off of the tank under the battery and sure enough exaust is coming out in a poof poof poof in the rythem of the engine. I'm guessing this is bad. I also can't get the bike to idle right now.

[Foggy_Auggie]

 So... I ambled out to have a closer look at my('06 sixty 5) bike and had an AHAA moment. What i assumed to be the crankcase breather hose to catch can is actually the can to oil tank? is this correct? then there is another hose which goes from the can to the back of the timing case. What's going on here? and is could this be why my used motor oil is black at a regularly scheduled change?

The larger hose has a duckbill end inside the catch can.  The smaller diameter hose going to the back of the timing case is the catch can drain back into the engine.

The larger hose relieves pressure in the oil tank - and sometimes oil is blown into the catch can.  The duckbill opens with positive pressure and closes with negative pressure.

As long as these hoses are clear and not gunked up with moisturized "salad dressing" from water vapor and oil, the system works fine.

Riding to full operating temperature usually keeps the system clear.

My hoses were clogged and I had an oil blowout back into the air cleaner with less than a 100 miles on the bike.  I took everything apart and rodded the hoses out.  It's been working fine ever since.

I suspect the test ride at the factory, crating and shrink wrapping the bike, the long trip on a container ship over the high seas and storage at the warehouse is what causes initial blocking of these hoses.

[t120rbullet]

there is deff. exhaust gas coming out of the hose. I pulled it off of the tank under the battery and sure enough exaust is coming out in a poof poof poof in the rythem of the engine. I'm guessing this is bad. I also can't get the bike to idle right now.

No that's not bad. When the piston goes up it sucks in and when the piston goes down it blows out. That's why there is a one way valve inside the catch can. What you want is for the excess to go out and nothing to get in. That way when the piston goes up you get a vacuum inside the crankcase and the oil does not end up in the combustion chamber.
You need either a duckbill or some kind of check valve to accomplish this.
That's also why the newest system with a hole in between the crankcase and the oil tank is such a bad idea IMHO.
 #1 it creates a sort of plenum where the air can compress and not so much goes    out  the vent hose and not as much vacuum is created.
#2 it dumps all the swarf and blowby into your clean oil.
#3 it pressurizes the timing case and head opening the door to a host of new leaks.
So (also IMHO) your lucky to have the system you have.   

[txpilot]

what is and where do I get a duckbill?
Also where is the best place to get a new air filter? I think that's one of the reasons I can't get the idle right it was filter. Would you recommend setting the idle with the filter off?

[t120rbullet]

"What is and where do I get a duckbill?"

http://tinyurl.com/66ltlv

"Also where is the best place to get a new air filter?"

I'd do the K&N mod to the stock air box and never buy another filter for it.

"I think that's one of the reasons I can't get the idle right it was filter."

An oil soaked filter would make it run bad.

" Would you recommend setting the idle with the filter off?"

No, you should do all your tuning the way your going to run it. And when you change something you'll have to tune it again.

[petefletcher]

That's also why the newest system with a hole in between the crankcase and the oil tank is such a bad idea IMHO.
 #1 it creates a sort of plenum where the air can compress and not so much goes    out  the vent hose and not as much vacuum is created.
#2 it dumps all the swarf and blowby into your clean oil.
#3 it pressurizes the timing case and head opening the door to a host of new leaks.
So (also IMHO) your lucky to have the system you have.   
[/quote]

Just got my Bullet and was trying to work out how this new breather system works.
It surely must vent somewhere or it's a bit pointless as a breather. I assumed it vented from the catchcan somehow. I didn't know about the hole between the crankcase and oil tank and thought it was breathing out through the timing case somehow (though it seemed unlikely) I now see that it works the other way round - draining into the timing case
I can't see any reason to breath via the oil tank though.
I understand the need for these systems but I'm minded to bin the lot and just extend the breather to the chain like we always used to.

[GreenMachine]

The above comments are interesting...I also rodded out the two black hoses...The input hose was pretty bad but the return hose wasn't clogged up at all..The third hose (Between the catch can and the filter box) was clear..The actual catch can was sightly filled at the bottom with funk...My 06 had about 3k on it when I inspected it but the dealer had reposition my catch can for better access so he may had done prior maintenance.

Assumimg  the input hose gets to the point that it gets clogged up as in the case that I indicated above, not much would make it to the catch can and very little would make it back to the return lines into the crankcase...the catch can is strictly a liquid collector... Any excess gas is  feed back to the airbox via the catch can and out the shorter tube between the  air box  and the catch can (Gas or liquids will go out a shorter  tube vice a longer tube "Return"  ...Make sense too me...Duck bill inside the bottom of the catch can makes sure that their is limited back pressure as this whole idea is to get the best of both world..Recycle unburn gases to the carb and get rid of moisture/contaminates to the catch can .....One would think that a oily funky air filter would indicate an overfilled catch can with a clogged up return line to the crankcase..  One would also think that ideally, their is no return of gunk  to the crankcase if the lines are cleared and the catch can is clean out regularly...Final thoughts...Enviormental conditions and riding habits probably add or substract on oil condensation and this subject...Some of us may be in a extremely dry area and operate the enfield for longer periods of time vice running to the store 2 miles to get a pack of whatever...Either way, a clogged artery on anything with cholesteral is obviously not good..Maybe a advicor in the oil will help..cheers..

[t120rbullet]

Just got my Bullet and was trying to work out how this new breather system works.
It surely must vent somewhere or it's a bit pointless as a breather. I assumed it vented from the catchcan somehow. I didn't know about the hole between the crankcase and oil tank and thought it was breathing out through the timing case somehow (though it seemed unlikely) I now see that it works the other way round - draining into the timing case
I can't see any reason to breath via the oil tank though.
I understand the need for these systems but I'm minded to bin the lot and just extend the breather to the chain like we always used to.

The crankcase vents into the oil tank, then it goes up to the catch can, from there the vapor goes into the airbox and the mayo drains back down to the timing chest.

[PhilJ]

In addition to that, if there is too much oil in the oil tank and it gets pumped out to the catch can, the catch can can fill up with oil and will drain first into the primary and secondly into and onto the air filter. (Notice the little stubby vent tube inside the catch can. It goes to the primary vent)

[txpilot]

so I should take the hose that conects to the box under the battery and just replace the whole setup with that duckbill?

[PhilJ]

From what I've gleaned, first don't overfill the oil. Second, make sure you always get the engine up to temperature to vaporize the moisture. Or you can do what I've read about and will be going to, install a Bunn Breather system. Made and patented in Australia. It's supposed to eliminate the pitfalls of what we have. I guess I'll find out.

[petefletcher]

The new system has one thing going for it I suppose - if the engine is wet sumping there is less chance of the excess oil from the crankcase getting into the air filter as it should end up back in the oil tank first.