[FlyTheWing]

Hi,

I just purchased this 2001 with 4700 miles on it and decided to change fluids and filters.

Here's what I found when I took the top off the air filter.

Any suggestion on what this idiot was trying to achieve??

http://www.geocities.com/sweetvlx/filter.htm

It is some sort of shredded cotton material (about 3 good handfulls) that he must have either stuffed through the aircleaner inlet or put in the airbox. With so few miles on it, I doubt the top has been off the aircleaner so more likely he fed it in by the handfulls through the intake tubes.

MAYBE, just maybe it has been in there from new?? Yikes!

On the throttle-body side of the filter all is squeaky clean.

FTW

 

[Lucky Phil]

Looks like a mouse was building a nest. They build them in the weirdest places. :lol:

 

[CouchRocketDave]

Gotta agree with Phil - looks like a mouse was setting up housekeeping.

 

[Bulldog]

Mice prefer motorcycle air boxes to a condo on the Riviera. I have had squirrels climb in there and set up housekeeping as well.

Lots of ideas how to prevent this. Moth balls to a dozen cats in the garage. I prefer mouse traps in the fall, when the mice start looking for their condo in the Catskills. Get them, before they get you!

Bulldog

 

[storm]

I'd have to go with the three mousekiteers as the culprit. They like exhaust pipes also.

 

[Lucky Phil]

I've pulled many cars out of back yards or barnyards to work on or strip for parts for my current project. I find these nests all the time, and I even found one in my daily driver van. Someone on one of the auto sites I frequent posted this picture of a sure-fire mousetrap. It's a 5 gallon pail with a beer/soda can mounted on a threaded rod, with nuts to keep it in place. Smear the can with peanut butter, put a board up the side and antifreeze in the bottom. The mice climb the board and jump to the can to get the peanut butter, the can spins, and the mice fall into the antifreeze. If you have pets, you need to modify it so they can't drink the antifreeze; it's poisonous to animals. It's gruesome, but who do you care more about? Your cars/bikes or the mice?

 

[storm]

Note to self - when I die do not come back as mouse. :lol:

 

[Red]

ROFL ! :lol:

You have critters! Mine was stored a year in a "open" garage before I bought it. When the mechanic went to change the air filter when he changed the ECM for me, it had what looked like a squirrels nest in it! I had ridden around with the nest in there for over 25,000 miles.

Your filter looks good! Lose the extras and reinstall! LOL....

 

[Wingman26]

MICE! :cus:

Pretty good mouse trap Phil! :lol:

 

[CAWing]

Those critters can sure play havoc with the wiring, rubber hoses, etc. At work we have vehicles come in all the time with serious problems due to critters looking for a place to nest.
Like the idea of the 5 gal. bucket and the spinning can. Kinda like a log rolling contest with mice.

 

[Curt Fesler]

My neighbor lady kept two cats in her garage. They had Cat houses and food while she went to work. She claimed they kept the mice away. One day the air conditioning quit working on her new Ford Explorer. I dropped it off at the dealer for her. You could not believe the mouse nest that was built inside the air conditioning unit ducts. The service Tech filled a cardbox full of debris to show her. They also had a bunch of cat food stored along with all the nesting material.

 

[Road Runner]

That is definitely a mouse nest. Guess Mickey and Minnie were trying out a new location!

A friend of mine (over ten years ago) had a GL1200 that he had kept in a storage barn type building near his house. He and his wife were out riding one day and his wife (an art teacher) noticed a mouse on her right leg! Talk about rolling on the floor laughing ... you had to hear her tell it at one of our GWRRA meetings ... hilarious! One thing about it, she did not cause her husband to wreck their bike!

I like the sure fire mouse trap with the board - can with peanut butter and antifreeze in the 5 gallon bucket!

 

[Guest]

Mouse Trap

Phil--

I haven't stopped laughing yet, but I've been to Home Depot and back since I saw your "industrial-strength" mouse trap....now have all the parts, assembly about to begin!!


Thanks for a great idea! :lol:

Ron

 

[DaveS]

:lol: Phil you've done it! you've built the better mouse trap. Seriously that's a great idea I'm going to built one. (Mice-mice we don't need no stinking mice). At least not in the house or garage. Dave

 

[Mike Byerly]

Weird

A mouse did the same thing to my Venture, I was wondering about the lack of power..... don't know how long it was in there... it was dog food in mine.

Mike

 

[cycledude]

if you want to control mice get a minature lab,very effective, they were originally bred for controlling mice and rats on ships.

 

[Mr Ed]

Hmmm..... Neat mousetrap, Phil. I may have to give that a try. I bet it'd work just fine with a couple of inches if water in the bottom. Then it could just be dumped in the woods without filing an environmental impact statement

 

[glgeek]

been there

after i replaced the filter, i got some 1/4" mesh and glued it to the end of each snorkel with epoxy.

geek

 

[CBVet]

FTW I agree you have mice.
Let me tell you what I found in the air filter box of a 1983 Wing I bought used. The Wing was owned by a younger fella early 20's my guess. When I pulled the box apart to charge the filter I found a baggie with some grass in it, and nope not grass cuttings from his lawn either :lol:

 

[Ed Siemers]

Good trap Phil, but it can be much safer and simpler. We use a canola hydraulic fluid and a while back I found a 5 gallon container with the remains of about 30 decomposing mice in it.

I suggest you pour about a cup of vegetable oil in a 5 gallon plastic bucket. The mice can't resist the food, and the slippery food makes it impossible for them to escape the bucket. You might want to clean it out before it gets 30 of them gathered :shock: