Air Boxes

The word "airbox" is commonly used by motorcyclists and auto enthusiasts to refer to what is actually an air intake chamber. Older engines took air into each individual carburetor directly from the environment. Instead, modern engines pull air directly into the intake ports of fuel-injected engines or into an airbox that is connected to each carburetor by a separate hose. This enables the use of a single air filter as opposed to many ones and permits the designers to take use of the characteristics of air to enhance performance. For instance, the airbox on today's high-performance motorbikes draws air from the front of the vehicle, forcing it into the engine rather than sucking it in. This may be seen, for instance, in the BMW S1000RR. Additionally, designers