[Fremen]

Hi,

Thinking of installing a K&N filter on my k7 wee.

Do any other changes need to be done if I do this?
Would I need to remap anything. I do not have a power commander.

 

[honest bob]

No changes required. You should keep an eye on the oil colour as it may get dirty faster. Some have reported that K&Ns will let more dirt through. Some say as long as it it set up per the instructions they are just as good as paper filters.

 

[Heavy]

Get ready for the wave of comments telling you to avoid the K&N. I've had one in my Strom since very early on and I'm happy with it. No need for any tweaks.

I neglected mine in 2008, figuring I'd clean it before I put it away. I was pretty surprised to find this, when I went in to service it.

I like to put a thin smear of wheel bearing grease on the inside of my airbox. The thought is that it'll help trap any dust that gets past the filter. I wiped the grease out of the box with a white paper towel and there were no signs of dirt infiltration.

 

[PTRider]

Mixed reviews on the K&N air filters. In our bikes they seem to filter OK and may allow slightly more air flow at wide open throttle and high rpms vs. a clean standard filter. (In other vehicles sometimes they actually allow a bit less air flow. In some vehicles, including my Volvo, they allow dirt to pass with dust showing on the downstream side of the filter.) There is no fuel mileage benefit to any kind of air filter on a fuel injected engine with its modern fuel management system. At anything less than wide open throttle and high rpms, air flow discussions are moot--the throttles are doing their job of restricting air flow, or the pistons aren't pumping enough air to make any difference.

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

If you ride street mostly a K&N will suffice and save you some money by reusing. In the dirt and dust, the K&N sucks badly, the paper is better, and oiled foam would be best.

I just use the OEM since it is a bitch to change and I wait 20,000 miles typically.

 

[cbrxxcess]

I have yet to get into a airbox using the factory paper filter and not find that it was leaking. This includes both my wife and my Vstrom with them installed from the factory at 500 miles. And just recently another 2007 Vstrom with 5000 miles on it. All of them had the gasket on them. I am not impressed with the factory filter and will continue to use my K&N.

 

[bwringer]

My Vee came to me with a K&N filter, and I've never found the slightest hint of dirt in the airbox despite being full of dirt and bees (always bees -- why bees?) on the dirty side.

People who have problems with K&N filters usually did not follow the cleaning and re-oiling directions. The cleaner is just ordinary TSP, but it's very important to allow the filter to dry completely after cleaning and to use the K&N oil -- lots of it -- and not some other filter oil.

There are some applications in other vehicles where the available K&N filter is known to be a poor fit, but in the case of the V-Strom, it actually fits a lot better and more reliably than the lousy stock filter/gasket.

The "flowing more air" hype is just hooey, but I like not needing to buy the expensive, low-rent stock filters.

 

[SV Racing Parts]

BMC Filters,

I have used K&N many times and never had any issue, be sure to follow their installation and maintenance instructions,

Personally I use and carry the BMC High Flow Air Filter on my DL650. They come pre-oiled so they are good to go on installing out of the Box and seal well,

I have one extra left if stock here if you are interested, They are rated for higher air flow than K&N, which is in itself superior to OEM,

There is no need to remap or adjust anything with any of the air filters, just install it and you are good to go,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

 

[notacop]

(always bees -- why bees?)

Mine too. WHen I got the wee a few months ago I did the compulsory filter check and found where all the missing hives had gone.
I had a K&N in a series of Beemers because they all used the same one. No problem. Clean it every 50K miles or so and fagetaboutit.

 

[Fremen]

Thanks for all the info.

Has anyone noticed improved fuel economy from running one?