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Oem air filters

5K views 37 replies 22 participants last post by  intheshedman 
#1 ·
Whats up guys,
Is the oem air filter reusable? It looks like it could be vacuumed out.
Any luck with k&n ?
 
#3 ·
K&N or and gauze type filter are great at 2 things:

1. Flowing lots of air
2. Letting lots of fine particulate pass through

Vacuuming the OEM or an filter will successfully get the big chunks off but the filter medial will be impregnated with fine particulate. Hold the filter up to a light and if the light is fairly bright the filter is okay to keep going. If it dark and dingy time for a new one.
 
#4 ·
You could try vacuuming it but like @Brockie said the best method is compressed air from the underside. I just replace, at about $33 USD it's cheap insurance, but that's just me.



268341
 
#6 ·
Why all the K&N bashing? If you don't like them don't use one, otherwise show some proof that its not effective. My 650 had one most of it 122K and I never saw a spec of anything on the inside (Under the filter) of the airbox. Cleaned at 20-25,000 mi. intervals.
Kith(Wera) had one on his 1000 that went well beyond 425K.
PS- Mine saw many a 1,000 mi. of dusty roads.
 
#7 ·
Oiled filter left me by the side of the road. A normal filter will shed enough dust to still flow, oiled media causes dust to stick to it and clog. It is such a common issue that they sell wraps and prefilters for automotive filters to keep the fine dust away from the filter - unfortunately there is no way to fit one to most bikes.
 
#8 ·
"Why all the K&N bashing? If you don't like them don't use one, otherwise show some proof that its not effective. My 650 had one most of it 122K and I never saw a spec of anything on the inside (Under the filter) of the airbox. Cleaned at 20-25,000 mi. intervals.

Kith(Wera) had one on his 1000 that went well beyond 425K.
PS- Mine saw many a 1,000 mi. of dusty roads."

The OP asked about K&N's so we're telling him about them. Gauze high flow filter can flow more air becasue they have larger opening/gaps in the media. This means they can flow more air but filter less particulate from the air.
 
#11 ·
I used the Hi-Flo as well, although if I went through all the trouble to remove it I'd replace it rather than blow it off. For an adventureish bike they sure make it a nightmare to get to the air filter.
 
#13 ·
The race guys, mostly 4 wheelers mount the air intake up high so get the intake out of the dust storm they drive through or generate themselves. Decades ago a friend was recommending the K$N due to its use by racers in the Baja 1000. Seems as it loads up a bit the filtering becomes more effective. When i got one for my Jeep I seem to remember it was supposed to be good for a million miles and had a clean and re-oil interval of 50 K miles.
For most of us we aren't going to see the kinda of dust that will really test even the factory filter....if you put some window screen over the inlet to keep the bugs out...for many 10's of thousands of miles. I pull mine out every year or two and whack it on the ground and knock out the big chunks then use the compressed air. Bike still runs fine at 100K miles and I haven't replaced the OEM filter in years.
Of course I'm wrong but some folks get too excited . Much ado about nothing as Willy Shakespeare said.
 
#15 ·
The race guys, mostly 4 wheelers mount the air intake up high so get the intake out of the dust storm they drive through or generate themselves. Decades ago a friend was recommending the K$N due to its use by racers in the Baja 1000. Seems as it loads up a bit the filtering becomes more effective. When i got one for my Jeep I seem to remember it was supposed to be good for a million miles and had a clean and re-oil interval of 50 K miles.
For most of us we aren't going to see the kinda of dust that will really test even the factory filter....if you put some window screen over the inlet to keep the bugs out...for many 10's of thousands of miles. I pull mine out every year or two and whack it on the ground and knock out the big chunks then use the compressed air. Bike still runs fine at 100K miles and I haven't replaced the OEM filter in years.
Of course I'm wrong but some folks get too excited . Much ado about nothing as Willy Shakespeare said.
K&N had/has a million mile warranty. They need to be maintained in between.
 
#14 ·
I have used K&N air filters in a few vehicles and bikes over the years. I've never had a problem. In fact, I really think the vast majority of ststed problems are down to one thing - over oiling. They are not supposed to be WET.

Just my opinion about the over oiling...

Cheers,
Glenn
 
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#16 ·
I use the OEM filter in my Strom, change it about every 20-25K miles, it probably has more life in it. I've also tried blowing it with air. I check it every Spring to see if it needs replacement, but more to see if mice have moved into the air box over the winter.

I've had a K&N in my Harley for the past 30+ years (206K miles) and no issues. I clean it about every 10K miles.

The K&N site gives info on when to clean. Was surprised that they recommend running it until it's FILTHY, if the screen is completely covered with dirt it may be time to clean. As Notacop mentioned, I've heard they filter better if they're a little dirty.
 
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#18 ·
This pretty much says it all
"Compared to the AC, the K&N “plugged up” nearly 3 times faster, passed 18 times more dirt and captured 37% less dirt. See the data tables for a complete summary of these comparisons."
 
#22 ·
The Lab test results come as no surprise to me.
I was over the 'small' ( 2 ton & smaller trucks, air compressors of 375 & less cfm, welders, etc.) equipment division @ United Rentals for close to 15 years and found out (the hard & expensive way) not to run K&N's on PowerStroke Ford trucks.
The flow required with these units far exceeded the filter's ability to handle it, resulting in 'dusted' engines.
The decision to use them came from the 'bean counters' up front because I was going thru filters about every oil change (5k or so...) at a cost of aprox $130.00 each vs. the 'reusable' K&N's at about the same price.
A couple of $6k+ motors changed their minds quickly after that.
I currently use a K&N because my o.e. was wet & failed. The bike is my main transportation so waiting 4~6 days to get here was not a option at that time & it was better than nothing...
It was available locally and only cost me $6.00 more than the (now defunct) dealership wanted for a o.e. unit.
As a side note, I could not detect any performance difference.
I have used HiFlow filters in the past with fully satisfactory results. Next service interval I will most likely order one & install it. They appear to be a good 'bang for the buck' value & as far as I've seen the same quality as the o.e..
If Purolater made an air filter I would give it a shot. I have changed the o.f. to one w/ the adapter& like the results.
 
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#27 ·
I don't think anyone is saying if you use a oiled gauze filter your motor is in eminent danger of failure because of particulate infiltration especially at low miles. I'd certainly not consider "high mileage" being 65,000 miles on any modern engine.

I also don't think anyone is saying oiled gauze filters, filter to a higher micron level vs pleated paper. Oiled gauze filters are like a kitchen colander (high flow low filtration) and pleated paper filter are like coffee filters (low flow high filtration). Pour wet coffee grounds in to both and one will drain faster but filter less and the other will filter more but drain slower.
 
#28 ·
What I'm saying is "why bother with K&N filters?" There's no performance advantage, and unless you rack up mileage at an incredible rate, the cost savings are minimal, and they arguably don't filter as well, although I'm not sure the minimal amount of "dust" that we're talking about here will have any real effect on the lifespan of a typical motorcycle. I'm talking about on a street bike, in normal operating conditions. Could be a different story if you operate in very dusty conditions regularly, though that's also where I would want the superior filtering ability of the pleated paper filters.
 
#34 ·
I don't thinks its that simple. Paper element may actually be far easier on the environment that a pleated gauze type. A gauze element need to be washed with water and detergent. This creates waste water that need to be treated then the filter needs re-oiled that had to be extracted and refined.

Kind of like how people like how Prius cars have a small carbon footprint until you account for the manufacture and disposal of the batteries. Then the lines are a lot more blurred n wht is more environmentally f
riendly

Sometimes more is less.
 
#33 ·
I tried a HiFiltroPro filter this last time around, just for giggles.

I'm due for an oil change in not too long. Maybe I'll get the oil analyzed, just for giggles.

Doubt I'll see any difference. Vs. a Suzuki filter, the HiFiltroPro looks pretty much the same. Media is red rather than white, and there's a slightly different arrangement of the paper supporting structure.
 
#35 ·
I use OEM filters on my bikes and cars/trucks. They are easy to grab from Amazon (need to plan ahead) or bite the bullet and get from dealer. OEM air and oil filters are just too easy to obtain and use.

I quit using K&N airflow filter chargers (or what ever they are calling them now) years ago. I don't trust the oil in the filter not going downstream. I have no data and the interwebs are full of opinions...just like mine.
 
#38 ·
Blowing out paper filters is a life extender to get out more of that dust than tapping (gently) doesn't shift. However it is crucial that you don't apply high air pressure as you will blow microscopic tunnels through the paper that will eventually lead to a dusted engine. The intake suck from the engine generates a HUGE amount less air pressure on the dirty side than a compressor air nozzle.
15-20 lbs is more than enough to do the job and never put the nozzle against the filter element.
 
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