| Author | Message | ||
     Billybob |
what do you'll think of k/n air filters. are they worth the extra cost?will i get a performance increase? i have a special ops pipe race ecm 07 airbox on a 06 xb9 cityx | ||
| Ferocity02 |
I added a K&N and ported the airbox and got a slight increase in power. Not much. The main reason I got it is because you can clean it instead of tossing it in the garbage. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
You can get a K&N on EBAY for about 50.00. Isn't the Buell filter around 80.00?? | ||
| Strmvt |
I got my K&N at autozone for about 45$ they had to order it but they can get it | ||
| Badlionsfan |
if the performance doesn't sell you the fact that you'll never have to buy another air filter should. i have seen demonstrations on the air flow of a k&n vs paper filter, and they are a more free flowing filter without a doubt. | ||
| Herobluebuell |
i used to like K&N untill i heard that they don't filter out the dirt very well. http://www.duramax-diesel.com/spicer/index.htm check that out sometime | ||
| Treadmarks |
I have had zero problems with the K&N filters in all my vehicles. The secret is regular maintenance and lubrication. The biggest reason they allow small particles to pass through them is the fact that some folks wash them and use an air hose to speed up drying time or do not keep them wet with oil. (Not that I have ever done that...  ) Don't forget, riding in the rain will wash the oil off the filter and dry it out if it is allowed to get wet. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
i wonder if they had it oiled properly? they flow air well, but the key to their filtration is the oil applied after you wash it. i've used k&n filers in my cagers for 10 years, and the cityx is getting one this year too. | ||
| Darthane |
Every vehicle I've owned has always had a K&N in it, even if it was the only thing I ever changed. No problems, and God knows how much I've saved on filters over the last 9 years and 4 vehicles. | ||
| Msparks |
Biggest beef I have is filtration efficiency. Compared to paper and other media the oil cotton is about 40 times less efficient than standard paper. The cleaning part is a pain, as you can't seem to get the right amount of oil after you clean it, either too much (and it gets all in your air box) or not enough and your allowing more dirt. I'll stick with paper thanks--Clean, Reliable, and efficient. | ||
| Xl1200r |
i used to like K&N untill i heard that they don't filter out the dirt very well. Just as that report claims that K&N scews numbers, that report does the exact same. According to that test, the K&N allowed 18x more dirt to pass through than the AC Delco filter. This is true, but the difference in effeciency is a mere 3% (97.8% vs 99.9%) If you typically ride in a dusty environement, then yeah, it might matter. Me - I check my car's paper airfilter every oil change. And everytime it looks pretty much just as new. If my car's supirior paper filter isn't catching hardly any dirt, then there isn't that much to let through in the first place. | ||
| Trojan |
We will have a new and exciting filter available next week that we have had developed by British filtration specialist Pipercross. This will be a more efficient filter than the K&N and will cost slightly less (here in the UK anyway). Over here the K&N costs GBP38.29 before tax and the Pipercross will be GBP33.19. For those who don't know the name, Pipercross supply filters to most of the British Superbike teams and some high profile WSB teams too  As soon as we have images I'll post a couple here. | ||
| Jos51700 |
I can hold a new, unmolested, preoiled-by-the-fine-people-at-K+N filter up to the light, and see enough daylight in some parts to admit a grain of sand. I'll lose a bit of flow. Good compression from no dirt wearing out my rings makes more power anyway. | ||
| Lamo |
Remember to remove the snorkel | ||
| Cityxslicker |
mmmm K&N +1 As someone that rides off road alot and is running the K&N air filter. They do a fine job with mud, dirt, beach sand and drifting dust from crop plains. That is the only part of the bike that I clean regularly. Once a month it gets cleaned, blown and recharged with oil. Your results may vary, but it works good for this Mud Bug. | ||
| Pwnzor |
40k+ miles on my K&N and my throttle body is clean as a whistle. | ||
| Sloppy |
I am not at all impressed by KN. Mine left a residue of fine grit in my air box that I could feel by hand. This doesn't happen with paper. The allure of buying your last filter is exciting, but then you get the reality of monthly cleaning, drying, oiling, blotting, drying, etc. When all this time could have been spent riding or being with family. The physics of filtration require that if you want more air flow then you need less restriction - and restriction is filtration. I did get a few HP increase, but only in the last few 500 rpm. If I was racing for a career I'd absolutely use it. But not for street riding. KN never makes the claim that they are better or as good as paper filters, only that they are good enough. In all the HP wars that bike mfg have, isn't it odd that they don't use one of this style of filters... I understand why people use them, but before you purchase make sure you understand the entire costs, time and downtime on your bike. For some it's worth it. For me it wasn't. Caveat emptor. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Downtime for the bike? WTF? It takes MAYBE 10 minutes to clean and re-oil. Let it dry over night. Or if you live up north, do it over the winter - shoudln't need it more than once a year anyways. Unless you mud bog the damned thing everday, but only a crazy would do something like that. | ||
| 147db |
K&N: -1  | ||
| 1324 |
Downtime for the bike? WTF? It takes MAYBE 10 minutes to clean and re-oil. Let it dry over night. Or if you live up north, do it over the winter - shoudln't need it more than once a year anyways. Unless you mud bog the damned thing everday, but only a crazy would do something like that. Xl1200r, I believe Sloppy is referring to the possible downtime you could incur due to the engine damage your K&N might cause. I use K&N filters on my vehicles, but I know they don't filter as well as paper. I don't have a good reason for using one other than wanting to believe I have the last hp at my disposal. When I have my oil samples analyzed, the K&N filter always causes high silicon levels....the simple fix is to never clean your filter since a dirty filter will filter more effectively. But then again, if you don't clean the K&N, you may as well stick with the stock filter. I've seen good data to support use of foam filters, but I'm not aware of an XB-specific one... | ||
| Sloppy |
If you follow KN cleaning instructions you'll note that it takes far more than 10 minutes. Over an hour is more like it. It takes about 5 minutes to change a paper filter and you'll have better filtration. All I'm saying is that KN's are not without negatives. For some it's worth it, for most it's not. If you want a faster bike then use the 80 bucks towards a track day! A FAR better return on investment than a piece of cloth with some oil on it... | ||
| Zoedogg1 |
K&N SUCKS!! I started using coffee filters...lol Right! I have had K&N in my cars, trucks and bikes and never a problem. If they were that bad, they would be out of business and race teams of EVERY type sure the hell wouldnt be using them...pretty hard to believe that Delco makes a better product then anyone else...thats a load if I've ever heard one  | ||
| Badlionsfan |
i run with window screens rubber-banded to the inlet of the throttle body.  | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
I use Chicken Wire as it allows great flow of air and a minimum of Chickens into the throttle body. | ||
| Sloppy |
Nobody is saying that KN is bad. It's just like other marketed power adder (snake oil;)). There's good and bad. They simply do not filter as well as paper filters nor do they maintain their flow efficiency as long as a paper filter. There is only ONE type of bike that the OEM manufacturers actually use these free flowing filters -- dirt bikes, and they carry NO warranty... Of course, that is the nice thing about chicken wire - they never require cleaning and you'll never have to buy another filter for the life of your vehicle. Heck, I'm sold! | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Sloppy, A word of caution, just as a determined thief can always get into your house, a determined chicken can always get into your intake. Always check for feathers prior to doing a T.P.S. reset.  |
