Stock Air Filter or K & N Air Filter

[SteveandBelinda]

Need to change air filter. Been 33,000 miles. Don't look too bad for that many miles and can see light through it, but was wondering others opinions on the stock new vs K & N.
Stock is $34.00 and the K & N is about $50.00
Is there really any noticeable difference between the two, performance wise, or gas mileage?
My bike is a 2014 RT Limited with 33,000 miles.

[BajaRon]

Oh My!


https://tenor.com/view/thinking-grenades-family-guy-familyguy-gif-9926734

[Cobwebs]

Waste of money if you want to go faster just twist the throttle more.


170835

[Mazo EMS2]

Get a stock one. I tried K//N in my two vehicles. Neither of them were a great fit, and neither one of them got anymore performance or mileage from the K/N. Waste of money in my opinion. I didn't even try to clean them and put back in....I tossed em in the junk. I'm not due for a filter on the Spyder yet, but when it's time, it'll be a quality paper one. I don't wanna chance sucking oil or anything else through an oil-filmed filter on my Spyder. Some love em.....me, not so much

[2dogs]

The biggest advantage to a K & N is that it's a reusable filter. However, most folks don't keep their motorcycles, cars and etc. long enough to take advantage of the value savings of a reusable filter.

[Chupaca]

All depends on the ryding you do. For the normal tour and Sunday Ryde skip it and get the stock or BajaRon has a better than stock. If your an aggressive Ryder with other mods for performance it is a great filter. I, for one, always change out to K&N filters engines just run better....:thumbup:

[Dennis in Lodi]

The biggest advantage to a K & N is that it's a reusable filter. However, most folks don't keep their motorcycles, cars and etc. long enough to take advantage of the value savings of a reusable filter.

True words. The K&N filter for our Spyders is very well constructed, a perfect fit, and NOT paper at all! Hyperone tested a K&N for his F3 and told me he felt some improved starting power with it. Given how reliable I felt his opinion was I tried one my self as I have been doing timed testing for the Monster fuel flashes. I too felt there was a cleaner more powerful start off the line into the low RPMs. However, I couldn't measure that gain in my speed trap testing. I have washed my K&N filter once so I guess I'm ahead. But don't put this filter in the cheap or inferior category. It is better constructed and stronger than the stock filter.
Bajanron, why would you post a negative video about an after market product when your bread and butter is selling after market products. Do you have some information that the K&N filter for our Spyders will grenade if you use them?
Dennis

[BajaRon]

True words. The K&N filter for our Spyders is very well constructed, a perfect fit, and NOT paper at all! Hyperone tested a K&N for his F3 and told me he felt some improved starting power with it. Given how reliable I felt his opinion was I tried one my self as I have been doing timed testing for the Monster fuel flashes. I too felt there was a cleaner more powerful start off the line into the low RPMs. However, I couldn't measure that gain in my speed trap testing. I have washed my K&N filter once so I guess I'm ahead. But don't put this filter in the cheap or inferior category. It is better constructed and stronger than the stock filter.
Bajaron, why would you post a negative video about an after market product when your bread and butter is selling after market products. Do you have some information that the K&N filter for our Spyders will grenade if you use them?
Dennis

The Grenade GIF was not about the filter. It was about the question. I've seen all the negative feedback on the K&N (and similar) air filters many times and I knew what was coming. I don't mind negative feedback. As long as it is factual.

The advantage of the K&N air filter to Spyder owners is the 50,000 mile service interval. That's 2 paper filters for the average rider. So even if you throw your K&N away after 50k you've saved money. If you service the air filter, that's another 2 paper filters and you're way ahead. True, most people don't keep their Spyder for 100k. But that's not K&N's fault.

People will say that you'll get oil in your intake from the treated K&N filter. This is only possible (Maybe) if you way over oil the filter when serviced. Again, not K&N's fault. Servicing a K&N air filter is very east to do correctly. A properly oiled K&N filter will not put oil in your intake. But if you're worried about this. Think about your crank case breather and all that vaporized oil getting sucked into your throttle bodies. If you get oil in your intake it is much more likely to be coming from the unlimited supply from the crank case breather than from your K&N air filter.

People say the K&N filter doesn't fit well. In my experience they fit better than the OEM filter. I have had a few customers who had trouble with the 1330 filter. But once they realized they were installing it incorrectly, that was no longer an issue. Most have no problem installing any of the K&N air filters I carry.

Is the K&N air filter for everyone? No. I doubt that you can find any product that makes everyone happy. Are they junk? No, the K&N air filters are of very high quality and will work as advertised.

Will the K&N air filter give the average rider increased performance? Probably not. I tell customers not to expect any improvement unless they have done other performance upgrades to exhaust, ECU, etc.

So, if the 50k service interval and saving some money and installation time does not appeal to you. Then the paper filter is the way to go.

[Lew L]

K&N filters on every vehical I own ( except the wife's new car ). I do tend to keep my vehicals a long time.

Lew L

[2dogs]

I have K&N's on just about every motor I own. (I don't have one on the lawnmower or wood splitter.) Never had an issues with any of them related to the K&N air filters. K&N (if I recall correctly) advertises that their filter's performance level doesn't come on until 6k rpm or above. I know my wife's Cherokee has never seen 6k in it's entire life, even after I've driven it. For that matter none of our vehicles have ever seen 6k. My spyder may have hit 6k a time or two but if it did I wasn't paying any attention to the tach at the time. So, like Ron mentioned, the best attribute of the K&N is that you'll never have to buy another air filter for what ever you put it on. Providing you care for it properly.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Considering the fact that Spyders are almost exclusively ridden on paved roads, and generally speaking air on highways is pretty clean, I really don't see much advantage of the K&N filter, other than the extended time between cleaning/replacement. I saw very little dust on my RT filter when I changed it out at 28,000 miles. Now, if the filter is available for the Rykers, and one plans to ride the Ryker on dirt and gravel roads, then it probably would be well worth installing one. ATVs use oil soaked air filters because they do a better job of trapping dust and ATVs run on dirt most of the time. If you live and ride in an area with a lot of dust flying around in the air then the K&N would be worth considering for Spyders. But if the dust in the air is that bad you probably won't be riding anyway!

[AeroPilot]

170866 Pulled the original air filter on the F3T at 20,000 miles. It didn't seem as dirty as the air filters on the car at 20,000 miles but I switched to the K & N and just cleaned and oiled it this winter at 20,000 miles elapsed... It was pretty dirty, but then we do get a lot of dust storms and dustnados here in the arid west. YMMV.

Either way I lean toward changing air filters often

[Cobwebs]

Oiled filters do wear out, every time you squeeze them out you break down the structure.The older they get the more fragile they become.More downside than up according to any legit tests.Marketing at it's finest to the i can do that myself and gain something for relatively little cost mob.Right up there with miracle coolants and %$#@ enlargement.

https://nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

[McRuss]

Umm, oiled FOAM filters do wear out. K&N filters are not foam and I've never had one wear out. I use K&N's spray cleaner and water to clean them (per instructions), then spray them with filter oil. Never had a problem with too much oil but then I'm careful. I will probably purchase a K&N for my Ryker as it will see dirt roads and be cleaned more often than 20,000 miles.

[Cobwebs]

Umm, oiled FOAM filters do wear out. K&N filters are not foam and I've never had one wear out. I use K&N's spray cleaner and water to clean them (per instructions), then spray them with filter oil. Never had a problem with too much oil but then I'm careful. I will probably purchase a K&N for my Ryker as it will see dirt roads and be cleaned more often than 20,000 miles.

Same deal with cotton each flush removes already sparingly supplied material and creates bigger air gaps.Without testing at each clean it's pure guesswork,not like you'll see the damage with the naked eye.Stock filters flow more air than is needed so it's pure quackery.

[CENTAUR]

K&Ns in my Ridgeline, Grom, R11R, K75 and I would put one in my Bonnie and CTX700 if I didn't have to disassemble the dang things to do it. Obviously I'm sold on K&N. Seat-o-the-panzz physics ain't scientiffical-like but I believe it makes a slight difference in throttle response. I'm so satisfied with Ryk at the moment I'll add K&N later.
CENTAUR
:riding: