[jtcNinja]

First off im gonna say I feel like a newb asking this...

How often should I clean an air filter out or replace one?

Mind you, I've raced dirtbikes and I know the steps and process for those.. Depending on conditions and if it was very dusty lately or muddy or dry then I'd have different results with the filter.

But with this bike I have an 05 zx10r only a week old for me, has about 2600 miles on it. I'm thinkin of slapping in a K&N for cleaning purposes. Any recommendations?

 

[OneShadeOfGreen]

Kawasaki filters are generally very good and you don't gain anything really by changing them in isolation. I clean mine (On an '02 ZX9R) every service IF it needs it, which with UK weather it generally does.

I just put a new (Kawi) one in at 44,000 miles 'cos i had one, the old one still looked and worked sound.

Your dirtbike experience will count for the road in so far as knowing if it needs cleaning/changing, just much less often :smile:

 

[Connman]

K&N or BMC (I prefer BMC), will make a World of difference. You will most certainly see gains in HP and better filtering capabilities over the stock filter, especially if you have a PCIII or aftermarket exhaust.
I generally clean and oil my filters, (the zx-12 has 2 air filters), twice a year.

 

[jtcNinja]

ha that is way different than im used to... twice a year as compared to the dirtbikes when I'd do it every month

 

[MFolks]

If you go with a K&N, I use regular dish washing soap to remove the dirt and old filter oil.
Rinse the soap from the filter and let dry, An oven at 250 F will speed the drying process.

I'd avoid using compressed air to dry the cleaned filter as it may tear when blasted with shop air.

When re-oiling the filter, put a thin line of the oil on the ridges on the outside of the housing and let it spread out. It is possible to over oil this type of filter and can foul plugs until the excess is burned off.

 

[jtcNinja]

very true, with a dirtbike you basically coat the thing nice with the oil I got for it which is like a thick sticky red oil. I've used compressed air but thats on a dirtbike one which you can squish with your hands to ring out all the water.

 

[soc_monki]

dirt bike every MONTH! when i rode my KX125 at the track id clean it after EVERY day i ran in the dirt! that thing got so filled with dust and dirt i wouldnt have chanced riding it longer than a day or two without cleaning it LOL

as for a streetbike...just check it and see if its dirty and needs to be replaced. stock filters are paper and you CAN kind of clean them. beat the excess dust out. but you can replace it with a K&N or BMC and keep it for the life of the vehicle and not have to worry about changing it. just cleaning it. i changed mine over to K&N recently because i was doing the X-TRE install and was going to be under the tank anyway. filter looked decent though, not very dirty at all. ill keep it around just for "in case" reasons. probably will never need it though.

 

[jtcNinja]

when I raced I'd clean the air filter the day before and since I only raced the track near my house and not 2 hours away most races were like once a month or 2 at most. ridin trails if things got messy I'd clean more than once a month.