GOOD AIR FILTERS SUCK THE MOST. You don’t need to be a mechanic to respect the necessity for a clean air filter to remove dirt before it gets into your motorcycle engine’s cylinders.
If small airborne particles, including dirt, dust, bugs and your significant other’s frayed denim can find its way into your engine, such can cause oil contamination and mechanical wear. And for those who change their own oil, it’s a better sign when your old oil doesn’t end up looking like a somewhat viscous pile of black, sandy sludge with frayed denim. (No disrespect intended for frayed denim, it just looks better worn on guys and gals than in motorbike oil.)
From a performance perspective, the ideal filter would offer the maximum amount of air flow with the maximum amount of cleaning. So, manufacturers design air filters to optimize these two opposing demands.
Motorcycle air filters can be of the disposable paper variety, or made of foam which can be washed and reused and there is also a higher-performance (and more expensive) cotton variety.
An oil-wetted foam filter element is a popular choice for for dirt bike riding where lots of dust particles are encountered.
Changing your motorcycle air filters often can also help increase your gas mileage, because your engine won’t have to work so hard to operate.
Some of the major brands for motorcycle air filters include K & N Engineering, BMC Air Filter, BikeMaster, Drag Specialties, Twin Air, Uni Filter and others.
