Air Filter - Does it Need Replacing
 

Hi All.

While doing my service today I opened up the airbox to check the filter. The element wadding looked grey. Towards the edges it looks like it might have been white originally. Having never seen a new one, is the original colour gey or white?

If it's white I guess I need a new one. Does anybody know how much they cost for a K3 650 for a Suzuki original.

How much would a K&N set me back? Has anybody fitted one of these without upseting the fuelling? I don't really want to go the expense of having to make fuelling adjustments.

Many thanks
Tim

How many miles have you done on the bike since you bought it / since the last service?


A quick check in the owners handbook should tell you what to replace and when to replace it.

HTH.

Suzuki one is £15-20, K&N is around £40-45, though the K&N is supposed to last forever. Mine also looks very grey - K3 on 9000 miles. I have been blasting it out with air every now and again, which gets rid of leaves and the like, but I think it's almost up for a change. 11,000 miles I think, is the official change point.

I'd be curious also regarding the fuelling as I would prefer to spend the extra and buy an aftermarket one as well.

Re: Air Filter - Does it Need Replacing
 

Yep, they're white as I got shown my old grey one and a new white one at the 4000 mile service. I am looking at some aftermarket one's - K&N, BMC and Pipercross. They all cost roughly £40(give or take a fiver) for a pointy

I Just got charged £17.50 + vat for one in my 7500 mile service

i'm in two minds weather to buy a K N but i didn't want to spend £40 and screw up the fuelling :roll: some say it would be ok others say diff.

I think mine's running slightly rich anyway so it'll probably improve the fueling if anything.

have you got a k+n at the mo law.

In the relatively clean environment in the UK, air filters will last a lot longer than the recommended service interval.

Yes they will look grey, what do you expect from something designed to catch dust from the air going through it? :wink: The filter medium (often synthetic nowadays) is laid up in progressively finer weave towards the clean side so bigger particles are caught first allowing the rest of the medium to be used to best effect. I suspect they are made white on purpose to encourage premature replacement!

You have to put quite a lot of dust into a filter to appreciably increase the pressure drop, what used to really hit them hard was in the days of "smog" when there was a lot of wet soot in the air.

All things being equal a stock filter will be fine for 20k miles at least, but if it makes you feel happier then replace it, there's no harm to be done. :wink:

I always use OE filters on road vehicles, I know what standards the vehicle manufacturers work to but I've never seen any technical analysis of filtration efficiency for the K&N etc types, I suspect it depends a lot on how well/frequently they are serviced. Road dust is a very effective grinding paste when mixed with oil on the cylinder walls.

No, am still wondering which filter is better, prob get it done after winter.