New shop selling K&N filters in Chaing Mai

There is a shop on Chiang Mai Land Road that carries K&N as well.

BobS

 

Does it make sense to but a K&N air filter without changing the jets and getting a free-flowing exhaust system?

 

Using a K&N filter does not always mean you have to alter the jets and certainly not the exhaust if your bike runs to rich you put less oil on the filter.

 

So what's the benefit if you only change airfilters?
If you have less restricted air intake, the engine should run more lean. A mechanic told me that there's practically no benefit if you alter only one component. To get more power and torque, you need more air/gas in and out, hence air filter/ jetting/ exhaust changes. Changing only either one may result in even worse performance. Lots of Honda Waves backfire when revved up because loud mufflers were installed.

 

Beware of the Hype, there are many tests done under laboratory conditions showing that K&N will let thru considerably more particulates than stock paper airfilters, and their perfomance drops off after use and "loading up" Let's look at a quote from one test.
If we had 100 grams of dust on a new BMW filter we would let through a total of 6.6 grams of dust in. If we used the new K&N filter we get 14.8 grams of dust. That's 224% (TWO HUNDRED TWENTY FOUR PERCENT!!) more dust ingested initially, stock vs. "free flow" and this ratio is pretty much held. Somewhere between 200-300% more dirt gets "ingested" anywhere across loading equivalence.
Look at the K&N website, lots of anectodal type "comparisons, Paper/ Foam / K&N" but very short on specifics and independant laboratory data.
Worse they have a drawings showing swirly air on the outside that is miraculously transformed into straight flow as it passes through the filter, CRAP !!! Only a moron would believe flow can be straightened up in the 3/4 mm passing trough the filter membrane. Auto manufactures aren't that stupid, sure they have a cost / Value constraint, but I'm sure if BMW/ Mercedes etc thought a K&N style filter would add a long term performance enhancement and still provide top particulate protection they would adopt the K&N style if not use the product. I am sure K&N gives a slightly better flow rate from new, but in general it has MUCH less filtration area, and filter area is an important part of long term engine protection.