Is A K&N Air Filter Worth Buying?

[maicoman009]

 I was recently at my local auto parts store getting oil for my truck & I asked them if they had or could get a K&N air filter for a '11' KTM-300xc. They did'nt have one in stock but they could order one for around $120.00 & I was wondering if it would be worth the price & what kind 'if any' power increase would it make?.....

[TMKIWI]

K&N filters are great for race cars but I dont think I would want 1 in my bike.
Oiled foam seams to work fine in a dirt bike.

[eprovenzano]

No do not use one on your bike, plus at $120...    Buy a few some good uni-filters (or brand of your choice), keep them preoiled and change frequently.

[maicoman009]

No do not use one on your bike, plus at $120...    Buy a few some good uni-filters (or brand of your choice), keep them preoiled and change frequently.

That sounds like great advice to me eprovenzano.It does seem to get old @ least to me always cleaning my stock twin air filter & buying 5 or 6 more & pre-oiling them is an awesome idea! I always clean my filter after every 2 to 3 rides & I hate cleaning & oiling them big time! Not so much oiling them but cleaning them & waiting & waiting for them to dry really sucks!...............................Thanks for the great advice 

[SachsGS]

Can Am motorcycles used K&N filters.

[beaner]

They work great on off road bikes, but there's not much value at $120.

[ford832]

K&N's don't filter down to as fine a micron as a twin air,uni or equivalent.If you ride in dust-some WILL get by.Don't waste your money and engines' life.

[beaner]

They're probably better than either of those. I think just about all the desert buggy and truck guys use them for a reason.

[ford832]

They're probably better than either of those. I think just about all the desert buggy and truck guys use them for a reason.

Certainly.And that reason would be that they're paid to use them.More weight,less filtration,more money.What's not to like. " title="Roll Eyes" class="smiley">
Use them if you like beaner-I have-and learned from it.How many pro MXers or off roaders use them-if they're better?
BTW sachs,Can am may have used K&N but on the other hand,Maico likely used old pairs of Adolphs socks-can't say I'd want to stretch one over the YZ carb though.

[VintageBlueSmoke]

K&N filters do perform better than oiled foam filters in terms of filtering (preventing dust and debris from entering the engine) and in performance since air flow is straightened and less restrictive, allowing more air into the engine. However, they are more susceptive to water and large particle clogging (mud).

An additional problem is with marketing. K&N sells air filters "for the life of the vehicle". This is misleading. In cars, they figure the life of the vehicle is 150,000 miles - and that is for on-road use. In addition, most users don't do the required maintenance "clean & refresh" as required. You may clean your foam filter every ride but most people replace and forget, thus eventually losing performance and possibly damaging their engines.

Don't use the excuse "that's what the Pro's use". Pro's would wear women's underwear and ride Chinese pogo sticks if you paid them.

[MetalMike1982]

  Interesting that this question came up . A few years ago a friend of mines brother started bashing every air filter that wasnt k&n , saying they were the best since he put one in his 96 z28 .  Well we decided to do a little test to see if the K&n was better .     Test Bike: ESR trx250r quad (not mine), 1st we made sure that the inside of the carb boot was clean and it was spotless , installed a new uni filter then went riding in a sand pit a few miles away for a couple of hrs .  removed the uni and checked carb boot , was still spotless not one grain of sand on the inside . 2nd we installed a brand new k&n with a an outer ware bag over it , went and rode in the same place for the same amount of time brought it back home and pulled the k&n off and holy crap the inside of the carb boot was coated with a thin layer of sand and my buddy was regretting using his $4000 quad to do the test on  . It was pretty clear what filter actually filtered the air better and it was NOT k&n .  They are junk , and after that test it proved it . Would never waste my money on one of those pos's.
 Opinions are like a-holes but I've seen first hand with my own 2 eyes the difference in an off road application and it was scary to say the least .

[SachsGS]

Maicos use Twin Air or Uni depending on the year.

As far as Yamahas go....a bird's nest stuffed in the airbox will suffice.

[Charles Owens]

I agree.. For that price, as previously said, buy several air filters of your choice. Oil them up and keep them in zip locks. Swap them out when needed at the track/riding spot, clean the used ones when you get home.

[VintageBlueSmoke]

I'm not challenging you MetalMike1982, but I've done the same test with Twin Air and Uni (twin) filters on bikes and came up with opposite results! One of those 2 foam filter companies sponsored me and their filter actually let pieces of burnt wood behind the filter! (riding in a recently controlled burned area).

I do agree with Charles though. I personally now use the preoiled, throw away filters on most of my bikes (that they make them for), K&N on the Can-Am (just easier than modifying the airbox for another), and whatever I can get for the rest of them. I use 1 filter per race (day) and usually bring a spare just in case.

SachGS is right about Yamaha's though...and I have pics!

[eprovenzano]

As far as Yamahas go....a bird's nest stuffed in the airbox will suffice.

Isn't that what Ford uses?