The OEM "filter" was all curled inside the fuel line... probably doing more bad than good...

I may need something to replace those zip ties but it's not leaking.

http://i.imgur.com/6w3eETN.jpg

That poor thing has seen better times !!!

So I am still on my original fuel filter. Should I clean it or replace it with something like this?

So I am still on my original fuel filter. Should I clean it or replace it with something like this?

Declaring myself not an expert, I firmly believe something like this would be a better choice, just make sure you get something not meant to be used with a fuel pump.

The EX500 doesn't come with a fuel filter at all. It was discovered that a ZX-6R/ZZR600 filter (49019-1085, which looks pretty similar to the EX250's 49019-1092) works perfectly (http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fuel_Filter_Installation#A_Better_Fuel_Filter_Option). The OEM filter works better for us for a few reasons. You're not modifying the fuel line at all, so you don't have to worry about the extra volume of the filter or a slightly different overall fuel line length messing with the routing (leading to kinks and such). Since the filter sits in the rail right at the carbs, it will also catch anything at all in the fuel lines. As they get older, they can shred off little pieces of rubber when you pull the lines off the barbs. Having the filter right at the carbs, rather than halfway up the fuel line, ensures that any bits of rubber would still be caught before they got into the carbs.

Unlike most OEM parts, it's also pretty cheap (maybe not quite as cheap as the cheapest generic fuel filter you can buy, but still only $5) and actually easier to install than splicing in a generic filter.

5 bucks is a nice price. So it just drops in at the end of the hose and that's it? The Ninja 250's oem fuel filter is also at the end of the fuel line.