Aftermarket fuel filters?

[Cra1g]

What's your opinion on those aftermarket inline fuel filters that you can get for lawnmowers and such?

The Ninja 250 wiki seems to swear by them, but I was having a conversation with a bunch of other riders, and a lot of them say that installing one of these fuel filters just creates more problems, like degradation of the plastic and the filter itself clogging more easily than the stock filter.

What are your thoughts?

[Triple Jim]

My 2005 didn't have a fuel filter, so I put a pleated paper one in the line from the petcock to the carbs. I don't use the sintered metal type since one let enough dirt through to clog a main jet. Paper filters are cheap, work well, and can be changed as often as you like if you're afraid they'll degrade. I've had them on my various motorcycles for many years, and have never had one fail.

[Ghostt]

I've used the Briggs and Stratton small engine fuel filters, along with paper, and metal styles. The most important thing is to buy ones that work with a gravity feed system, stay away from ones for cars, because that have fuel pumps, especially fuel injection.

I suggest buying some different styles, and see for yourself.

Almost all motorcycle shops have them for a few bucks.

No matter which style you pick, always carry a spare or two and keep some in your toolbox, nothing runes a ride than being stuck due to a few dollar part.

[Z1R rider]

Be sure to use a filter with enough flow, I had a smaller in line filter on one of my 250 track bikes, and it wouldn't flow enough after 4 or 5 laps it would run out of fuel. Took me a while to figure out that the problem was the filter and not the petcock or tank vent. Anyway put a bigger in line filter on and problem solved.

[InvisiBill]

It doesn't seem to be as much of an issue on the 250, but the 500's fuel hose routing makes it really easy for an inline filter to screw up the flow. Our ideal solution is to add the little insert filter in the carb inlet. It catches everything at the carb, including tiny shreds off the fuel line from pulling it off the barb (which an upstream inline filter physically cannot). Keep in mind that you have filter screens on the petcock pickups too - you shouldn't be getting tons of junk in your fuel line in the first place.

But if you can install an inline filter that doesn't interfere with flow or routing, it should only help. If you have tons of problems with crud in your gas that you need an inline filter, you should probably check out the rest of your fuel system for other issues though.