k&n drop in filter question

[greatwhiteninja]

just curious to those who have bought the drop in filter, is it worth the $40-50 or better to keep the stock foam one in? bike is completely stock other then snorkel removed and shimmed.. thanks for the help

[TXJ]

It's worth it if you plan to keep your bike for a long time. It's much more convenient than buying a new filter all the time. Just clean it, grease it and throw it back in. Unless you're doing serious upgrades don't buy one strictly for the hope of more power. Buy it because it is a added convenience and a high quality product.

[DaBlue1]

Also consider a high performance foam filter that is also cleanable and last longer than the stock filter.
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.p...6&topic=3515.0

[HMB-ninja]

I don't have mine yet but I did order a K&N, like TXJ said I have always used K&N for the fact that they are high quality and reusable, the slightly better performance and increase in mpg (in my cars) is a bonus. Plus I was browsing amazon for the Factory Pro jet kit and I found the K&N drop in for ~$13 in their new warehouse depo? If I understand correctly, its stuff that people order and for some reason send back (wrong size? Or part#?) so I could not pas up the deal.

Also as a side note: I never open up/looked at the stock filter until after I ordered the K&N, but it looks a lot like some of the other aftermarket foam filters and it was heavily oiled so I would think you could wash and reoil the factory filter in the same way you would the other reusable aftermarket ones right?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by HMB-ninja

...Also as a side note: I never open up/looked at the stock filter until after I ordered the K&N, but it looks a lot like some of the other aftermarket foam filters and it was heavily oiled so I would think you could wash and reoil the factory filter in the same way you would the other reusable aftermarket ones right?

The stock air filter can be cleaned and re-oiled then reused, however it does have a service life. Kawasaki recommends replacement at 2 years. One of the things I noticed was how over time the stock filter became compressed and stay that way. Compression can cause the micro pores / holes to become smaller and have possibly less air flow. Also a lack maintenance can make the filter become dry a brittle. Two of the aftermarket foam drop in type filters are less compressible and breath better. The stock filter can be rolled up into a little ball, the Pipercross filter I have, can not, it also has a special filter additive and cleaner, not an oil additive.

[kaiserz]

Originally Posted by HMB-ninja

I don't have mine yet but I did order a K&N, like TXJ said I have always used K&N for the fact that they are high quality and reusable, the slightly better performance and increase in mpg (in my cars) is a bonus. Plus I was browsing amazon for the Factory Pro jet kit and I found the K&N drop in for ~$13 in their new warehouse depo? If I understand correctly, its stuff that people order and for some reason send back (wrong size? Or part#?) so I could not pas up the deal.

Also as a side note: I never open up/looked at the stock filter until after I ordered the K&N, but it looks a lot like some of the other aftermarket foam filters and it was heavily oiled so I would think you could wash and reoil the factory filter in the same way you would the other reusable aftermarket ones right?

13 dollars? link please (:

[HMB-ninja]

Kaiserz, just looked up the filter # on amazon and it was there posted just under the new ones listed as "used" it said 1 available.

[Boom King]

You won't notice any performance difference from stock with the K&N filter. The stock foam filter also probably does a better job of keeping dust, dirt and other unwanted particles out of your engine compared to the gauze type design of the K&N although the K&N will let more air through. Again, any performance gains from this is negligible. The K&N also does not fit perfectly like the OEM filter. It seems to stick out a bit. You have to really push and hold the cover while you screw it back on.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by HMB-ninja

...... I have always used K&N for the fact that they are high quality and reusable, the slightly better performance and increase in mpg (in my cars) is a bonus.

I have a K&N stock replacement filter in my ninja and i feel the bike is slightly quicker - a very small increase in throttle response. Also i used to get around 25-27 kilometers per liter of gasoline (kmpl) and now it has dropped to 23kmpl. Maybe because i am wringing the throttle more than before. Been using this for a little over 2500 kms.

Earlier with the foam filter the bike used to reach around 140kmph really quick and after that it was a gradual climb. With the K&N it reaches 155kmph pretty fast and then the climb is slow. I may be wrong and this may just be psychological.

Originally Posted by Boom King

You won't notice any performance difference from stock with the K&N filter. The stock foam filter also probably does a better job of keeping dust, dirt and other unwanted particles out of your engine compared to the gauze type design of the K&N although the K&N will let more air through. Again, any performance gains from this is negligible. The K&N also does not fit perfectly like the OEM filter. It seems to stick out a bit. You have to really push and hold the cover while you screw it back on.

+1 on all of the above points.

I've been concerned about the amount of dust filtered out by the K&N and other such aftermarket filters. There are many discussions on why K&N is good and also why its not. A lot of people claim that K&N and other such filters let dust to pass through which can harm the engine in the long run.

Do you think i should go back to the stock foam filter?

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

+1 on all of the above points.

I've been concerned about the amount of dust filtered out by the K&N and other such aftermarket filters. There are many discussions on why K&N is good and also why its not. A lot of people claim that K&N and other such filters let dust to pass through which can harm the engine in the long run.

Do you think i should go back to the stock foam filter?

It's your call. On normal street riding, I doubt any decrease in filtering effectiveness of the K&N is going to make that much of a difference but I'm just going on gut feeling here. If you live in a dusty area or ride on dirt roads and such, I'd probably go with the stock foam or another high quality after market foam filter. For what's it worth, the general consensus for the filter of choice for owners of the Kawasaki Teryx is a foam filter. These are recreational off-road 4x4s that live in sandy and dusty environments. Uni filters seem to have a good rep among that community and they make a foam filter for our Ninja as well:

http://www.unifilter.com/online%20ca...tkawasaki.html
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...50R-Parts.aspx

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

...I've been concerned about the amount of dust filtered out by the K&N and other such aftermarket filters. There are many discussions on why K&N is good and also why its not. A lot of people claim that K&N and other such filters let dust to pass through which can harm the engine in the long run.

Do you think i should go back to the stock foam filter?

The best thing to do is research. There are a couple of foam air filter replacements for the 250 Ninja. Foam filters are the best when riding in sandy, dirty, dusty & wet conditions. If the were not, they would not use them in those type of conditions. Uni-filter was one that was mentioned and Pipercross was the other.

http://www.unifilter.com/online%20ca...tkawasaki.html

The Pipercross filter carries a very good pedigree and they also have stats as to their effectiveness. One of their claims is that "Pipercross air filters consistently outperform paper and cotton-gauze rivals to supply air to the engine - even when dirty! This is thanks to the multilaminate construction used in every Pipercross performance air filter. Layers of varying porosity foam all work together to trap different sized particles."
Fairly new to the States, they have the highest reputation overseas. Pipercross is also an Official partner for the 250 & 600 Ninja Trophy http://blog.pipercross.net/?p=304
and in partnership with Kawasaki Racing

http://www.pipercross.net/motorcycle/products.asp
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.p...6&topic=3515.0
http://www.pipercross.net/motorcycle/
http://www.calsportbike.com/px/

[kaiserz]

I'ma look into this, thanks blue.

[greatwhiteninja]

thanks for the input guys.. im mainly looking to do it for increased power, maybe the best bet is just removing the airbox all together and doing the dual pod k&n, cause im sure thats what ill end up doing in the long run, might as well just do it and be done with it. unless theres not a huge difference from going that route to a good quality high flow filter?

[NathanUc]

JFC makes a solid air filter as well. I think it's around $45-50 and comparable to the K&N from what I hear.

[ratlab]

if your looking for performance then bmc is the best