Which Reusable Air Filter

[Jmill14]

He everyone.  I've replaced my air filter a few times now and am already tired on that cost.  I'd love to get two cleanable filters but with all the choices / price points I have no idea which one to get.  Can anyone point me in the right direction?  Which oil are you using to lube the filter?  2010 yzf450.....

 

thanks

jason

[grayracer513]

The one that came in the bike was reusable.  But never mind.  I prefer TwinAir or Uni's.  Maxima FFT worked in thoroughly, squeezed out, and dried for a day.

[ratom98]

"The one that came in the bike was reusable. But never mind" lol

 

i like uni or twin filter also. but i like the uni arisol oil. easier to clean

[grayracer513]

In spite of what anyone says, there's nothing easier than cleaning FFT out of a filter.  That is, nothing that works for filtering dirt, and if you do it right. 

 

Get a plastic bucket with a lid, put two gallons of Mineral Spirits in it, and don't use it for anything but filters.  Wash them by hand right in the bucket (wearing gloves), wring them out and hang them up to dry overnight.  Then thoroughly reoil them, work it all the way through the foam, and let that "cure" overnight again.  Install one and bag the other(s).  Easy.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

I use Twin air filters and belray foam filter oil.

I also use mineral spirits but also use soapy water and clean rinse water after that. Then let dry completely, work the oil in real well, sit to 'cure' over night, install or bag.

[JLB943]

I use Twin air filters and belray foam filter oil.

I also use mineral spirits but also use soapy water and clean rinse water after that. Then let dry completely, work the oil in real well, sit to 'cure' over night, install or bag.

This is exactly my method. I use Twin Air Filters and Belray.  The mineral spirits works good to get the old oil off, then the bucket of soapy water gets out any remaining dirt.

I have three filters I rotate use,install clean one every ride.  I think with the method described you need to have multiple filters or it just becomes too time consuming as it is a couple day process.

[Mtrain730]

Sorry too jump in but do you have too let them dry that long I just switched from no toil and tried bel ray. And probly went riding about a hour after I oiled it.

[swaldrop]

In spite of what anyone says, there's nothing easier than cleaning FFT out of a filter.

 

Except No-Toil ?

[Jmill14]

I really appreciate all the input. I've got the original and another so I should be good. Just need the oil and spirits. Thanks everyone.

[dirtbeater]

I use gray's method with uni filters and fft. Works like a charm.

[msliker22]

Just use some old gas cleans em like a champ

[Hoosier-Daddy]

Sorry too jump in but do you have too let them dry that long I just switched from no toil and tried bel ray. And probly went riding about a hour after I oiled it.

I believe it is better to let sit and tack up but I would think your bike is fine. I think no toil sucks.

[swaldrop]

I have used No-Toil for 10 years and never had an issue. I know that people will always prefer one thing or another when it comes to their bikes, and I am certainly not except to that rule. But... How and why has No-Toil ever done you wrong? I use it in the sandiest of conditions and have never had dirt or sand pass through, cleanup is as easy as it gets and it's much less toxic than standard oil/cleaning solutions. 

Not trying to start a war here, just curious what it is that people hate about it.

[grayracer513]

... How and why has No-Toil ever done you wrong?

 

I tried it a few years back and was very disappointed with it.  For one thing, it's more work than my method.  I can clean the filter in under a minute in mineral spirits and be done with it except for hanging it out to dry.  No mess in the sink, nothing to discard except once every 8 or nine months I change the solvent and scrape the dirt off the bottom of the bucket.  The other thing, and I'm told that they've improved it some, is that the oil doesn't retain its tackiness like FFT.  I can leave an FFT oiled filter out for a month and it's still like fly paper.  No Toil "dries out".  This matters to me because the bike sometimes sits prepped for a race or ride for a couple of weeks, and also because I do 3 filters at a time and bag them for later use. 

 

 

The mineral spirits works good to get the old oil off, then the bucket of soapy water gets out any remaining dirt.

 

I don't bother with that.  At the risk of sounding like a lunatic, I don't care if the filter is 100% totally clean.  The fact is that any dirt that's in the filter foam when I oil it is going to stay there until I wash it again. (if I oil it right)

 

Sorry too jump in but do you have too let them dry that long I just switched from no toil and tried bel ray. And probly went riding about a hour after I oiled it.

Filter oils, especially spray types, have light "vehicle solvents" that carry the thicker filter oil in a thin form so it can flow into and over the foam webbing.  If you don't let that have enough time to evaporate, you can end up sucking some filter oil out of the foam and get it into parts of your carb.  Or, it might drool over the inside of your air box and onto your swing arm.

 

In any case, remember that it's the oil and not the foam that catches the dirt.  Oil your filters thoroughly, all the way through.

 

Just use some old gas cleans em like a champ

That's a really great way to poison yourself, or blow your whole garage off the lot.

Bad idea.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

I believe, through experience, that red no toil system with powder cleaner destroys the glue on the filters. That is the part i don't like. It did clean up very easy but holes in the filter make it useless to me.

[grayracer513]

The glue on the filters takes a beating anyway, and I just had my two three or four-year-old TwinAirs fall apart as a result of being cleaned and oiled so often (I ride the SoCal deserts, and nearly always with a bunch of other guys around, so the dust mandates that I clean the filter after every ride day or race.  That's a lot of wringing and squeezing).  If yours came unglued sooner that, I guess you could blame the cleaner, but I don't know about that part.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

I mentioned my experience to more experienced friends of mine and they had the same thought. There is no scientific evidence or anything, I just rather try something else. The glue deteriorated on 2 of mine. One old that the previous owner gave me and one new one that I bought.

I use the soapy water and rinse water too because I was concerned about just mineral spirits sitting in the filter too long damaging the glue too.

[swaldrop]

I change my filters after every ride. I have no choice due to the conditions. I keep 5 or 6 filters and have a dirty and clean bin, washing them all at the same time. While the filters do end up falling apart eventually, it does so at a pretty slow rate, lasting years at a time.

 

What works for some may not work for others I suppose. I have just never had a problem and clean up has been so easy for me that I couldn't see trying another option. 

[grayracer513]

I use the soapy water and rinse water too because I was concerned about just mineral spirits sitting in the filter too long damaging the glue too.

 

I don't worry about that, given that the filter was designed to "smell gasoline" and be smothered in mineral oil its whole life.

[ratom98]

the reason i like the uni arisol oil is because i can clean it with some warm water and dish soap. but i do have to reoil if it sits too long. but thats rarely an issue for me since  if i'm not going riding the next day i'm not cleaning and getting my bike ready