Does any one clean there stock oil filter?

[MichaelRaasch260]

I have 4 oil filters, 2 from Yamaha and 2 from K&N(ordered from Rocky Mountain). I just clean and reuse them. Do you think thats ok? Or should I buy one of those over priced reusuable ones for like $60. The K&N one is only $8 and is just like the stock yamaha one.

[therapture]

Don't waste your money. I reuse the stocker for @6-8 oil changes, remove the rubber on each end and clean that puppy. Just don't tear it....

[sirthumpalot]

I reuse the stock too unless I'm in too much of a hurry to clean it.

[mx_racer_473]

i use the genuin yamy ones, they're only like $8 new. i use new ones every time after each race, but i just like putting new ones in, better safe than sorry. I know lots of guys who just clean their old ones though and they're fine.

[JSTheJack]

Replace it every time. What? It's only an $10 oil change all together. That's my 2 cents.

[MN_Kevin]

"No millionaire ever made his money by blowing it all."

W/ that in mind, I inspect my filter when I pull it out. If it looks OK, I blast it w/ WD-40**, then wash it clean for re-use.

Now, I do have a few of them to cycle through, so I always have a clean one ready to go, like my airfilter.

**FYI: Do you know what WD-40 stands for???

Water Displacement, fortieth attempt (at getting it right!) ?

[John_Lorenz]

Personally I look at it this way

Do you re-use a condom ?

Its only 5 bucks for replacements at rockymountain, I buy 4 - 6 at a time.

I just have a problem with keeping somethig thats meant to be a throw away.

Thats me

Cheap part to replace for peice of mind

[ August 02, 2002: Message edited by: E.G.O.**** ]

[therapture]

I don't reuse condoms because oil is ALOT easier to clean out than used...ahhh...protein/sugar fluids. ?

Why not clean the oem filter? It is ALL METAL CONSTRUCTION, just like the Scotts, only not stainless. The Scotts is a ripoff as far as I am concerned.

As long as the stocker is not damaged/dented/torn, clean it and reuse it. I change my oil every 2 rides, and clean the filter every other change. Always clean, always fresh.

[John_Lorenz]

My philosophy on this is simple:

The filter is basically a throw away part,

The temperature that the filter is under is high; oil is hot, engine hot and so on. The Fibers in the filter are in fact collecting contaminants, (micro size contaminants) along with solids like the aluminum "THAT YOU CAN SEE".

Aluminum you do not see with other micro contaminants, are being caught in the microfilament of the oil filter (Thats what it is designed to do). So as time goes the filter becomes less and less able to push the oil through as it does new.

This expands down to the oil pump that just keeps pushing oil through no matter what is blocking it. So if oil is not streaming as a new then it backs up.

When this happens it has a tendency to rip through the weakest area (THE OIL FILTER) the whole is blown through and WALLLA no more protection, your girl friends pregnant and its going to cost.

I do not change my filter every oil change I do that about every third to forth ride depending how hard I ride.

I just feel that no matter how much you clean a used filter you can not clean down to the microfillament size. You are risking your 6k bike for a 5 dollor part

Have a good weekend all

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[ August 02, 2002: Message edited by: E.G.O.**** ]

[gettin2old4this]

Just clean and reuse. About the 5th change get you a new one. Your engine won't know the difference and neither would anyone else unless you told them.

[John_H]

Originally posted by yznvegas:

Just clean and reuse. About the 5th change get you a new one. Your engine won't know the difference and neither would anyone else unless you told them.

I agree 100%.

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[rmarion]

Last time I cleaned a condom w/ contact cleaner it melted......... so I stopped. hehehehe ?

I replace the oil filter w/ new on first three changes, than clean them after that.

Maybe pantyhoses, opps thats another story...

[moto2000]

Fibers? Microfilaments? That doesn't sound like the filter in mine. I'm still using the three year old original. Maybe I'm missing something

[moto2000]

Fibers? Microfilaments? That doesn't sound like the filter in mine. I'm still using the three year old original. Maybe I'm missing something.

[beezer]

As a card carrying, bonafide filtration expert I'll tell ya you can't clean a filter and get the same efficency. Particles will adhere to the surface of the filter that can't be removed. The flow will be diminished. Chances are Yamaha oversized the filter for the ijiots that don't change oil.

But 6000 dollar motorcycle, 8 dollar filter.

This is the first time I ever posted about something that I have any knowledge about.

In 10 years it may happen again.

[MichaelRaasch260]

Well after reading all the input from you guys I think I have made a decision.

Reuse it.

I use either carb cleaner or gasoline to clean mine. I'm pretty sure that the carb clean will blast microfibers away. If I could get a stock one for $4 I might replace it everytime but the dealership down the street wants about $15. With the price of oil $6 and you need 1.5 courts. That would bring me to at least over $20 (after tax and/or shipping). That's just way to much in a years time (over $200, cause in AZ you ride all year long). If this bike can't handle cleaning a metal oil filter then I might as well go back to a 2 stroke. There much easier to change the oil any how. But in the mean time I shall see. I believe it can handle it because people are doing it. Does anyone know of someone who blew up their 400/426?

[RIDEPATE]

I'VE been cleaning the oil filter from day one,carb-cleaner works best,replace it after four or five changes. Four years and 1000 hours on my 98 400 with no problems whatso ever.

[John_Lorenz]

I think the oil filter change is in the same catagory as the Air Box Screen being cut out for better air flow.

The argument on that is the bike will catch fire, so goes the oil filter myth

My mom always told me

Yanking that thing will make you go blind

My responce

As long as I can do it until I need glasses

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