Air Filters - Universal Thread

[Noor]

Thread 'K & N Filter for TVS APACHE RTR 160 hyperedge' approved and merged

[Makarand125]

K & N Filter for TVS APACHE RTR 160 hyperedge

I own TVS APACHE RTR 160 hyperedge, i want to replace the original company stock air filter with K & N RC 1060 universal air filter.

I asked TVS Servicing guy for the same ,but he told me to not to go with K & N filters as it will increase load on engine & also the filter is not compatible with Apache RTR as it does not fit properly in the current airbox.

What should i do...Should i go for K & N Filters or stick etih stock filter.

Pls suggest guys!!!

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Yeah,jetting & K&N dont have any problems,Acceleration will be better than before after upjetted K&N.

[Only Amit...]

I had tried it too.



At my place,jets are not available,even no one knows where is the AFR screw, he he,So luckily removed it next week after installation.

I have got the setting right after a lot of experiments.
First the K&N was installed directly on carb in chennai. It gave a lot of starting issues with vibes in the bike.The performance was bad, engine was getting hot even in 20km rides , FE was 40+.The Shell Helix oil disappeared in 1k-1.2k kms(didn't know its a Car oil ).
Then I installed the iridium+splitfire and made the AFR richer, I got nice performance with little less vibes.Was able to touch 140+ on speedo but milege < 25 .I removed the filter afterwards.
I installed it again inside Airbox in a decent garage in B'lore.The AFR was well set and afterwards no issues till the svc guys screwed it again .
Again some experiment started for 50-100 kms before settled again.Will rejet soon and post the reviews.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Not atall offended mate, you have read a lot regarding K&N

I had tried it too.

I know I am running lean...but not as lean as the engine will heat up.All the issues with engine will come only when its over heated..right???
I do have a check on sparkplug colour regularly and as I have mentioned I have adjusted my AFR ratio richer.(cant be a alternative to bigsized Jet tho)
Again..I don't recommend my setup to others, I am just saying if there are issues there are fixes as well.

At my place,jets are not available,even no one knows where is the AFR screw, he he,So luckily removed it next week after installation.

[Only Amit...]

The bold part means you are running lean,Engine over heating is due to lean mixture,Changing oil to reduce heat makes no sense IMO as you are using K&N without upjetting. No Offence

Not atall offended mate, you have read a lot regarding K&N

I know I am running lean...but not as lean as the engine will heat up.All the issues with engine will come only when its over heated..right???
I do have a check on sparkplug colour regularly and as I have mentioned I have adjusted my AFR ratio richer.(cant be a alternative to bigsized Jet tho)
Again..I don't recommend my setup to others, I am just saying if there are issues there are fixes as well.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

I am using R1100 in my ZMA from last 15k kms without upjetting. I have it installed inside the Airfilter box with the cover removed.
Here are few Pro's and Cons:
Cold starting problem (rectified by changing to iridium plug and splitfire cables..recently experimenting on a side-gapped plug)
Felt like bike loosing breath on high RPM's(rectified by adjusting the AFR ratio richer)
No specific gain in terms of power(But revs are smoother as compared to stock)
Engine running hot(This happens especially when you install the filter directly on carb.However I use Motul 300V 15W50 FS oil all the time and never felt any heating issues after changing to synthetic)
No change in Fuel consumption
Awsome sound(Love the music from 70-120 in 4th gear )

The bold part means you are running lean,Engine over heating is due to lean mixture,Changing oil to reduce heat makes no sense IMO as you are using K&N without upjetting. No Offence

[Only Amit...]

guys if we change normal filter to K&N universal filter in a bike(let's say in A180 or Karizma R) without upjetting then is it advisable? what effects it can cause?

I am using R1100 in my ZMA from last 15k kms without upjetting. I have it installed inside the Airfilter box with the cover removed.
Here are few Pro's and Cons:
Cold starting problem (rectified by changing to iridium plug and splitfire cables..recently experimenting on a side-gapped plug)
Felt like bike loosing breath on high RPM's(rectified by adjusting the AFR ratio richer)
No specific gain in terms of power(But revs are smoother as compared to stock)
Engine running hot(This happens especially when you install the filter directly on carb.However I use Motul 300V 15W50 FS oil all the time and never felt any heating issues after changing to synthetic)
No change in Fuel consumption
Awsome sound(Love the music from 70-120 in 4th gear )

How ever, I won't advise using KN without upjetting as I am going to upjet and install a FFE very soon .

[Aneesh@4GHz]

guys if we change normal filter to K&N universal filter in a bike(let's say in A180 or Karizma R) without upjetting then is it advisable? what effects it can cause?

No,never do that,It will kill your engine slowly.K&N without up jetting means more air and less fuel,It will leads to Engine overheating.engine overheating will leads to failure of oil seals and washers inside engine.Also you will feel hiccups and stalling while riding.

[111diablo111]

guys if we change normal filter to K&N universal filter in a bike(let's say in A180 or Karizma R) without upjetting then is it advisable? what effects it can cause?

[amitmalve]

well, in theory the viscous filter can be used repeatedly and is said to hold up more dust as there oil in the filter sponge .
in the case of a paper filter, the filter will gradually loose it's ability to hold the dust as repeated cleaning will increase the pore size and hence dust goes in.Hence it is recommended to change the paper filter every 8k kms .
( i suggest 5~6k kms max)

but the viscous filter is not all thumbs up,
since now the filter has oil and is wet,it will clog up very quickly and will hence restrict air flow before becoming completely clogged up.i.e-
filter clogging time = dust in the riding environment
i recommend you stick to paper,and change every 4~5k kms,event the viscous filter is good,but get it cleaned regularly.(every 1000 kms)

Thanks for this info bro. I also want to know is there any way to clean the viscous filter? Manual says that viscous filter should never be cleaned, but should be replaced after some 'x' kms.

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Changed my karizma's airfilter.

Cost:205RS

[Drifty]

GUIDE TO K&N's (FREE FLOW/ HIGH AIR FLOW FILTERS)

1.waste of money to invest on filters for <150cc 4 strokes.
2.For any 150 the k&N r1060 or rc 1060 (i suggest the rc1060 as it comes pre oiled and has a crome cap)
3.the 200's and above can go for a R1100 K&N
4.The main advantage of using a FFfilter is that the engine gets more air hence will reVV more freely and if driven sanely,will get more milage too.
5.The concept of more air in the engine should be followed by more fuel to the engine as well.i.e REJETTING the carb is a must.Or one will end up screwing their bikes since the AFR will be too lean and the engine will b running very hot.
6.the rejetting must be done properly,breifly -

too much air,less fuel will result in hot hot engine....

the leanness of the A/F mixture can be explained like..

EX- think stock config of 150cc is -
1 part petrol,20 parts air
now add k&N -
1 part fuel,~30 parts air (just ex)

hence lean mixture,hence the engine gets heated up quickly...
there is not much one can fettle with a carb to change the A/F ratio that is required to suit a FFfilter.
up-getting is the only way forward if you want to stick to the k&n...

increase the main jet size to atleast +10,i.e if its 115 -> 125~130 should do.. the way to check it is to revv the engine til the red line in 2~3rd gear,and the bike should revv till the redline with out any hicupps or irregularities. if its coughing beyond 7~8k rpm,increase the mainjet size by+5 till the coughing stops... then again revv the bike in 2~3rd gear till red line and let go of the accelerator only... the revvs will gradually fall and there should not be any spluttering on the way down as well... when both the above critirea are met,you bike is A Ok... do not touch the small jet or the needle,they are ok with k&n's... only change the main jets...

when all is done,i have a recommendation form my side,switch to atleast Semi synthetic oil if not fully syn. will further enhance the k&n fun but will also keep you bike in check.as for green filters,similar to k&n,just another brand,guess oiling is required for those too,but as far as i know k&N filters either come pre-oiled or comes with oil supplied in the box.Dono abt green.

also,after installing the k&n,the filter should be cleaned when the color of the filter changes to black.Most car accessories shop's have k&n cleaning liquid as well a s oil,you can get it done there as the filter cleaning should be done only by the k&n liquid as others will damage the cotton on the fil

I dont see a better explanation than the above in this thread.Very well explained.I guess it will clear most of the doubts here regarding 'K&N'!

[Aneesh@4GHz]

Simple and great write up bro.Keep it up!

[Dogg]

Hey all, what is the difference between a normal paper air filter & viscous air filler (found in unicorn dazzler)? Which one is better?

well, in theory the viscous filter can be used repeatedly and is said to hold up more dust as there oil in the filter sponge .
in the case of a paper filter, the filter will gradually loose it's ability to hold the dust as repeated cleaning will increase the pore size and hence dust goes in.Hence it is recommended to change the paper filter every 8k kms .
( i suggest 5~6k kms max)

but the viscous filter is not all thumbs up,
since now the filter has oil and is wet,it will clog up very quickly and will hence restrict air flow before becoming completely clogged up.i.e-
filter clogging time = dust in the riding environment
i recommend you stick to paper,and change every 4~5k kms,event the viscous filter is good,but get it cleaned regularly.(every 1000 kms)