Air filter changing 98-01 VFR 800 FI

Did this the other day. What a pain in the ass. Some times I wish I still had my '77 KZ650. Took 5 minutes to change the air filter and cost half as much.

 

Hey Reg,

Did you notice any difference in your bike after this? I was thinking of doing the same.

Thanks,
Mel

 

a difference?

I am also very curious if you've experience a difference in performance. I sell K&N air filters all that time at AZ, and customers swear that that notice a difference; they seem to feel justified in paying $60 instead of $10 for the OEM. I know the filter for this bike runs almost $50 on the stock replacement, so a reusable aftermarket is definaly a cost efficent decision. Keep us informed, if it nets a good result or no negative results...I might as well go with a K&N for 10 bucks more and never buy another. Thanks ~Andrew

 

update

a twist on my previous post. went to take a look at the airfilter <thanks for the instructions man, made it a snap> anyhow- my bike already has the k&n in it... god love buying used... never know what your getting! I pulled it out because to take a look at the throttle bodies- and i was a bit dismayed to find a dirt crusted film of oil directly under the element creeping into the intake ports I'll have to guess that highflow means your not getting the best dust removal. I cleaned the mess out of the air box... pretty nasty. I dont know if i could advocate the use of this product having seen the poor job it did. Time to buy a new honda replacement! just a note... the VFR has 8,300 miles on it so i'd guess that the filter didn't fail due to improper maintence- the element itself wasn't all that dirty. ~Andrew

 

thanks for the write up! great with pics :thumb:

Inspires me to clean my K&N (from previous owner). It's always easy to access on a car, wish bikes were this easy.

 

What many people don't understand is the K&N filter isn't nearly as efficient if you don't oil it on a regular basis. The element itself won't trap all the dirt.

I'd rather put in a factory filter and be done with it.

 

I noted zero difference after I installed the K&N. I only use it because I got it for free. I'm planning on switching back to a stock Honda filter next spring.

Another note, it is not necessary to completely remove the tank to change the filter. If you follow the steps in the owners manual to the letter, it has you prop the tank up with the spanner you use to adjust the chain. Since you don't need to open up any fuel lines that way, I would lean toward doing it that way.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Reg,
First of all, the part where you pointed out removing the gasket from top and bottom for the K&N not only cured a huge headache but may have saved my airbox. I kept trying to tighten the screws and figure out why all of a sudden my gas tank wouldn't go back down correctly. That was a swell trick.
Secondly, while I haven't gone through enough gas on my regular commutes (due to weather issues) to see if there's a change in mileage, I did notice a difference in acceleration. The bike spins up a little bit faster and pulls a little bit stronger throughout the RPMs. It's nothing that would be worth getting rid of a new filter for, but if you're going to have to change the filter out for regular maintenance, a K&N might not be a bad idea.
Thanks again Reg

 

I installed an aftermarket filter in the airbox of my '06 too. I just wanted to note that it didn't require the removal of the gas tank to change the filter......All I had to do was remove the two long 8mm bolts and washers from the front of the tank, then lift the tank up and reinsert, by hand, one of the bolts (sans washer) into the right side threaded hole and install the tank prop to hold the tank up. I used a shorty phillips head screw driver for the back three airbox cover screws and a long phillips head for the others. It took a total of 5 minutes to complete.

The BMC filter I installed, has substantially more filter media area than the K&N in your photo. Just an observation..........

 

Yes, you can change the filter without removing the tank on a 6th Gen. They must have realized the hassle the 5th Gen design caused for basic maintenance. Ah, the VFR, 26 years of refinement. The funny thing is that your airbox looks almost identical to my 6th Gen's......

The BMC is thicker than stock also. The data I have seen, shows the K&N to be a little bit better than stock. The advantage is in the cost savings by being able to clean it instead of replacement.

 

I've got about that into my BMC 6th Gen filter with two recharge kits. After the initial investment, I know I won't incurr any air filter related expenses for a very long time. I was a witness to a demonstration of flow rates with the BMC compared to the K&N, utilizing actual prepped filters. Let's just say it was an enlightening demonstration. I would spend the extra bucks for the BMC, hands down.

 

what was the "enlightening demonstration"? My bike came with a K&N on it so I've been thinking about the BMC after I read about the flow rate/surface area issue.

 

Thanks for the thread. I'll be cleaning mine soon.