dude, i spray a tiny amount of k&n filter oil on mine, just enough that i can say it is oiled

if you saturate it with oil, it will not flow good and you will have to clean it more often too

 

Total bunk.
You cannot filter out finer particles without using a filter with smaller air inlets. The smaller the holes, the less air moved. Has something to do with physics.
I've run K&N filters on many things from my Harleys to my deisel pickup to my hot rods and race cars to my race bikes. To a machine they ALL ran better and flowed more air with an oiled gauze filter, whether it be from K&N or any another manufacturer.
And my off road race bikes (motocross, flat track, enduro) never missed a beat due to excessive dirt finding it's way past a K&N filter...not one. They are bulletproof.
You can't let more air in without increasing the space for it to enter. Exactly why many race cars use no filter at all (thing AA fuel dragster here).

 

So since the one I have is gray now (and has been since probably week 2 of ownership), but only has around 1300 miles on it, can you just add oil and not clean? Or is that not recommended?

 

Need to clean it first, but personally I wouldn't do a clean after only two weeks. Someone with an open type filter set up like yours might have a better time frame for it.

 

Not necessarily bunk.
Google some more properly done reviews/tests/benchmarks. (and not K&N sponsored ones)
And then apply some thought process....

Most reviews will say "Yeah, help a little bit...for a few miles..and then loose efficiency". Works for engines that have high volume of air intake needs. Has even more to do with physics.

...lets see..."engines that need high volume of air"...mix that with a slow revving Harley engine that doesn't really know how to push the HP per CI ratio very much"....don't really belong in the same sentence. Also has to do with physics.

I too ran K&N when I was a teen.....put one in my first car. Yeah...sounded better. Yeah...seemed to run faster (but hell back then we'd put fancy windshield wipers on our cars and thought they ran faster) . Hell I even ran it without any air filter at all a lot...that Holly carb sounded awesome! Put over a 100k miles on that car and sold it running fine. But just cuz it ran fine doesn't mean it didn't have mileage shaved off of its running life due to extra dirt getting in there!

My opinion...yes they work...especially for engines that are high revving and have crazy inhaling needs. But you need to maintain them frequently....wash, oil properly, repeat at regular intervals. Has to do with physics.

But honestly paper filters...just change them often...and they work well too. Yes they can clog up over time, and let less air in. Just change 'em. They're freaking cheap enough! IMO for Harley engines...K&N doesn't give you much...if anything, for a performance boost...for 99.9% of the riders. (cuz I don't think many riders hold their engines near redline at 100+ mph speeds)

 

You can add oil to the filter. Just spray it lightly on the inside.

 

Thanks. To be clear I've had the filter for a couple of months, it just turned from pink to gray within the first couple of weeks. Checked last night it has about 1600 miles on it so if I can just add a little oil that's what I'll do and then clean/oil it next Spring

 

Sir, you take too much leave with your assumptions regarding my reply.
First: Paper filters ain't THAT cheap. Changing them often enough that it actually makes a difference is a pretty expensive proposition. A round style paper filter for a Harley is nearly the same cost as a re-useable gauze.
Second: I have done extensive research, but in the real world of racing, street, and dyno cells. And an oiled gauze filter wins out over a paper filter EVERY time, hands down - no matter what any biased research paper (or you) says.
Third: If you don't think a Harley motor doesn't need a high volume of air you've been unconscious for at least the last 30+ years. Maybe you don't rev your Harley out, and that's just fine, but I and a great many others do. And it needs air....and lot's of it.
Even when my bike was stock, the combination of a free-er flowing exhaust and high flowing intake only served to make it run better. No stock, choked up, paper element HD would stay with a high volume filter regardless of exhaust.
Fourth: I'll repeat what I said previously - I've never found any engine to have premature wear or damage due to an oiled gauze filter. And I raced off-road (think heavy dust and mud) for a good 30 years.
Lastly: as you so frequently pointed out, it has everything to do with physics (smart-***).

 

I know this thread is a bit older but I can confirm that over oiling it will definitely lower your performance. I found my low end on my dyna was always sluggish and cleaned my k&n filter using a very light coat of the oil ...as others have said just enough to make it redish. As a result I have a very noticeable increase in power and even the low end when you end up unwillingly lugging (which has always been an issue with dyna) it chugs right out of it with hardly so much as a shudder.

My take on oiling now is it's only there just to lube up the dirt enough to make it easier for the filter to do it's job. You really need a lot of airflow for a harley ...especially on those hot summer days.

 

delete listed before in this Zombie