Where is the "Best Air Cleaner" thread?
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 542
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From: Louisville, KY
Where is the "Best Air Cleaner" thread?
Seems like every forum has a running thread on different things. Where is the "What is the best air cleaner I should get" thread. I would imaging it is rather generic to all EFI FX bikes. Anyone care to post a link?
There are many, many threads on the subject.
There are just as many opinions.
Here's a pretty good thread on the subject-
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sport...ce-intake.html
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DKCustomProducts.com
DKCustomProducts.com
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From: Bedford UK
Everyone has their own ideas of what is 'best'! One of the most over-used words in this forum, unfortunately. Any aftermarket cleaner will work, as the factory stock one does. Some are downright ugly IMHO, but we will all see them with different eyes!
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
grbrown is correct but I'll put a twist on it for you.
Stock football cover and stage 1 HD air cleaner kit with K&N air filter properly maintained is good up to about 115HP.
The rest is simply what you prefer to look at.
Stock football cover and stage 1 HD air cleaner kit with K&N air filter properly maintained is good up to about 115HP.
The rest is simply what you prefer to look at.
Last edited by UltraNutZ; Feb 17, 2014 at 03:55 PM.
There's "best" looking and best functioning.
The best looking is completely subjective.
The best functioning is objective.
As long as it flows enough air, filters out the dirt, and does NOT put hot oily air into the combustion chambers, it is going to be better than almost all the aftermarket air cleaners out there that do feed the oil into the intake, per EPA regs.
Here's a pic of the typical carbon build-up in an engine running the popular "air cleaners"
that are "Stage 1"
Here's a pic of an engine with 5k miles on it that is running a Better air cleaner, one that does NOT feed oil into the combustion chamber.
Check out post #28 in this thread- https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...estions-3.html
With respect, all air cleaners do not function the same, with only a difference in looks. HD engines run best with cool air and gasoline, they do not run as well when you add hot, oily, oxygen depleted air from the breathers into the mix.
The best looking is completely subjective.
The best functioning is objective.
As long as it flows enough air, filters out the dirt, and does NOT put hot oily air into the combustion chambers, it is going to be better than almost all the aftermarket air cleaners out there that do feed the oil into the intake, per EPA regs.
Here's a pic of the typical carbon build-up in an engine running the popular "air cleaners"
that are "Stage 1"
Here's a pic of an engine with 5k miles on it that is running a Better air cleaner, one that does NOT feed oil into the combustion chamber.
Check out post #28 in this thread- https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...estions-3.html
With respect, all air cleaners do not function the same, with only a difference in looks. HD engines run best with cool air and gasoline, they do not run as well when you add hot, oily, oxygen depleted air from the breathers into the mix.
Last edited by DK Custom; Feb 17, 2014 at 03:01 PM.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
There's "best" looking and best functioning.
The best looking is completely subjective.
The best functioning is objective.
As long as it flows enough air, filters out the dirt, and does NOT put hot oily air into the combustion chambers, it is going to be better than almost all the aftermarket air cleaners out there that do feed the oil into the intake, per EPA regs.
The best looking is completely subjective.
The best functioning is objective.
As long as it flows enough air, filters out the dirt, and does NOT put hot oily air into the combustion chambers, it is going to be better than almost all the aftermarket air cleaners out there that do feed the oil into the intake, per EPA regs.
couple of weeks ago, I changed my heads with 13k on the clock. The pistons were about as black as black can be with carbon and oil buildup.
So I cleaned them up with WD-40 and a razor blade before installing new heads. This is what they looked like afterwards.
fast forward a couple of weeks to Tuesday of this week. Ever since the head install I found myself tracing down this very irritating "ticking". Another story for another day. So instead of pulling heads, I decided to go down to Home Depot and pick me up one of those borescope cameras (one of the best damn inventions I've seen to date) to take a peek inside and make sure it wasn't a valve hitting the piston. What I found with 225 miles on the clock since cleaning those pistons was horrifying to me. Looked exactly like the image I posted above after 225 miles!!!
I have to throw my
in though.. cause well I'm just that way. I have to call BS to the pics above of the piston with 5000 miles on it. I'm not an everyday wrencher, but I've had my hands in a fair share of it both bike and cars and understand combustion (takes fuel, air, spark). No way, no how that piston looks like that after 5000 miles. That piston looks like it was just taken out of it's packaging. Even with no oil going into the intake, you'd still have some combustion marks. Am I wrong?
Last edited by UltraNutZ; Feb 20, 2014 at 02:00 PM.
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so Kevin. over the past few days I've had the opportunity to experience similar to what you posted in those pics above.
couple of weeks ago, I changed my heads with 13k on the clock. The pistons were about as black as black can be with carbon and oil buildup.
So I cleaned them up with WD-40 and a razor blade before installing new heads. This is what they looked like afterwards.
fast forward a couple of weeks to Tuesday of this week. Ever since the head install I found myself tracing down this very irritating "ticking". Another story for another day. So instead of pulling heads, I decided to go down to Home Depot and pick me up one of those borescope cameras (one of the best damn inventions I've seen to date) to take a peek inside and make sure it wasn't a valve hitting the piston. What I found with 225 miles on the clock since cleaning those pistons was horrifying to me. Looked exactly like the image I posted above after 225 miles!!!
I have to throw my in though.. cause well I'm just that way. I have to call BS to the pics above of the piston with 5000 miles on it. I'm not an everyday wrencher, but I've had my hands in a fair share of it both bike and cars and understand combustion (takes fuel, air, spark). No way, no how that piston looks like that after 5000 miles. That piston looks like it was just taken out of it's packaging. Even with no oil going into the intake, you'd still have some combustion marks. Am I wrong?
couple of weeks ago, I changed my heads with 13k on the clock. The pistons were about as black as black can be with carbon and oil buildup.
So I cleaned them up with WD-40 and a razor blade before installing new heads. This is what they looked like afterwards.
fast forward a couple of weeks to Tuesday of this week. Ever since the head install I found myself tracing down this very irritating "ticking". Another story for another day. So instead of pulling heads, I decided to go down to Home Depot and pick me up one of those borescope cameras (one of the best damn inventions I've seen to date) to take a peek inside and make sure it wasn't a valve hitting the piston. What I found with 225 miles on the clock since cleaning those pistons was horrifying to me. Looked exactly like the image I posted above after 225 miles!!!
I have to throw my
in though.. cause well I'm just that way. I have to call BS to the pics above of the piston with 5000 miles on it. I'm not an everyday wrencher, but I've had my hands in a fair share of it both bike and cars and understand combustion (takes fuel, air, spark). No way, no how that piston looks like that after 5000 miles. That piston looks like it was just taken out of it's packaging. Even with no oil going into the intake, you'd still have some combustion marks. Am I wrong?You can see his original post and his engine specs in his signature here- post #28
I have spoken to him before using his pic, he assures me he did not even wipe it down after pulling the heads at 5000 miles.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...estions-3.html
On your typical HD, with the typical cruiser style riding, when running external breathers, there will be some discoloration on the pistons, but no significant build up...that nasty stuff you saw on yours is not from air and gas, it is from oil being fed in via the air cleaner, courtesy of the EPA.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
so what are my options in staying with an "oval" style A/C cover. I'm just one of those guys that think round A/Cs look great on softails, sporties, etc. Just don't look right on a full blown bagger.