I'm considering an open style air cleaner for my Sportster 1200. I commute to work on my bike, so I ride in rain more often than most folks.

Some air cleaners have an optional rain cover and some don't. Does the cover really keep water out of the intake? If I don't use a cover, will rain affect my bike during a 21-mile commute? Will rain wash oil out of the filter element?

Reason I ask is one year on my way to Sturgis, I got caught in very heavy rain. While I was stopped in a gas station, I noticed quite a few bikes with open air cleaners coughing and running rough. I want to avoid this problem.

 

I have an oper cleaner but I live in Africa so...I don't really ride in the rain.

Some people were so annoyed with rain that they switch out the air cleaner.

Some people say it just sputters a bit or not at all.

Your best bet is to email whoever's filter you want.

 

from all the folks I have talked to, they have all said rain is not an issue...bike runs fine...I would think that if you got caught in a deluge it might cough a little..but who
spends much time riding in a deluge???

 

My Ness Big Sucker is open all the time, but, I do have a rain cover for it. I've been caught in rain storms without the rain cover on and there were no coughing or sputtering issues.

 

I run an open A/C on all my bikes. A couple of times, out of hundreds, I have had a bit of sputtering, but it was in such heavy downpours, I probably should not have been riding anyway. lol

I do carry a rain sock, but the only time I have ever bothered to put it on is when washing the bike.

Extended riding in rain will definitely wash away some of the oil (if the rain sock is not used).

 

In my experience you dont want to be caught in the wet with an exposed paper filter. But I've ran the SE no oil filter, K&N, and an afe filter on different bikes in the rain and never had any serious issues. They will begin to restrict airflow more as they become more saturated and I have seen that cause the engine to begin sucking oil through the crankcase vents.

 

In real heavy rain or if I leave my bike parked all day in the rain mine will sputter pretty bad for a few miles to the point that it is tricky to take off and not stall. I just got a rain pre filter. I am hoping that keep enough out that it wont be a problem.

 

That is interesting since it does not affect mine (even idle) and it has sat out many a evenings in the pouring rain and I have ridden many a time when I had to slow down to 35 to see. All I have on is the SE open filter with a K&N oiled replacement. Mine is FI and throttle body may be tighter when off. Mine came this way. if I were going to use it I would personally leave it like it is. They sound like a Hoover Vac with it and you are going to see a lot more oil drips with it..especially if you run a lot of rpm. Mine is fine below 65 with a drip or two after it set 24 hours but if I have to run 70 or so say 100 miles I will have drips on exhaust and back on crossover between the mufflers when I stop.

 

Never had a problem with mine.

 

I expected it to be fine but proved to be a problem for me for some reason.

I pulled the filter off to find the intake soaked with a watery oily mix, even had a small pool near the breather bolts.