To answer your question - go with the Stage I. The Stage II filter is 20% bigger than the Stage I - and you have to use an 8" round cover; with the Stage I - you can use your existing football cover if you like.

You're going to be getting plenty of air with the Stage I - which is what I have. You'll get plenty of air with the stage I too. The stage II is more money for....what? Nothing really...Get the Stage I...there's another thread out there you can search for that will show pics of the chrome & un-chromed backing plate on my bike & another bike, so you can see which you prefer.

 

Get the chrome bracket. That way, in the future, if you want to run an open element, it will look good. I went with the stage one. Paid way to much for it. Just bought the k & n filter to replace the element. Now I need to buy a chrome bracket, to complete the open element look I want. I had never heard of this forum then, wish I had. Would have saved me money and time. Just a FYI.

 

I have the bug sucker stage 1, Rinehart TD, and PCIII on my 07 Road King. I love them... The bike has more torque and sounds great. I opted for the performance baffles for my Rineharts.....

 

my vote is for the chrome backing plate BS I. it runs great on my scoot and didn't have to change the AC cover.

 

I have had the BS back plate break, it is pot metal and the air cleaner IS NOT A K&N, they did warranty the backing plate though...
The K&N RK 3909 is a higher quality piece and I wish I had bought it instead of the Ness.

 

I'm no dummy but explain to me how you break a Air Cleaner backing plate other than trying to put it on catty whompass? No way in He!! you could break it other than putting it on wrong to no fault of the backing plate. And yes the AN BS usues a K&N element.

 

Yes Brian, you are correct, you'd have to be a real dumbass to f'k this up, but it is the fault of the backing plate, you must look at the mounting surface that mates to your carb or TB on these cheap crap cast pot metal chinese parts, turned out the backing plate I had was not flat as cast, and had these casting "nubs". I did not scrutinize every square millimeter and that is without a doubt my fault, I expected a quality part, when I tightened the bolts to spec, (can't remember the torque spec now off the top on my head) the area around the holes cracked and broke out. the replacement backing plate also had these casting "nubs", 1/16" high pencil eraser sized raised spots directly on the mating surface and it was not flat either, so I filed off the nubs and flattened out the mounting surface to eliminate the problem, all is good now. I do like the design but they should have made it from a different material than cast of pot metal, or at LEAST machined the mating surface flat & true.
I guess I just got a couple of rejects, who knows......
I was not very impressed with the quality and choice of material of these parts, and feel there are better quality products available.
It was here on the forum that I read that the filter element was in fact not a genuine K&N part, that it was a K&N "type" filter, but I have not verified that with Arlen Ness or K&N.
Back when we were racing dirt track IMCA Modifieds, we used to wash our K&N's in gas, now I know that's not the way to do it, but we did it and with no apparent damage. When I was tuning in the carb on my bike, it would cough now an then sending a bit of gas into the filter and the rubber encasing the filter material got real soft & mushy and pulled away from the metal part of the filter in a few places, that did not happen to the real K&N's we used to SOAK in gas, so I would agree that the AN-BS filter elements are not genuine K&N's.

 

Question with the K&N RK-3909.....it eliminates the external breathers.....what effect is that going to have?

Increase or decrease oil-blowby?

 

External Breathers? please explain....

 

i had misting problems with the SE AC i installed on my '06 WG, but absolutely No misting witht the UC with a AN BS. the backing plate of the AN has internal breather passages built in instead of the added plastic vent tubes that the SE uses. the location of where the breather feeds into the EFI/Carb is deeper and less likely to have any misting into the AC housing.