#AirFilter

John Smith was cleaning yet another reusable air filter one day, when he noticed that after shaking it out, it still held a lot of water. As anyone would, he started throwing it in the air, spinning it as fast as he could to remove more water. That worked well, and then came the brainstorm: “So I walked into my garage and found my hand-held rotary seed/fertilizer spreader. My dog (Prince) had already chewed up the top, so I finished the job and cut the rest off. I duct taped the filter to the spinning part and started spinning the crank: The faster it spun, the more water came off.  So, I started working on a design that would automate the whole process.”

It’s fair to say most, if not all, of us prefer riding over wrenching, but as much as our beloved motorcycles provide us with happy memories and roadside therapy, these machines also need a little loving. Basic maintenance isn’t difficult, but it does require periodic attention. Adhere to the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance intervals and your machine will provide you with miles upon miles of trouble free riding. The best part is that most of the things we suggest below don’t require special tools! Curious what you should be on top of when it comes to motorcycle maintenance? Then keep on reading.

Back in the Dark Ages, a great way to increase your bike’s horsepower was to toss the stock airbox, install a set of pod filters, and rejet your carbs. Well, all that changed with the advent of ram air, which forces cool, outside air into the airbox. The faster you go, the more air forced into the mixers, giving the bike more power. One thing hasn’t changed, though. For your engine to operate at peak efficiencies, the air filter needs to be clean to allow maximum airflow. Even though your EFI’s oxygen sensor can adjust the air/fuel mixture to compensate for a clogged filter. If you let your filter get dirty, you’ll still experience power loss and reduced gas mileage. Regular – or at least annual – cleaning of your bike’s air filter is a simple way to keep it running great.

For this four-part series, we take a look at five easy bolt-on parts that will transform your ADV bike from a Starbucks-destined road queen, to a Dakar-ready desert blasting rally winner. Or something like that. This series is designed to show how much of a difference a few well-thought-out adventure bike upgrades can make to the off-road prowess of your big ADV bike.

What’s the first thing motorcyclists look for when modifying their bike? More power. So, when we got an email claiming a 1 to 4 horsepower increase from Sprint Filter air cleaners, we decided to check it out. Our test mule would be my beloved 2003 Yamaha R6 that is still – as far as the fuel and exhaust systems are concerned – basically stock. (In the interest of full disclosure, it does have a set of Factory Pro Velocity Stacks that I’d forgotten about until I opened the airbox.) What better way to finally get my 13-year-old 600 to the dyno to see how it compares to current generation sporting hardware?