K&N or genuine Suzuki oil filter??

Hi guys 

Im about to change the oil on my M800, cant decide between a K&N or OEM oil filter, what do you guys recommend   :what1: 

Andy

 

Buy the K&N filter.

The welded on nut to install/remove the filter is a HUGE plus.

If you want K&N has it in chrome too.

Keep the rubber side down.   

JJW wrote:

Buy the K&N filter.

The welded on nut to install/remove the filter is a HUGE plus.

If you want K&N has it in chrome too.

Keep the rubber side down.   

 

K&N, very easy to install and remove.

K&N every day, that nut is a real bonus

MMMMM .... yes I fully understand the advantage of the welded on nut that allows you to remove and tighten the K&N oil filter ...... but you can buy a good quality pattern oil filter and a pressed steel oil filter socket for about the same price ... & the next time you change filters it will be cheaper as you only need to change the filter (you already have the socket tool). With the K&N you throw away the advantageous nut every time ! ... then pay for another one !

Similarly, any perceived advantage in quality terms of the K&N filter is likely to be thrown away as follows.
Firstly, I am not sure if K&N actually produce their own oil filters, or if they are a 'bought in & branded' item.
Secondly I am not convinced any 'perceived' filtering advantage is of use on a motorcycle engine with comparatively short servicing intervals. Sure it may offer advantages on a car with 12000-18000 miles service intervals - but on a bike with 4000-8000 intervals - a standard oil filter is well up to the job. I personally would not like to leave a K&N oil filter on a bike for two changes - so if you change the oil filter with the oil you are potentially throwing away the enhanced serviceability you paid for in the first place.

I know this is a subjective topic ..... & I'm not suggesting I'm right ... & everyone else is wrong ... I'm merely inviting you to think what is actually going on in this process.

Each to their own - do what you think is best ..... but since I've already bought a pressed metal oil filter tool, & bought a few good quality pattern filters at a good price you can guess what I will be doing !   

Good points made there Yam,certainly made me think again.

I now buy the K&N ones for ease but that's because I like the nut on it, it's a bit silly to pay more for that reason only to be honest but who said I ain't silly.    I would never buy an oil filter because it was made by K&N, air filters yes, oil filters no.

I hate the o ring on this filter.

I put one on and for the first time EVER I have oil drops under my bike.

I have an oil filter wrench.....I can do without the silly nut welded on

I just get standard Suzuki one's I got a few different tool's for taking off filters without the nut like Dave said lots of people get em for the nut it's easy and also coz they do a nice shiny one chrome looking apart from that I doubt they are actually better or work better???

Easy nut for me every time    any leakage from the seal (any make filter) is usually caused by not cleaning the mating surface or not lubing the seal ring when installing.

I buy the K&N for the nut. AND here they are $1 cheaper than the OEM filter. I do use the OEM filters when I havent got off my bum and pre ordered one as they are not stocked locally.

agree with Sim on his last post

K&N for me, I like the nut.

KN everytime. ease of install with the nut and like most engine oils etc its over engineered to cope with whatever, oem are made to a price by the cheapest bidder but they do "the" job, personally I prefer something that goes beyond the norm cos as we all know its the shit you DONT expect that causes the problem! Like cheap ass lead acid batteries they still insist on installing to cars and bikes even though new gen lithium is not a lot more expensive at source and way outstrips the old....Forgot to mention tried starting the bike this morning...............Yeh I know don't leave it standing nearly 2 weeks with the alarm set!! on charge now but will be looking to replace with lithium at some point less than £80 now and will only come down in price.

Hello all,
I'm with OldManYam in my opinion he is spot on in all respects.

G.Terence

I am with Yam as well, I use HiFLO filters, have done for years, I only do a few of thousand miles per year but I still change my oil/filter every year.

K&N is better not only for easy plug, the filter is better than most OEM on the market

It is more expensive, but you can ride longer without harmful particles moving on your engine

If you want a better care on your engine, you can buy a MAGNETIC OIL DRAIN PLUG 



MAGNETIC OIL DRAIN PLUGS

• Small price - big impact!
  
  
• Even though they are built using state-of-the-art materials, all engines - and new engines in particular - are subject to wear. Every revolution of the crankshaft and every gear change causes a degree of abrasion, and minute abraded particles of metal can accelerate normal wear in an engine.
  
  
• A magnetic oil drain plug, fitted in place of the original plug, removes these particles from the circulating oil, thus extending the service life for your engine, and ultimately saving you money.
  
  
• Seal included.
  

I thought Suzuki's already had a Magnetic sump plug as standard? the last 3 I've had all had them 1 being from the factory too.

simbo wrote:

I thought Suzuki's already had a Magnetic sump plug as standard? the last 3 I've had all had them 1 being from the factory too.

Maybe yours. Mine, 2007 has a standard hex, not magnetic

With Sim, I think! the majority of bigger bikes over the last few years have had mag sump plugs as standard, if you don't have one they are less than £5 on ebay worth the investment

K&N filter every time.

I always buy the cheapest filter I can buy, I cant see a reason for buying dearer ones just to strain the oil. Never had a problem with an oil filter that has been changed on time and I don't know anyone that has

Hello All,
I find this thread very interesting,,, I change my oil  at about 2000 mile intervals and the oil filter every second change,,, K&N filters are made by HI-FLO the only difference is the nut on the bottom.
I agree with Yam, pressed steel oil filter socket is the way to go for me ,,,I usually fit OEM filter and I usually buy a few during off season as I tend to get bloody good discount quite often working out same price if not cheaper than cheap filters,, I think OEM are good quality but cheap ones are ok due to relatively low miles between oil changes and as crash said if changed regularly there ought not be any problem.
I`m putting a link to an article about oil filter I found a few years ago and found it interesting,,
 
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterStudy.html
 
Thread size, part numbers etc..
 
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterXRef.html

That's great Two-Bears, very interesting article, but what about Champion Oil Filters?

CHAMPION OILFILTER COF038, DIVERSE SUZUKI (K301)
SUZUKI C 800 INTRUDER (WVBM/05)

CHAMPION OIL FILTERS

• All the metal components of these high-quality brand-name oil filters are galvanised or otherwise treated to protect against corrosion.
  
  
• The filter paper is pleated, hardened and mechanically joined to ensure 100% filtration.
  
  
• The filter element valve has metal end plates and contains a bypass valve to ensure a perfect seal.
  
  

All the bikes I have owned all get the same treatment, I always buy what I consider to be the best oil and oil filters. Whether that is the right thing to do or not who knows, we all have our choices to do as we please.

I buy K&N filters these days, for no other reason than I like them and always a high quality oil. In the past I just bought an just OEM filter but have always used a high quality oil. I feel that a using high quality oil and changing at regular intervals will give the filter less work to do. I have always changed my oil twice a year, Spring and Autumn. However I do a similar thing to John with the filters and change them every other oil change but for me that's once a year.
With that said, I would rather see cheap oil and filters changed regularly, rather that higher quality ones left to long.
(Others may disagree)

I agree that is better to change oil more offen as possible

But in some cases, maybe as a meeting in Romania, you don't have the possibility to change the oil until you're back, and that's a long time for a regular oil change, that's why I'm looking for a good combination of Syntech Oil+Filter... to forget the oil change until the back if possible

It is not easy to find a good and cheap mechanic far from home with the oil and the filter that you usually want

I think when a very long trip is in front of a guy, good quality oil and oil filter are a must

I think a good oil is needed for all conditions, long runs, local stops and starts and short trips where the engine hardly comes to full running temperature are all working the oil.

I'd carry a spare oil filter and do a change if I was going on a trip of over 3500 miles, the Oil you can get more or less anywhere.

simbo wrote:

I'd carry a spare oil filter and do a change if I was going on a trip of over 3500 miles, the Oil you can get more or less anywhere.

Yes but you need a container for the used oil and a place to recycle, that's why you need a mechanic. Enviromental care is a must!!

You can't find a synthetic oil for a bike in a supermarket easily, normally you have to go to a specialist shop

customerlin wrote:

simbo wrote:

I'd carry a spare oil filter and do a change if I was going on a trip of over 3500 miles, the Oil you can get more or less anywhere.

Yes but you need a container for the used oil and a place to recycle, that's why you need a mechanic. Enviromental care is a must!!

You can't find a synthetic oil for a bike in a supermarket easily, normally you have to go to a specialist shop

ok 

Hello Israel,
I used to work in the south of France and have been down on biking holidays many times,,, in the past I have ridden 4700 miles in a week and as I said above I change oil quite frequently,,, I find you can find good bike oil all over Europe as the Europeans tend to have many bike riders, as you probably know (personally I don't really see the need to buy expensive synthetic oil, its never going to be in the engine long enough to justify the extra cost and like Dave said above I have bikes that don't do many miles a year but the oil is changed at least twice a year ) ,,, I usually use Carrefour, Casino, and  E Leclerc supermarkets,,, I place a thick plastic bag in a cardboard box and drain the oil into the bag I then prick the bag and drain the oil into empty water bottles , these are all over the place, not so long ago I replaced the oil in my Zepher right on the beach front at Saint-Aygulf and then dropped the oil off at the nearest scooter shop,, you can take the oil to any garage to dispose of it,, I've never been refused as the garages sell the used oil,, I've done this in Holland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy without problems,, all you need is a sump plug spanner and a smile at the local garage.

That's great Two Bears!!

That's what our guy who we stayed with last year said to us if we needed to drop our oil for some reason the local garages will even lend you an oil tray so you can pour it into there 40 gallon oil drums because they sell it for about 50p a liter back to be used again as heating fuel etc...
He himself uses old oil for his many various tractors, lawn mowers etc mixed with petrol as they work on virtually anything that will burn! Mind you it does smoke a bit but it works for him.

Very interesting reading that!

I allegedly pour my old oil where I don't want weeds to grow, allegedly I say

captain crash wrote:

I allegedly pour my old oil where I don't want weeds to grow, allegedly I say

By the looks of Jo's cooking I think she uses mine in the kitchen   

Sims getting battered again

battered then fried in his used oil

Funny how Suzuki require a 3500 mile service schedule for most of their models. I think this has more to do with keeping their franchised dealers in work. I do believe the 650 V-Strom has just had the service interval doubled to 7000 miles and yet there has been no significant technical change to the engine. Suzuki had said their new 1000 V-strom was to have a 3500 mile service until there was a good deal of negative chatter about it and the mileage interval was upped to 7000. My Honda 1000 Firestorm has a big thumping V Twin motor pushing out about 100 BHP and the service interval was 8000 miles.  IMHO the water cooled, low stressed engine in the 800 intruder should be able to manage 5 to 6 thousand miles in the UK. Engine oil capacity, rev range and operating temperature are factors to be considered but overall I think the 3500 mile service interval is somewhat over the top. It would be interesting to have the oil from an engine analysed to better understand it's degradation at various mileage intervals. But whose going to pay for that when the Manufacturers, dealers, oil and filter suppliers have a vested interest in short service intervals?

Especially if you use ZX1, my beemer only needs servicing every 2 years! and only then if the computer says so, but if you are happy doing an oil change DIY every 6/12 months regardless then no harm no foul, if you really want to be frugal then fully sythn oil every 10k regardless of age is adequate as our engines even with upgraded ecu cant do more than 9k rev, its just over hype from the manu unless you are the 1 in 1000 who uses cheap arse shit in which case you get what you pay for!

I don't care how often/long the manufacturer claims a vehicle can go between services, that doesn't mean the oil has deteriorated any less than it does in another engine. If they were acting in a responsible way, they would say the oil needs changing after X amount time and or hours of use rather than mileage or periods of time that have none or little reflection on the use/deterioration of the engine/oil.I would never leave oil in an engine for 2 years, irrelevant of how few miles it had done.

to that Dave

Oil has got better over the years admittedly, I don't think I'd pour it back in my bike after having drained it at 3500 miles though, it might be fine? it looks fooked though 

Not mine, just for reference    

I think I will stick to changing my Hi-Flo filter once a year

Sim I had the same problem with a K&N.

Oil filter don´t have to be screwed very much
Suzuki recomendation is 2 rounds exactly. In fact it is ok before
If you tighten up the filter very much you can damage the thread