... Plus I found the K&N to be a pain and take too much time in that you had to clean it, wait for it to dry, and then oil it before you could reinstall it. I found it much easier, faster, and less messy to pull the old filter, wipe the airbox, and install the new filter. Done.
Besides the poor fitment, which a lot of members can attest too, I have found members bikes with a sandy film, bugs, leaves, and debris, as well as over oiling residue in the air box due to their use of K&N filters. You also have to figure in the cost of the K&N filter cleaner spray, and the oil they recommend you use, which is about the cost of a new OEM filter :rofll1:
A person can add foam weather stripping along the top for better fitment, and learn not to over oil them, but most folks just want to over spray and put them in.
You would need two filters to do the job quickly, rather than wait for a day for the filter to air dry after washing, then for the oil to set for several hours before installing again.
OEM, you just open the package and install it and close things up in a matter of minutes.
.02
My .02 after putting over 300,000 miles on 5 ST1300s over the last almost 11 (10 y 10 m) years!
I used a K&N air filter on my 2005 for years! When I sold it to my son (2013), I put in a stock filter. Figured if he wanted a K&N, he could buy his own!
About every 10K, when I cleaned that K&N filter in the '05, I never really found any more "stuff" (Like Larry is describing) in my airbox. In fact, it was always pretty clean.
I came across a couple of new stock filters really cheap, so I thought I would try a couple of tests. One was to see how much oil got into the airbox, stock vs K&N. They seem to be about the same. Okay, how much crud would I see, they were about the same. That was when my 2010 had about 25,000 miles on it (now has 50K). The '04#2 was just being put on the road and now has 20,000 miles.
I currently have three K&N filters. Right now two are on the shelve and one is in the '04#2. Once the 2010 filter needs replacing, one of the K&Ns will be going back in. I really think it is just preference! If you are going to use a K&N, just make sure it is seated like it should be, and you'll be fine.
So as far as what Larry has seen from K&N filters, I would say they probably weren't seated properly.
Oh and BTW, I use the K&N 204 Oil Filter. I love that little 17mm nut on the end!
I've been pretty lucky, I've found them on ebay for under $10, so I usually pick up 10 at a time. I go through one every couple of months (about 5,000 miles).
