any easier way than taking off the tank??...

should i replace it?...it has 8000km on it...

I dont' wanna rejet

It's possible to unbolt and lift the rear of the tank and remove the filter without disconnecting the hoses.  Use a piece of wood or a friend to hold the tank up while you unscrew the filter screws.  

8,000Km, that's just under 5,000 miles, right?  It could be blown out (from the inside out) with compressed air.  Or you could buy another filter and replace it.  I don't have my baike or it's manual anymore.  What's the suggested replacement intervals for the filter?  I forget.  I had 8,000 miles on mine when I sold it (relatively clean environment) and had no problems.

According to the "maintenance schedule" on the homepage of this all-knowing site the air filter should be cleaned every 2000 miles. I think many of us would find that a little excessive but it depends a great deal on conditions and when such things are written "worse-case" is probably taken into account.

Quote from: glenn9171It could be blown out (from the inside out) with compressed air.

Common misconception.

The idea is to blow the dirt particles back the way they came, right?  Well, they enter the air filter on the inside (through the intake hole) and try to work their way to the outside of the filter, into the airbox.  To reverse the process, blow compressed air at the filter from the outside.

Make sense?

how important is it to clean the filter?
and how do i know if i need a new one?

Quote from: Frosthow important is it to clean the filter?

If you mean, "How important is it to clean the air filter every 2,000 miles?" I'm gonna say, "Well, not very."

I'm sure Suzuki has a good reason for the recommendation, but I only succeeded in borrowing an air compressor at about the 4,000 mile mark (~6,500 km).  After that I kept on riding, feeling guilty all the while, until I replaced my original paper filter with a cleanable / reusable K&N Stock Replacement Air Filter -- at maybe 12,000+ miles (20,000+ km).  I never did notice anything strange in the sound or the performance of the bike....

Quote from: Frostand how do i know if i need a new one?

That's a good question!    If you pull the filter out and it looks "yucky dirty" then by all means replace it.  Otherwise, just blow it out (if possible) and reinstall it.

Theoretically the filter will, over time, "load up" with dirt particles, oil, etc.  This will slowly richen your air/fuel mixture, which should cause carbon deposits on your spark plugs.  (Everything else being within spec.)  You could try blowing the filter out at this point, but if it's fouling as bad as the picture shows I would "skip to the end" and replace the filter.



EDIT: Changed links from sisna.com to bbburma.net

I dont' have to rejet if I get the K&N right?

Once again, Kerry is right.  It's been so long since I had my bike, I forgot the dirt enters the filter from the inside out.  Good call on that one.  

Kerry, what is the purpose of the restrictor on the K&N filter? Does it have to do with the vacuum level in the airbox?
Thanks-

The K&N allows more air in, making the standard jetting lean. Restricting air flow corrects that. To use the K&N open you have to re-jet the carb.

Mark is right.  If you're just looking for a cleanable, reusable filter to replace your stock paper filter (for not much more money), then the K&N drop-in with restrictor is a good solution.

If you eventually decide to bump the main jets up a size (or two?),  simply remove the rubber restrictor ring to allow more airflow through the filter.  I believe that is what is called a "Stage 1 Rejet" - with no change in the exhaust system.

suppose the bike accelerates fine and revs up to the red line good in netral or clutched, but wont accelerate further than 6000 rpm, the filter is wet. is wet filter the cause of this?

I'm not sure whether a wet filter would cause this symptom.  I would think that if it were an air/fuel mixture problem it would occur even with no load on the engine.  (What do the plugs look like?)

Are you sure you don't have a loss of friction in your clutch?  I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase - just a thought.  Maybe Bob Broussard or JamesG or KevinC can help you out here.

I was just about to open a new topic about the air filter but it'll be best to use this one.
I have just one question concerning the air filter element.
The ONLY WAY to clean it is with an air compressor and then using it to blow the air (out-inside) of the air filter?
If that's right, it sucks because I'm gonna have to take my gs to the dealer every 2000 miles to do the job for me for 2 reasons: I dont have a air compressor and I think its too much trouble taking the air filter out of the bike and put it back on with all the lines and hoses and etc etc back to their right places... :-(((

just buy a can of compressed air

well it was the wet filter after all, now it pulls strong untill 10000 where I shift.

it runs great as always now  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Quote from: karneckThe ONLY WAY to clean it is with an air compressor and then using it to blow the air (out-inside) of the air filter?
If that's right, it sucks because I'm gonna have to take my gs to the dealer every 2000 miles to do the job for me

Well, maybe not the ONLY way.  Srinath has experimented with soaking the thing in gasoline....  

Couple things:

1) You don't need to mess with any hoses to get your air filter out:

* Use your ignition key to remove the seat.
* Undo the 10mm bolts holding the side plastics on (1989-2000 models only).
* Pull the side plastics out of the grommets on the frame and let the front drop down a little (1989-2000 models only).
* Remove the 12mm bolts that attach the rear of the fuel tank to the frame.
* Pull the tank an inch or so toward the rear of the bike so it will clear the frame in front.
* Lift the back of the fuel tank and support it on a short 2x4 laid crosswise on the frame.
* Remove the 4 air filter mounting screws and pull the filter out.

2) As far as cleaning the filter.  Either:

* Borrow someone's air compressor, or
* Take the filter to the home of a friend with a compressor or to a gas station with Free Air, or
* Don't worry about cleaning the filter every 2,000 miles unless you're in a very dusty environment.

I took my filter to a neighbor's home at 4,000 miles and he used his air compressor to "clean" it.  It never got cleaned again before I replaced it at about 15,000 miles.  I wouldn't feel bad about putting it BACK in if I had to....

The stokc paper filter can be cleaned with gas 3-4 times easy. Not soak... slosh it around in gas. Use a milk jug, slice the top off and fill it 1/2 with gas, and put the filter face down in it and swirl it few mins later your filter will be like new. Then dry it and put it back. heck dry it 1/2 way, and if the bike runs better that way... with a filter that's sorta gas soaked... you were lean.
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: Kerry* Undo the 10mm bolts holding the side plastics on (1989-2000 models .only).

Heh! Sounds funny hearing you 'Mericuns refer to bolts by wrench sizes. That'd be an M6 hex bolt to us, and most every mech would know he has to take the 10 mm wrench to tighten that puppy. (Except in automotive, bikes, that is. All sorts of weird wrench sizes on those.)

Quote from: MarkusN

Quote from: Kerry* Undo the 10mm bolts holding the side plastics on (1989-2000 models .only).

Heh! Sounds funny hearing you 'Mericuns refer to bolts by wrench sizes. That'd be an M6 hex bolt to us, and most every mech would know he has to take the 10 mm wrench to tighten that puppy.

Interesting!

What are other common metric hex bolt sizes?  Say, the ones tightened using a 12mm or 14mm or 17 mm wrench?