This article is for all those who think that the bike simply has an air intake valve and nothing else in between and also for those who think spending on air filters is useless as it is only there to increase your running expenses. But in reality it is not that way. Rather it is exactly the opposite. Because of the air filters your bike is running as long and as strong, else it would have had given up long-long time ago with the air we have here in our cities.So to put it in short, air filters are nothing but filters that clean up the air that goes inside our bike to help burn the fuel. Remember one thing here, the cleaner and purer the air, the better will be the combustion and hence the better efficiency and power delivery. Else to deliver the same amount of power you will end up burning more amount of fuel because the air quality was not up to the mark. The very reason that was a major cause of incomplete combustion in the older vehicles resulting in a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust.
So how do air filters work?Air filters are actually a layer or multiple layers of filtrates to filter the air off particulate matter and pollutants at various levels. There are various types of air filters which we will come to later on. But for now the basic definition of an air filter is this, to filter the air. These air filters are located right at the entry point of the air intake of the combustion engine. During the working of the engine the required air for combustion is sucked inside by the unit (Fuel Injection Unit/Carburetor). During this process the air is sucked via a pipe which has the air filter attached at the entrance of it.
The air filter simply filters the air off all the particulate matter and components resulting in a cleaner and clear air ready for optimum combustion of the fuel and delivers the best performance. This is exactly the reason why there is a need to either clean the air filter or replace it at regular intervals.
What happens if the air filter does not function or is absent?This is something that many of you must have had wondered but never dared to try; and it is a good thing if you didn’t. If the air filter is absent, then the worst thing that could happen is an engine seizure because of jamming of the piston in the cylinder. And this is happen when the oil has completely given up due to loss of effectiveness caused by all the impurities trapped in it. Other issues that could be caused are scratches and destruction of the engine due to the impurities resulting in drop of efficiency and performance.
This happens because all the small dust particles and pollutants that used to be filtered by the air filter will all enter the engine and clog the engine up completely. And then the engine oil will have its work cut out in clearing all that and eventually even it will give in when its tolerance level has been breached. So that would again mean changing of engine oil at quicker intervals which would mean greater expenses. Now compare this to changing your air filter or having one which literally costs a couple of hundred bucks compared to around a thousand bucks for an engine oil change. And both of them last for thousands of kilometers.
Types of air filters:1. Paper Air Filters
Now that we have settled the importance and use of air filters, it is time to check out the types of air filters. Now in today’s world, the highest used type of air filter is the paper filament one. It is actually not the actual paper which we use to write and read, but this is a pleated paper which is a bit denser and a little thick and heavier but has enough pores to breathe as well. This way the paper can filter the air as well as tolerate the extra pressure of the air and not tear. There are generally multiple layers of this filter or a single layer folded together to form a maze so that the air can be filtered multiple times to make sure it is as pure as possible before being delivered for combustion. From the very basic to the best of superbikes today use this type of filter for its high effectiveness and low cost.
2. Foam Air Filters
Foam filters are also used in many of the bikes but it is slightly on the premium end. This foam is actually oil-bathed polyurethane foam. This actually used the denseness of the oil to make sure the particulate matter sticks to the heavy oil and the rest of the lighter matter gets caught in the foam crevices. Since foam also has a bit of elasticity feature, hence it is also used in some of the performance machines for high density and high velocity air pumps to give that extra power to the bike.
3. Cotton Air Filters
Cotton air filters are not used nowadays but they used to be put on the older bikes when the paper filament was not yet discovered. It worked pretty well for that time, but this was not full proof thus resulting in low engine life. But then again the air back in the day did not used to be so bad as well.
4. Liquid Bath Air Filters
Oil Bath air filters are a type but are never used in bikes because they are pretty heavy, intense and are messy. Same is the case with water bath air filters. They are most apt for heavy vehicles but not for 2 wheels.
Now that we have settled the importance and use of air filters, it is time to check out the types of air filters. Now in today’s world, the highest used type of air filter is the paper filament one. It is actually not the actual paper which we use to write and read, but this is a pleated paper which is a bit denser and a little thick and heavier but has enough pores to breathe as well. This way the paper can filter the air as well as tolerate the extra pressure of the air and not tear. There are generally multiple layers of this filter or a single layer folded together to form a maze so that the air can be filtered multiple times to make sure it is as pure as possible before being delivered for combustion. From the very basic to the best of superbikes today use this type of filter for its high effectiveness and low cost.
2. Foam Air Filters
Foam filters are also used in many of the bikes but it is slightly on the premium end. This foam is actually oil-bathed polyurethane foam. This actually used the denseness of the oil to make sure the particulate matter sticks to the heavy oil and the rest of the lighter matter gets caught in the foam crevices. Since foam also has a bit of elasticity feature, hence it is also used in some of the performance machines for high density and high velocity air pumps to give that extra power to the bike.
3. Cotton Air Filters
Cotton air filters are not used nowadays but they used to be put on the older bikes when the paper filament was not yet discovered. It worked pretty well for that time, but this was not full proof thus resulting in low engine life. But then again the air back in the day did not used to be so bad as well.
4. Liquid Bath Air Filters
Oil Bath air filters are a type but are never used in bikes because they are pretty heavy, intense and are messy. Same is the case with water bath air filters. They are most apt for heavy vehicles but not for 2 wheels.
What are performance air filters?We all have aftermarket accessories and options to change air filters to high performance ones like K&N and the likes. The only difference here in these air filters is that they are made of a special filter material which pressurizes the air into the combustion chamber. In short they provide the same amount of the filtration as the stock filter but in quicker time allowing the air to give that extra rush to the engine to make it livelier and peppier.
Some of these filters are washable and reusable making them a onetime investment thing, but then again one needs to have that knack of doing DIY chores of cleaning them up properly and installing then again, else improper cleaning and installation could lead to issues in the engine.So make sure you get your air filters serviced regularly and keep it healthy for the best engine performance and stay tuned to BikesIndia for more on 2 wheels.
By: Pratik Patole
