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I have a 1989 Yamaha FZX 750, and I can't find a replacement air filter for it. What's the best method to clean the air filter?

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Find one on the internet? bikebandit.com/1989-yamaha-fz750-air-filters/c/… – PearsonArtPhoto Mar 8 '11 at 16:44
@Pearsonartphoto, my mechanic (who is excellent) couldn't find one, and I couldn't find one online myself for less than $50 (and even then I didn't trust it was the correct one). The one you linked to is for the FZ, which is a different size than the one I need. – Kendrick Mar 8 '11 at 17:19
Oh, NM... Sigh... – PearsonArtPhoto Mar 9 '11 at 1:07

5 Answers

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I agree with NoCarrier, you really have to tackle the source of the problem, which is ability to get a new filter.

I'm iffy about recommending eBay, but this guy has a stellar rating, and seems to specialize in motorcycles. He has a listing for this filter with a quantity of 10+. Communicate with him and to see if this will work out for you, and consider buying multiple to help offset shipping costs (he's in the UK).

Another option is an after-market filter. It may be possible to modify the airbox to allow a custom filter to be used. This isn't plan A, but it's better than trying to keep a paper filter going past its expiration date.

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I'm always iffy about ebay, and don't like shipping from out of continent, but this is by far the best price I've seen on one. I've considered modifying the airbox to fit a different filter, so if I decide against the replacement (or it turns out to be the wrong oen) I may take some measurements and see if I can find something close... – Kendrick Mar 9 '11 at 15:25
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There are air filter cleaners available at dirt bike shops. It's a cleaner you spray on the filter, then spray off. Make sure your air filter is DRY!! before putting it back in the bike and running it. A can costs ~7 bux or so.

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I talked to one of the mechanics on our fleet maintenance team, and he had a tank of some kind of cleaner that he left it in. After a couple days in the tank, he pulled it out and it's definitely much cleaner. Left it to dry for a couple days and put it in the bike. – Kendrick Mar 16 '11 at 12:42
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How about a vacuum cleaner? Try using the upholstery brush, which will limit the amount of vacuum applied (due to air leaking through the bristles). Don't actually brush the filter.

That said, I agree that you really should find a new filter. Even if you manage to clean it, the paper will eventually disintegrate due to age, and then you'll have to replace it anyway.

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You definitely should try and find a new filter and because the filter is paper based your options are limited cleaning wise. If you own an air compressor, try limiting the amount of air coming out to the closest lowest setting and blow air gently into the filter which might help clean it slightly, but eventually you won't be able to clean it properly any more and you might be opening up a can of problems the longer you leave it.

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up vote 5 down vote

Since its paper based, your ability to clean it is somewhat limited. Mechanically agitating it (i.e. with a brush) is iffy since you run the risk of damaging the filter element. You can try shooting compressed air from the opposite direction of the filter but that really only removes the larger chunks of dirt, and if you're not careful, can also damage the element. If you look closely between the pleats, you find that the microscopic pores in the paper element are all clogged with particles that aren't readily removeable.

Long story short, any cleaning you can perform without damaging the filter will have negligible gains in flow improvement.

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A number of people (offline) recommended blowing it out with compressed air, but the filter has a greasy feeling on the inside and I doubt it would work (as you said, with the fine, hard to remove particles). Looks like the answer is replace... – Kendrick Mar 9 '11 at 15:28
Not to mention paper air filters absorb moisture from the air and are self destructing basically. I wonder if you can change it to a fabric based filter instead? I know a lot of street cycles use paper filters, but I think you can use the fabric based ones and it shouldn't hurt. You should probably research first though. – DigitalSea Mar 9 '11 at 23:50

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