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Disclaimer: First of all this is meant for sharing my experience with the
K&N Air Filter and this is no way a review or technical expert’s
suggestion.
Introduction
I have wanted to install high airflow K&N Air Filter on my carbureted 2016
BS4 Suzuki Gixxer 155cc since a long time. But I was skeptical about it due to
the mixed opinions floating around on the internet about installing the high
airflow K&N Air Filter. Also, there is no dedicated air filter available
for Suzuki Gixxer 155 that is manufactured by K&N. I have seen people
installing the conical K&N air filter installed directly to the inlet of
the carburetor by disconnecting the air box or by cutting the air box to
access the inlet hose of carburetor. I was planning to adopt one of those
methods but completely dropped those ideas. After examining the air flow
system of the motorcycle I have noticed that disconnecting the air box will
also disconnect the hoses that connect the air box to the crank case. This
will probably mean exposing the components of the crank case to unfiltered air
flow which will damage the engine in the long run.
Improvisation
Therefore, after brain storming for a day I came up with the idea to remove
the stock air filter and block the large opening of the air box with sealant
and install a metal bent pipe where the conical air filter can be installed.
Not the best looking setup but it was the best I solution I came up with
within a short time frame. Also, this is probably a setup that has not been
done before to install a K&N Air Filter on the Suzuki Gixxer. The sealant
was left to harden for 24 hours. Once the sealant had hardened completed the
K&N conical air filter was installed on the bent pipe.
Testing
Now since the high airflow K&N air filter allows a lot more air into the
engine the fuel input needs to be adjusted to ensure proper air fuel mixture
for optimum performance of the engine. Also, more air and less fuel mixture
will cause over heating of the engine.
But even after playing with multiple fuel input settings the motorcycle was
not performing well. The instant acceleration had become worse than ever.
Every time I twist the throttle there is a huge lag before the revs climb and
overtaking vehicles had become difficult. When the revs are above 5000 RPM
there seems to be no problem but the bottom end had become worse.
To solve this problem I started experimenting with different fuel brands. The
first brand that I chose was the Bharat Petroleum’s regular petrol. I had
tried it for at least 3 full tanks (1 full tank = 12 liters) but the problem
still existed. The next fuel that I had tried was the ‘Power’ by Hindustan
Petroleum which has additives in it. I did the same for this one too but there
was no significant improvement even after running the motorcycle on it for
about 3 full tanks. The last option that I had chosen was the Bharat
Petroleum’s ‘Speed’ which has an octane rating of 91, which is higher than
both the regular petrol and the ‘Power’. The difference in performance after
filling the motorcycle with ‘speed’ was drastic. The bottom end acceleration
increased tremendously. So much so that if you twist the throttle too abruptly
it will feel like the front end will lift up (although it does not). There is
no lag in performance in any gear at any rev range. The motorcycle feels much
more aggressive, faster, and smoother than before. The revs climb quicker than
before and the motorcycle accelerates much more aggressively when compared to
the motorcycle with a stock air filter and a tank filled with normal petrol.
Overall the performance of the motorcycle now seems enhanced (not tested on
dyno) and feels like a completely different motorcycle.
Affect on the Engine?
Since I have been running the motorcycle with the K&N Air Filter installed
on it for about 3 months now, there is no way I can predict any long term
affect of it on the engine. But so far I have not faced any issue other than
the issue that the motorcycle seem to have while using regular petrol.
There are multiple reviews and articles that suggest that in the long run
using a high air flow air filter such as the K&N Air Filter can cause
damage to the motorcycle due to over-heating and dust accumulation in the
engine. But the truth and reasons behind such causes may vary from case to
case.
Moreover any mechanical modification done to any vehicle may or can cause
damage to it if not done in the right way. Therefore, do proper research
before doing any such modification to your vehicle. This is just my experience
with the K&N Air Filter installed on my Suzuki Gixxer and I do not suggest
you to go ahead and do the same without consulting a technical expert.
If you have liked the article share it to support the website. Also, you can
check out my Instagram Page @projectas01 where I post photos of Cars
and Motorcycles.
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