UNI custom replacement air filter (initial review)

[CRXSi90]

I jumped up and down when I saw the box from Dennis Kirk at my house. The filter was here, now my engine could run with clean air. The previous owner had ripped the hairy foam out of the stock air filter, and left the wire frame. Probably not horrible, but not a super idea either.

I ordered the UNI filter, and 16oz. of filter oil. You can get an aerosol or a regular bottle, both costing the same, but the bottle containing lots more.

I took a look at how they made the filter. It looks like they took a tube of foam, stuck it through the center of a wire frame, and then curled the ends around on the outside.

I thought the price could have been less. I paid $30 for the filter and oil to my door. Not horrible, but still, kinda up there. If I had known, I might have tried to make something myself.

If I were going to attempt to make my own, I'd mess around with making seams using heat. If that didn't work, I'd take a sheet of foam, cut it about 2.5 inches bigger than the inside of the frame, and curl it around, and use a piece of string or something around the seam to secure it together.

The oil was very slippery and sticky! That is good for filter oil, I suppose. My dad said it looked a lot like bar & chain oil for a chainsaw. Once I run out of this oil (might be a while, 16oz), I'll probably either get aerosol for easier application, or just use bar&chain oil.

Overall, the foam looks pretty genaric, it looks like it would be easy to put together, and the oil isn't extremely special. I'm glad to have a filter on the bike, and I'm not too sad about the price (its what I'd expect for something like that), but I'd try to make one myself next time.

I'll post something in the review section after its actually been used for a while.

Kevin

[skids]

I bought a couple of those for my 78xs11's. I was not happy with the cheepo construction of those "OEM-style" (per JC Whitney at the time). The 78E's have hitch pins retaining the bolts to the air box half. The hitch pins caught in the foam and I had to cut those stupid filters out with a gin-su knife. That foam is so tough that I bent the ear of a wingnut while trying to unscrew it with a pair of channel locks. If you have a different style of bolt retainer, like e-clips, you will not have that problem.