K&N Filter on Pulsar 180 - few doubts

motophsycho · 16th October 2006, 23:55

i own a pulsar 180 cc dtsi(fear the black) and am very happy with the performance and milage of the vehicle..fuel economy is between 46-55.. the other day i just happened to ride a pulsar 150 with a k & n and was totally taken aback by the sound of the vehicle(almost ike an rd).the bik was stock fitment,even as old as mine.. only diff was the k&N. i want to fit a k& n on my bike but cant make up my mind cause of the following
1)will it experience a huge drop in fuel economy
2)will it affect the long trm life of the bike??

the bike is only 9 mths old and has completed 15000 km...

dont want to do anything more cause the bike is well within the warranty period

i am not looking for that extra performance.. just doing it it for that mesmerising sound..

is rejetting required??
please advise.. thx

shazikon · 17th October 2006, 15:22

Yes.. Rejetting is defanitely required and it can be real time consuming to find correct jet sizes.. your initial pick up will be drastically low cos your pilot jet will not be able to supply enough fuel to the carb to maintain 14:1 air to fuel ratio.. since more air is comming in to the carb. you may have to play around variuos jet sizes to get the right match.. you cannot depend on your mech to do this for you.. its fun to do it urself.

motophsycho · 17th October 2006, 17:58

oh..thanks for the reply.. will there be a drastic drop in my fuel economy with the regetting???my riding is basicly betwwen 50-80km/hr....

binz · 17th October 2006, 18:59

Depending on the Upjetting you do,there will be a drop in economy.Say,if you use the standard RC-1060 K&N,the drop in eff will be negligible but the bigger the K&N,the larger the jet you'll have to use and you eff will drop depending on your riding(ie..if you chumma rev to hear the sound)

bivin · 2nd September 2009, 20:51

heyy!!

i just got a new K&N air filter for my pulsar 180. i have noticed that there is a significant change in the engine noise at higher revvs(4000 upwards). considering that the airfilter is component which is used before the actual combustion taking place in the engine, ho does it manage to change the noise?????

also ive heard from a friend (who also retrofitted his pulsar win K&N's) that these filters are bad for the pistons of the bike. is this claim true to any extent???

please help me out!!

somspaple · 2nd September 2009, 21:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

heyy!!

i just got a new K&N air filter for my pulsar 180. i have noticed that there is a significant change in the engine noise at higher revvs(4000 upwards). considering that the airfilter is component which is used before the actual combustion taking place in the engine, ho does it manage to change the noise?????

also ive heard from a friend (who also retrofitted his pulsar win K&N's) that these filters are bad for the pistons of the bike. is this claim true to any extent???

please help me out!!

i don't think it is the engine noise and nor related to exhaust. it must be intake roar and actually it should sound good

.
bad for pistons? can't say exactly, but if the bike is running too lean (due to increased airflow in to the carb) for too long it might result in damage. carb retuning/rejetting will be the solution for that.

bivin · 2nd September 2009, 21:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by somspaple

i don't think it is the engine noise and nor related to exhaust. it must be intake roar and actually it should sound good

.
bad for pistons? can't say exactly, but if the bike is running too lean (due to increased airflow in to the carb) for too long it might result in damage. carb retuning/rejetting will be the solution for that.

i guess noise is too strong a word here. im in love with my bike new "growl" aswell,just wanted to know the reason. could you explain more about the "bike being too lean" part??

somspaple · 3rd September 2009, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

Quote:

Originally Posted by somspaple

i don't think it is the engine noise and nor related to exhaust. it must be intake roar and actually it should sound good

.
bad for pistons? can't say exactly, but if the bike is running too lean (due to increased airflow in to the carb) for too long it might result in damage. carb retuning/rejetting will be the solution for that.

i guess noise is too strong a word here. im in love with my bike new "growl" aswell,just wanted to know the reason. could you explain more about the "bike being too lean" part??

running lean- more airflow compared to stock setting in the bike's carb. this will result in better mileage but power or pick-up would go down.

if fuel flow is more than required then the bike will be running rich which is not advisable again.

after fitting the after-market performance filters like k&n the carb needs to be adjusted for a balanced fuel flow to compensate the more air available. this can be achieved to some extent by adjusting the air-flow screw on some bikes. otherwise carb needs rejetting.

rranjith_kum · 3rd September 2009, 14:34

Or in simple terms if you had it fitted by a professional then you dont have to worry because he knows he has to tune the carb so he would have made you sit after he fitted and would have spent some time with it.

Try to check your emissions you will be emitting NOx at a dangerous levels. Damage levels can be due to overheating of the engines !!

bivin · 3rd September 2009, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by somspaple

running lean- more airflow compared to stock setting in the bike's carb. this will result in better mileage but power or pick-up would go down.

if fuel flow is more than required then the bike will be running rich which is not advisable again.

after fitting the after-market performance filters like k&n the carb needs to be adjusted for a balanced fuel flow to compensate the more air available. this can be achieved to some extent by adjusting the air-flow screw on some bikes. otherwise carb needs rejetting.

what are the benefits of doing this??? also what are the concequences of not doing so??

sgiitk · 3rd September 2009, 14:48

While K & N increases the airflow, do not expect a cat to become a tiger. The power gain may at best be about 3-6%. Also, one must watch out that the freezer induction is not at the coat of filter efficiency, esp. in a dusty country like ours. More dust will naturally result in more wear and tear.

I an afraid according to the Spicer report on air filters K & N scored rather poorly in terms of flitrartion efficiency. I am sure you will be able to find this on the web. unfortunately, the original link is no longer operative.

Technocrat · 3rd September 2009, 14:54

Like others have mentioned, the sounds is essentially an Induction noise.

I too had one on my P180, while it bettered the mid range it almost killed the top end. Believe its mostly a feel factor than any significant gain in actual performance.

rranjith_kum · 3rd September 2009, 15:36

Bivin: The benefits of tuning your bikes carb is that it wont not run lean. It will not be polluting (NOx). It will not over heat and therefore some long term engine damage will not happen.
I think you also know the consequences.

@sgiitk: Sir, I thought K&N were good in filtering.

somspaple · 3rd September 2009, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by bivin

what are the benefits of doing this??? also what are the concequences of not doing so??

benefits- you make more power as you are burning more fuel
if not- you are running lean and 'll result in engine damage in the long run..

as Technocrat rightly said definitely most of it is feel factor. but if the carb is tuned properly you can really enjoy whatever the improvement you see in the engine response.

rranjith_kum · 3rd September 2009, 18:17

Oh my god. I ran a search in the web there are lot of people complaining about the filtering efficiency of K&N !

.

SGIITK sir was indeed correct. I m sorry pal, how much did you spend?

16th October 2006, 23:55	#1
motophsycho Newbie Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: panaji goa Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	K&N Filter on Pulsar 180 - few doubts i own a pulsar 180 cc dtsi(fear the black) and am very happy with the performance and milage of the vehicle..fuel economy is between 46-55.. the other day i just happened to ride a pulsar 150 with a k & n and was totally taken aback by the sound of the vehicle(almost ike an rd).the bik was stock fitment,even as old as mine.. only diff was the k&N. i want to fit a k& n on my bike but cant make up my mind cause of the following 1)will it experience a huge drop in fuel economy 2)will it affect the long trm life of the bike?? the bike is only 9 mths old and has completed 15000 km... dont want to do anything more cause the bike is well within the warranty period i am not looking for that extra performance.. just doing it it for that mesmerising sound.. is rejetting required?? please advise.. thx
	() Thanks

17th October 2006, 15:22	#2
shazikon BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 391 Thanked: 24 Times View My Garage	Yes.. Rejetting is defanitely required and it can be real time consuming to find correct jet sizes.. your initial pick up will be drastically low cos your pilot jet will not be able to supply enough fuel to the carb to maintain 14:1 air to fuel ratio.. since more air is comming in to the carb. you may have to play around variuos jet sizes to get the right match.. you cannot depend on your mech to do this for you.. its fun to do it urself.
	() Thanks

17th October 2006, 17:58	#3
motophsycho Newbie Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: panaji goa Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	oh..thanks for the reply.. will there be a drastic drop in my fuel economy with the regetting???my riding is basicly betwwen 50-80km/hr....
	() Thanks

17th October 2006, 18:59	#4
binz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,306 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	Depending on the Upjetting you do,there will be a drop in economy.Say,if you use the standard RC-1060 K&N,the drop in eff will be negligible but the bigger the K&N,the larger the jet you'll have to use and you eff will drop depending on your riding(ie..if you chumma rev to hear the sound) Last edited by binz : 17th October 2006 at 19:07.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2009, 20:51	#5
bivin BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: India Posts: 982 Thanked: 230 Times	K&N Filter on Pulsar 180 - few doubts heyy!! i just got a new K&N air filter for my pulsar 180. i have noticed that there is a significant change in the engine noise at higher revvs(4000 upwards). considering that the airfilter is component which is used before the actual combustion taking place in the engine, ho does it manage to change the noise????? also ive heard from a friend (who also retrofitted his pulsar win K&N's) that these filters are bad for the pistons of the bike. is this claim true to any extent??? please help me out!!
	() Thanks

3rd September 2009, 14:34	#9
rranjith_kum BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coimbatore/ Aachen Posts: 693 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Or in simple terms if you had it fitted by a professional then you dont have to worry because he knows he has to tune the carb so he would have made you sit after he fitted and would have spent some time with it. Try to check your emissions you will be emitting NOx at a dangerous levels. Damage levels can be due to overheating of the engines !! Last edited by rranjith_kum : 3rd September 2009 at 14:38.
	() Thanks

3rd September 2009, 14:48	#11
sgiitk BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,969 Thanked: 4,788 Times	While K & N increases the airflow, do not expect a cat to become a tiger. The power gain may at best be about 3-6%. Also, one must watch out that the freezer induction is not at the coat of filter efficiency, esp. in a dusty country like ours. More dust will naturally result in more wear and tear. I an afraid according to the Spicer report on air filters K & N scored rather poorly in terms of flitrartion efficiency. I am sure you will be able to find this on the web. unfortunately, the original link is no longer operative.
	(1) Thanks

3rd September 2009, 14:54	#12
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	Like others have mentioned, the sounds is essentially an Induction noise. I too had one on my P180, while it bettered the mid range it almost killed the top end. Believe its mostly a feel factor than any significant gain in actual performance.
	() Thanks

3rd September 2009, 15:36	#13
rranjith_kum BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coimbatore/ Aachen Posts: 693 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Bivin: The benefits of tuning your bikes carb is that it wont not run lean. It will not be polluting (NOx). It will not over heat and therefore some long term engine damage will not happen. I think you also know the consequences. @sgiitk: Sir, I thought K&N were good in filtering.
	() Thanks

3rd September 2009, 18:17	#15
rranjith_kum BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Coimbatore/ Aachen Posts: 693 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Oh my god. I ran a search in the web there are lot of people complaining about the filtering efficiency of K&N ! . SGIITK sir was indeed correct. I m sorry pal, how much did you spend? Last edited by rranjith_kum : 3rd September 2009 at 18:37.
	() Thanks