K&N air filter

[Wvvstar]

Has anyone used the K&N air filter?  Any noticeable change (pro or con) over stock OEM?

[Showkey]

Just about every motorcycle and car/truck has KN filter debate .....often heated !!!

Let’s say it’s very controversial mainly based on :

Do they filter the same, better or worse than the alternatives?
Do they change performance that’s measurable?   ( don’t assume it’s more)

Does the oil on the filter media damage the down stream MAF Sensor ?

You will find dozens of facts and opinions on all the questions.

KN filters discussions have lot in common with the typical internet engine oil discussion.

[Grabcon]

There are a lot of opinions on this topic. I can't find it but there was a video from FortNine with a great discussion on this topic. In summary he said that for normal everyday riding stay with OEM. If you do a lot of off road with a lot of dirt in the air a K&N or foam type maybe a better option. They can be cleaned with more frequency and don't break the bank with replacement costs of an OEM filter.

From a performance aspect I can't remember but it didn't seem to be profound.

[Wvvstar]

I’ve used K&N filters on my cage vehicles...seem to filter well and can be cleaned and re-charged.  I’ve always went to a 2-stage air filter type on my off-road bikes over stock. 
The K&N doesn’t look much different than the stock as far as the design...sure the filter media is not the same.  I guess I’ll just wait until I pull mine (OEM) and see how it looks...decide from there. 
And I hear ya re opinions. 

[Showkey]

Here’s few of many tests...........

https://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/282073/1-s2.0-S2212017316X00047/1-s2.0-S2212017316301475/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEBoaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQDnB1eXI0Zp4h0ndsxpTBQ5tS8WEN1WBepAkP8xuvuuuAIhAO5yy7kluVUqjlga9sHLbL4sybs84hmFSu0YsbbjENewKrQDCDMQAxoMMDU5MDAzNTQ2ODY1Igwzq32dQiFSM6uphesqkQNEW7giEKOKek%2FnG%2By2Y8otsQ57fwlseq%2Bdipu1jVwUjUD5deeLFbjo3rtPmEZ5FLGUGEOFtSJSPZYUNTpF4LGPGO5JJOw%2FVltyWZhdGrrNIHkaLa6VRYW6rnC8mLqweDRikBhr39xEALtZZew4XZ0quR8uOIUNSmd85MZjZ4E8SqwGy0qFcak9s9NIX%2FVe6mGjMoxX0NDFbpiQkXg1tTnRMEfLeq2I8zENRpl%2FR82WmnKdJ7%2Fxp3g8orXHAdrzNP8iwrh1oZuSFAG78Lcyq6dhbDcGLcSIJbp9r00PBsFb%2FBEwBIZhU%2F3jZ69tyBrO16bsKXxaU%2FU020r6EbhabDa3lMLWQo6XaY6hx0M632wKIVKaFqlKEw9eNjDmdskMWNvgQuedhJF9qk6LDMHUCNwqYCGWMaxUcpXCa%2BZdM42jEYqKwhSXg078cVhZ94Yq2akPz4YAWnDkaFSPIN8Xz5raHCjNAR36BMYW0xPQVLia2MozwNGSfizABEZPF7eCBOZKdXpyTOzj5oVIy1%2BYFeEb8DCr%2Bsf0BTrqAbhFqofVEVYySiKrmllw1c668iaFM4B9AGKj8hS7uhJj8xi%2FmJ9c9c7Od1PSWa5yq2ja4R%2BFvIwqCuEEzkZlZPWUWTbfZI5ZSeqUAtDPKoO6r39yNbrwsxQxNE4Tk1zR0ZlGtECFHUHMjBuNby9B6iaEc8fUtbFDx%2FvEkoxRmTjezhxX2ZmUmZSKLZm0X0r1biZULxrVL7wLiyGWcCBajhY9UpqBS1QRr1BeXp3epguc%2FPQWyFM%2BIz2CkVKp7Vww5ZRMgoH%2F2esvy3MpjjyNi%2BN8laRYpRnjJfRISNPxxI2Sfd8knpPFznrhvA%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20200411T173905Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTY7VWHX6MR%2F20200411%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=b5c4d6def6bde8e2829ac95c78fdd4faf3bb4bf01b76cf77e4bcb34bc5e6cba7&hash=6339b8ad1096785d112d4072d89d7daefad765521dda576638c9e239cea6d101&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S2212017316301475&tid=spdf-d79fe816-65bf-46d2-bd31-a3e80fcb87ef&sid=49ad780213d3d94f824a8961b56081b16e77gxrqa&type=client

[Showkey]

Here’s another “test” that actually shows a slight power increase, from a guy that actually does some very good testing videos.   His other videos have the engineering, math and testing to back up his findings.

Unfortunately he did not do a test with no air filter as a base line test.
This test does not address  the elephant in the room......slight increase in power vs change in dirt and dust filtered ( or not filtered).

[__Ray__]

On every bike i had it was standard to change the original filter at the first service for a K&N.
The only reason is that i ride 15 to 20k km a year and this is on the long term cheaper. I also always have a cleaning kit at home so i can clean it whenever i feel necessary or have the time without having to get a new filter first.
Everybody always thinking about power/performance but why? 
With the horsepower and torque most bikes have nowadays it's only useable as small talk at the bar. Most people cannot handle the standard power leave them riding around 50 to 70% of the power and people who can handle the full power still don't use it and if they use it they're riding on a track or become donors real soon.
Here in the Netherlands a K&N pays itself back for the most bikes at about the third change and for de CT i already saved money the first time because it was cheaper than the OEM 

[Wvvstar]

Ray-
Your thinking was along my lines of thought as well.  Power I don’t need...and the cost being relatively the same as OEM...but the ability to clean / recharge makes that cost a one time occurrence. 
I’ll check out some of the tests above...but I’m leaning toward trying the K&N.  IMO they wouldn’t be in the filtering business if their product wasn’t at least as good as OEM. 

Ron