If you’re a serious dirt biker, then you know that nothing is more vital to the performance of your bike than regular maintenance. There are plenty of things you can do to both extend the life of your dirt bike, and keep it running better than ever. Cleaning your air filter is a small do-at-home maintenance that is simple to do, and vital to your bike’s performance.
How Often Should I Clean My Air Filter?
Your riding conditions and level of riding will determine how often you need to clean your air filter. If you tackle dusty, muddy tracks, you will want to clean your air filter after every ride, even if you’re just riding for leisure. If you’re a professional rider, you will also want your bike to be in immaculate condition, and you will want to clean or change your air filter with every ride.
Alternatively, if you’re a leisure rider and you take your bike out for a quick 20 minute spin, you probably won’t need to clean the air filter until after a few more rides. If you are unsure whether or not the filter needs to be cleaned, simply take a look at it. If it’s dirty, clean it!
How Do I Clean My Air Filter?
Cleaning your air filter is incredibly easy, even if you’re mechanically challenged. It can be done in 4 basic steps: clean, rinse, dry, and oil.
When you remove your filter, be sure not to let any mud or dirt fall into the air intake. Rinse the filter in either a mineral turpentine or a biodegradable filter cleaner. Rinse the filter with warm, soapy water, and then rinse again with clean water. You may have to repeat the cleaning and rinsing steps depending on the condition of your filter. Once the filter is clean, squeeze excess liquid out and allow it to dry by hanging it or setting it on a paper towel.
The final step is to re-oil your filter. Soak the filter and make sure that it is completely saturated and evenly coated with fresh oil. Squeeze excess oil out, and reinstall it. You may also want to clean the air filter cage and bolt, and the sealing ring using contact cleaner.
If you allow build up on your filter, you are limiting the air getting to your carburetor, and ultimately hurting your performance and your dirt bike. The process of cleaning and oiling your air filter is so easy, you owe it to yourself and your bike to keep your air filter in good condition.
If you’re in the market for some used parts take a look at Cannibal Cycle’s selection of used dirt bike parts.
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