Harley Davidson Air Filters (Complete Guide)

Confused about buying an air filter for your Harley, ha? There are lots of options in the market, from aftermarket high performance to cool-looking ones.

To solve this confusion we are here with our detailed guide about Harley Davidson Air Filters, we suggest you go through the Harley Davidson Air Filters named article of ours where we talk about Harley Davidson Air Filters complete guide and advise you to just hang in there to know some cool stuff coming in.

Passionate about bikes? Cool. We too are. But how do you keep pace with the new concepts, new, new entries in the market? Well, you might be thinking why did we go with this topic in particular. Firstly, because who doesn’t know Harley Davidson?

All of us do, right? Hence, what better than this particular motorcycle manufacturer to start with? Moreover, we believe that air filters are highly underrated.

So, why not give you a better insight into those and help you gain a fresher perspective. With this single aim let us move forward and jump into some key information about the Harley Davidson Air filters.

What does an Air Filter do?

Harley Davidson Air Filters
CC: Pixabay

With the decreasing quality of air surrounding us, air filters are increasingly becoming a vital part of our lives. It is indeed true that they help in various ways but are they just limited to closed rooms in offices and homes? Definitely, not.

Experienced and trustworthy companies such as Harley Davidson came up with these air filters in their bikes which prove that a bike isn’t just about an air intake valve and the smoke.

If needed, there can be more to it. Now, without any more beating around the bush let us just come to answering the question: what does an air filter do? The role of these air filters is pretty simple where they filter and clean up the air that goes inside and ready to help the fuel burn efficiently and completely. Pretty basic right?

We all knew any kind of combustion requires air or oxygen but is that it? Is it what you are spending your money on? Absolutely, no.

While this whole process and cycle might seem to be basic and simple the result and what happens next is good for your bike. When air passes through these air filters it helps the fuel is burning completely and more efficiently.

Thus, resulting in better power delivery. Had it been with unfiltered air you would have used up more fuel to get the same amount of power which costs heavy on your wallet in the longer run. Moreover, when the combustion taking place is incomplete, vehicles emit a lot of smoke which is surely the last thing you expect from your motorcycle.

Do I need to buy an aftermarket Air Filter?

Now that we are done with the working of an air filter it’s time for us to know if we really should invest in one or not.

By the end of this section, we hope you get a clear idea about it and you make up your decision.

As mentioned earlier, an air filter in our opinion is not just an ‘extra’ or additional feature in one of those leading motorcycle manufacturers to be fancy or make consumers drop a little more coins rather it seems to us as an up-gradation or a feature in your bike that no one else can rave about.

air filters for harley davidson motorcycles
CC: Pixabay

In order ways, it is more of a luxury and not a necessity because let’s be real not all of us are willing to or can invest a heavy amount of money on bikes.

That being said, it is completely your choice if you want to buy an aftermarket air filter for yourself or not but do you see any reason for it being necessary?

Yes, we do. For those of you who have bought their ‘dream bikes’ and want to make the most of it, you should consider buying an aftermarket air filter.

This will ensure that you get the utmost power of your bike and no smoke is emitted as such.

Advantages of Aftermarket Air Filter

With the final call completely giving yours, we wouldn’t mind giving you a few more reasons to decide if you want to invest in one or not and what all advantages it has.

Thus, here are some of the advantages of aftermarket Harley Davidson air filters:

  • Performance enhancement: This is one of the most important advantages of getting aftermarket Harley Davidson air filters because you get the most out of the money you have spent on doing the work. can help you in increasing the performance of your Harley.
  • Fuel efficiency: Most of the time when we buy a new vehicle we complain that fuel efficiency isn’t good but with an air filter you need not worry about it. There are many aftermarket air filters that can help you in saving some of your fuel and increasing the efficiency of your bike.
  • Prevents Engine Seizure: An engine seizure, we know is the last thing you would want for your new bike. Unfiltered air can cause jamming of the piston in the cylinder and thus you might want to consider getting Harley-Davidson open-air filters then.
  • Prevents destruction of Engine: If the air that is getting used by your fuel and engine is unfiltered and contains a lot of impurities which is going to be true 99% of times it can cause serious damage to your bike engine.
  • Increases Engine Life: An engine as we all know, is the heart of your bike. Low engine life means low life for your bike. The impurities and dust particles entering inside cause the engine to clog and since the engine is not meant to clean up the dirt it gives up after some time. There are many great air filters that have great filtration systems.
  • Greater Expenses: When the heart of your bike i.e. the engine refuses to work any more you need to change the engine oil more frequently and this means greater and more frequent expenses than investing in an air filter at once.

What’s the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2?

After listing out the benefits of air filters for Harley Davidson, all of which seem to be making sense and proving to be beneficial in the longer run, here we are helping you out differentiating between a stage 1 and stage2 Harley Davidson.

To put it in simpler words, Harley Davidson air filters stage 1 and stage 2 as the name suggests are two upgrades from the house of Harley Davidson. Scroll through to know more about them.

Harley Davidson air filters stage 1 as the name sounds are the most basic up-gradation you can give to your Harley Davidson.

When you think about upgrading stuff outside the motor and engine it is a stage 1 upgrade.

You can have efficient fuel management, replace the previous intake or ECCU mapping whereas when you think about stage 2 what you have awaiting are a few changes here and there in the motor.

You can also install cams in this stage.

To put in a nutshell the key difference between stage 1 and stage 2 lies in the fact that the former is for stuff outside the motor mechanism and the latter for the workings inside a mechanism.

We would also like to put it out there that you cannot just jump to stage 2 upgradation without going through stage1.

Moreover, it is advised that you should use your bike for another 1 or 2 years before going in with stage 2. We have made a detailed list of some of the Best Stage 1 Air Cleaner for Harley Davidson, you can read that article if you want to buy one.

Best Harley Air Filters

Best Harley Air Filters
CC: Pixabay

Up next, we have prepared a list of some of the best air Harley air filters, all of which are highly reviewed and rated.

You can decide on one of these when you decide to get air filters for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

These are the 5 Best Harley Air Filters:

  1. Kuryakyn 9992 Hypercharger Air Cleaner/ Filter
  2. K&N Engine Air Filter
  3. Vance & Hines VO2 Naked Air Intake
  4. Krator Night Train Air Cleaner Kit
  5. Motor Deep Edge Air Cleaner Harley

Points to keep in mind before buying an air filter

Now, since we have covered most of the aspects of air filters for Harley Davidson motorcycles it becomes essential that we also dive into some points a consumer should keep in mind before investing in air filters for Harley Davidson.

Here are those:

Choose the right one: Talking about Harley-Davidson open-air filters you must know that there is a wide variety of these available in the market and not all of those are designed to fit in your bike. Hence, you need to choose the right one according to your bike.

  1. Filtration and flow: While we want to get the best of both worlds most of the time it may not be possible every time and this is exactly one of those. With these air filters when filtration goes up, the flow goes down and vice-versa, which is something you should know about.
  2. Looks do matter: Since the air filter is going to be with you for a long time choose the one which you like and not something you are compromising with.
  3. Special characteristics: If you want your air filters to have some special characters like preventing the rainwater from going inside go for the one which does the job because it is not every day that you buy an air filter for Harley Davidson.
  4. Consider your needs: Also buy what you need at the moment. For example, if you want to have something compact go for it, if its an aesthetic air filter that you are looking at go ahead and buy one. Just don’t make an uninformed decision.
  • What is the difference between a Stage1 and Stage2 filter?

    Apart from the difference mentioned in the previous section of our article one of the key differences is also that the stage 2 kit comes with a 20 percent larger air filter element when compared to stage1. In most of the cases, stage 1 is sufficient but if you are willing to go for stage 2 you should wait for a year or two.

  • How do you clean a Harley Davidson stage one air filter?

    To clean Harley Davidson air filters, stage 1 firstly you need it to take the filter off, spray the cleaner all over. Keep in mind that the cleaner is sprayed in all the corners and nook. After that rinse it off with clean water, let it air, then lightly coat it with some oil all over after which you can set it in place again.

  • What is a Harley Stage 1 Kit?

    The sole purpose of a Harley Stage 1 Kit is to help your bike get the purest air, let it breathe, give the maximum power possible. This will give you the true experience of a Harley Davidson.

  • Do I need to tune my Harley if I add an air cleaner?

    No, you don’t necessarily have to do that when you just add some mufflers. However, if you are planning on replacing your air cleaner you should.

  • Is a Stage 1 upgrade worth it?

    So, if you want to experience the true Harley Davidson motorcycle a stage 1 upgrade is the easiest way to go. It gives the bike the utmost power.

  • What does a Stage 2 Kit do for a Harley?

    A stage 2 kit combines the power of stage 1 and stage 2 kit both. A bike with stage 2 upgrade has +20-25% more HP than stock.

  • How much is a Stage 2 on a Harley?

    Without slip-on, a local dealer would quote $1250. Cam, tuner, a/c, and labor are included in this price. However, if your bike already features stage 1 with a tuner it would be around $800-$900.

  • Can you wash a Harley air filter?

    Harley Davidson air filters are washable just once. After washing you cant use it as an air filter but.

How do I maintain an Aftermarket Air Filter?

Maintaining your aftermarket air filter is not an irksome task. You just need to remove the filter from the place first and then start with the cleaning process.

Soak it using an air filter cleaner to get rid of all the dirt and impurities and then rinse it. Air drying is the best way to go.

These are the complete information about Harley Davidson Air Filters, if we miss anything, you can comment down below, we are happy to help you all.

Also read: Best Motorcycle Tool Kit, Reviews & Buying guide

Below are the some of the best selling Harley Davidson Air Filters from Amazon:

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