Stage One air cleaners and rain

[tracerbob]

Since my stage 1 A/C is basically a K&N type filter with the stock A/C outer covering it I was wondering if riding in rain would have any adverse affects such as sucking up a bunch water causing the engine to act up?  The stock A/C handled rain pretty well but of course it was quite restrictive.

[fattmann101]

I have never had any problem

[76shuvlinoff]

I ran a wide open KN on my shovel for years, never noticed rain affecting anything but me.

[ViennaHog]

the football cover protects the a/c entirely, no issue there. Have open a/c elements on a few bikes and never ad any issues in the rain. Only if you get into a puddle and the a/c is just flooded the engine sputters a fair bit but recovers quickly.

[N-gin]

Have you ever got stuck in the middle of a down pore and have a bandana around your face. You wont be able to breath neither your bike if it gets soaked.

[Neckball]

A properly oiled K&N filter will repel water. Oil & water don't mix.

[calgary56]

A properly oiled K&N filter will repel water. Oil & water don't mix.

In a static situation I'd agree, but when you're engine is sucking copious amounts of air, mixed with H2O, believe me, the thing will choke in a heavy downpour.

Was riding in the mountains September 9th, and got stuck in torrential rain, Dorothy & Toto strength winds, & hail so quick, there was no sense putting on rain gear, 'cause I was already soaked, bikes were pulled over everywhere, must have been 30 of 'em, ... I decided to ride it out back to Calgary, hmmm, maybe not the smartest choice, got a fat lower lip from the f$&^ing hail

Anyway, I run an open K&N filter, properly cleaned and oiled, and had to kick the bike down a gear and keep the revs up or it would start to choke and sputter, and I surely didn't need the engine to quit, as I was in the mountains with no cell reception, ... was a tad busy trying to keep the bike upright and in my own lane to check, but I'll bet steam was coming out the Thunderheader

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[calgary56]

Have you ever got stuck in the middle of a down pore and have a bandana around your face. You wont be able to breath neither your bike if it gets soaked.

It's like "waterboarding" your engine

[YFOPOS1]

Have you ever got stuck in the middle of a down pore and have a bandana around your face. You wont be able to breath neither your bike if it gets soaked.

It's like "waterboarding" your engine

In that case you would have nice carbon cleaned piston tops   

[Rags722]

I've never run the K&N filter open, but have run it on a bike with the football cover.  I did get it to sneeze pretty bad when running through a decent sized puddle, but puddles are something you sometimes can't avoid.  I would not like to have to run through a long section of road that was like that and risk sucking so much water the motor dies or hydrolocks.  I understand it shouldn't be bothered by light rain, but in my experience heavy rain has the potential to cause problems even with the football cover.  However, an even bigger risk is the bike that is left outside in a day or 2 of driving rain.  Even if "only" a teaspoon or so an hour gets into the throttle body, where do you think it goes if the bike is on the jiffy stand?  Just how much damage can you expect if there are a few teaspoons of water sitting overtop both intake valves when you finally hit the starter three days later when it's nice and sunny out and you forgot about all the rain?  Worse yet if one of the intakes was open andthe jug is half filled with water.

Bottom line, I know there are a boatload of bikes out there running open filters, and a lot of them don't get to live in a nice warm garage, but I'd spend too much time worrying to make it worth the sunny day performance gain to be worthwhile. JMHO

[ViennaHog]

Rags, fully agree with the static situation, makes a lot of sense.

[rking1550]

I'm running a Woods air filter, it doesn't get much more open than that. The thing is LARGE.
   I bought a Outerwear Pre-filter for this very reason, it's water repellent. Goes on just like rain sock. Haven't got to "test" it yet though, but I'm not complaining. 
  Not expensive at all. I had to have a custom made size and it was still under $ 30 shipped to my door.

[easyricer]

My 76 Triumph t-140 had dual open pod filters from K&N on it. My son in law just had to prove himself as a biker on it to me. I rode to work every day, rain or shine, hot or cold so he figured he could too. He was actually a pretty good rider on it. We were sitting at my shop with a down pour heading our way, I'd already closed up for the day and I told him to take the truck because the Turnip won't make it through this rain that's coming. He blew me off and said "Lets ride OLD MAN!" I fired off my Shovel, he fire off the Turnip, and off we went. We didn't go one block when we were soaked to the bone by the turd floater that hit us hard and heavy. He never even made it to the first light! Motor got hosed pretty good and she shut down. I turned my bike around and blocked traffic while he pushed the little hotrod back to the shop and left it under the awning.
Next morning we pulled the plugs and they were still soaked with water. New plugs, drained the fuel tank and carbs the little hotrod was back amongst the living. (his pride, though, was still a little hosed down)
EASY

[Thumper Buttercup]

OK you OLD guys,

Admit the good things a little water can do if done right, remember the carb
engines and the guys bringing them in for running rough and getting a old
coke bottle with a little water in it and having a guy giving the engine a little
throttle and poring a little water at a time down the carb to breakup the
carbon buildup?

[Winston Wolf]

If you ride in hard enough rain it will spit/sputter/cough, even with the outerwear or screamin eagle prefilter. Just keep the rpms up and you will be able to keep it running. Light rain is fine. The prefilters aren't waterproof, and the oil of the k&n does not repell water. If you run long enough in the rain it will wash out the oil. All this I say from first hand experience, traveling across the The United State though some viscous rain storms.

[texaskatfish]

IME the only bike I know that actual hard rain chokes is my BACA brother Popeye's RG - he has one of them fwd facing aftermarket air intakes - when he has the 'sock' (as mentioned above) with him no worries - but if he left that at home he just pulls over 'cause he knows she'll stall in a gully washer

I do know from experience a bike engine will digest water and survive (if you have enough momentum to keep the revs up until all the water passes on through) - I popped up over a small rise to find a formerly 'dry' low water crossing was now about a 50 foot wide flowing creek approx 2 feet deep - way too close for anything but 2 choices:
lay her down or gun it - that little CL175 actually survived and kept runnin as I barely had enough speed (mebbe 50 mph) and just kept downshiftin - I had gone alla way down to 1st when the last of the water spit out and she fired again - took a couple of days before my sphincter turned right side out again!   

[hd06myway]

If you ride in hard enough rain it will spit/sputter/cough, even with the outerwear or screamin eagle prefilter. Just keep the rpms up and you will be able to keep it running. Light rain is fine. The prefilters aren't waterproof, and the oil of the k&n does not repell water. If you run long enough in the rain it will wash out the oil. All this I say from first hand experience, traveling across the The United State though some viscous rain storms.

Agree 100% from personal experience, anyone who says it won't affect performance hasn't ever ridden in a torrential downpour... many times I've ridden thru heavy heavy rain, the bike will suck in water, no matter what filter your running and sputter some, but it won't cut out. Not a big deal, unless you don't like getting wet?! 

[les]

I had an HP Inc. throttle body and air filter.  The air filter (K&N) was completely out in the open.  I've even let the bike sit out in the rain all night (Sturgis) and have rode in hard rain.  Never ever a problem.

[tracerbob]

So I think I'll be alright.  I was just thinking the football cover wouldn't offer enough protection.  Just looked at the$ & $ A/Cs and I've always liked that look.  My 76 shovel sports one and I think I may switch to one of those on the SG.

[Coff 06]

Not much you can do while riding with an open filter,but when I have to stop in the rain I use one of those shower caps you find in motel rooms to cover my filter.       Coff 06

[Breeze]

I'm running a Woods air filter, it doesn't get much more open than that. The thing is LARGE.
   I bought a Outerwear Pre-filter for this very reason, it's water repellent. Goes on just like rain sock. Haven't got to "test" it yet though, but I'm not complaining. 
  Not expensive at all. I had to have a custom made size and it was still under $ 30 shipped to my door.

On a 5,000 m. trip in Aug. we ran into a heavy rain. One of the group has a HD "heavy breather"? (cone shape, forward facing), his bike started coughing, spitting and almost quit.  Next stop (rain quit), he put the rain sock on.  Two days later we hit another heavy rain, and it never missed a beat with the rain sock in place. He said he couldn't tell any difference with the rain sock on when it was dry either. I don't know what it's made of, but it seems to be effective.

[Deye76]

  I rode 200 miles nonstop in a gullywasher at 70 mph on the interstate including all that spray from the semi's, with my open element,never missed a beat. Bet my pistons were darn clean though. 

[88b]

I run an open K&N on my RG no problems if anything it runs better, but then damp air is denser.