You are carrying out maintenance on your motorcycle and have to remove the airbox. You remove the air filter which is housed inside and disconnect the tubing.
So, will a motorcycle run without an airbox? If you remove the airbox from a motorcycle, it will still run, but the fuel to air ratio will be upset. Without the air filter’s stabilizing influence within the airbox, you will more likely get a lumpier idle and flat spots in the revs.
The airbox is where the engine’s air filter is situated, which keeps debris such as dirt and grit from entering the engine.
These abrasive particles will start wearing down the surface of the cylinder walls and other parts inside the engine, such as the piston rings, which will cause problems with the engine much sooner than expected.
I want to thank the sponsors of this post-EMANUALONLINE. Using their service, you can download your motorcycle or car manual to your mobile phone or any other device, so you will have it handy should you ever be out and about and need to use it. You can visit their website by clicking the icon below and using the code BUDDY15 to get a 15% discount.
When inspecting the airbox more closely, you will notice breather holes from the gas tank, carburetor, crankcase, etc. The air filter inside the airbox protects the tubes from unwanted particles being forced down into the engine.
The airbox has to be of a relatively good size as it is required to provide the engine with enough clean air when the motorcycle is operating at full power. Depending on the size of the filter, the level of resistance will vary.
However, as the air filter ages and becomes dirtier with use, the particles and dirt built up within the filter reduce the airflow that flows through into the engine. In turn, this reduces the engine’s power, which also reduces the engine’s average miles per gallon.
This is why the air filter should be replaced, on average, about every 10,000 miles or so. It is important to remember that both air flow and dirt protection are critical to an engine for its performance and general good health.
Many people believe that changing the air filter in a modern motorcycle is an upgrade to the motorcycle’s performance. This is one way to add extra horsepower to the engine.
However, with the sophisticated onboard computers that modern motorcycles have, this could reduce the bike’s performance if this practice is not carried out correctly.
Some of the computers embedded within modern-day motorcycles are programmed to inform the system when it detects that more or less air is flowing into the system.
Considering this information, the computer algorithm will have a cut-off point regarding how much reduced or increased air is flowing through the system. This is referred to as the Ram-Air intake, with its main aim being to increase the horsepower.
Let’s assume that in the motorcycle’s original form, it has 8 parts of air flowing through the airbox, and your new fitted high spec air filter is capable of allowing 12 parts of air to pass through the system.
The onboard computer’s maximum compensation algorithm may only allow a maximum of 10 parts of air. This would effectively reduce the motorcycle’s performance by not allowing the engine to use all the extra air passing through the system.
If the maximum compensation of the onboard computer is 15 parts, then you are good to go. The motorcycle will then benefit from the extra air intake being introduced through the system. This would then have achieved the goal of adding more horsepower to the motorcycle’s engine.
The problem is that unless you research which onboard computer is embedded within the motorcycle, you will not be able to tell what the maximum amount of airflow the compute’s algorithm is set to compensate for.
So when you are thinking of how much this particular upgrade will cost to add additional horsepower to your motorcycle’s engine, as well as investigating the onboard computer type and specs, you will have to include with it the cost of taking the motorcycle and getting a diagnostics test and possibly getting it recalibrated as well.
You can check out a large selection of motorcycle airboxes on Amazon by clicking the link HERE.
Can A Sports Bike Run Without An Airbox?
There are many different types of motorcycles, and one type which is still very popular with motorcyclists are sports bikes.
Sports bike engines are highly tuned, which is why they can accelerate to high speeds in such a short amount of time and hit excessively fast top speeds.
So, can a sports bike run without an airbox? If the airbox were removed from a sports bike, the bike would still run. However, the fuel to air ratio would be upset, and without the stabilizing effect of the air filter within the airbox, the highly tuned engine would idle a lot lumpier, and there would be flat spots in the revs. The engine would also not be protected from unwanted particles entering it, so damage to the engine would most certainly occur.
What Types Of Replacement Air Filters Are Available?
You have decided to replace the air filter in your motorcycle and research, which aftermarket Air filter will be best for your needs.
In most cases, the increased airflow will increase the performance of the engine measured by horsepower. The throttle response will also increase in the majority of cases.
So, what types of replacement air filters are available?
There are three types of air filters, these are:
- Original Manufacturer Air Filters / OEM
- Oiled Cotton Gauze Air Filters
- Oiled Foam Air Filters
Original manufacturer air filters or OEM’s are mainly made of paper or similar. Air is let through the thin material, and most of the unwanted particles are trapped and so do not enter the engine. This is mainly due to a gooey layer that is added to the paper or paper-like material.
As well as this gooey layer, the paper is also pleated, allowing more air to pass through the filter, which adds to the amount of dirt the air filter can now hold. With these pleats’ benefits, the air filter will last longer before it becomes full and needs replacing.
These air filters do an excellent job of protecting the engine from dirt and other particles, which would harm the engine’s internals. However, as they are not manufactured to add additional horsepower to the engine, they are not good at increasing the airflow.
If you were thinking of removing this type of air filter to clean it, think again as these OEM air filters are made to be used once and then disposed of and replaced with a new one.
As the name suggests, oiled cotton gauze air filters have a more porous gauze layer, allowing extra air to travel through the material. This oiled layer catches the unwanted grime and holds it onto the material until the air filter is removed and washed.
These types of filters can hold many more of the unwanted particles, which means you can travel further on your motorcycle before having to take it out and clean it. This is also one of the benefits of this type of filter because, unlike the OEM kind, you don’t have to spend money purchasing another filter every time it gets dirty.
Oiled Foam Air Filters are thicker than oiled cotton-gauze filters and are mainly used on all-terrain vehicles because these types of filters cope very well in heavily polluted dusty environments. They have the added benefit that they can get wet and still function perfectly.
As mentioned above, these air filters are thicker than regular air filters being approximately one inch thick. The air filter layers are stacked rough to smooth and are soaked in oil that holds the dust, grit, and other unwanted particles.
However, as the air snakes its way through the air filter, the oil within the filter dries and allows the unwanted particles to get through the filter and into the engine. Because of this, these types of filters should be cleaned and re-oiled each time the vehicle is taken out in extreme environments.
You can check out a large selection of motorcycle air filters on Amazon by clicking the link HERE
Will Replacing My Air Filter Add More Horsepower?
In many cases but not all, installing an aftermarket air filter into a motorcycle adds more power to the engine. However, unless other equivalent upgrades and modifications are carried out, there will not be any noticeable power increase.
That being said, there may be a minimal increase in power but not noticeable. If you increase the engine’s airflow, the carburetor will mix more fuel to the increased air, resulting in more power during combustion. However, as there would have been no extra modifications completed to the engine itself to benefit from the increased airflow, this extra power will be negligible.
Other modifications would have to be carried out to benefit from the extra air input produced by an upgraded air filter, such as upgrading the exhaust and tuning the fuel.
Take note that if the fuel is not tuned or re-mapped, the bike could well experience running problems.
