Thread: Oil Breather
View Single Post
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 08-27-2008, 12:34 AM
Desmomaniac Desmomaniac is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Melbourne, FL, Melbourne, FL
Posts: 618
Default

i would not recommend removing the breather valve and just running a filter in its place. the breather valve serves a purpose to maintain negative crankcase pressures; the rest is mainly to address emissions requirements.

if you just remove the oil separator under the seat and leave the tube from the breather valve you may be fine, but the tube from the breather may be to short to secure it anywhere close by iirc. i mounted a longer tube to the breather valve that allows me to secure the filter behind one of my rear panels.

mounting a breather filter directly to the breather valve is inadvisable based on my experience. oil can and will splooge a significant amount out of the breather valve; hence the reason the oil separator volume is as large as it is. the last thing you want while tearing up the roads is to coat your back tire, hugger, and rear brake in engine oil imo. seen it happen.

carbon fiber reed valves found in the stm tend to crack/fatigue due to its nature of being a composite laminate of different materials. the thermoplastic reed in the nichols is better suited to temperature cycles and immersion in oil.

i added a close up photo of the 900ss... this set up hasn't leaked in eight or so years. note the filter is attached to the frame under the rear panel on top of the tubing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkZ View Post
Thanks for the info! I was going to ask about the K&N breather kit. So if I pulled the breather out altogether and just put the K&N on in its place it would still leak oil?
Attached Images
 

Last edited by Desmomaniac : 09-01-2008 at 04:46 PM. Reason: Added Pic
Reply With Quote