You know how it is: you want a K&N air filter, but you look at the price and think, "I'd rather spend that on something else."
Here in Europe, they cost $80, plus shipping costs. And I'm a true Dutchman, so I'm thrifty.


I remembered that I still had an old K&N air filter lying around in my parts stash from a car that I once got for 10 bucks from someone who didn't want to throw it away.

I think you know were this is going...



Craftsmanship-minded as I am, I picked the old filter material out.

It's amazing how much resistance it offers when you try to blow through it.
It's just like you ask it to trim the hedge on a hot Friday afternoon while it has just sat down with a cold beer.


It was very easy to cut through the K&N filter material with an angle grinder.



It is a pity that I didn't have any black sealant lying around, but this will do.



And there it is, an original Suzuki Savage LS 650 K&N Airfilter




All in all, it was 20 minutes of work. Most of the time was lost when removing the old filter paper.

The nice thing was that I had all the materials at home, so I didn't have to buy anything.  Now I only need to put in a bigger jet and I'll be all set again. I'm combining this work with a dyno exhaust and filing out the rim of the exhaust port a bit.

Maybe I've gained a few horsepower, but I'm actually only doing it to make the engine sound a bit louder.
My camshaft chain is starting to make noise and the second gear also sounds a bit loud.

And like a skilled mechanic, I don't want to hear any strange noises.

Ruttly wrote on 05/28/26 at 13:12:54:


That's nothing.  When I was was younger we were so poor we used to cut solid wheels from tree trunks because we could not afford tyres.

And we were grateful !