Oil Filters

Safeguard your Engine with XLMOTO Motorcycle Oil Filters

The primary role of oil is to lubricate the moving parts of your motorcycle engine. Yet, that’s not all it does. As the oil circulates, it also collects dirt, carbon and tiny metal particles. Contaminated oil, left unchecked, gets steadily thicker until it clogs the tiny oilways around the engine. Once this happens, a seized engine quickly follows. You can avoid this catastrophe with the addition of an oil filter. As circulating oil forces through the motorcycle oil filter, it traps gunge and particles, leaving the cleaned oil to continue its journey. Oil filters, though, can only absorb so much. Over time, the filter will become too clogged to do its job. For this reason, all motorcycle manufacturers advise regular maintenance schedules for changing oil and filters.

Types of motorcycle oil filter

Motorcycle manufacturers each have their optimum positioning for the oil filter. You will find some mounted on the outside of the crankcase and others inside. These locations dictate the type of motorcycle oil filter needed, with cartridge-style filters for internal and spin-on or canister filters for external.

Cartridge oil filter

Consisting of layers of dense fibrous matting, a cartridge oil filter is folded multiple times, concertina-style, to maximise the number of filtering surfaces. The matting is dense enough to trap the contaminants without restricting the oil flow. These cylindrical-shaped filters live behind a cover on the engine's left or right side.

Spin on/canister oil filter

The spin-on or canister oil filter employs the same fibrous matting as the cartridge. It sits inside a steel shell for protection. This external armour is needed as the canister filter locates at the front of the engine behind the exhaust header pipes. The oil filter screws onto an external thread fitted into the crankcase. It cleans the oil in the same way as the cartridge filter. The style of motorcycle oil filter you choose depends on its location on the engine. However, all the oil filters in the XLMOTO range offer the same or greater filtration performance than stock items. They offer exceptional value for money too, with a multipack of three often costing the same as one stock replacement.

Oil filter accessories

Motorcycle oil caps – These screw-in aluminium plugs are located in the crankcase and are removable for engine oil top-ups. XLMOTO offers a variety of colourful replacement hi-tech oil caps to brighten up your engine. Track-quality oil plugs with holes for security wires are also available.

Magnetic oil drain plugs – When replacing engine oil you first remove the oil drain plug underneath the crankcase. XLMOTO replacement drain plugs are magnetised, so they attract metal particles. These plugs offer a great second line of defence for the oil filter.

Filter wrench – A spanner capable of fitting the hexagonal shape of a canister oil filter would need to be huge. For this reason, XLMOTO offers a filter wrench. This simple tool looks like an oversized socket and is available in various diameters.