Best Stage 1 Air Cleaner for Harley Davidson Reviewed

An air cleaner or filter is one of the most valuable mods that you can bring to any vehicle, as one of these can boost performance and improve engine life. A stage 1 air cleaner aims to provide sufficient airflow but still giving the engine efficiency in terms of taking cleaned air, to do that stage 1 air cleaners or filters are commonly cone-shaped to provide the best airflow.

Stage 2 and stage 3 filters get larger to accommodate more powerful modifications, but for now, let’s take a peek at the best stage 1 air cleaners for Harley Davidson.

We’ll start with a bonus, we bring you the Kuryakyn 9240, now this is an incomplete kit as it only brings the filter enclosure, and you do have to buy your filter separately. But look at the design of this one, this has a stylish design and is made out of aluminum and stainless steel.

Most of the design components on this cover is achieved with laser cutting its perimeter to ensure the most precise cuts. Upon getting this, you get the backplate and the cover to make up the enclosure, and this of course comes with the needed mounting hardware to make your install quick and convenient.

This looks good with Harley Davidsons like the Touring, Softail, and Dyna, as this one follows the chrome styling that many Harley motorcycles are famous for.

With all said, this one is a bonus as it doesn’t include the air filter itself, and upon getting this I would recommend the Arlen Ness filters that we will also cover on this list so stay tuned.

The K&N Air Intake System comes as a kit ready to be installed on any Harley Davidson bikes that are made from 2008-2017. One thing that intrigued me about this filter is that it is oval-shaped, which I found unusual, but you think about it theoretically it can provide more surface area without the filter getting too large.

As I said this one comes as a kit, in the box you’ll find the cotton air filter itself together with a cast aluminum intake housing and all the screws and bolts needed to mount this filter onto your bike.

Upon installing, this filter can improve many things due to its features, it can provide significant horsepower gains of up to 7 horsepower over the stock air cleaners, which you’ll tell with a motorcycle as the increase in power will lead to more rumble and a more present noise, and as a bonus, this filter will also improve the motorcycle’s throttle response which is always appreciated with any Harley. Other than that, you’ll also gain the satisfying sound of air intake once you have this filter installed, and who wouldn’t like that?

In terms of ease, this air intake is ready to be installed straight out of the box, it is pre-oiled and has all the necessary parts and hardware to get this up and running, but do oil this once more if you’re feeling a bit insecure, other than that, I would highly recommend this as a quick mod for Harleys, with a complete package and easy to install kit, this is one of the best Stage 1 air cleaners for Harleys.

The Arlen Ness is one of the more famous options when a stage 1 air cleaner kit comes to mind. This became famous for its sleek looks and since it also comes with a complete kit that’s ready for an easy installation, let’s take a further look at some of the features that this air cleaner brings.

For starters, the Arlen Ness Big Sucker brings a clean and sleek looking aluminum enclosure, now this enclosure became famous because this is one of the first to eliminate the need to install additional hoses and other fittings that’ll bring you the hassle, and this also has the patented hidden breather technology.

Things even get easier when installing, you just need to remove your previous air filter, maybe spray some oil on the filter, then you just need to pop in a few bolts and fittings and you’re done, and this install can take from 15 minutes to an hour.

And in just a jiffy, you have a more powerful Harley, with benefits like having a smoother acceleration and reaching high speeds effortlessly is waiting for anyone who’ll install this, if you want more, slap on a new tune and you’ll get even more power gains with this filter. On top of all that, you’ll also get a very intoxicating intake sound that made this filter illegal in California with their noise laws.

The Arlen Ness 18-321 is something that I would recommend to anyone with a Harley Davidson since at a short amount of time, you’ll have significant differences to your Harley, pair it up with the chrome styling which will blend well with the engine, and you got yourself a very satisfying sight, and that’s why this is one of the best stage 1 cleaner for Harley Davidson.

There you have our top picks for the best stage 1 air cleaners for Harley Davidson, remember to follow your vision with the styling and design you want, stay safe modifying your Harley.