Same, way trickier than the OEM. Luckily don't need to come out for a long time now. Do you think the bike sounds different?
I'm still waiting on the coil. It was sent 48 hrs, didn't arrive on Saturday, so earliest tomorrow now. Bad timing with the Bank Holiday weekend... :/ I was amazed how clogged my oem filters were. Not that many miles since I cleaned them. I guess that's the downside of a having a ram-air system - all the insects and everything disappear straight down the tubes and end up in the filters. So, don't leave it too long. When I clean the Pipercross ones out next, I'll drill the holes out bigger to try and make it a bit easier
Lock thread? I did take one of these filters out again to check it and had just as much trouble getting the bolts back in. The extra thickness of the flange on the filter wouldn't matter too much if the bolts went in at 90 degrees but because they go in at an angle, that extra thickness means the holes in the runners no longer align with the threaded holes the bolts screw into. For this reason, I would find it hard to recommend Pipercross, even if everything else about them is top notch. I suppose elongating the holes in the runners into slots might work but it's hardly ideal. I can't say I noticed much difference in the intake sound or performance.
I don't remember where I got them from. They are nicely made and supposedly have a great level of filtration and flow. However, the extra thickness of the flange with the holes for bolting them between the threaded holes and the air runners, makes it uncomfortably likely you will cross-thread the bolts in struggling to get them in at the necessary angle. For that reason, I do not recommend them, unless the design has been changed.
I got my Pipercross filters from Demon tweaks I think. I have recently removed and cleaned them should we every get out again! They are fiddly as are the D P ones I removed. What I would suggest is to line the screw up with the air box rather than the filter, so rather than get the screw 90 degrees to the filter flange try to line it up with where you think the thread is in the airbox.
I just got my pipercross filters today and they have slots where the bolts go through apart from the front where it’s a generous hole.
So they have changed the design. Unless the flange has been made thinner though, I think there will still be a problem with aligning the bolts unless you modify the holes in the air runners as well.
So.... the pipercross filters as has been said have two slots for the upper and trailing edge holes and a hole for the front hole. i armed myself with one trusty tool, my bondhus hex driver. When it comes to hex keys bondhus are truly the daddy and i have the driver handle and also the t-handles. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153785303873 I have to say it probably took about five to ten minutes a side all in all. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was. prep as we know is everything, and before I started i applied some grease, just a smear on the shoulder of the fasteners and also on the flange of the air duct so that neither would grab their adjoining components. Dry fit next. I just made sure holes lined up and pushed the filter onto the airbox to assess and learn how they want to sit. I paid special attention to making a mental note of the leading edge hole as i saw this hole as the datum. i also put the bolts in the holes on the duct, again to confirm in my mind how the want to sit and how they orientate, being very mindful of the shorter leading edge bolt. slotting the air duct’s rad shroud into its slot on the rad i positioned the forward bolt and using the driver while looking down from above i aligned the hole and through feel got it to seat in its hole. at this point, knowing it's located, i begin to gently wind it in. You can feel when it bites and then wound it in a couple of turns, enough to engage it and know its not cross threading. only then did i locate the other two bolts, again engage and move onto next. when all three bolts are engaged, only then did i tighten up, so in effect the duct is floating on three pins till then. the slots in the filter are essential as they need all the room due to the orientation of the bolt. then do them all up. Ten minutes for one side to get the process in my head and then five for the other side. for me, locating that leading edge bolt first is key.
