Take a deep breath – 5 reasons why you should change your motorcycle’s air filter
It is rare to see a new motorcycle on the road in pure manufacturer’s trim. Big, goofy mirrors, ugly, air dragging number plate carriers and ungainly, weighty exhaust systems often get junked and replaced as soon as the machine is through the dealer’s pre-delivery inspection.
While changing mirrors and tail unit will give a badass boost to a bike’s looks, a sexy, snarling slip-on exhaust is usually the centre piece of initial customisations. Although a clear way through for spent gasses is surely a good thing, power gains are difficult to measure and these days are rarely claimed by after-market exhaust manufacturers. It is, in reality, the sound and the look that can be worth up to a thousand dollars for passionate, attention-seeking bike owners.
Often overlooked in the bling frenzy are the real gains and benefits that can be won from spending less than a hundred dollars on a replacement air filter. Here are the top five reasons that replacing your motorcycle’s air filter is the first modification you should make.
1. More power
This is real, measurable on a dynometer or by lap times and should be something you can feel on a familiar stretch of road.
The reason is simple: the more direct the flow of air into the engine is, the more efficiently the engine will work. Standard paper or foam air filters disrupt the passage of air, get clogged quickly with dust and grime and have manufacturing tolerances that may allow air to leak around the seals, which further disrupts air flow.
Here lies the fundamental problem that premium air filters seek to solve. If maximum power is the only goal, you would simply throw your air filter away and let air flow undisrupted to the engine. The problem with that is that pollution particles, dust and pollen will quickly reduce power output and the life of your unprotected engine. The power gains from a good replacement air filter come from the smooth path they provide for air to flow to the engine while providing effective filtration.
2. More effective filtration
On the face of it, you could assume that there is an inverse relationship between good airflow and good filtration: easier airflow will surely allow more harmful particles to get through, won’t it? That holds true for a typical dry paper factory fitted air filter, but most aftermarket filters have different structures and work in ways that are entirely different.
Studies by automotive engineers and quoted by K&N Filters show that most engine wear is caused by particles of between 10 to 20 microns in size. To put that into perspective, a human hair is around 80 microns thick, a red blood cell is 8 microns and the human eye can usually see particles from around 40 microns. Paper or foam filters stop these particles effectively, but in doing so create barriers to airflow. Good aftermarket air filters consist of layers of oiled cotton bonded together with soft aluminium or galvanized steel mesh and work in three main ways.
First, large dirt particles tend to deviate from the flow path and run straight into and stick to the fibres; secondly, particles that travel through the filter with the airstream are caught as they make contact with the fibres and held in place by the ‘sticky’ oil-infused cotton; thirdly, very small particles are thrown around in the turbulence of the airstream, making contact with the fibres and are prevented from flowing through to the engine. The overall result is filtration that is as effective as the blocking action provided by traditional dry paper and filters, while allowing air to flow much more freely into the engine.
3. Improved fuel efficiency
As we have already said, the more freely air can flow through to the engine, the more efficiently it will operate. The advantages of a replacement air filter become more evident as kilometers are clocked up and more particles become collected. Instead of blocking up a traditional filter, dirt particles move through cotton layers to make room for more dirt to be caught on the outer fibres, which means that a replacement filter can go for much longer without impeding airflow.
4. No need for replacements
Good aftermarket filters can be cleaned simply with a high pressure air gun or water spray, re-oiled and re-fitted until the next service interval. Traditional filters cannot be cleaned so easily and need to be thrown away at, typically, every second manufacturer’s service.
5. Better performance at high temperatures
Highly relevant for those of us who ride in hot countries, is how air filters stand up to extreme heat. If you have ever sat at a set of traffic lights in Bangalore, Jakarta or Bangkok, it will not surprise you to know that engine bay temperatures can reach 140 degrees Centigrade, or almost 300 degrees Fahrenheit. You will get a similar effect by riding up a long, steep hill in a cool country. Tests by Devil Evolution show that rubber based filters fail at 100 degrees, soft aluminium will go another 30 degrees, while their own ‘one piece’ Urethane filter will go all the way to 140 degrees. While you may not see the effects from the outside, the structural distortions involved will result in leaks around the seals and drastically reduced engine efficiency and therefore performance and fuel consumption.
There are more advantages the further along the ‘Geek Scale’ you go, such as the functional beauty of a well designed and produced air filter and the fact that it is typically 35 percent lighter than the manufacturer’s standard item. However, the overriding conclusion is that buying a premium replacement air filter for less than 100 dollars will give you more real, measurable benefits than any cosmetic modification costing far more.
Sources: K&N Filters, Devil Evolution
My ambition continues to outweigh my talent, or why it’s been quiet around here
As we get into 2018 it is time to post about why I haven’t posted here for around three months.
In October 2017, together with Thailand’s motorcycle racing impresario, Kraitos Wongsawan, it was agreed to re-launch Wroommm!!, which first hit people’s doormats as an independent black and white tabloid in 2011.
Time moves on and technology moves ever faster, so Wroommm!! is now a digital motorsports platform featuring videos and live streaming as well as its trademark punchy articles and images. It remains dual language – Thai and English – though there are no translated articles, because we believe that style cannot be effectively translated and respect the quality and integrity of the work of our contributors. Editorial independence also remains a core value, which makes attracting financial support more challenging, but we believe will lead to true and lasting partnerships with sponsors that buy into our bold approach.
I immediately committed to moving my new content from this treasured 10 year old WordPress blog and again became ‘Editor at Large’ for Wroommm!!
These are exciting times for motorcycle racing in Thailand. The Kingdom has more riders than ever competing in and winning international races. They are coming through a well developed series of national classes and from rider development programmes being run by Honda and Yamaha. This work rarely reaches the headlines, but is by far the most important sector of the sport in any country.
What has grabbed headlines is Thailand joining the MotoGP world championship from this year. This is nothing like Formula 1 rounds in several countries that come and go within a few days, leaving nothing behind for aspiring athletes in the host country. Over the last decade Thailand has had riders in the Grand Prix World Championships, mostly in the intermediate Moto2 category, so it holds huge interest for fans. Currently centre stage is Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, who completed a successful first season in 2017 as one of the most exciting newcomers and who can be expected to reach podium finishing positions during 2018.
MotoGP is also throwing a high-powered spotlight on Chang International Circuit in Buriram. The track has already hosted World Superbikes for the last three seasons, but the ‘Big Show’ will present infrastructural and logistical challenges that have not been experienced before in Thailand.
Of course, challenge and opportunity travel together and Wroommm!! finds itself in a unique position as the only credible English language media vehicle for motorcycle racing that is based in Thailand. As growing numbers of international visitors search for information about the sport in Thailand, we intend that Wroommm!! will provide insight that literally no other website or publication on the planet can compete with.
In other words, Yeahhh!! Our ambition outweighs our talent …
Chaiwichit cleans up for Kawasaki at Thailand Circuit
The drama continued in Round 10 of the FMSCT All Thailand Superbike Championship over the weekend. Close qualifying and racing in all classes, threatening weather and international teams converging on Thailand Circuit for the Asia Cup of Road Racing (ACRR) heightened the expectations and added colour to the occasion. It was Round 4 out of 5 for R2M Superbike 2017.
YAMAHA THAILAND’S ANUCHA Nakcharoensri arrived determined to cut the championship points difference between him and Kawasaki Thailand’s Thitipong Warakorn. Fans expecting another close battle between the two protagonists were not disappointed.
Yamaha’s master qualifier put in a special lap during qualifying, recording a 1:19.6, more than six tenths clear of Chaiwichit, who pushed his team mate and championship leader, Thitipong, to the outside of the front row.
When the red lights went out on Sunday afternoon, it was Anucha who won the dash to Turn 1, emerging in front of Thitipong, with Chaiwichit getting pushed out of early contention, trailing by 3.5 seconds at the end of lap one. The title contenders fought literally toe-to-toe for the first seven laps with Thitipong grabbing the lead on lap 5. As they began lap 8, Anucha slithered inside the Kawasaki into Turn 1, keeping a tight line over the kerb to get the advantage. However, he slid wide at the exit as Thitipong held his line and two clashed and went down side by side. In perfect synchronization, they both leapt up and lifted their bikes, with Thitipong just getting his nose in front as they went into Turn 4. Meanwhile, Chaiwichit, who had been running the same pace a few seconds behind, slipped past and into the lead. Chaiwichit kept his head down for the second half of the race as the championship contenders gave chase. Thitipong slowly put daylight between himself and Anucha, until the last three laps, when the Yamaha rider, who had taken a knock to his left hip in the crash and was struggling to shift gear, dropped back to a deficit of 54 seconds at the chequered flag. He was helped from his bike in Parc Ferme and went straight to the Medical Centre, leaving team manager, Theerapong Sangthong, to collect his third place trophy.
It was a popular win for Chaiwichit, who, in the last few rounds, has shown more consistency over race distance to match his raw speed. Thitipong seemed genuinely happy for his team mate and happy to extend his title advantage by another four points to 226, which is 35 points clear of Anucha with two rounds remaining. Chaiwichit is 30 points behind Anucha, so it would be a brave bet against the finishing order being the same when the curtain falls on the 2017 season in mid-December.
SUPERSTOCK 1000 SAW a tense Qualifying battle, which was won again by Ben Fortt on the Laiprang YSS Motul Kawasaki from Apidej Boonsri’s PTT Nuda Kawsaki and Yamaha Thailand’s championship leader, Anon Sangval. There was just 64 thousandths of a second between these three, then a gap of around two seconds to Bodeepak Watcharakajonwong on the Aprilia Thailand RSV4 R Factory, followed by the rookie ST-2 field.
Fortt made the most of his pole position the lead out of Turn 1, looking comfortable in the early laps, though Anon also looked comfortable in second. Apidej was not able to find his qualifying pace and was dropped quickly by the Kawasaki and the Yamaha, though had a comfortable lead over Bodeepak.
Anon pounced on a slight mistake by Fortt to take the lead at mid-distance, though was not initially able to shake him off. From lap 12, however, Fortt, suffering from nausea, slowed and lost touch with the leader, eventually finishing 4.4 seconds behind Anon and 3.3 seconds ahead of Apidej in third, with Bodeepak a further 6.6 seconds back in fourth.
The result gives Anon 225 points from his nine wins and clinches the title, as Fortt lags by 51 points with a maximum of just 50 remaining. Apidej is a further 70 points back in third with 104 points, with Bodeepak fourth on 95.
THE QUESTIONS FOR SUPERSPORT 600 were whether Thai Honda Racing Club’s protégé, Passawit Thitivararak, could get closer to Yamaha Thailand’s 2017 champion-elect Prawat Yannawut and whether he could bring home his CBR600RR cleanly after crashes in the last two rounds.
In Qualifying, Passawit was 1.4 seconds behind Prawat and in the race Prawat executed a familiar strategy, putting in fast early laps on fresh tyres and then managing a lead of around six seconds for the remaining distance. By lap 5 both riders were lapping in the mid 1:23s and Prawat took his R6 across the line with a winning margin of 4.6 seconds.
The next round of the FMSCT All Thailand Superbike Championship will be at Chang International Circuit on 3-5th November.
FIM Asia Supermoto 2017 opens in Thailand
The third season of the FIM Asia Supermoto Championship was launched officially yesterday, with six rounds scheduled between September and the end of the year.
The series is growing quickly. Following a successful inaugural season, numbers of entries, spectators and TV viewers shot up in 2016 and are expected to show a big increase this year, as riders from 14 countries prepare for Round 1, which will be held at Thailand Circuit, Nakhonchaisri on 2nd and 3rd September.
Supermoto owes its burgeoning popularity to its hybrid road and dirt circuits, which attract riders and fans from all branches of motorcycle racing, and to its broader appeal as an extreme street sport. As safety concerns arising from the absolute speed of superbikes and Grand Prix machines literally push fans further away from the action, crowds attending supermoto races are able to get close enough to smell tortured tyres and brake pads without putting themselves in danger. The spectacle of motorcycles drifting, jumping and changing surfaces also means that people who know nothing about the sport can enjoy it, which opens it up as an exciting day out for families and groups, which may otherwise have never considered watching motorsport.
In essence Supermoto turns the traditional idea of circuit racing on its head. With some fencing, used tyres and a few truck loads of dirt, a supermoto track can quickly be set up in a city centre car park, thereby bringing the sport to the fans rather than requiring them to travel on clogged up roads to and from out-of-town, purpose built circuits.
Coverage for the new season is also taking big step forward, as promoter, Asia Supersports Group (ASG) partners with OTT* channel provider, twenty3.tv to provide HD live streaming and Video on Demand for every round. In addition, a 30 minute highlights program will also be broadcast on Fox Sports. To cover all bases, a mobile app is also being developed by the Bangkok office of E-Plus Entertainment Productions.
The opening round of the FIM Asia Supermoto Championship will run together with R2M Unleash the Beast, an innovative series for naked bikes, comprising many classes of on and off-road competition, from Gufba Kids mini bikes to the heavyweight R2M Nuke Super Adventure category. Entitled ‘R2M Unleash the Beast, Episode 2: Rock-a-Willy’ the host event will provide its characteristic carnival atmosphere, together with live entertainment, including a rock band, parts and merchandise shopping as well as a wide choice of food and drink throughout the weekend.
*OTT stands for ‘over the top’, which means that the event is broadcast directly over the internet rather than through cable or satellite television systems that control and distribute content.
Points bonanza for home riders in ARRC Round 4 at Sentul
Declaration of Interest: Barry Russell was FIM Asia Jury President for Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship Round 4. Opinions expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of FIM Asia
Links are to my articles on the official Asia Road Racing website
Once again at Sentul for Round 4 of the Idemitsu Asia Road Racing Championship, we were reminded of how difficult the circuit is for visiting riders.
The deteriorating, bumpy track surface and weed-strewn gravel traps are reminders that, despite the packed, raucous grandstands and Indonesia’s huge motorcycle market, investment in the 24 year-old circuit is not considered to be a priority.
Despite it being a shadow of the track that hosted two motorcycle Grand Prix and two World Superbike rounds in the 1990s, Indonesian teams and riders love to race there, because it is so difficult for visitors to achieve a set up that can neutralise their home advantage. Astra Honda is a prime example. With a big national distributorship and a close relationship with HRC, they have been able to retain the best Indonesian riders and get their CBR250RRs and 600RRs as good as these machines can be. Witness Gerry Salim, who took a double Supersport 600 win in the premier Asian series in 2016 and repeated the feat in the Asia Production 250 class last weekend.
Having dominated practice and qualifying, the 20 year-old from Surabaya cruised to victory by a margin of 2.6 seconds in Race 1. By Race 2, his top rivals got closer and he was pushed all the way, but always looked like the inevitable winner. Revealingly, it was team mate, Andi Farid Izdihar who got closest, followed by the wily Tomoyoshi Koyama for Rama Honda and Anuparb Sarmoon, the only Yamaha rider to threaten the podium in Sunday’s race. The Thai rider rode the wheels off his R25, working visibly much harder than the three Hondas to stay with the front group.
In Supersport 600, Malaysian Zaqwan Zaidi threw down a serious challenge to the home riders, comfortably outpacing the rest in all practice and qualifying sessions. In the races it was a different story, however. In Race 1 he made a lacklustre start before coming through to challenge for a podium spot, narrowly missing out on third place to Japan’s Taiga Hada, with Ahmad Yudhistira and the winner, Dimas Ekky Pratama, ahead of the Japanese by just one tenth of a second. Dimas was Astra Honda’s replacement Supersport rider. In Race 2 Zaqwan scampered away from the lights only to crash heavily on lap 2 at Turn 10, which caused the red flag to come out. As the last rider came into pit lane, the heavens opened, delaying the restart for 10 minutes and enabling the Thai Yamahas of Decha Kraisart and Chalermpol Polamai to sandwich Yudhistira in the first three positions.
With honours up for grabs in eight races, or two for each of the four classes, Indonesian riders took five wins, which covered all classes, while Thai riders took two wins, one in Supersport 600 and the other in the Suzuki Asian Challenge and Malaysia took one win in Underbone Race 1.
Looking at the podium scores, Indonesians took 13 of the 24 places available. Thailand was next with four podiums, then Malaysia with three, ahead of Japan, which also had three, but no win, and Philippines, which had one.
Punchana Kulrojchalalai, ARRC Round 4’s most successful visiting rider
The most successful rider of the weekend was Astra Honda’s Gerry Salim with his two AP250 wins, followed by Thailand’s Punchana Kulrojchalalai with a win and a second place in the Suzuki Asian Challenge and Ahmad Yudhistira who took two Supersport 600 second places for Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki. These three were the only riders to appear on the podium twice.
Several of the most successful non-Indonesian riders told me that they had to work harder than usual to bring in the points they achieved because of the difficulties of finding a set up that works for the fast, bumpy circuit. While motorsport fans and international teams long for a facelift for Sentul, it suits Indonesian competitors just fine, handing them an annual points boost as they move into the second half of the season.
Home riders grab early advantage at Sentul
Declaration of Interest: Barry Russell is Jury President for FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Round 4
As the first races of Round 4 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship ran their course yesterday, it was Indonesian riders who grabbed most of the glory.
Astra Honda managed a podium lockout in Asia Production 250, with a three-pronged attack led by Gerry Salim who got clear of a pitched battle for second from the first lap and cruised to victory with a 2.6 second margin over team mates, Rheza Danica Ahrens and Andi Farid Izdihar, who just fought off a challenge by Japanese veteran, Tomoyoshi Koyama to grab third place by two thousandths of a second. Indonesian teenager, Galang Hendra Pratama was the first Yamaha home, taking fifth place on the line from Yamaha Thailand’s Anuparb Sarmoon. Imanuel Putra Pratna was seventh, while Peerapong Boonlert, Reynaldo Chrisantho Ratukore and Muklada Sarapuech completed the top ten. Followers of the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) will recall that Gerry pulled of a double win the the 600 class in 2016.
The race of the day was Supersport 600, as Astra Honda’s replacement rider, Dimas Ekky Pratama, pulled off a thrilling victory in Race 1 of the Asia Road Racing Championship Round 4 at Sentul.
I covered this race for the ARRC official website and my report is in the following paragraphs
When the red lights went out it and the RAMA Honda of Taiga Hada led into Turn 1 it became apparent that the dominance of practice and qualifying pacesetter, Zaqwan Zaidi, would face a tough test over 16 laps. The Malaysian slotted into second place, but was quickly pushed back to third by Dimas and then into fourth Ahmad Yudhistira on the Manual Tech KYT Kawasaki.
Dimas pushed his way past Hada to lead on lap 3, while Yudhistira and Decha turned up the pressure on Zaqwan for third, with Chalermpol and Ito at the rear of the pack. Ito low-sided onto the grass before rejoining the race with the hope only of rescuing a point or two.
By mid-distance Dimas was holding onto first position, though having to fight off Hada and alternately Yudhistira and Decha, with Zaqwan and Chalermpol keeping a watching brief behind. In the second group Azlan Shah, still nursing a hand injury, was battling for seventh with Anthony West on the Akeno Speed Yamaha and Ratthapong Wilairot on the AP Honda CBR 600RR.
Hada took third place back from Decha on lap 12 and looked like making it his own, as Zaqwan began threatened Decha’s fourth place and then relegated him to fifth.
As they entered the last lap, Yudhistira made his move, increasing the pressure on his countryman and taking the lead decisively. For a moment it looked as though he would get clear, but Dimas pushed back through at the back of the circuit and got to the chequered flag first, 33 thousandths of a second ahead of Yudhistira with exactly the same gap to Hada in third.
Zaqwan was fourth, having got clear of Decha as the Thai rider’s tyres went off. Chalermpol crashed on the final lap, handing sixth place to West. Azlan came in seventh, scoring enough to retain his championship lead, while Ratthapong, Keminth Kubo and Sena Yamada completed the top ten.
The Indonesian party was spoiled in the Underbone 150 race, when Akid Aziz got the better of reigning champion Wahyu Aji Trilaksana to take the win and in the Suzuki Asian Challenge when Thailand’s Punchana Kulrojchalalai took first place ahead of April King H. Mascardo of the Philippines, with home rider Ahmad Saugi Muchtar completing the podium.
The local successes yesterday have guaranteed a big crowd today. As of 10:30 on Sunday the grandstands were already 75 percent full.
Thitipong keeps the upper hand with win number 5 at Thailand Circuit
Barry Russell is Jury President for the FMSCT All Thailand Superbike Championship
Photos courtesy of Kaato Ztudios
KAWASAKI THAILAND’S THITIPONG WARAKORN stretched his lead in the FMSCT All Thailand Superbike Championship by 5 points with his fifth win from seven starts in 2017 on the Kawasaki Thailand ZX-10RR.
Yamaha Thailand’s Anucha Nakcharoensri marked his intention to add a third win to this season’s tally by breaking his own Supeprbike lap record in Qualifying with a time of 1:19.383 to take pole position by 0.233 of a second from the championship leader. Thitipong’s team mate, Chaiwichit Nisakul, also dipped under 1:20 to complete the front row ahead of the rookie SB-2 field.
Thitipong got his customary holeshot with a faultless launch off the line to lead Anucha in Turn 1. Chaiwichit got too much air under his front wheel, which allowed Or on the Core Motorsport Kawasaki to grab third place and hold it for half of the first lap.
What followed was a spirited series of attacks on the leading Kawasaki by Anucha as the first two opened up a few bike lengths on Chaiwichit and the rest of the field. Thitipong, however, was as resolute as he was fast and retained an iron grip on first position. By lap 12, Anucha began to lose touch as his tyres went off, allowing the Dunlop-shod Kawasaki to build a margin of 1.7 seconds by the chequered flag. Eight seconds further back Chaiwichit completed the race in a solid third place in front of Thierry Perenon who took the Honda Elf IRC DID Smart Sport CBR 1000RR to the SB-2 win ahead of Aussawin on the UTR Racing Team Kawasaki and Rattasat on the GSL Yamaha.
THE SUPERSTOCK 1000 race was keenly anticipated, after Ben Fortt had taken pole position with a new lap record on the Laiprang YSS Kawasaki with a lap of 1:20.542 on Saturday, almost half a second clear of Yamaha Thailand’s Anon Sangval. The SPW Performance Suzuki of Aekkachai Chiengwong was also in the hunt after clocking a best lap of 1:21.453. The team had sat out the previous two rounds at Thailand Circuit, so Aekkachai’s appearance on the immaculate 2017 GSX-R1000 was an exciting and welcome addition to the grid. Apidej Boonsri led Row 2 on 1:22.049 on his PTT NUDA 80 Racing Kawasaki, ahead of Bodeepak Watcharakajonwong’s Aprilia Thailand RSV4R Factory and the ST-2 Rookie field, which was headed by Thepparat on the Akehelmet Liquimoly Kawasaki.
Aekkachai led from the start, before Anon and then Fortt got through. The Suzuki man stayed in close contact, snatching back second place briefly when Fortt outbraked himself into turn one. Fortt got a wheel in front with three tough, passing attempts but each one was met with a muscular response from Anon.
As the leaders began lap 15 they came up to lap Naruchit and Thepparat, who were fighting for third place in the ST-2 category. The first two got past Naruchit, but as Fortt came dived up the inside of Thepparat into Turn 4, he clipped Anon’s rear wheel and went down heavily, leaving second place to the SPW’s Aekkachai. With Fortt still being treated at the edge of the track, the red flag came out and the result was declared with Apidej promoted to third.
News from the Medical Centre was that Ben Fortt had two fractured bones in his left hand. Disappointment was clearly giving the Pattaya Iceman more pain than the physical knocks he took in his tumble.
Following an impressive Supersport 600 Qualifying performance by Pasawit Thitiwararak on the Thai Honda Racing Club CBR 600RR, who got within 0.7 of a second of Yamaha Thailand’s Prawat Yannawut, the question for the race was how close the up and coming Honda star could get to the championship leader over the 17 lap race.
From the start, Prawat took up what he clearly regards as his rightful place at the front. The newcomer, in his first Supersport outing at the Nakhonchaisri circuit, hounded him during the first corner, forcing the Yamaha rider to put the hammer down, recording the fastest lap of the race on his 
second lap as he sought to put some daylight between himself and the precocious Pasawit. By lap 13 the gap between them had stretched to around seven seconds as both riders lapped in the late 1:22s. Prawat eased back towards the end, to leave a gap of 5.2 seconds between first and second as they crossed the line.
In the SS-2 Rookie class, the X-Speed Racing Yamaha of Thanapon took the honours, well clear of Hirun on the Upgrade Bike Racing R6.
The next round of the FMSCT All Thailand Superbike championship will be at Bira International Circuit on 9-10 September.
