The difference between the nominal micron rating and absolute micron rating (not to mention efficiency rating) of oil filters has been beaten to death on this forum and elsewhere:

https://www.ecogard.com/truth-about-...icron-ratings/

There are a lot of very valid personal reasons folks can come up with for going or not going the reusable route but, filter performance isn't one of them.

 

Read your article and still have the same question re your last statement. Why not just roll up a piece of window screen material and put that in the filter can if "filter performance" isn't important? Ultimately, we as consumers, have no idea if the filtration claims of the factory filter and the reusable one used the same criteria. I fail to see the LOGIC in consciously deciding on a filter that claims it ALLOWS particles SIX TIMES LARGER than the factory filter to recirculate in the engine. Again, your money, your sled, your choice. We all have OPINIONS.

 

Says the man that uses a K&N air filter that only catches half the dirt of a conventional filter, but swears by it. "DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY K&N!"

 

and I thought no matter what you clean it with you'll never get it rinsed off of solvent and that's going to wash through the engine?

 

Yes, but it will evaporate the first time the engine comes up to normal temperature. Back, before jets, old time airplane engines were not much different than Harley engines. Airplanes parked outside in cold climates used gasoline dilution in the oil just at shutdown so the oil wouldn't be thicker than honey at the next start. The gasoline thinned oil allowed an easier start and cold oil flow and the gasoline evaporated as the engine warmed up. Any solvent left in the filter element will only slightly thin the oil temporarily, but even then the oil will be thicker than when it is at normal operating temperature. I don't know what Harley would say, but 80 years of aviation experience says it is a non-problem.

 

The engines that used fuel/oil dilution hoppers in the oil tank were radial engines, although they were air cooled piston engines like a Harley engine, they were very different.

But I agree with your point about a small amount of solvent getting into the oil, it isn`t going to hurt a thing.

If someone was really concerned about solvent contamination, just rinse the filter with oil after cleaning to rinse any cleaning agent off the filter.

But, I`ll just spin on a Wix and be done with it.

 

Have one on the wife's 06 FLHT and one on my 13 FLTRU, no issues at all. We ride ALOT and have to change oil on the road on occasion, better then packing filters....

 

Just like everything else in life, there are those who swear by them, and those who swear at them. The OP asked for opinions, he got them.

 

If I stay on the road long enough to need an oil change, I`ll find shop that will put the bike on a lift, change the oil, and look the bike over.

I wouldn`t even consider a DIY oil change on the road, not on a car or motorcycle, impractical would be an understatement...

 

As I said, the topic has been beaten to death on multiple forums. To summarize, paper filters (including HD) are rated at a nominal micron rating. In the case of HD, they are rated at nominal 5 microns (but with no efficiency rating so we don't know what percentage of 5 micron they filter at any point in their life). This means that, in multiple passes, it filters out some percentage of 5 micron particles while potentially allowing multiple particles of 50+ microns or larger to pass. The filters efficiency improves with multiple passes as the pores are clogged with previously filtered particles. A filter rated at an absolute 35 microns will not allow anything larger than 35 to pass and will also, eventually filter smaller particles as the pores get clogged). The K&P is an absolute 35. The argument then becomes that the K&P will filter everything larger than 35m while the paper is allowing some percentage of particle far larger to pass. Then there are issues of cold bypass, etc., etc., etc. It's comparing apples to oranges.

Enough knowledgeable engine builders recommend the SS reusable filters to believe that filtration performance is not an issue. There are other valid reasons to use or not use a reusable filter but, again, filtration performance is not a proven one.

In the end, I agree. Believe what you want, use what you want, it's another fricking oil thread.