How are you sealing around the bolt on your air filter?

[Hawkeye58]

Hi all,
Hey, have any of you had issue with your favorite KX500 filter not having any reinforcement at the center hole of your air filter.
That is a pet peeve of mine. I own a 1990 KX250 and the filters for that bike have a center rubber grommet.
I SO wish that was a feature on the KX500 filters as well.
I have had to get soft rubber and hand trim it to fashion my own grommets to seal and protect the foam from the bolt and brass
center of the cage.
So, here's my question. What if anything are you all doing to solve this? I am hoping you guys have some better tricks than what I have.  

Thanks,
Hawkeye  

[Foxx4Beaver]

I use grease...never had an issue yet.

[Hawkeye58]

I use some grease as well.
I probably get most annoyed with in say two races/Rides I will see the foam get chewed up
at the center on a perfectly good Twin Air. What prompted this post, is that I am having to throw away a filter
way before it's time in my opinion. Poor engineering. Like I stated before that the 250 models have a rubber grommet.
I'm thinking, I can't be the only one destroying the center of the filter. Maybe my McGyver grommet is the way to do it. 

[Foxx4Beaver]

I don't ever re-use filters...always run new ones.
switch to No-Toil filters...$10, just toss em in the trash after a couple/few races.
I was a diehard TwinAir user for years, they're good filters...but they're too pricey for a guy that throws filters in the trash after a couple/few rides.

[FL_Sharpshooter]

Not many people know that TwinAir filters are actually made by/contracted by Hiflo Filtro -- it's the same thing with the TwinAir oil filters and the K&N oil filters, both made by Hiflo. The only difference with the TwinAir air filters is that they have an orange color on the filter; the Hiflo has a green color. Oh, the most important part, the Hiflo's are about 1/2 the price of a TwinAir. Best filters ever. The part # is HFF2019 for an 87-03 KX500 filter, you can find them for less than $15 on Amazon. I usually just buy 2 or 3 of them at a time and rotate them. I get really long life out of the ones I use in my 2009 KX500AF, 2012 RMZ450, and 2013 KTM 250SX. I even clean them with gasoline, but I do blow them dry with an air compressor. If your grommet works, I'd just stick with it. Never a bad idea to apply grease also.