Why?? (NGC. SSR's use of a stainless steel oil filter)

[Moto]

WHY?

My SSR uses a clone Yamaha XV250 engine, designed with both a metal screen in the sump and a fiber filter on the side of the motor. Throughout its history, so far as my review of several Yamaha owner's manuals discovered, Yamaha told its owners to replace the fiber filter on the usual sort of schedule.

SSR's motorcycle is actually sold under other brand names, including Italjet, elsewhere. In Poland, the brand supplies fiber filters as a stock item.

But SSR doesn't even mention the existence of the side-mounted filter in its owner's manual. On opening the cover one finds a stainless steel filter inside. Implicitly, it is intended to be left in there for the (shortened?) life of the bike, unmolested.

Here is what mine looked like when I replaced it with a fiber filter:





One can see swarf. By the way, the sump screen never has any, yet the owner's manual says to clean it religiously.

Why did SSR do this? Why why why?

Moto

[Chuck in Indiana]

I certainly can't think of a good reason. Maybe they *have* a barrel full and need to use them up? (Guzzi content) 

[RinkRat II]

  I've seen them used as tandem filters on hydraulic systems, a fiber filter to get to the big chunks out and then to a stainless mesh with a finer micron rating to clean up the small stuff that will ruin valves and such. Why on a motorcycle? Dunno, can you find out the micron rating of the stainless compared to the disposable? My $.02

      Paul B

[Moto]

Here's something I had to go back and recheck. So far as I could find, Yamaha never recommended cleaning the sump screen as part of the oil change, or as a separate periodic maintenance item.

SSR, on the other hand, recommends cleaning the screen with each oil change, and calls it the "oil filter," never mentioning the actual stainless steel mesh oil filter at all.

[Moto]

Well, if there's no good reason, then the reason must be a bad one.

How about, SSR figures that many or most of their customers will ignore oil change intervals until the fiber filters clog and cause the bypass valve to open, flooding the engine with metallic death. If, as I read on the internet, stainless filters are less prone to this, then maybe they would be better as a never-change option??

It still leaves me wondering about the advice to clean the sump screen every 1200 miles. This is all very troubling....

[Unkept]

...SSR figures that many or most of their customers will ignore oil change intervals until the fiber filters clog and cause the bypass valve to open, flooding the engine with metallic death. If, as I read on the internet, stainless filters are less prone to this, then maybe they would be better as a never-change option??

It still leaves me wondering about the advice to clean the sump screen every 1200 miles. This is all very troubling....

Yeah, that is troubling. :/

Hopefully your diligence and approach to maintenance will be enough for the engine to last a long while yet... even if the manufacturer/distributor seems negligent.