i have a spare Mahle K145 fuel filter, can i use it in place of the smaller filter used in the 749/999 & Monster S2R . apart from being slighty bigger and in a metal case is there any reason why i shouldnt use it? if not, does anyone know of an aftermarket equivalent for the over priced Ducati item? cheer
The Mahle KL 145 is used in most fuel injected older Ducatis (desmoquattros) so should be fine, normally sold by Ducati dealers for lots of money with "Ducati" instead of Mahle
I wish someone would organise a bulk-buy of these for all of us, the price is blooming extortionate for what it is (moo).
How much are they normally then? I bought one recently from Ducati’s only ROI dealer and it was the Mahle labelled that was in the Ducati box and cost €14.95 iirc.
Seems reasonable when you only change them every 18 years or so (as I did) I can't find the receipt for the one I bought but I'm sure it wasn't much, under a tenner I think
It's just another monopoly situation (for me). Applying rule of thumb, a Bosch or Bilstein for a car is still approx £10 and at around twice the size, say 120mm long x 80mm dia, without making any bold claims, will leave you to guess capacity and replacement times despite what the service intervals tell you, compared to smaller, motorcycle equiv. Not picking on Mahle, just looking at two others for comparison.
Car fuel filters (petrol) tend to be lifetime items now, I usually buy Ducati oil filters but anything else I'll look for cheaper alternatives. I did find my removed fuel filter was still in good condition and had no fuelling issues after 11,500 odd miles and, err 18 years
The biggest problem with the Ducati filters is the location and faff to replace, but, hey that's why we buy them
The Mahle KL145 fuel filter is available from Opie Oils for £13.99 and a Mahle OC5 oil filter (same as Ducati) for £7.49 and if you try your local motor factor probably even cheaper. I can get an OC5 oil filter for a mere £4.14 at a local factor. Interesting point about lifetime filters. The fuel hasn't been on the service schedule for most Ducatis since the mid-2,000s. On on the newer bikes it isn't a replaceable item. It is fitted inside the fuel pump module along with the pressure regulator. Ducati sell whole lot as one replaceable unit at huge cost; £629 for a Supersport 939, £659 for a Hyper yet only £286 for a Monster but a whopping £729 for a V4!
From my experience I probably won't change the fuel filter again Thanks for the oil filter info, they seem more scarce on ebay recently
Cost aside, I'd stick with the correct filter for the pump. I've just this week sorted a 999 with a fuel pressure issue. That had the alloy 996 type filter fitted. The hard formed pipes on the 999 pump weren't sealing around the inlet/outlet spigots, despite having small jubilee clips done up tight. Fuel was leaking past the seal area. They're a slightly different size and the 996 uses rubber pipe.
I don't like the sound of a 'lifetime fit' for fuel filters! Not on bikes, anyway. They can and do get blocked in time and can cause real problems if not changed. And because it's a bit of a pig of a job, it tends to not get done. Do later bikes still use those 'cobra clips' that are on the desmoquattros?
Often, fuel filters need to be replaced due to miss-fuel or water ingress. Without changing these, bikes can run rough.
Certainly I had an issue around 9k revs and above on my 748, wouldnt rev cleanly, seemed like a misfire (but wasn’t), changed the fuel filter, instant cure.
Need to be careful when trying alternative filters as the actual element inside can have different size perforations which may let larger size particles through or alternatively could reduce the filter's ability to flow adequate fuel. There should be a technical sheet available giving the details, I seem to recall the measurement is in microns and some are literally double the size of others. Will put up a link if I can find the article again.
Your correct, but I'm sure the Mahle mentioned above is the actual one ducati buy from Mahle with 'Ducati' marked on it, until now I've stuck with Ducati oil filters but Derek has identified the correct Mahle one. I've always gone for oem or decent make alternative for cars for the same reasons you have mentioned
