Sprint Filter P08 Air Filter for Road & Track – Triumph Tiger Explorer XC/ XC SE 1215 (2011–2016) PM202S

The XC and the XC SE were the versions bought with intent — spoked wheels, more protection, a big Triumph meant to leave the tarmac now and then. That kind of use turns the air filter from a scheduled item into a variable, which really means it has to be looked at rather than diarised. And here is the awkward part about looking at a paper element: unless a spare is already on the shelf, the inspection has no possible outcome. The Sprint Filter PM202S changes what an inspection is for. Whatever you find, you can act on it the same afternoon with an air line.

Key Features

• A calibrated 80 µm aperture in a single woven layer, threads from ø 22 microns
• Rated for 5,050 l/m²/sec — Sprint Filter's standard medium for road and track use
• The medium is dry and never oiled, so nothing migrates downstream onto sensors or throttle bodies
• In the unmodified airbox, roughly double the filtering surface of other performance filters
• Direct replacement with no airbox modification, no remap and no lost homologation
• Built to last the life of the motorcycle, washable and reusable, two years of warranty

An inspection that can end in something

A bike ridden across changing surfaces cannot be served well by a fixed interval, because the interval was written for an average that this bike does not ride. A weekend on dry gravel behind other riders can load an element more than a month of commuting. A washable element makes the check cheap enough to become a habit. Where the ground is genuinely dusty rather than occasionally dirty, Sprint Filter lists a T12 for this same fitment at 7 µm and 560 l/m²/sec — far more retention, far less flow. That is a trade to make deliberately, not an upgrade.

Ten minutes with an air line instead of a parts order

The practical difference on a bike used away from home is the absence of logistics. No element to carry on a trip, no dealer visit, nothing to order in a country where nobody stocks Triumph parts. As for what it buys you: a drop-in filter does not make a standard 1200 triple noticeably stronger, and it would be dishonest to say it did. It holds intake restriction near its starting value and returns it there at every clean, instead of letting it climb steadily as a cellulose element loads up.

Care and cleaning

Take the PM202S out, put compressed air through it from the clean side outwards, and that is ordinary maintenance done. Dusty or wet use adds a wash in lukewarm water with a mild detergent, rinsed until the water runs clear, and then a complete dry in open air, with heat and flame ruled out. It is refitted dry and never oiled. Look in the Downloads tab for the maintenance sheet.

Fitment & Compatibility

Made for the Triumph Tiger Explorer XC and XC SE of 2011 to 2016, listed at 1215. The same element covers six Tiger Explorer listings in total, through to the 1200 models of 2022. Several designations overlap in these years, so check yours in the Fitment tab.