Sprint Filter P08 F1-85 Air Filter for Racing – Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (2018–2026) CM196S F1-85

All three media built for this airbox carry the same fitment list: Bear, Continental GT, Interceptor, with the same years set against each of them. A catalogue like that is an index of housings, so it cannot recommend anything — it only reports what fits. The information that separates the three sits outside it, and it is less about the motorcycle than about the use. Specify for the hour ridden worst rather than the hour ridden best, and the CM196S F1-85 turns out to answer a fairly narrow question.

Key Features

• Dry polyester at 85 µm, the most open cloth listed for this housing
• Rated 15,000 l/m²/sec, about three times the flow of the 80 µm standard weave
• 95.22 % of 100-micron particles retained in Sprint Filter's own comparison
• Roughly twice the filtering surface of other performance elements, in the series airbox
• No oil, ever — compressed air is the whole of the cleaning routine
• Direct fit, reusable for the life of the motorcycle, two years of warranty

A list that fits everything decides nothing

Identical coverage across the three media is a statement about the housing, not about suitability. It means the frame, the sealing face and the fixing are common and only the cloth varies, which is convenient in one direction: the choice can be revised later without any consequence for fit. It also means nobody has done the deciding. Nine model years of Interceptor take in commuters, tourers, second bikes and the occasional track day, and no single recommendation could honestly cover all of them.

The question this cloth answers

It answers what happens when the intake is held at full demand long enough to become the limiting part of the system. That is a circuit condition. Off the circuit it is not reached, so the element will not do anything a rider notices — a drop-in filter does not make a standard motorcycle noticeably stronger, and surplus capacity is the first thing to go unused. On dusty roads it is the wrong direction as well, which is what the fine non-woven at 14 µm exists for. Bought against the right question, it is a racing cloth that is washed rather than thrown away.

Care and cleaning

Dry from cleaning through to refitting. An air line held against the clean side and worked outwards clears the face, and on an open weave that goes quickly. Lukewarm water and a mild detergent deal with anything greasy, then rinse it clear. Let it dry in the open, never near warmth of any sort, and put the CM196S F1-85 back untreated. The maintenance sheet is in the Downloads tab.

Fitment & Compatibility

For the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, 2018 to 2026. The Continental GT 650 runs on the same element across those identical years, and the Bear 650 joins from 2025 — three motorcycles, one part number. Confirm your model year in the Fitment tab.