They may all look similar but there are some differences! This is a long term review of the Moose Racing and Twin Air for our DR650.
European filter VERSUS American filter!
Twin Air is from the Netherlands where all filters are still hand made from A to Z whereas Moose Racing are made in the USA.
Twin Air or UNI may be the most known air filter brands of the off-road world, whereas Moose Racing is still relatively new on the market for this type of product.
So let's start with the advertised manufacturer's specs to introduce our two candidates.
Then we will review how they compared during a full year each and what is our preference.
Twin Air model #153604
(fits DR650 1996-current)
Coarse open-pore foam catches airborne dirt, grime, and sand
Fine open-pore inner foam acts as second filter to trap the smallest particles while ensuring maximum air passage
Adhesive withstands repeated cleaning
Smaller than stock to increase air space and circulation around filter
Moose Racing model #M762-70-02
(fits DR650 1996-current)
Bonded, two-layer foam designed for maximum protection & airflow
Filter designed for maximum surface area
Super Seal neoprene material seals off 100% water and remains airtight without grease
Exclusive 0.65 foam
Made in the USA
Construction & Material
So both use the same dual foam density construction like all quality off-road air filters but what is really different at first is the shape and size.
The Twin Air is notably smaller with a rounded shape and as advertised it will leave more free space in the airbox.
It also has really nice seams between the foam panels whereas the Moose looks more old-school with a bulky shape and butt to butt seams.
Twin Air and other premium air filter manufacturers use a polyester foam base which is the best choice for longevity, solvent resistance, and equally distributed pores size.
The cheaper polyether base sometimes used in OEM filters is less resistant and doesn't make as good for equal filtration properties.
After reaching out to Moose Racing about there "Exclusive 0.65 foam" we could only learn that:
We have foam that is specifically tailored to our specification. Pore size and thickness is specific to what we want.
So we have no clue on what is "0.65 foam" but they don't make the foam themselves, only the panels assembly and they actually use the same shape as the OEM.
This does make for a larger filtering surface than the Twin Air.
Also, we noticed the "no-grease" neoprene seal is working really well. It does give you an extra insurance against dust sweeping under the filter with this soft neoprene ring.
Note: As a general rule from the off-road world, you are supposed to apply some thick specialized grease on the filter's ring base that is in contact with the airbox.
It may be necessary on a rigid rubber body type of filter like K&N but on a foam filter, we do not think it is necessary nowadays.
If your filter cage fits well against the airbox surface there's no need for grease, it will seal well on the DR. We have never seen any dust infiltration past the filter this way.
Performance & Durability
Both filters seemed to perform really well and they are easy to clean, oil and install on the cage.
The cage locking stem on the DR650 pushes quite hard against it. The air filter is then sandwiched in between the cage center hole and the stem base.
The Moose filter had absolutely no marks after spending the same period installed but the Twin Air suffered a bad cut as pictured beside.
The first coarse layer was cut almost to the second fine layer of foam under the stem.
Cost
Using for reference our favorite Canadian online store, we find the cost of these two filters to be close. The Moose being at $33 and Twin Air at $39 at the time of writing.
Conclusion
Factoring all the elements above, we have a preference for the Moose Racing as it as been more durable and slightly cheaper.
Also, we didn't notice any performance improvement with having more free space in the airbox with the Twin Air but having more filtering surface will certainly help your pig breath better for a longer period of time as the filter gets dirty.
The neoprene sealing ring on the Moose will also give you extra peace of mind in regard to proper sealing against the airbox. Just oil it well like the rest of the filter.
Add a North American made product and it's a win for Moose!
Happy trails and make sure your pig breath clean air.
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