Air Cleaner Cover

What Is an Air Cleaner Cover?

The air cleaner cover is the outermost component of your engine's air intake system, sitting directly above or around the air filter element. Its job is straightforward but essential: it shields the filter from debris, rain, and road grime while directing clean air into the carburetor or throttle body. But on motorcycles — especially V-twin cruisers and custom builds — the air cleaner cover does double duty as one of the most visible styling statements on the bike. That round piece of chrome, billet aluminum, or carbon fiber sitting prominently on the left side of the engine is often the first thing an onlooker notices.

Function Meets Style

From a purely mechanical standpoint, a properly fitted air cleaner cover ensures that only filtered air reaches the engine, protecting internal components from wear caused by dust and particulates. A damaged, cracked, or missing cover can allow unfiltered air — and the debris it carries — into the carburetor, causing accelerated wear and performance loss. Beyond protection, the shape and interior design of the cover can also influence airflow characteristics, with some aftermarket covers engineered to reduce turbulence and increase the volume of air fed to the filter element.

For small engine applications — lawnmowers, generators, and outdoor power equipment — the air cleaner cover serves the same protective function, keeping the carburetor side of the engine clean and ensuring reliable start-ups and steady power output across the working season.

What to Look for When Shopping

• Fitment compatibility: Air cleaner covers are highly model-specific. Always verify your engine make, model, and year before purchasing.
• Material: Billet aluminum covers offer durability and a premium appearance; OEM-style plastic covers prioritize exact-fit replacement for small engines.
• Finish: Chrome, gloss black, matte black, and brushed aluminum are common options. Consider how the cover will complement the rest of your build or equipment.
• Airflow design: Some performance covers feature louvered or vented faces that can marginally improve air delivery to the filter.
• Ease of installation: Many aftermarket motorcycle covers fasten with a single center bolt, making filter maintenance quick and tool-light.

Top Brands in Air Cleaner Covers

S&S Cycle is the dominant name in this category, and for good reason. With decades of experience building performance V-twin components, S&S offers a wide range of covers designed specifically for their popular Stealth air cleaner platform. Options range from the iconic teardrop and mini teardrop profiles to billet bobber-style rounds, all CNC machined from billet aluminum and available in chrome or gloss black finishes. Their covers fit across a broad span of Harley-Davidson Softail, Touring, and Dyna applications.

Arlen Ness brings its legendary custom styling heritage to an extensive lineup of air cleaner covers. Best known for the Big Sucker air cleaner system, Arlen Ness offers matching covers in styles ranging from smooth and scalloped to beveled, knuckle, and deep cut — giving builders a cohesive aesthetic from filter to cover without sacrificing flow.

Vance & Hines rounds out the motorcycle side of this category with covers designed to complement their V02 air cleaner intake systems. Their Stingray-series covers pair well with Harley-Davidson Touring models and are offered in both chrome and black finishes for flexible customization.

Kuryakyn is a trusted name in motorcycle accessories, known for bold designs that blend form and function — their air cleaner cover offerings carry the same attention to detail found across their broader accessory lineup.

For outdoor power equipment owners, Briggs & Stratton supplies genuine OEM air cleaner covers engineered for precise fit and factory-standard performance across their extensive range of small engines used in lawn mowers, pressure washers, and generators.