I was browsing through my Virago XV 125 manual earlier and it said that when cleaning the air filter it should be cleaned with a solvent and then soaked in engine oil, with any excess being squeezed out. My question on this is two fold;

a) What solvent are they referring to? and

Why do you have to soak the filter in oil? Is it so that any debris sticks to the oil?

Sorry for asking questions which seems very basic but not had to do any maintenance on my bike before and Im trying to learn as much as possible in a short period of time.

Petrol is ok to use as long as you let it dry properly.

Yes soak in oil afterward, squeeze out surplus and any dust will stick to it.

Similar filter for my petrol mower - now that does catch a lot of dust.

cheers