Angus, I'm no expert, but I called BellaCorse and talked at length with one of their guys about this. No, the filter isn't pre-oiled, but he advised not to oil it at all unless you ride basically off-road. The carbs (I guess) oil it themselves. After a couple of weeks, I decided to remove my snorkle, and pulled the filter to have a look, and darned if it isn't oiled. There's a slight oil residue in the bottom of the filter, and when I pulled it, I can definitely smell oil in it. I'm never oiling it, based on his advice, and because of the risk of over-oiling it and screwing up the carbs.
Just my 2 cents worth...
Besides, I have a Caspian Blue America, too, and they're obviously the best-looking ones.
