maintenance regime?

[item]

After riding xr600's for the last 13 years i'm looking at either a wr 400 or 450. After years of very routine maintenance (regular oil change and air filter clean) my mates seem to think i'm in for a rude shock with the Yammys. Can you give me a rundown of what i can expect in terms of tool time, etc or am i in the wrong site for objective advice ? Would really appreciate any advice. ?

[Indy_WR450]

I ride pretty much every weekend and this is my routine:

Oil change every weekend.

Oil filter change every month.

Air filter clean and oil after every ride or weekend.

Wash the bike after every weekend and clean under the seal savers.

Chain lube after each ride and adjust after every weekend.

Replace fork oil every 3 months and rebuild forks once a year.

Service rear shock and recharge once a year.

Front wheel bearings every 6 months and rear wheel bearings every year.

Adjust spokes and true wheels once every 6 months.

Water pump seals and shaft replace once every 6 months ?

Swing arm and shock linkage bearings clean and lube once every 3 months.

Replace seal savers once every 3 months and repack dust seals with grease.

New chain and sprockets after 1" of axle adjustment movement (3 - 4 months for me).

New front tire every 4 months new rear every 2 months.

Valve clearance check and adjust once every 6 months.

New spark plug twice a year.

Steering head bearing lube and reset bearing clearance twice a year.

Rejet at least 4 times a year for the seasons or where you may be riding.

Rebuild the motor top end valves & guides, piston and crank, timing chain etc. new clutch baskets , plates and springs once every 2 years ( 10,000 plus miles).

I might have missed something but that is pretty much my routine that I have developed for my low reving non racing trail riding needs. ?

[mtrablue]

don't freak out at indy's maintenance. with over 10,000 miles in two years, he aint normal (lucky dog). change the oil often and the filter every other oil change. you'll probably have to adjust the valves twice the whole time you own the bike. other than that it's just good maintenance habits. some people can tear up anything. wr's come from a yz back ground and might be a bit more fragile than your xr's. (get some radiator guards and braces.) that also makes for a better performing motorcycle.

[Khari]

Wow. I own one already and I was freaked out by Indy's maintenance.

[WRider995]

You'll be impressed with durability. The XR's are great bikes with great reliability, but IMO Yamaha's thumper motors are even more durable. My main riding buddy has about the same miles on his xr650 as i do on my 400F and his feels very tired and loose, with much more mechanical noise from that monster motor. Mine feels like new, amazingly. I probably have around 5,000 miles on the motor with no problems. Just regular oil changes and maybe 1 or 2 spark plugs a year. The earlier 400's had steel valves and tend to be more durable than the newer titanium ones. They're all great though. Your buddies are trying to scare you. Try a WR and you'll be amazed, I think. Have fun!