Hey everyone, have a few questions regarding my new toy. I'm new to owning a quad but not to riding so I want to make sure I take care of the ATV so she lasts as long as possible. My riding with this new quad is more relaxed, trail riding with my partner. We are not interested in jumps or going insanely fast etc. so things are pretty basic in terms of maintenance. (Getting old sucks so the days of racing/jumping are in the past haha.)

1. How often should I be replacing the oil? I found information on what I should be using (10W40 or better, Motorcycle / ATV brand etc.) but I could not find information on what is the recommend frequency of replacing the oil. I do check it often and so far its been fine.

2. I am in the market for buying a few new parts as I bought the quad from my neighbor and it has some damaged parts. Thankfully the frame and plastics are in great condition but some minor things need some help:
- Tail light housing is destroyed and needs to be replaced. (Light works, main housing looks to be ok, but the red tinted plastic needs to be replaced.) (Save 20% on OEM Yamaha ATV Parts | MotoSport part #1)
- Crankcase cover is half-missing and potentially going to land up in the chain. (Save 20% on OEM Yamaha ATV Parts | MotoSport part #13)

A friend of mine recommended upgrading the tail light to a newer LED unit, but I'm not sure which aftermarket parts will fit the same connections and such for this quad.

The question here is going OEM recommended or buying aftermarket better? Along with that, what site(s) would you recommend purchasing from? I'm not a fan of sites like Ebay, I'd rather order from a company than a person.

3. I've seen people with MPH / mileage gauges modded onto their ATVs. Is this something that is possible with a Warrior? If so, is there kits for this and where can I find them?

4. Is the power generated from the ATV/battery strong enough to power a 12V cigarette lighter socket like a car? Would be nice to be able to have my phone charging while riding so I can use it as a bluetooth communication device with my partner. I am going to invest in a helmet system for us later on but for now, this would be a simple fix. (Also if this is possible is there a kit for this etc?)

I tossed up a few pictures of my ATV in the gallery if anyone has any other recommendations based on how it looks. I'm open to suggestions.

 

I'll put my $0.02 in since no-one else has:
1) I'm sure a manual will give you service frequency, but often that depends on how & where it's ridden. If you are hard on it in nasty conditions I'd change it every ride/every-other ride...oil is cheap insurance
2) Your machine is common and not new...there should be plenty of good used parts on ebay (I know you don't prefer to shop there, but let's face it...it'll be your best resource for OEM replacement parts)...aftermarket vs. OEM is a personal preference item...sometimes the aftermarket just has cool stuff the manufacturer doesn't want to make...
3) Yes...took me 10 seconds to find several on Ebay...
4) Helmet coms have come way down in recent years...I grabbed some decent ones for $80 that have 800 meter line of sight capability...once again Ebay was the source...they are Chinese and the instructions suck, but I was impressed with the quality, functionality & tiny size/weight of the system


Didn't see your pics, but I'm sure it's a great machine...