I was going to have the dealer do it more for the completeness (hopefully) of the once over and for the valve adjustment. If it were just a screw tappet adjustment, I owuld do it but if you need shims, I would rather they do and, candidly, I do not kknow which is used in the machines in question.

As I understand federal law, if a manufacturer requires that certain oil, or filter or, "whatever" be required in order for the warranty to be in effect then the manufacturer must provide said parts and oil to you AT NO COST!

 

I do all my own service work and keep a file for everything. I keep all the receipts in a vanila folder and write down the mileage and hours for everything I do. Good records are very important if you have problems, exspecially when your ATV is out of warrantee.

You do not need to use Honda oil or oil filters for warrantee purposes. Make sure the brand you decide to use "meets or excedes manufacure specifications" and you will be fine. I would recommend using the weight of oil the manufacture recommends and do the services as they recommend.

I do use Honda brand oil filters and all other items I need except fot the oil. I have been very satisfied using Valvoline 4-Stroke ATV Oil, 10w40.

 

I don't know what kind of warranty you guy's got, but I only got 6 months with my 400ex. Most likely, nothing is gonna go wrong in that short time so I changed the oil and rode it hard, so if there was a weak spot it would break in that time. I do need to do my valves but I hear a little tickin and the bike starts ok so I'm not too worried about it. I've had it for about 8 months now.

 

Badbiker,

Keep in mind that the ticking you hear could be excessive valve lash/clearance. If you have too much clearance, the vale is not opening as much as it should which adversely affects performance. Conversely, if a valve is set too tight, it could prevent the valve from shutting all the way which, of course, is worse.