One of the mechanics at a local dealership told me that after the first 20 hours of use, I should take my bike in and have some maintenance done on it to ensure that it works to it's full capabilities. Is that true? What does this maintenance consist of?

 

thats bull crap they just wanna make more money off of u. its a scam, u could do all the maintenance urself.... unless ur seriously mechanically challanged. im 15 and did all of the maintenance myself without a problem. after bout 15-20 hours of break-in time... u should change ur oil, oil filter, and check ur air filter. if uve been riding in lots of dust or mud and u see that ur air filter is very dirty... just clean it off. wat u do is take out the filter.... hose it down...... wait for it to dry and get a special lubricant for it and smear it all over the filter. u shouldnt worry bout this though within ur first 20 hours, kuz i doubt ull get it THAT dirty. after 20 hours my filter was still nice and clean. the rest i am hoping that u kno how to do urself kuz i dnt feel like explaining the whole process and if u own a car then u should kno how to change oil and oil filters by now. if u give it to the dealer they will charge u a lot for it and its a rip-off. good luck, welcome to the forums, and have fun with ur grizz!

 

I would probably add changing the differential fluids also. The valves should be checked also. Amidst the abbreviations in the above post, the filter cleaning is incorrect. You need to find out what oil is on the filter and remove it with a solvent. If it is oil based, you need a solvent that will remove oil. If it is water based, you probably get the idea. If you just hose it off, you will not get the oil trapped dirt out and you wasted your time.
A good idea is to have 2 filters. One to have on the machine the other to be drying after cleaning. It is a good idea to check your filter often. Cleaning the filter is cheap insurance and there is not such thing as cleaning too much. Make sure to put a ring of sealing grease where the filter meets the intake. This will insure a good seal against dirt.
A good foam filter oil is No Toil. It is water based and does not require a special solvent. It seems to flow real well also.
A good suggestion is also to use dielectric grease on all of your connections. This will help stop any corrosion on the connections especially if you ride in some wet conditions or creek crossings. Just pull the connection apart and squirt some of the grease in and put it back together.
I let the dealership do my first service because it seems to aid in warranty issues. They can see what type of rider you are and seem to be more inclined to help out.