[Wild-Bill]

Think of it like an old VW Bug - another air/oil cooled engine. Valves have to be manually adjusted (no hydraulic lifters here!), carbs need to be synched, oil is crucial and cleaner is better. The more air actually gets to the fins on the cylinder block the cooler the engine will run. Any time I'm doing anything to the bike and especially if I've got the fairing off I'm in there with a rag, wiping down anything I can get to. I usually check the valve lash about every two years or 6,000 miles (whichever comes first) and, now that I own my own synch guages I'll check the carb balance about every time I change the oil. Nobody mentioned keeping the cables lubed. Makes a huge difference in how the controls work if you keep the throttle and clutch cables lubed and keep a good eye on your tire tread. Getting something stuck in the tread or having iffy tires is way more crucial than on a car. Basically, fuss over your bike. It pays off in a better running, better handling machine.

[Trackerrrr]

IMO?
Change the Brake fluid every year. If not twice a year. It's dirt cheap, takes 30 minutes or so and you only have one wheel on the system. On a car you have 4 wheels working off the system with some redundancy. One caliper or even two wheels can have failed brakes and you still have 50% braking... 50% failure on the bike? I don't want to think about it..

And it's almost as easy as changing oil. No brainer.

[The CyberPoet]

And it's almost as easy as changing oil. No brainer.

Particularly with SpeedBleeders...
(available here: http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=58596 )

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[steves]

I lube the chain once a week, or after each ride in the rain. I got almost 15k miles out of my last chain... so I guess that's working for me.

[fyreous]

Thanks again for all these tips! Between them and the maintenance schedule posted by CyberPoet, I am definitely more confident now in how to take care of my Kat.