I have an 06 ex500 and Im coming up on 6,000 miles next week. I am curious as to what you guys use to clean the air filter..... have any of you bought high performance aftermarket air filters, if so, what brand? I have a K&N in my car and I like it and know how to take care of it. My real question is if I choose to buy that for my ninja, do I need to adjust my carbs at all? Some people have said yes and some have said its fine without any adjustment...............Valves.............any of you guys ever have them adjusted? How did you know it was time, some people have told me maybe around 7,500 miles for the first adjustment.

My clutch has also been acting like a bitch. Sometimes when I stop at a light ( I downshift into first as I roll to a stop).....um, actually once Im in first and Im taking off from being still at a light it feels like my bike is kind of popping down into first even though I know it already is. My chain tension appears to be normal. I had a mechanic at my local bike shop take a quick peek and ride and he didnt feel it.......nevertheless he adjusted the cable up top a little(it was a little loos I had noticed, but I couldnt figure out which way to do it) and so after he messed with it it felt fine the next few rides......now its "popping" back down into first, every other gear feels A OK when riding.

I think it needs a little more adjustment but I was just curious if anyone had dealt with this. Its not a real problem, just annoying-I want my baby girl to run as smooth as she can....... Thanks guys, John.

 

Air filters; K&N or BMC always a good debate, I have K&N in all my vehicles so went with it for my bikes as well. Both are manufactured by the same company and use the same products for cleaning and recharging.

Valves; they are normal checked at about 12000 miles. Kaws are known for having ticking valves.

Clutch, check your manual for adjusting the clutch cable. Not sure what you mean about 1st gear, does it feel like it is not in gear and its grinding or is it popping out when you take off?

 

Some riders have complained on the K&N air filters getting brittle on the edges.
Normally I check my valves and cam chain tensioner way before 12,000 miles, more like 2000 miles to 5000 miles. But that is just me. Then I would say you would be good for roughly 10,000 miles after that.