Air Filter Cleaning Intervals?

My bike has about 450 miles on it, getting the first oil change next week.  How often do you guys clean and/or replace Air Filter??  Manual said clean at 6,000 miles, but should I be cleaning it more often that that?

Only when it needs it, you will get the feel of it as time passes. Everyday when running in the dirt.

Thanks Berwyn!

6k?! Haha, yeah right, it's not a car! Just depends on how much dirt you hit. I clean mine about one a month, which is about every 500 miles or so. I do a lot of dirt roads.

i clean mine twice a year usually (sometimes 3). so that's about every 5k km in my case. I do 99% street riding though.

Probably shouldn't admit this, but...

I just cleaned and re-oiled my air filter (K&N) for the first time after 13,500 miles yesterday.

I also do 99% street riding.

dmmcd wrote:

Probably shouldn't admit this, but...  

I just cleaned and re-oiled my air filter (K&N) for the first time after 13,500 miles yesterday.

I also do 99% street riding.

13k?! Your poor bike! That filter must've been so clogged!

What everyone on here who thinks 6k or more is ok for an air filter cleaning doesn't realize is that even riding 100% street you're still sucking in dirt, especially if you live in a dusty environment. If our cars recommend we change the air filters every 6k miles, there's no way our little bikes can go that long, especially riding dirt.

I would say to at least CHECK your air filter every 500 miles and definitely clean it after a day or weekend of trail or desert riding, regardless of mileage. But that's just me, I grew up racing dirtbikes where you didn't go by mileage or hours, but rather how a filter looked. Just pull the side panel, takes a minute, and see if your filter is dirty. Your bike's performance and longevity depend on it.