Mine had the original filter when I changed it around 22k miles (thanks F-M). It ran fine before, ran fine after.
I also try to keep "good" gas in it. Don't fill up if the tanker is at the gas station(shit at bottom of the tanks has been stirred up), try to fill up at larger/busy stations that turn fuel over quickly, and always run 87, since stations sell around 5x as much 87 as the premium blends, so the gas is a lot fresher. 93 at small stations(especially in rural areas where nobody has stuff that needs premium) can be sitting around for a l-o-n-g time. The c-store in schroon gets the 91 tank filled in october and isn't empty until spring. During the summer it goes for a 3-4 weeks, where the 87 is refilled at least once a week.