gentlemanjim,
Well, I changed the sump filter on my '78 when I got it in '96. I installed an oil pressure gage at the same time and always kept the pressure below 12 PSI during warm up. I inspected the filter a couple of times over the years, but it is still good. It was an original Yamaha before the reinforced version was available. That's 14 years and 60,000 miles ago. That's reliable.
So, from my point of view the best way to keep it reliable is to install an oil pressure gage and/or keep the revs below 2,000 until the engine is completely warmed up.
With the oil pressure gage, I can even see the pressure climb up again when I start out in cold weather even after I waited for it to drop. This is caused by the cooling effect of the cold air once the bike is in motion. So, I use the oil pressure gage as a shift point until the pressure goes back down.