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Matt's RPM post brings up a question about the proper break-in procedures. I'm planning on buying a new bike in the spring so I thought I'd ask now. What, exactly, is the best (or proper) way to break-in a new bike?
What's the proper way to break in a new bike?
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Kawasaki's say to keep it under 4000RPM for the first 500 miles, then keep it under 6000RPM from 500-1000 miles. Course the true meaning of keeping it under is just don't maintain the higher RPM for a prolonged period of time. How are you going to try out the bike without going over a little bit?!
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Big can o worms there. A lot say stick to the manufacturers guidelines, and a bunch say you need to wring its neck right away as well. The wringing its neck method is theorized to seat the rings right off the get go, to give you the most HP out of your engine. The manufacturer method is rumored to insure the longest life of all the parts in the motor, and not just worry about the rings. There are a lot of sites available on the subject for either side, as well as some tests in recent past magazines, but nothing ever seems to come to a conclusion one way or the other.
One piece of advice that is common among every one of them though is that you should not load the engine in the real low RPM range... don't lug around 10 mph in third gear, keep it above 2500 RPM's at least...
One piece of advice that is common among every one of them though is that you should not load the engine in the real low RPM range... don't lug around 10 mph in third gear, keep it above 2500 RPM's at least...
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Yeah, that's the answer I figured I'd get. I'm sure there are arguments for both sides and it's going to be tough to figure out what is right and what is wrong. How do you know who to believe, etc.?pickle.of.doom said:
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I don't know. Went through the same thing last spring. I just mainly followed the manufacturers recs. with short bursts into the higher RPM's every now and then, but never held up there. Avoided low RPM load, I hear that is the worst thing for em, especially on a v-twin. Changed the oil and filter EARLY and often. 25 miles. 100 miles. 600 miles. 1000 miles. Then I went to the 3000 mile schedule. The first one is very important, lots of metal shavings in a new engine, you can see it with the first drain.
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good thread captain...!!
fortunately, my kat has 7800 miles on her, so she was broke in nice for me. The dealer told me it was a 1 owner, and they had all the maint records to date, and from what they can tell and what the owner said, he kept it below 5000 for the first 500 miles, and since then its been flawless...If you're one that goes thru bikes on a regular basis, it probably isnt that big of a deal to watch how you ride at first, but those of us that keep them for awhile, I'd error on the side of caution and go w/ the manufac. Besides, if it screws up, u can always put it back on them to fix becuz u followed their guidelines. Plus it helps if u do that as well, so when people like me buy the bike next, we have a good solid running ride that isnt beat all to hell.
fortunately, my kat has 7800 miles on her, so she was broke in nice for me. The dealer told me it was a 1 owner, and they had all the maint records to date, and from what they can tell and what the owner said, he kept it below 5000 for the first 500 miles, and since then its been flawless...If you're one that goes thru bikes on a regular basis, it probably isnt that big of a deal to watch how you ride at first, but those of us that keep them for awhile, I'd error on the side of caution and go w/ the manufac. Besides, if it screws up, u can always put it back on them to fix becuz u followed their guidelines. Plus it helps if u do that as well, so when people like me buy the bike next, we have a good solid running ride that isnt beat all to hell.
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chev said:
Good call. But it wasn't ran like that for a long time and there is still a need for breafking her in. I have normally gone with what the manufacturers guidelines just to be safe.
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twisty said:
Did you say break them in or just break them? :lol:
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My Honda manual says don't lug the engine. Ever. Keep the RPM under 5,000 for first 600 miles. It also says between 600-1,000 miles to "drive briskly, vary speeds frequently, and use full throttle for short bursts only". Changing the speeds frequently helps seat the rings.
Here's the method I use on my bikes. Never had any problems.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
The only problem with those is, when you baby your bike around like grandma blue hair, you are burning warranty time. I keep seeing bikes on here 2, 3 and 4 years old with less than 10 k on them, S&it, I'm gonna do my 16k valve adjustment within 10 months of purchase!! Follow their guidelines and lose 1/3 of your warranty to "break-in" Hey, ride it hard, wash it and put it away wet!GSXR750DJ said:
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bumblebee said:
but we dont all have the same amount of riding time you do though being down there in sunny FLA. that plays a part in it, to a degree. I road my kat since early august of this year, and only managed 2000 miles, and thats riding it everyday,and the occasional day long ride too.
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