04-07-2014, 08:50 AM
(04-06-2014, 10:42 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Dac, no one here can definitively give you the best plan for breaking in your new bike, other than quoting what is in the manual.
Truth be known, you probably couldn't hurt this motor no matter how you rode it as long as it had sufficient oil in it. Break in has been a black hole mystery since the first engine was started, and I don't think the manufacturers recommendation has changed in 30 years even though materials and manufacturing processes have improved greatly. Old timers generally break in things differently than young pups, who consider our antiquated ways hog wash. In recent years the "ride it like you stole it" mentality has taken a foothold.
When I bought a bike from a dealer 100 miles away (Joe's in Dayton) We took interstate I-75 up in the car, and I took St Rt 42 the back way home, that way I could stop, go, vary the speed etc, even stopped for lunch in Centerville, rather than jump on 75 south and run 70 mph for 1 1/2 hours straight. It probably would not have hurt the Triumph motor which like our CBs is air oil cooled 4 stroke, but I'm a codger, and wouldn't treat a new motor like that. It's the old dog..new tricks thing.
In the end, I think you will know how "you" want to treat the motorcycle you just paid $10,000 of your hard earned dollars for. Your money, your motorcycle.
I seem to recall manufacturers providing a bit more detail in the old days. I remember stickers on the tach with rpm restrictions for break-in. My Kawasakis had something like 4K rpm for the first hundred, then 6K until the first 600 mile service. Maybe that was just Kawasaki? Or possibly that with today's more technically advanced materials, it doesn't matter as much?
Interestingly, when breaking in air cooled aircraft engines, the instructions are very specific. They require high power settings (i.e. higher cylinder pressures and temperatures) in order to get the new rings to seat in the cylinders. Low power operations are to be strictly avoided, to the point where if you anticipate a delay in takeoff they recommend shutting down the engine until you can make an immediate departure. Aircraft engines would definitely fall into the "fly it like you stole it" category.