Breaking in a new engine

[Guth_imp]

With the exception of calling out 300 miles as the end point, the break in period recommendations in the owners manual are pretty short on detail and seem like they are provided more for liability reasons than any real concern for the engine itself (except perhaps for the recommendation to avoid hard acceleration). I'm guessing that the other two recommendations to ride conservatively and avoid hard braking have more to do with the riding on tires that have not been scrubbed in and getting used to a new bike.

In my opinion, the most notable thing that is rarely mentioned in discussions like this one is the strides that have been achieved in the manufacturing processes of engines today compared to a few decades ago. It would seem that engines are already "broken in" by the time we get a new vehicle in our hands. But old habits and all that...

Much like oil discussions, we'll simply never manage to come to an overall agreement on what constitutes the best way to break in the engine a new CB1100. I'll simply say to each their own and hope that everyone is happy with their respective CB1100 after they've racked up the first 300 mies regardless of how they went about things up to that point.

[the Ferret]

Um...aren't they setup to not exceed redline? Revlimiter and all that? How can you break an engine that should be able to run all day on a racetrack. I mean, if you know anything about motorcycles, you know what a double R is, right? I was with him. He didn't ride any harder than i rode my ZX12r and I didn't suffer any engine problems. In fact, I'd speculate that I probably rode harder than he did. So what is your point?

The guy owed someone a new bike because he just rode it? All he did was ride it the way it was designed by Honda to be ridden?

There are a lot of guys on this forum who seem to be unacquainted with high RPM and think it's bad for the bike. It ain't bad for the bike, there would not be a redline up there if it was. I think I mighta bounced my CB1100 off the rev limiter a couple times. Does not use any oil now; used some for the first few thousand miles but again it is air-cooled. Now, I have not needed to add a drop since last change, a couple thousand miles.

As I mentioned elsewhere I just did the 8K mile valve clearance check, all 16 are right on the money.

As the ferret mentioned, there is a known issue with some of the earlier CBR1000RR's with excessive oil consumption.

The entire history of these inline fours is high-RPM and performance. Reason wife never used oil is she never rode the bike other than in cruise mode. It was never broken in which is Toddman's point and he is 1000 percent right.

Ride the bike any way you like, of course of course; but don't claim the bike can't be ridden at high RPM because it's bad for it.

Some guys are just not comfy with that kind of riding, they enjoy the wind in their helmet, the smell of roses, the camaraderie of a warm ale at the end of a long ride.

I have never smelled any roses and I don't drink ale. I love the smell of race gas in the morning. It is almost like we are riding two different motorcycles, but both good.

It should be noted too that engines are meant to burn a certain amount of oil anyway. Some is meant to weep through valve seals to lubricate valve stems and some is vaporized when it is splashed or squirted up near the tops of the cylinder walls (the area of the cylinder wall closest to where combustion occurs gets incredibly hot).

As long as it's not fouling plugs and you're not topping it up an unreasonable amount between changes who cares? My CB reliably uses 500mls between changes and I consider that normal.

WOW! Half a liter beween changes? Mine uses zero oil between changes and as I mentioned I run it at redline, almost always between 4-8K. And once again, all valves perfect at the 8000 mile check. My Harley did not use anywhere near half a quart betwixt oil changes and I went 5,000 miles like the manual said.

So did you break it in like the book says?

I just googled Oil burning issue in Honda CBR1000RR and actually it seems to be quite normal regardless of how they are broken in or ridden. There must be 100 threads on it.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Oil...+CBR1000RR

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2012/07/m...cbr1000rr/

It's common but it ain't normal. Not for a Honda, anyway. Lot of angry owners. Heard they cleared all that up 2012 with some design changes. Was thinking about a CBR1000RR SP at one point so did some research.

Um...aren't they setup to not exceed redline? Revlimiter and all that? How can you break an engine that should be able to run all day on a racetrack. I mean, if you know anything about motorcycles, you know what a double R is, right? I was with him. He didn't ride any harder than i rode my ZX12r and I didn't suffer any engine problems. In fact, I'd speculate that I probably rode harder than he did. So what is your point?

With you all the way. Run a ZX-10R, track a Gixxer. They are made to live up there.

My bike's already broke in, but I've been watching this thread because of the way the original question was phrased, as it included references to high-mileage bikes. It raised a question in my mind which I don't think has ever been asked or answered on this forum:

What happens if we don't break it in? Specifically, what happens to a bike if it's ridden hard (red-line shifts, etc.) from day 1?

9000 miles, burns zero oil between changes, valves all in perfect adjustment. That is what happened to my bike so far anyway.

Ulte... I would like to address a couple of points you made highlighted above. You keep repeating that forum members say high rpms and redlining are bad for the bike, or that we say the bike can't or shouldn't be ridden at high rpms. I didn't remember anyone here saying any such thing, so I went back thru every post in this thread, every post in the Is This a Sport Bike Thread, and every post in the Shift Point thread searching and nowhere did I find anyone say that this bike could not or should not be ridden at high rpm or to redline, or that it was bad for it in anyway to be ridden like that.... Only posts saying that that is not how they (most posters) prefer to ride their bikes. They didn't say you couldn't or shouldn't, only that they don't. If you can find a post that supports your claim that anyone here said it was bad for the bike, please post it up. If there is one, and again I couldn't find one, it would be the exception and not the rule.

You're somewhat right that some guys are not comfy with that type of riding. Personally it's not that I am uncomfortable doing it, I just don't care to do it at this stage in my life. From the time I started riding in 1965 until I retired from the mc industry in 1989, I tested the limits of every motorcycle I rode from single cylinder 2 strokes ( I raced motocross for 10 years) to the mighty Honda CBX 6 cylinder 4 stroke and everything in between. Crazy riding on the street, racing my buddies on public highways, just stupid stuff that quite frankly I was surprised that I survived. So I did slow down, started feeling the wind in my face, smelling the roses along the way, and having a nice cup of hot tea at the end of a long ride, and found I enjoyed that experience... and actually, this is the scenario the designer of the CB1100 envisioned when he put a pen to paper to design the CB 1100 according to his own written notes in designers talk. That's why there was no horsepower goal for this bike when it was designed. Why it has 30 less horsepower than the CB1100 of 1983. Per the designer, if it was a pleasant ride, if it made you want to just get on and go for an easy ride, the bike would have met it's design goal. Again, that is not saying that this bike can not, or should not be ridden hard, or that it is bad for the bike to be ridden to redline. Again NO ONE (that I could find) has said that, we've only said ride your bike how you like to ride it, and we will ride our bikes how we like to ride them. To your credit you have said that repeatedly as well, however you continue to make the claim that we say riding the bike differently from how we ride them is somehow bad for it, and that is just false. I for one have repeatedly said this engine was designed to be ridden in a range and that the range for this motorcycle is from 2500 rpms to 8000 rpms (or redline), and that is is NOT bad for the bike to be ridden anywhere in that range in any gear..from 8000 rpms in first, to 2500 rpms in 6 th. Where it is ridden and what gear it is ridden in within that range is up to the individual owner. The rider that rides around in 3 rd gear at 6000 rpms is not superior in his approach to riding motorcycles to another owner that rides around at 3000 rpms in 6 th or vice versa. They are just different in their approach to riding motorcycles.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Well said.

Cheers

[mininsx_imp]

I'm just glad (and a little surprised) that no one mentioned the "Motoman" engine break-in procedure that appeared on the 'net years ago.

[Lord Popgun]

Here is a link: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I am not putting a dog in this fight.

[LongRanger_imp]

Ferret, very well said and fully respectful.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

gonna watch motogp all them racer boys running high rpms

[the Ferret]

gonna watch motogp all them racer boys running high rpms

me too!

[Cormanus]

Nicely said, Ferret.

[Motogeezer1949_imp]

I'm a firm believer that in this day and age, "break in" as we used to know it, is obsolete.
I've had plenty of new bikes and cars and really haven't done anything other than drive them the way I was going to drive them from the very start.
With the CB, I picked it up in Toledo and hit the interstate on my way to Knoxville.
Varying the speed up and down somewhat, I averaged 65mph for the first 100 miles, 70mph for the second, 75 for the third.
After that I cruised at 80ish.
I arrived at my destination after my days ride with 485 or so miles. My buddy Kimball had fresh Honda oil and filter waiting for me
The second and third days were secondary roads. After riding the Dragon at Deal's Gap, I took old highway 441 into FL. for the most part. Probably cruising 65 to 80 depending on traffic and countryside. I'm a performance oriented rider so the CB doesn't get babied. I've had the eco reflashjed, the rpm limit raised 500 and the speed limiter removed. I've done a bunch of other mods with good success. As far as I'm concerned, this motor is bullet proof, typical of Honda reliability.
I've had no knocks, no rattles, no real issues. Done plenty of 2 to 3k mile trips. I average about 1k miles a month, and I'm at 22k currently. 1 valve adjustment, only 2 valves out, not by much. No oil burning. Did a set of plugs, but the ones I took out still looked fine. After that, oil change intervals are every 5 or 6k.