Breaking in a new engine

[Elipten_imp]

And as I recall this was your son's motorcycle? Heck of a bike.

[quail_imp]

This has been a great read! Made me feel glad I rode it like I like to ride everyday from day 1. I like to ride the interstate 75/80. The rest I ride to see my kids and Grandkids. I love speed but I do not that skill any longer. If you are not smooth it is going to hurt sooner or later.

So I am going to change my oil, ride it to 600 miles the same as I have been, change my oil and report back when I have an opinion. Thanks for the info.

[Ulvetanna_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I'm a firm believer that in this day and age, "break in" as we used to know it, is obsolete.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.

YES YES YES!!!

[Toddman_imp]

Lets suffice it to say that I was less than impressed with the RR engine doing what it did. I still believe that if you plan on going to redline weekly on your bike, you should break it in as such. I've always broke mine in that way and I can't recall having an oil use issue.
That's the way my dad did it,
That's the way America does it,
and thanks for the comments.
Now, shut up and ride.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Lets suffice it to say that I was less than impressed with the RR engine doing what it did. I still believe that if you plan on going to redline weekly on your bike, you should break it in as such. I've always broke mine in that way and I can't recall having an oil use issue.
That's the way my dad did it,
That's the way America does it,
and thanks for the comments.
Now, shut up and ride.

As I said before, you are making far too much sense.

I refer to "Shut Up and Ride" lol

[kmoney_imp]

Just posting because it's topical and came up in my FB feed today.

[url=http://www.sportrider.com/break-in-procedure?src=SOC&dom=fb]http://www.sportrider.com/break-in-proce...SOC&dom=fb

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Just posting because it's topical and came up in my FB feed today.

[url=http://www.sportrider.com/break-in-procedure?src=SOC&dom=fb]http://www.sportrider.com/break-in-proce...SOC&dom=fb

Thanks boss

[Cormanus]

So, Quail, after all this, the expert advice is as follows:

Quote:... we’ve always recommended the manufacturers’ procedure but with some additional guidelines: Always warm your bike up completely before riding away. This ensures the oil is up to temperature and flowing freely, minimizing the chance of damaging those high-friction mating surfaces. Avoid any use of full throttle or lugging the engine, and don’t rev the engine in neutral or run it for extended periods with no load or very heavy load. Essentially, you want to put varying loads on the engine during break-in but not excessively so; this means no freeway droning and no stop-and-go traffic but instead riding that calls for changing rpm, speed, and throttle—it’s a good excuse to stick to the twisties for the first 1,000 miles.

Some occasional bursts to increasingly higher rpm and load with some hard pulls to redline at the end of the process will ensure that the rings get sealed. And most importantly, be sure to have the oil changed as per your owner’s manual at 1,000 miles, the end of the break-in process.
Pretty much how my grandfather ran in his diesel tractor back in 1918. Probably how most sensible people have run in their engines ever since.

[Papa Weeley_imp]

So, Quail, after all this, the expert advice is as follows:

Quote:... we’ve always recommended the manufacturers’ procedure but with some additional guidelines: Always warm your bike up completely before riding away. This ensures the oil is up to temperature and flowing freely, minimizing the chance of damaging those high-friction mating surfaces. Avoid any use of full throttle or lugging the engine, and don’t rev the engine in neutral or run it for extended periods with no load or very heavy load. Essentially, you want to put varying loads on the engine during break-in but not excessively so; this means no freeway droning and no stop-and-go traffic but instead riding that calls for changing rpm, speed, and throttle—it’s a good excuse to stick to the twisties for the first 1,000 miles.

Some occasional bursts to increasingly higher rpm and load with some hard pulls to redline at the end of the process will ensure that the rings get sealed. And most importantly, be sure to have the oil changed as per your owner’s manual at 1,000 miles, the end of the break-in process.
Pretty much how my grandfather ran in his diesel tractor back in 1918. Probably how most sensible people have run in their engines ever since.

Pretty much how my grandfather ran in his diesel tractor back in 1918. Probably how most sensible people have run in their engines ever since.

[Motogeezer1949_imp]

I've always liked the "occasional bursts" part. Oh my officer!!!! I was only following proper break in procedure!!!!