The Prophet

Seems there are at least three different schools of thought on breaking in a new bike:
1.) Breaking it in gently, babying it. Easy does it.
2.) Breaking it in Roughly, revving the heck out of it - ride it like you stole it philosophy. Slam, bam, thank you ma'am.
3.) Break-In as per the Manufacturers Manual recommendations.

I WILL state that every time a poster on these various motorcycle internet forums has announced that he has reached +80,000 miles, or obviously more, I have made it a point to ask "How did you break it in?".

Without exception, the answer has always been #3 above.

Here, for your perusal, is a good compromise...

New Engine Break-in Procedure

If you have a verifiable +80,000 miles on your bike from new, we'd like to hear your story as well. Thanks.

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Motorcyles are not my whole life, but they make my life whole. ` me

motowebmaster

When I rode Triumph, break-ins were a bit religious - I did them per the manufacturers instructions.

On my VFR, I did follow the guidelines for a while but was going normally at around 250 miles.

The Prophet

I think the most important things are to use ordinary "Dino" oil during the break-in time, do an oil/filter change after say 600 to 800 miles (rinse and spit), and avoid riding at any one single speed or RPM for any extended periods. Done.

With todays improved metallurgy, newly discovered materials and methods, and vastly more precise machining practices, the old days of extended, pampering break-ins are behind us.

There was a website by some kid a few years ago that touted revving the crap out of a bike from day one, and riding it as rough and abusive as humanly possible during the first 1000 miles. The concept was something like "break it in fast, and the bike will be fast; break it in slow.. and the bike will be...". There was also some ill-concieved pseudo-science around the rings breaking in better, as if any other tried and true methods were failing. Add some "Conspiracy Theory" accusations towards the evil, conniving Manufacturers, and suddenly you have all the makings of Internet Discovery! That particular website hasn't changed in appearance or content one iota in four years, so it's hard to tell if the kid is still around. Another case of "If it's on the Internet... it must be true!"

Hard-heads galore - mostly newbie's who had apparently seen one too many "biker" movie - agreed with this stuff for a while (Reason # 15 for being cautious about buying a second-hand bike), and the response was always "Hey... I broke it in like that, and my bike is great... you S**K for disagreeing with me!" Funny stuff. No one ever followed up on these unfortunate bikes at say, 50,000 miles, so there really wasn't ever any plausible scientific proof provided. Are all the other piston rings failing? Hmmm?

Again, I've taken great pains and effort to contact numerous riders/owners with +80K, and without exception they broke it in per the manual. Sometimes doing what the manufacturers suggest actually works. The best informational resources are the "International Adventure Rider / Iron Butt Touring" style sites, and lurk around the discussions on such things. Great learning experience.

Now, having said all that, if there is really someone out there with 100,000 miles on the clock that beat the living crap outa' their bike during break-in...

Ride Safe!

Bob

motowebmaster

I'm a bit mixed. If motorcycles had not gone through numerous technology advances in recent years, I'd say that the respective website would be spot-on.

However, since several sportbikes feature MotoGP-inspired technology, I'm not sure if everyone has the same expectation anymore.

The Prophet

Here's another excellent, thought provoking study on new engine break-in. Granted, it is written for aviation engines, but the technology, and intent is 99% the same.

Proper Engine Break-In

Ride Safe!

Bob

The Prophet

Here is another very good, common sense approach to breaking in the new motorcycle.

How to break in a new engine

Nothing harmful or opinionated in this write-up, just good logical sense.

Ride Safe!

Bob

Jamie

Thanks. Am already feeling less apprehensive about daring to click on it

The Prophet

Jamie,

For comparison, here's a thread with LOT'S of harmful (but hilarious) tips, and unfounded, non-factual, wild opinions!!!

With sincere apologies to this Honda 600RR site, which we must assume is otherwise a decent forum (there are always a few stubborn, but misinformed "know-it-alls" out there in cyberland)...

Have fun! And never fear to click...

Thoughts on a Hard Break-in? : Honda CBR 600RR Sportbike Forum : 600RR.Net


Also: Reason # 538 of why you should never, ever buy a second hand bike from a stranger!

Ride (and click) Safe!

Bob

Forchetto

That website is this one, isn't it. Note the colourful fonts...it hasn't been updated in yonks but it's regularly quoted in a lot of forums as the absolute truth about breaking-in engines. This is the page dealing with that.

Aussiebikerdave

Let me paint a word picture.

How would you feel if you arrived at the dealership at the appointed time to collect your brand new shiney motorcycle then looked around the showroom to see it wasn't there. No worries you think, it's probably out in the workshop being lovingly attended to with some last minute fine tuning adjustments. It's all good.

Just then you hear the sound of a motorcycle coming from the workshop, obviously your make and model, being rev-ed to within an inch of it's life. You hear the sound of the motor being shut down and the side stand being engaged. Moments later, the young workshop tech wheels what obviously must have been the same bike, still ticking as the metal parts cool from a comprehensive thrashing, into the showroom and you realise that it is your beloved new motorcycle. You take a closer look at the headlight for the small sold sticker with your name still marked in biro. How would you feel?

Facts are that in probably all motorcycle factories today, every bike is wheeled onto a dyno and given the absolute berries in the dyno room as soon as each fully assembled unit rolls of the production line. As a former Kawasaki/Yamaha dealer, I saw this with my own two eyes in Japan and I know Ducati, Moto Morini and others do the same... with every motorcycle. Do Triumph, I don't know but if I was betting man, I would put money on it!

Prophet, you could have included another catagory of "run-in" rider which would have fallen somewhere between the no 1 and 2. That is, someone who doesn't religiously baby the bike according to the holy writings of the owners manual but neither do they mercilessly thrash the bike.

I take what is basically a sympathetic approach to the motor over the first two or three hundred kilometers where the bike is simply ridden at normal road speeds without reving it too hard or lugging it low. After a couple of hundred kays, the occasional run up to redline and a bit more spirited riding has the job done.

I purchase (in our m/c rental business) a large number of new bikes every year a lot of which I personally take for a day ride of 200-300kms just to bed them in in the manner described above, before the bikes are rented out. We generally keep our bikes for a max of three years and because in Australia due to long distances, they accrue miles very quickly, our bikes often have up to 100,000km up when sold. In all the years we have done this, I have never had a bike that has prematurely worn out.