• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

  • In order to help others find info on a particular bike, be sure to put the year, make or model of bike that you are asking a question about, in the Topic Title. This will allow people to pass by posts they have no interest in.

New Engine Break In Procedure

storm 64

storm 64

Forum Sage
Super Site Supporter
Past Site Supporter
Hello folks, I'm coming to GS Resource for your advice and wisdom. I'm wondering what your thoughts, opinions and experiences are on breaking in a motorcycle engine. The owners manual says to keep the RPM's under 4,000 for the first 1,000 miles. Change the oils at 600 miles and then again at 1,000 miles. So, here is my problem. The guys on the FJR forum say NOT to keep the rpm's under 4,000 and to race the engine, going between high and low rpm's, and avoid highways. They say to change the oils after the first engine run (25 miles) then again at 600 miles. So fellows what are your thoughts or experience on breaking in a new motorcycle?
 
Could not following the manuf. posted breaking procedure void any implied or explicitly written warranty on this new bike or it’s engine?
 
Follow the manufacturer's guidelines. They will tell you to vary the rpms, but don't over rev. Patience!
 
This discussion has been going on since 1983 when I bought my bike brand new. I followed the manufacturers instructions and it is still going strong. But I know many who didn't and so is theirs .........
 
The manufacturers instructions are geared to assure the rider doesn't crash out from using too much throttle before they get used to the bike. Most knowledgeable gearhead types will tell you to use the throttle to load the rings and seat them early in the engines life. Go to youtube and watch some engine build videos and you will see tons of high dollar engines getting broken in on a dyno using LOTS of throttle. I subscribe to an assertive urban riding pattern where you accelerate using a fair bit of throttle and vary the engine speed a lot. Keeping below redline is a good idea for a couple hundred miles but running the rpm's up into to 7000 rpm or so is no problem. And I'd follow the manufacturers recommended oil change interval. Engines don't come loaded with casting trash and so forth like they did from detroit decades ago so changing the oil right away is needless. There are oil filters for a reason.
 
I agree with Ed. A lot of various revving will be good for seating the rings. If you could run it like a moonshiner would run it you would end up with a good running engine.
A lot of mixing with the throttle. Just so you don't lock it in on cruising speeds.

Bottom line Norm, ride it like you stole it.
 
Yeah, the old-school method was to baby it, and it seemed to work, but the newer-school method says that it's already broken-in by the time you get to 25 miles.
eek.gif


The reasoning behind it is that combustion pressures get behind the rings, helping to push them out, against the cylinder walls. If you baby it, there's not much pressure. Applying more throttle enhances that pressure and helps break it in. Using the engine for braking also helps load the other side of the rings.

Basic idea is to warm the engine by riding, then doing about 10-15 mph in second gear, apply about half throttle until you get up to about 2/3 of redline, then roll off the throttle. Do that a few times, then do it in third gear, so it lasts a bit longer each time. Let the bike cool (overnight is good), repeat the next day, it's broken-in. :encouragement:

I agree with the principle, just have not tried it for myself.

.
 
Nessism said:
The manufacturers instructions are geared to assure the rider doesn't crash out from using too much throttle before they get used to it.
Click to expand...

Never heard that one before.

alke46 said:
If you could run it like a moonshiner would run it you would end up with a good running engine...ride it like you stole it.
Click to expand...

I must sound like an old bible-thumper..Cycle World, that is.

They addressed this very issue for the umpteenth time a few years ago, even including a cartoon with a rider explaining to the police that he was advised to "ride it like it was stolen."

Who has the most to lose if large numbers of new, waranteed engines fail? The manufacturer. So there must be a higher rate of failure if you red line it out the showroom door. So why don't you make the only logical claim you can - that if it doesn't fail, the bike will be faster than those which were broken in according to the manufacturer's recommendations?

And on the secondary issue: every owner's manual I've ever seen specifically advises to vary the rpms.

And the last justification: "High-performance this and top fuel that!"

They don't have time to break in their engines. And besides that, they are typically completely rebuilt every quarter mile.

Bottom line: I trust Cycle World, not some guy or "they."

Don't mean to come off preachy or rude, but I'm firmly middle class. If I've plunked down my hard earned dollars for a brand new machine, I'm afraid to red line it before the manufacturer recommends.
 
Last edited:
Car manufacturers don't typically specify a break-in procedure and most auto engines manage to run just fine regardless of how the customer drives the car from new. No doubt they have learned that it does not matter much what type of break-in is performed.

And for what it's worth, at the auto plant that I worked at the cars went from first start straight to a set of rollers where the test tech mashed the throttle down to the floor and accelerated the vehicle up to high speed. Even earlier in the process, when the engine was assembled and sent to a dyno, again, the engines were tested at high throttle loads almost immediately.
 
Last edited:
When i bought my 81 gs1100 i asked the dealer that same question. His advice: break it in the way youre gonna ride it. I did, without getting crazy on it, and never had any engine trouble for about 25k miles, when the clutch started slipping. After putting new plates in it, it ran great for several thousand more miles, till i wrecked it. Don't know what happened to it after that, but the engine was still running while stuck in the side of that d**m Chrysler.
 
I broke in my bikes with high load in varying RPM INCLUDING hard decels. I often go up and down the mountains working the engine up and braking with the engine down. It's really your comfort level on how you want to run the bike. My T120 had 2 miles on it when I bought it... I rode it home via the highway and than spent 3 days going up and down the mountains. On the third day (500/600 miles) I was going to redline. The transmission did go at 20K miles but the engine it's self throws very strong compression numbers even at 46K miles... Bike will be 2 years old on April 27th.

Honestly Norm it's a Yamaha it's going to run good no matter what you do to it!!

Cheers.
 
I was able to get out and enjoy the nice weather we had yesterday. I took Larry's advice to "ride it like I stole it". It was reassuring knowing Larry would pay for the speeding ticket if I had gotten one! (You didn't know that did you Larr)😲 Actually, I didn't hammer it to hard, I did run it through the rpm range on several occasions though. After my 240 mile ride, I let the engine cool a little, then I changed the oil (388 miles). I'll change the oil again at 1,000 miles and call it good. 👍
 
I agree with Chucks link and Nessim. 3 of my tech's who went on to work with Polaris and a major race team back that up and also mentioned high rpm decels and proper cool downs afterwards.
 
limeex2 said:
I agree with Chucks link and Nessim. 3 of my tech's who went on to work with Polaris and a major race team back that up and also mentioned high rpm decels and proper cool downs afterwards.
Click to expand...
Yes Im replying to an older thread. I didn't read the above links but have read the same years/decades ago. The reason for the immediate up and down revs is you have a one time opportunity to seat the rings and that time is right after you start your new engine. The load on the rings forces them into the cylinder surface and seats them immediately. This opportunity is gone when an engine is babied. I grew up being told to drive like your on thin ice for 800 plus miles. So I do a second and third gear romp- not to redline line- then take it home and shut it down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top