How to break in your new motorcycle – the proper way
May 9th, 2007 66 Comments » | View blog reactions
What your manual says is wrong, and can ultimately lead to power loss or even a broken engine. Your manual advice easy break in, staying below a specific amount of RPM’s for a certain amount of miles. But what should really do, is run it hard. At least that is what the MotoMan – break in secrets guide tells you.
The guide is very well written, and provides photo documented proof of the method. The image below shows two pistons; the right one is from an engine broken in by the MotoMan method, the other with clear signs of oil and gas slipping past the piston rings is broken in as your manual suggests. Scary isn’t it? Question is; do you dare do the exact opposite of what’s in your manual?. Apparently there’s no in between, and you have to do it straight from the dealer, so there’s no turning back.
Read MotoMan’s full guide to breaking in your engine here.
You know, an old biker buddy told me this same thing back when I started riding (I say “old” because he coulda been my grandfather).
He just figured it out from experience–after about 50 yrs. of riding.
Good to know he was right after all!
I am doing the same thing
because I am newb
Why be easy on a brand new bike, when that bike is still covered under warrantee?
Don’t think it’s a question of warranty or not, Steve. It’s about taking good care of your precious motorcycle, making sure it’s at its best. Not tormenting the shit out of it, just because it’s under warranty.
My ‘83 FLHTC Shovelhead Dresser was taken off the show room floor in December of ‘83 with 8 miles on it and ridden the 68 miles home running around 75-80 MPH and thru 3 engine and transmission rebuilds and 209,306 miles we never looked back. As with Dan a friend told me the same. Break her in right and she’ll never let you down. Well “Ole Bessie” and I are still giving the hell and probably will as long as we both get up in the mornings. Oh yeah, been down twice as we tangled with cagers.
Good stuff, Sarge. Nice to hear from a fellow shovel rider.
This is a pretty controversial topic. You know though from a safety point of view it probably makes sense to take it a little easy as if anything catastrophic is about to happen it’s likely to happen sooner rather than later. This reminds me of a study google did about hard drives where they found that if a hard drive didn’t fail within 1 year it would likely last 5 or more. From a racing point of view though riding it hard might just be good advice.
I’ve heard of this, and I holeheartedly believe it’s true. I just broke in my new Majesty using this controversial method, and it’s a strong performer. It’s gotta be a pretty good method!
[...] post by Jesper and software by Elliott [...]
I used this method with my new bike. Hope it works.
My motorbike diary: http://www.geocities.com/chrisrishermn32/motorcycle.html
My dad always told me the same, drive the same way you plan on driving it from day one. He is almost 60 now and has built every type of engine from a lawnmower to heavy equipment. He is one of those guys that it came natural to so if he said it, well then it was good enough for me.
i wish i read this 60 miles ago!!!!
this new method is quite kick ass. My bike (TTR 225) now runs better than my neighbours bike (XR 250) this happened just after i got my motor re-dun and then this method gave it more power, Thanks MotoMan!!
Nice, going mate.
I have new HONDA Supra X125R, now I have ride it 178 km, I seldom run my bike over 80 km,
is it to late for me to make “Moto-Man version” break in??
Or somebody else in here can give me a suggestion?
I’m an aircraft mechanic at a local airport and I’ve rebuilt several four and six cylinder air-cooled Lycoming and Continental aircraft engines. When the engine is reinstalled on the Cessna or Piper (or whatever), and ready for a test flight, we don’t hold back on the throttle during take-off and cruise. Full throttle right from the start is the only way to break in a piston engine.
when i first met my wife i rid her hard and years later she still performs well.
Biker, you got the right idea.
why when i first start the engine it seems like its having a hardtime starting up and i use the motoman brekin method.please help?
That could be a heap of things, 6rr, I suggest you seek out a local motorcycle mechanic and let them have a look at it.
thanks! jesper
[...] Helmet Hair covers the Mototuneusa breakin method of breaking in your bike. Now if I were rebuilding my bike every weekend and racing it, I might just do try out what MotoMan suggests. As it is I can’t really see a huge benefit as this isn’t a scientific test with controlled conditions. I don’t doubt that getting hard on it every now and then helps though. I’m positive the manufacturers have many reasons for the way they suggest to break it in, and I’m sure some of them are also legal reasons. Also I’m not really sure that it is as simple as the piston ring seal simply needing to be forced up against the cylinder walls. I’d like to see more scientific tests into this though. [...]
[...] lot of times in the Motorcycling world there are very opinions on debates such as: How to break in your bike properly, Synthetic vs. Non-synthetic, How much Power bikes should have?, What grade of motor oil to use? [...]
My geocities website is down. I start a new one at freewebs. It is about my Hi Bird Chinese 125cc motorcycle.
http://www.freewebs.com/rishers/motorcycle/index.html
Well, i`m braking in my new Buell City cross, and i`m not taking the risk. I`m going with the owners manual… Maybe this method is good if u race every weekend as it is said above, i`m not taking the chance.
salut.
Yea, Dog, it’s a pretty tough decision isn’t it.
I disagree with the majority of comments here. I am sure MotoMan does not have an R&D department as big as say Yamaha, nor does he have years of experience. If this method was “right” than it would have been in the manual. Not saying that you should baby your bike, but riding balls to the wall off the showroom floor is just plain stupid.
http://nuBiker.com
Thats the thing though. His method isn’t abuse it from the first second. You let it warm up, ride up to second gear, let RPMs rise from 40% redline to 60% and then fall back to 40%. Do that three times and step up to 40% to 80%. After doing that three times you do three sets of 40% to redline and down and you are broken in. Ride through the gears a few times to get everything settled out. Then change the oil. It seems pretty relax to me. It isn’t like the advice is to run out, redline it cold and ride there for 1000 miles. There really is no abuse in the method moto man describes. The factory takes it to redline on a dyno before it leaves the shop.
You don’t have to follow it if you don’t want. There is no theory expressed why riding it easy to start is better. Every race team worth anything does it Motoman’s way. That isn’t because it just makes more power. It is because it makes more power and is more reliable. Very few racers would risk continuously losing if their break in method was dangerous on a motor. Not finishing is worse than being slow.
Again do what you want. It is your bike. I don’t suggest you abuse it but at the same time I don’t suggest you baby it. I wish I were in the position where I could buy an hand full of the same bike and give a side by side of different break in procedures but Im not. That said I will do it the moto man way. No matter how you decide to do it change the oil often those first few miles. I think that may be the biggest part of it, more so than the RPMs the motor is ran at.
im breaking in my 2008 hayabusa and for the first 500km i did 100-160km runs from 1-6 gear changing every now and then,i let it warm up good and opening the throttle every now and then doing a few rolls ons but im going up to 6000rpm
hay 6rr there are 5 parts to motomans breakin read them all….you just need to clean your throttle body right under your air cleaner there is probably a bunch of crap build up from the break in and your idol should be bout 950 to 1000 rpm
http://mototuneusa.com/thanx.htm
6rr heres the folling 5 break in from motoman
new to riding, got myself a ninja 250, a have about 100km on the clock and i have ridden it soft to that distance. is it too late to change to MotoMans method
I had a 2006 Kawasaki ZZR 600 that I bought brand new and broke it in the way moto man says. I rode it like I stole it, I would powerban a wheelie no problem (no clutch). But after about two months of sometimes hard riding, I could see a huge difference from when I first bought it. I had to pop the clutch just to get the front wheel off the ground. I just bought an 08 CBR 600 RR, and I am definately following the manuel on this one. I suggest anybody wanting to keep their bike do the same.
Follow the money.
Manufacturer’s are going to recommend whatever is best for the bike. They don’t want to be swamped with warranty repairs which COST THEM MONEY.
I think I’ll stick with the manual. Just because the Motoman method doesn’t cause problems doesn’t mean it’s better.
The manual for my 08 Suzuki C50 sounds like normal city or country driving will be acceptable. You vary the throttle in curves and at redlights and rarely keep the engine at the same rpm. My dealer told me that it didn’t matter how fast you drove during break in, just don’t cruise at the same speed.
i have brand new apache 125 4stroke road crosser arriving in few week’s neeed good advice about HOW i break it IN ! many thanx. dan.
Motoman’s method is pretty much identical to the way you would break in a nitro RC.
IMO, it’s not worth the risk to break it in by baby-ing it.
hm this is a very tough decidion… I have a Suzuki GSF 650S Bandit k8 and I think I’ll prolly stick with what the manual says… They designed the bike and they probably know what’s best for it. Besides, I have many friends who had broken in their bikes like the manual said and their bikes are quite okay.
ive been riding r6’s a long time. ive had 4 of them , not because they go bad i just get a new one bout every 2 or 3 years . now my first 3 i rode hard . but on the 3 one i had it dyno ran with performance parts at 4 miles. again at 1200 , lost bout 3.5 bhp.
now the new one dyno tested at 6 miles with performance part lost bout 1.5 bhp at 1200. this non provin idea might be nice for max power on the track for a couple of runs , but not meant to extend the life. i stunt on all of mine . and ill never run anymore like the past
Pls read http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/motorcycles/breakin/
then judge motoman is better or this ??
I just bought a Bandit 1250 ABS and was advise not to ride more than 4000rpm for the breaking period. I only had 180km on my odo. Can I just rev more than than and if I do will it damaged the engine or performance. Thanks
Joe
About the motoman “myth”, it’s not only the cylinder rings who have their break in, think of the loads and loads of raw machined surfaces which you push with loads of torque onto another, and visualise the scores you grind in to them before those surfaces are broken in, with teh motoman shite methode, it looks like he works for a dealer organisation, in the engine rebvuild industry…
I am about to break in a new HD FLHTCU. I am/was a day away from breaking in the motoman method, and may still…. but,… what’s with the pictures of the pistons at the top of this page? If the entire point is to seat the rings, then why are the pistons identical from the first ring to the combustion chamber side of the piston? If there was blow-by past the first ring, that shouldn’t affect how they look BEFORE the first ring.
. Good luck to everyone – whichever method you choose.
Anyhow, this theory is very interesting and recommended by many experienced riders, but some gaps in information exist (and I’ve read the motoman site). Why 50 miles and not 25 or 75 miles? Why does the process of seating the rings stop at 50 miles? Essentially, what prevents the seating process from completing if the “slow” method of break-in is utilized?
I’ve got a new bike to break in and, without greater detail and explanation, I guess I’ll use the Harley recommendations. Maybe I’ll combine the two and completely screw up my bike
Sorry folks… meant to say – why “aren’t” the pistons identical – they should be the same up to the first ring. Thanks.
Proper Engine Break-In …From our friends at S&S
When a discussion about engine life of the Harley engine occurs, the participants, directly or indirectly, are usually talking about how long the pistons survive. At S&S it is no different. Many of the performance kits we offer have engine life ratings based on how long we feel the pistons will last. It is for this reason that “proper engine break-in” is critical and must be addressed, because without a good foundation the structure collapses.
The expression “proper engine break-in” is often misunderstood by many riders and enthusiasts. Misunderstanding what “proper engine break-in” means can lead to a variety of mechanical problems, the most common being ’scuffed” or” galled” pistons. While defective parts are sometimes the culprit here, the trouble usually is traced directly to improper break-in. To clarify “proper engine break-in” and minimize damaged pistons, we must first look at a few important related elements. These are: piston fit, engine assembly, ignition timing, carburetion, and engine maintenance.
Piston Fit
Essentially, piston fit is the measurement, or clearance, between the piston skirt and cylinder walls that enclose it. The object for long piston/engine life is to fit the pistons to as tight a running clearance as possible which allows the pistons to function without generating excessive heat.
Basic piston design elements dictate what the running clearance range of a piston will be. Looser than minimum piston fits mean the pistons are free to move around in the cylinder bores more than usual. Tighter fits eliminate these extra movements. Less movement means reduced wear on the skirts and better piston ring life since the rings will have to work less to contain the upper portion of the piston during movement. S&S supplies two fitting ranges for each piston we sell. This is done to accommodate the many riders and riding applications.
Close fit – Fitting pistons to the minimum side of the clearance range requires accurate assembly procedures – careful measuring of the pistons and precision boring and honing of the cylinders for proper fit. Close fit pistons also require a careful break-in. The minimum side of the clearance range is recommended for the patient street rider who puts a lot of miles on his machine and wants the most out of each engine overhaul. Generally speaking, cast piston types offer the rider better longevity although numerous reports of excellent service from customers using S&S forged pistons have been received.
Loose fit – S&S “loose fit” specifications give the rider more break-in leeway as they allow him to run the engine at higher rpms sooner without generating significant amounts of extra heat. Less heat means the pistons will be less likely to “seize” in the cylinder bores with the resultant galling. The sacrifices that he makes are: less total miles because the clearance/wear established over many miles of operation is taken away right from the start, poorer piston ring seal and less overall ring life, and more piston noise because the pistons are free to move around more in the cylinders. Looser piston fits are recommended for the rider who desires a minimum of break-in time such as in racing applications. If a lot of racing is intended, the rule of thumb is used forged pistons because they are stronger.
As a last word, try to fit the pistons more towards the tight side rather than the loose side.
Engine Assembly
While lubrication is important for every motorcycle engine, newly-built motors usually require an extra supply of oil to reduce the friction and heat that occurs during break-in. This is because the “new” surfaces are actually rough. Eventually, after break-in, these surfaces wear smooth, which in turn reduces the amount of friction that causes excessive heat buildup inside a new engine. To insure that the pistons get proper lubrication during the break-in process, the builder must put a crosshatch pattern of fine scratches on the cylinder walls. These tiny grooves act as oil troughs and are put in the cylinder walls by running a honing tool up and down the cylinder bore. S&S has found that a crosshatch pattern with a 60 angle tends to retain oil best.
Just as proper lubrication is important to piston life during initial break-in, proper piston alignment in the cylinder bore is a key factor that determines an engine’s longevity. Correct alignment will assure a better ring seal and longer ring life and minimal thrusting on parts of the piston where thrusting doesn’t normally take place. Piston alignment should always be checked. Using a new set of connecting rods which the builder assumes to be straight will not always insure that the pistons will be properly aligned. It is sometimes necessary to “tweak” a new rod to compensate for slight crankcase and cylinder machining deficiencies. We strongly recommend following the rod alignment procedure outlined in our S&S stroker and Sidewinder kit instructions to ensure that the pistons are properly aligned in the cylinder bores.
Good general engine assembly procedures are a must too. Remember the old saying, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness?” An engine assembly is no exception. Many of the scratches found on pistons after disassembly result from dirt particles that were left in the engine during building. There is no substitute for a clean engine assembly. And for cleaning individual parts before assembly, nothing beats plain soap and water for removing dirt.
Ignition Timing
Excessive heat in a new engine will ultimately destroy the pistons if allowed to build up. Improper ignition timing can cause additional heat. During initial break-in of a new engine, be sure the engine is timed correctly. We recommend using factory stock ignition timing specifications at the start. Later, after the engine is broken in and heat has become less of a factor; you can experiment. The final ignition timing setting usually depends on the modifications done to the engine, the way the motorcycle will be used and the grade of gasoline available.
Carburetion
Another way to offset heat in a new engine is with slightly rich carburetor jetting. Richer mixtures burn cooler. Conversely, a carb with a lean mixture can destroy new pistons (as well as a few older ones), because lean jetting will cause the mixture in the combustion chamber to burn “hotter.” If there is any question about the carb’s fuel/air mixture, remember that it is better to jet slightly rich than too lean. The rich/lean question is especially critical for engines that are equipped with sophisticated high performance carburetors. Frequently these types of carbs, especially when installed on high performance, big inch H-D engines, have leaner jetting for optimum performance. If you have made some performance changes in your engine and intend to use the stock carb, always check the jetting. If you are going to use an aftermarket carburetor; find out what jetting is installed. Inform the carb manufacturer about your engine modifications, and then ask their recommendations about jetting. Ask if they have actually performed tests using their carburetors on engines similar to yours. Obviously, you don’t want your newly assembled 96 cubic inch Evo Sidewinder to be their “guinea pig.” A meticulously assembled engine, even with proper break-in procedures, will be ruined quickly with too lean a carburetor jetting. Be certain of your carb and its jetting so it won’t be a problem during and after break-in.
Engine Maintenance
The first rule for proper engine maintenance is to use a good air cleaner that actually filters the air. It is amazing how much junk and foreign matter a non-filtered carburetor will suck in.
And to keep the engine’s internal parts clean and well lubricated, use high quality motor oil and change it often. We have used Aero Shell (grade 100, 50 weight), Valvoline Racing oil (50 weight), and of course Harley oil, all with success in most of our S&S street engines. For Bonneville and drag racing, we use Torco racing oil. We recommend that you use what has been working well for you in the past.
In addition to high grade oil, engine longevity can be prolonged by changing oil on a regular basis. Many of our customers who change oil regularly (usually from 200 to 800 miles between changes) report terrific engine/piston life. If cost is a factor, we recommend that you at least change the oil after the first 100 miles of new engine break-in. After that, try and change oil every 1000 or 50 miles.
Gasoline octane rating is critical to an engine’s life and peak performance too. As a rule, low octane fuel as well as old or bad gasoline burns poorly causing heat and detonation. Continual detonation will quickly damage the pistons, rings, and even the cylinder heads. Your safest bet is to burn the highest octane gasoline that you can.
Now, let’s get back to the “proper engine break-in”:
The purpose of engine break-in is to establish the overall piston, ring and cylinder wear patterns without causing damage to any of these parts. This “break-in” usually takes from 50 to 2000 miles, depending on the engine and how it was built.
For a better understanding about engine break-in, we should examine what really happens inside the cylinders during the break-in period.
As the piston travels up and down within the cylinder bore, friction generated from the new piston rings on the freshly bored cylinder walls causes the edges of the rings to get extremely hot. This process is necessary to properly “seat” the rings, pistons and cylinder wall mating surfaces. If they get too hot, they begin to wear excessively and prevent the seating process from taking place. The result is hot combustion gases blow by the rings down the piston skirts. As this “blow-by” increases, the pistons, piston rings and the surrounding cylinder walls get hotter and hotter. The heat literally burns and dries the oil film on the cylinder walls faster than the lubrication system can replenish it. The key word here is heat, because if it continues unchecked, scuffing occurs between the cylinder walls and the piston skirts. As the piston skirts get hotter, the piston begins to expand causing more friction and more heat. This vicious circle continues until the piston gets too large for the cylinder bore; the piston skirts begin to melt and stick to the cylinder walls; the skirts become galled and the pistons seize in the cylinders. Destruction of a piston can literally take place in seconds.
Scuffed pistons due to extreme heat can normally be avoided by running the engine at various speeds during the break-in period, rather than maintaining a constant rpm. By gently increasing and decreasing engine rpm, heat buildup between the pistons and cylinder walls becomes more tolerable as oil is replenished to reduce friction and cool the mating surfaces. Be sure that the time of acceleration is not too long. Several short bursts are adequate to generate enough heat to assure proper piston ring seating while not harming the engine. It is also important not to lug the engine. Lugging an engine means putting the engine under an extremely stressful load. A common way to lug an engine is to operate it at an extremely low rpm while the transmission is in a higher gear (for instance, leaving the transmission in fourth gear when it should be in second or third where engine speed is better matched to transmission speed). Lugging causes extreme stress between the rear thrust faces of each piston and the cylinder walls. Small bits of piston skirt can break away causing the rear surface to scuff. The best prevention for lugging an engine (either old or new) is to downshift to a lower gear where the engine runs more freely, and the transmission assists the engine in delivering peak power to the rear wheel.
Well, that should do it. To summarize what we’ve talked about, here is the sequence we recommend for “proper engine break-in”:
Fit the pistons on the tight side of the recommended fitting range.
Use good general engine assembly habits, keeping in mind the earlier points we discussed, including ignition timing, carburetion and maintenance.
On initial engine startup, don’t just sit and idle the motor while you admire your work or tinker with minor adjustments. Heat buildup at this point can be excessive.
The first 50 miles are the most critical for new rings and piston break-in. Most engine damage will initially occur during this period. Remember that if proper ring seating does not take place, the resultant blow-by will set the stage for possible future damage because there won’t be sufficient oil on the cylinder walls for proper lubrication. So keep the heat down by not exceeding 2500 rpm. And vary the speed.
The next 500 miles should be spent running the engine no faster than 3500 rpm or about 50-55 mph. Do not lug the engine and continue to vary the speed.
Up to 1000 miles, the speed can be run up to 60 to 70. Continue to run the engine at different speeds including the lower 4~5 mph ranges. When the 1000 mile mark is reached, most Evolution engines should be broken in. Evolution engines tend to run slightly cooler; and therefore do not require as long a break-in period as earlier engines using iron cylinders.
From 1000 to 2000 miles basically use the same procedures as before, but you can be a little more liberal with the rpm range. Avoid overheating the engine and putting any hard strain on it (drag racing, trailer towing, sidecar operation).
2000 miles and up, have fun! Just remember, while our recommendations sound good and normally work, there is no cook book formula for proper engine break-in. Common sense and knowing what is really happening inside those cylinders are the best tools for break-in. We at S&S realize that after riding a stocker, a Sidewinder or Stroker feels very strong and the temptation to “turn it on” is overwhelming, even hard to resist. If this urge to run the engine hard overcomes you before engine break-in is completed, extensive engine damage can result. The obvious way to help prevent sticking the pistons is to give them a loose fit which naturally will detract somewhat from piston life and quiet running. This may be the best route to follow for those riders who want to go fast immediately. Keep in mind though, even loosely fit pistons should be allowed at least 50 to 100 miles of break-in for ring seating purposes. And, pistons and rings fit in this manner will have to be changed more frequently.
Now there’s some R&D and logic. Racers dont build factory motors…
anyone know the proper fuel oil mix for a 2003 yamaha ttr 225
Mike, given that the TTR225 is a four-stroke, no mixing of fuel and oil is required, and would likely actually soot up the exhaust.
Hey. In my opinion I don’t think that any bike manufacturer would put motomans method on even if it was right. Think about it. Someone does that when they first start out and they crash at high speeds. They break some bones or worse die and then what. Who’s fault was it. This person was just doing what his owners manual said to do. What’s that do I hear lawsuits on their way? Just my opinion
… yeah ……. what Mark said …. you dont want your brand new Harley Lowrider smokin like an old two stroker …. do ya ? heck no ……. unless where ya live is infested with mosquitos … back to you Mark.
i have an rm 85 2004 model and its not giving me all the power
can any one tell me whats wrong with it please thanks
Can this method be used on 100cc motorcycle? here in south east asia 100 – 150cc underbones are the most common motorcycles.
i had an 06 busa broke it following the manual and it just didnt have the power i expected. i now have an 08 busa and its being broken the motoman way…
Thank you Mark and “friends from S&S”. I’m about to break in a new bike and your post was a real education.
my mc is a honda 100r and as soon as the mechanics done changing my block to 125cc they test it, and they did a hard break in for about 1km or so and then i did drove my bike i started driving it slowly.,.will that 1km or so hard break in driving damage my piston rings already?tnx for the reply.,.
Think about it. You go with the motomouth brake in method. Your bike seems to be running in fine. reving great pulling fast at lights leaving traffic behind…..
Then some 1 pull out in front of you from say a side road. you pull brakes and although they are slowing you down you some how still hit this car, why?
Well the breakin is mainly about your engine. But is also about bedding in your breaks and tyre’s ect. With the motormouth method, yes you may have a super smooth engine after 100miles or so. But your brakes are not fully bedded. So stopping at fast speeds or any speed will not be as good, as it will be after, a controversial method.
I’m sorry but I thank that’s a bit far fetched, DJ KGB.
That’s sort of like blaming the break in method for running out of gas because you didn’t fill it up.
There’s plenty of things you need to take care of when riding a motorcycle. One of them is breaking in new break pads. Just as you need to go easy on new tires etc.
Yes you are right Jesper. That comment is really for a noob. who just wants to go fast and not learn how the bike really handle’s and has nothing really to do with this topic.
After doing more google search’s. I now think Motomans way is some what better, but must be done right.
As in do not ride it like you just stole it,
Motormouth running in which is not as per the manual, is also a means by which the warranty can be voided by the manufacturer. They extract the ECU (I think..) and determine whether you followed their instructions or not. If NOT and your bike happens to have any motor issues later, they will not cover it under warranty.
You choose. It is your money after all..
Those of you who say don’t rev the bike above 4 grand, follow the manufacturers recomendations. Do you know what they do as soon as it rolls off the assembly line?
Put it on a dyno and rev the sh!t out of it. Yep
No one is saying that you need to beat the crap out of the engine. What they are saying is accelerate though the rev range. Make those rings do their job.
There is sooo much rumor and misinformation among the motorcycling population. When I was rebuilding engines back in the 60’s and 70’s the ring manufacturer which I used at the time, Perfect Circle, had a little note packed inside with the rings. It said to go out and do half a dozen 0 to 60 full throttle runs before delivery of the newly rebuilt engine to the customer. The motorcycle manufacturers cannot be recommending such things in this litigious society, and that is what it’s all about.
It’s not good to just baby your bike until the specs tell you the break in period is over. I’ve had several bikes to break in and hands down the GP moto style break in is the best. Never had any issues. There’s a harley dealer in my area that will even put your bike on the dyno and break it in for you using the moto method. I would have to say that breaking your bike in using the stock method would only be beneficial to a conservative rider who will never get ahold of the power band. Oh and change your oil after 500 miles! And brush your teeth!
This is bullshit. Riding the motorbike fast from the onset is a risk for the engine, because no motorcycle company in the world gets all their piston machining and cutting done without some mechanical tolerances.
That’s why they advise people to ride new motorbikes at low speed where those tolerances disappear through friction and grinding after around 600 km.
If you ride hard during the initial part of your motorcycle’s life, your fuel consumption could increase, and piston slipperage could also increase. Basically, your engine could get fuked.
Another thing to remember: use your new motorbike alot during the warranty period, cos if there are any bugs in the motorbike, you can detect them quickly. If you ride your motorbike too fast during the initial period, you will create your own engine problems, which will start to appear after the warranty period.
P.S.: Don’t believe the bullshit on this page.
Help me, i am a black dude a first timer, love bikes,
i am thinking of getting one,
a cheap one like a Hyosung 250GTR
i am afraid to go any higer, what should i do…? bikes are not that big a deal with Blacks, but i am sh#!ing my pants about the idea
i recently bought a 2009 r1.its got about 450mi on it and for the most part ive followed instructions based on the manual.except any die hard biker like myself cant resist a f!cking r1s raw power.so yea ive maybe had it up to 7000rpm going through the gears 0-80ish.but i havent done it till recently around 400mi for the first time.will it hurt to sometimes do this now that the motor is getting closer to broken in??? and when can i finally feel the full out raw power without risking my motor or my warranty??? im just sooo excited and ready to go balls to the walls hahaha!!! ive raced yz250f and yz450f for years and its scary how fast this bike is at ONLY up to 6000rpm at acceleration wise and(80mph at 6000rpm) i still have 8000rpm to go LMFAO!!! 2009 Raven R1(flushmount LEDs,tinted double bubble,LED integrated smoked tail light,tag eliminator,GYTR frame sliders,full titanium graves carbon fiber exhaust no cats,graves smog eliminator,k&n filter,bazzaz fuel injection tunner) YAMAHA RULES!!!