What's the best way to break in a new engine

[goran21220]

Just bought a brand new 2008 fz6 raven,love it! The guy from the store told me i should ride it slowly first 200-300 miles and keep it under 8000 rpm...Opinions of the professionals i found on different sites on the internet are totally opposite!In short notice they say:"if you gonna ride it hard,break it hard"! Im a newby with no experience! Any suggestions?

 

[reiobard]

this is a topic that is highly disputed by bike riders everywhere. I personally will follow the instructions with some digression (i will "bend" the rules a bit) but you will get both sides (my prediction) of the beat on it to break it in and the follow the rules people. Do what you are comfortable with...

 

[paul1149]

I heard all sides as well, and I decided to run it fairly hard with lots of acceleration and deceleration, but not over about 8000 rpm. Reason being to set the rings while the cylinders were still rough. Then at an early point (60 miles) I changed the oil.

Proof of the pudding - no problems yet - at 100 miles! Now I'm just riding it normally, which for the roads I'm on this time of year really isn't pushing anything.

p.

 

[clockworkjon]

Check the owner's manual. I don't have mine handy but it tells you how many miles you should keep it under a certain RPM limit. I believe it says under 8000 RPM for 600 miles. All I know is I hit 600mi during a ride in the country and I just opened it up to celebrate. Triple digits for the first time feels damn good! Well worth the wait!





...not that I condone speeding or anything! :thumbup:

 

[reiobard]

another thing, i think it is more important that you stick to the oil change schedule more than the rpm limits for the # of miles. if you change the oil when you should then you will be getting rid of the sheared metal from the wearing in.

I would think that the parts would wear in by use no matter what and you want to get rid of the metal ASAP.

 

[Whitey Dodge]

Ride it like you rented it!

 

[HavBlue]

While I do agree with most of what has been said I will also say it doesn't work for me. To me, the first oil change is the most important because this is the one that will tell you what is left over if you take the time to cut that filter element open. Generally speaking with the modern manufacturing techniques there is often very little of the casting slag and other foreign elements we may have found in engines of say 15-20 years ago. After that first change the rest is just a following of your particular schedule which in my case is 1,500 miles.

As to break in. The information you read today is the same basic information you will find in owner's manuals from 50 years ago. Why? The modern engine is so far removed for the engines of even 15 years ago those limitations are to me, simply a way for the manufacturer to protect their own liability issues when it comes to warranty. So, to me there are two choices, a spin on the roller for some acceleration/deceleration runs or a spin on the open road for the same thing but it will take a bit longer. Either way the rings get seated and my engine is a happy camper. After this, I will ride the bike as I would normally ride it although I will refrain from steady state operation and hold the rpm to roughly 80% of the redline to around 500 miles. Beyond this it's anything goes.

No doubt we will have a wide diversity of methods for braking in an engine so much like our own comfort levels when it comes to riding, the break in period falls within those same limitations. Treat it right, maintain it well, don't abuse it and it will run a long time......

 

[Jeremiah]

It's a hot topic for debate, but here's the bottom line:
* No one has complained that the "easy break in" the manufacturer suggests has blown up, or significantly harmed the performance of their engine.
* No one as complained that the "rev-hard break in" some racers suggest has blown up, or significantly harmed the performance of their engine.

I believe the racers who constantly rebuild their engines. But, honestly, I think it makes marginal (if any) difference. Are you going to keep your motorcycle 'till the rings fail? Probably not - so who cares? Most experts at least agree frequent oil & filter changes during break-in make the biggest difference.

 

[outkast]

There is a school of thought that the best way is to thrash it and get everything seated quickly,the rings are supposed to seal better.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Read through this experienced guys input. I use his street practices for my break-ins. Never had any issues with any engines using these methods. Best thing is he has visual proof. Keep reading... ENGINE BREAK-IN PROCEDURES

 

[HavBlue]

There is a school of thought that the best way is to thrash it and get everything seated quickly,the rings are supposed to seal better.

Rings will seat quick with appropriate acceleration deceleration runs but the engine will still remain tight for the first 500 to 1,000 miles. Thrashing it in terms of racing is a necessary evil to gain a specific end result. That engine will be torn down after a short while. On the other hand the street rider probably doesn't want to think about a tear down hence the reason a bit more care may be warranted.

 

[Hellgate]

While I do agree with most of what has been said I will also say it doesn't work for me. To me, the first oil change is the most important because this is the one that will tell you what is left over if you take the time to cut that filter element open. Generally speaking with the modern manufacturing techniques there is often very little of the casting slag and other foreign elements we may have found in engines of say 15-20 years ago. After that first change the rest is just a following of your particular schedule which in my case is 1,500 miles.

About 10 years ago my company was implementing a Lean Manufacturing initiative. As part of the we visited several other companies to see what they were doing, what worked, what didn't work. One plant we visited was the Kawasaki plant in Nebraska. I ask one of the engineers there about tollerences within their motors and break in. He said, "You can pretty much run them as hard as you like out of the box. We have the break in so a new rider will get used to the machine."

That said when I used to race I'd break in a new motor by riding my bike on the street for 50 miles, all rpm ranges, change the oil and filter and head to the track for 8/10ths to 9/10ths throttle for 30 minutes, change the oil and filter again and consider it ready to go. As a racer you don't have 600 miles to break it in. My two stroke motors were rebuilt every other year, or about 80 races. Which would be maybe 40 hours of 10/10ths throttle. When we took them apart they were usually fine.

That said I have seized two. Two stoke jetting is a whole different story.

I'd say follow the book, throw in a few 8/10 runs to red line, here and there, nothing crazy, and your motor will be fine. As HavBlue said change the oil and look at the junk that comes out of the filter. On my first change I had some fine stuff in the filter and none in the oil (300 miles) same at 600 miles. From here on I'll follow the book, I'm cheap, and I'll probably have a new bike in 3 to 4 years anyway.

Oh yeah, during the race season I changed the oil 2 maybe three 3 times from April to October.

 

[urbanj]

I agree with havblue. the biggest worry is the rings. the journal bearings dont really break in because technically there is no actually metal on metal contact. thats what a spun bearing is. And the antifriction bearings do not really break in. the polish on the balls or rollers and the cones are so good that that is really a non issue.

running up to redline is not as important as running up the load. you can have full throttle load at 8000rpm. those forces are pushing the rings out against the cylinder walls. if you think about it you can be in gear and go down a big hill and have you rpms climb with no throttle but there will be no force pushing down on the top of the piston. it would be just free spinning which isnt doing anything for the rings.

the bike makes peak torque at 10000rpm at WOT (which is when the motor is most efficient) so running it up to that point while varying the load, to me, is ideal and still far off the rev limit.

 

[reiobard]

good analysis :thumbup:

 

[outkast]

Thats the article i had read...seems to make sense.

 

[mglowe]

I could not agree more with Jeremiah's response.

My personal thought is unless you find factual scientific evidence otherwise you cannot go wrong following the manufactures recommended break in procedure. I'm sure they lean toward conservative break in procedures but it works.

On mine I tried my hardest to follow the book but I must tell you the bike wants to GO!

 

[wolfc70]

I agree with havblue. the biggest worry is the rings. the journal bearings dont really break in because technically there is no actually metal on metal contact. thats what a spun bearing is. And the antifriction bearings do not really break in. the polish on the balls or rollers and the cones are so good that that is really a non issue.

running up to redline is not as important as running up the load. you can have full throttle load at 8000rpm. those forces are pushing the rings out against the cylinder walls. if you think about it you can be in gear and go down a big hill and have you rpms climb with no throttle but there will be no force pushing down on the top of the piston. it would be just free spinning which isnt doing anything for the rings.

the bike makes peak torque at 10000rpm at WOT (which is when the motor is most efficient) so running it up to that point with while varying the load, to me, is idea and still far off the rev limit.

This is exactly the same idea I had heard of years ago, and have used multiple times since. :thumbup: The load on the engine is more important than rpm's , as this seats the rings. Every thing else will seat in time. By the time 3-4 K miles are on it, everything has loosened up and has a set wear pattern.

Oil changes are the most important part of break in. Just a note, the Yamaha filter I cut apart on my friends FJR, is junk. A VERY expensive equivalent of a Fram. It too has CARDBOARD end caps holding the filter media in place. And the filter media is not very good, and there is not much of it either. I don't know about the FZ6 filter, but I will definitely cut it open when that time comes. So if the FZ filter is of similar construction, changing it out early may not be a bad idea either.

 

[reiobard]

This is exactly the same idea I had heard of years ago, and have used multiple times since. :thumbup: The load on the engine is more important than rpm's , as this seats the rings. Every thing else will seat in time. By the time 3-4 K miles are on it, everything has loosened up and has a set wear pattern.

Oil changes are the most important part of break in. Just a note, the Yamaha filter I cut apart on my friends FJR, is junk. A VERY expensive equivalent of a Fram. It too has CARDBOARD end caps holding the filter media in place. And the filter media is not very good, and there is not much of it either. I don't know about the FZ6 filter, but I will definitely cut it open when that time comes. So if the FZ filter is of similar construction, changing it out early may not be a bad idea either.

What do you use for filters if you are not impressed with Fram or the OEM Yamaha filters? K&N Oil filters?

 

[HavBlue]

Hey, if you guys want to get real serious about oil talk to one of the service techs in the local diesel shop and ask them where they send there samples for testing. Get a base line sample from the first change and then send in a sample at regular intervals. These tests will tell you a lot about how that engine is wearing.

 

[wolfc70]

What do you use for filters if you are not impressed with Fram or the OEM Yamaha filters? K&N Oil filters?

I am going to use the Purolator PureOne PL14612 (OEM length) or PL14610 ( a little longer). Both of these are excellent filters and cost ~$6 at most auto parts stores. These are automotive filters.