Running In

[renners 830]

Hi everyone, what has everyone done to class the bike as run in. Handbook says 300 miles but i keep hearing 600 miles which is correct? Would love to fully open the beast up and give it a good run.

[Guest dentonlad]

My 700X was 600 miles, first service, change the oil and filter and then you can rev it all the way (?) to 6,500.....☺☺☺☺

[bazza 3,629]

hardly going to stress things at 6500 revs,as Keith says  - go for it!

[CFB 4,602]

Running in is all about not stressing components until they have become used to working together with the parts adjacent.

A bit like a sports team, they need to get to know each other before playing a competitive game.

All you need is to use all those components to about 2/3rds of their maximum varying the revs and gears used will be fine.

[renners 830]

But is it 300 miles as handbook says or 600miles?

[horobags 905]

a lot of riders think wait till 1st service then you can thrash it straight away.

 A new watercooled honda engine is run in by 300 miles as in the owners manual, then you can rev it, but why wait until the 600 mile oil change when any swarf will come out , then thrash it after when the new oil will be in for further thousands of miles??  Thrash it before the 600 mile oil change so any bedding in  swarf is taken out in the first oil change.

Edited April 3, 2016 by horobags

[renners 830]

Good piece of logic there horobags, i have about 20 miles to got to 300 miles kept it around the 4000rpm mark will once i hit 300 or so start moving up the rev range and slowly start opening her up. The auto mode is good but i am loving the dropping it down a gear using the paddle at crucial moments.

[Guest dentonlad]

But is it 300 miles as handbook says or 600miles?

The owners handbook says "...for the first 500km (300 miles) avoid ....."

Some people thrash the living daylights out of an engine from the get go. I was gentle with the NC because it was my first big bike. The dealer (and other people) said take it easy for 600 miles but build up the revs and acceleration gradually. That I did and haven't had any problems.

My Crosstourer was a demo bike and had been hammered from mile zero. I ragged it on my test ride when it only had 150 miles on it. It didn't seem to make the slightest bit of difference.

Do what you feel comfortable with. They aren't bikes you need to thrash with the torque that they have. You get the best out of the engine by short shifting and treating it as if it was a diesel. Bouncing it off the rev limiter is a very dispiriting and pointless exercise which one soon becomes tired of and which doesn't provide any significantly faster progress.

Chill, relax and learn to love the lazy thud of the motor. If you have a DCT it shouldn't be an issue unless you keep stabbing the '-' button or ragging it in manual.

Edited April 3, 2016 by dentonlad

[horobags 905]

In 1978 my new kawasaki kh 400 was 1000 miles run in, that was hard work and tempting to use the full rev range. Nowerdays 2-strokes can be run in in as little as 3 heat cycles 'Im told. I must admit the NC engine is easy to run in because you dont have to rev high to make progress, a bit like my car diesel engine.

[Guest phantom309]

after first service  an fresh oil is in...as first few miles it's bedding in an fine bits of metal are smoothed off by the parts moving ...

[Guest phantom309]

plus to be fair most bikes,  it just says don't stress the engine or hold for long periods at same speed ... an you won't own it long enough to worry about what happens 10 miles down the road ....

[renners 830]

To be honest if your holding the same speed for a long period it's most likely on a motorway as all the a and b roads i've been riding the speed is up and down. So far i havent gone over 4000 revs in s or d mode, this will change now as i start to now build up the revs and speed. I agree with NC Guru unless you have bought the bike from new you never really know if it was run in correctly or thrashed from the start, all the bikes i have tested on demo i have given it the best thrashing i can within my limits in this day with engines now as reliable as they can be is it really a bad thing or do we take a gamble and buy what is always a bargain bike at much reduced rate.

As for thrashing a bike unless your screeming the engine at peak revs what denotes a thrashing, i did 80mph and it never went over 4000 revs there was bags more in it but if i wanted a bike to just ride sedately at 60mph i could get a 125 that will do that and return 80mpg and above for a lot less money. The NC will still do a ton easily, it will from what i have seen excelerate to a point with the best of most bikes not sure about you guys but i still like that buzz and its great to be on a ride out pushing the limits but i also know most of my journeys will be at legal speed limits and this is where the great fuel comsumption comes in.

For me the NC gives me the best of both worlds.

[Rev Ken 6,343]

Modern bikes don't need as much care when running in as we had to exercise years ago as manufacturing tolerances are far tighter. However the aim remains the same, that is to GRADUALLY build up loads and revs so that you cover load and temperature gradients as your engine settles in. I agree that most of the running in should be completed by the first service when debris from manufacture and running in will flushed out. However I don't think that is the green light to thrash it if you want the very best performance and longevity from your bike. My CBF1000 got progressively better over the first 1000 or so miles and was reaching peak performance after around 10,000 miles. However if you have no intention of keeping your bike, then it will survive being thrashed, but just not reach its best possible performance or long life.

(I had a Vincent Rapide with 120,000 miles on the clock and the guy who bought it to do some racing said it was 'just run in'! What is painful is that I sold it for £110!)

[DaveM59 1,605]

The main issue is to make sure you have bedded in any parts that need it before it's first oil change, not that there is much machining to actually need smoothing these days . Being too gentle can result in a lack of bedding or surface hardening and once the synthetic oil goes in the running in process is virtually halted and very little wear takes place after that. Nothing wrong with an occasional thrash, just don't hammer it continuously at high revs, vary everything as much as possible and remember you are not just running in the engine, but all other moving parts. Variety of load is key and performance improves as the mileage increases.

Always change the oil filter at the first change and try to evacuate all the old oil so have more patience waiting for it to drain.

[Andy m 23,602]

The engine always seems to take over in peoples thoughts on running in. Lots of stuff about cross hatch patterns on cylinder walls and trying to get an extra 0.02 HP by cutting down blow back. This isn't the whole story. You are teaching FI a range of throttle position values, bedding brakes (which would like to go glowing hot a couple of times), taking the flash off tyres etc.

 

I will run in the NC just like every other bike, just ride it normally on a mix of A and B roads and ease off if it feels hot or stressed. No need for spreadsheets and a data logger on the tacho.

 

I've run in an Enfield which takes nerve and patience when the happy speed is under 30 and a Ural, which is ultimately pointless they break regardless, but this is stone age stuff.

 

Andy

[Guest LaverdaSFC1000]

How is it that you can buy a new car and drive it 20,000 + miles before it needs an oil change. The car then has the oil changed every 20,000 and the engine is still perfectly ok at 200,000 miles (my Skoda would go 32,000 before requiring an oil change and that was still working perfectly at 200,000 + miles).

 

There is no oil change at 600 miles for cars, why is there for bikes?

 

I have only ever changed my bike oils, full synthetic, to the recommend change periods + 50%. I have never had any problems.

 

I think that the quoted change periods are the 'worst case' mileages, in that they are for people who only ever ride their bikes for very short distances.

 

If the bike is used normally then the period can be extended (maybe it is time that bikes used more car technology to log how the bike is being used and to allow the ECU to work out when a service is due).

 

Suzuki, I also have 650 V-Strom, recently doubled the oil change periods for this model. I do not believe that Suzuki have added a special ingredient during manufacture to make this possible they have just changed the distance because every other manufacturer has longer change periods.

 

If you wish to change your oils every week, month or whatever then that is up to you but why not take advantage of the changes in oil technology.

 

Bike manufacturers are taking advantage of their customers.  

[horobags 905]

I think in most cases the manufacturers are covering their arse, free, we pay for the oil changes, how often do we change bike oil where black oil comes out??, I only notice it on me honda 90's, small hardworking aircooled singles, that need changing regular, but oil changes on  low revving watercooled modern engines are not as critical IMO. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by horobags

[DaveM59 1,605]

Also bikes are considered as recreational vehicles and expected to be used less frequently. As such they will be sitting unused for long periods with dirty oil that will have collected hydrocarbons and be slightly acidic so they specify shorter change periods to avoid damage even while not being used. Bikes also have less oil in the sump and although also less cylinders generally, the oil takes a fair punishment especially when it also lubes the gears and wet clutch.

The 8000 miles change of the NC is quite good I think but they still stipulate an annual change if you do not do 8000 in a year. Because I share duties with 2 bikes and in total I would only do 8000 a year split evenly, I would probably change it annually, although if I were to only ride the NC all year on a fairly regular basis, even if I only rode 4000 per year I might then only change it at 8000 or every 2 years as it wouldn't get the long periods of non-usage.

[Andy m 23,602]

The manufacturers sell oil. They would specify 75 yard oil changes if the market would stand it. Our company fleet manager would tell Skoda where to stick it and buy a hundred Fords instead if it saved him 2p a year. Him and his mates at the hire car companies count as buyers, bike manufacturers think we buy because the showroom model is red or they have a poster of Ewan McGregor and free coffee.

 

Oil analysis on a WeeStrom showed that the rider who had it checked (an American) would be fine for 12000 miles, Suzuki wanted paying every 4000. I did mine every 6000 and it ran fine.

 

You will also notice "filler" in inspection schedules like inspecting air filters. These are there to balance the techs workload, He can look at your air filter and confirm no one has eaten it while the oil drains and it's all chargeable.

 

Andy

Edited April 6, 2016 by Andy m

[Guest sykospain]

Very astute post, Andy.

 

I change motor oil in any petrol-engined vehicle every 5,000 Km, even though as the existing hot oil drains it looks quite clean, and new oil & filters here cost 80 snoojits at the spares counter.

 

Drain the oil from a new diesel car's engine at 2,000Km and it's pitch black....

[Guest DelBoy]

Thrash it from new (as in ride it normally)...

 

Modern engines are very good, actually you can do more harm by being too gentle (glazed bores etc).

 

Just ride it as you normally do.

[Rev Ken 6,343]

Thrash it from new (as in ride it normally)...

 

Modern engines are very good, actually you can do more harm by being too gentle (glazed bores etc).

 

Just ride it as you normally do.

That is one way, but it is worth pointing out the manufacturers recommend at least taking it easy for the first 600 miles and I don't think they would say it if they didn't think it necessary.

[Guest DelBoy]

That is one way, but it is worth pointing out the manufacturers recommend at least taking it easy for the first 600 miles and I don't think they would say it if they didn't think it necessary.

MY point is that if you are too easy, it will not run in properly. I was kidding about thrashing it, just ride normal, Just make sure ti warm it up first when very new.

[horobags 905]

That is one way, but it is worth pointing out the manufacturers recommend at least taking it easy for the first 600 miles and I don't think they would say it if they didn't think it necessary.

honda say no full throttle for the first 300 miles, thats it.

[Guest outlaw]

Along time ago when I was 17, I bought a Suzuki rv 125 2 stroke ( beach bike )  run it in as in the hand book,( taking my time up to a 1000 miles) it was gutless, when I had reached 1000 miles I took the head off it and cleaned the carbon off the piston the ports and exhaust, since that most new bikes I have had 1/2 to 3/4 of the rev limit,