Engine break in

[Nemanja 91]

So I finally went to the dealer to pick up my NC.

 

They just told me to "go easy" first 100km.

 

My plan is to mix city driving with some empty road acceleration/deceleration.

Go from ger to gear slowly picking up RPMs from 2-5-6k, and then let the bike engine break itself back to 2. Slowly.

Repeat for gears 1-2-3-4 and then mix back to casual (soft) city riding.

With often stops, to let engine cool down before I warm it back up with another ride.

 

Goal is as many different scenarios, slowly adjusting.

Heating and cooling.

So that everything seals up nicely.

 

 

[DCTPaul 629]

Warm it up, Vary the revs... nice run thru an increasing rev range, as you say all about getting a nice ring to bore seal, and meshing of the gears...  Don't labour the engine

Oh, and enjoy that new bike feeling!

[listener 11,213]

Your dog at the end ... "Ooh it's an alien! Run away!!" 

 

My sister's cat does the same when it sees me in my jacket and helmet.

I assume it's the bright yellow stripes - they usually mean dangerous; do not eat. 

 

 

  

[MatBin 5,097]

Last time I had a new bike I pretty much followed your plan.

Bit of driving in a city to get plenty of gear changes and a few rev changes in the lower gears then outside city to build up revs in higher gears. Ball ache but worth it in the end.

 

[Johnnie Mototrans 2,766]

Great news Nemanja.

Enjoy your new bike.

As Matt says building up gently cant hurt and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have given your NC the best possible start in life.

 

[Nemanja 91]

Thanks for the replies.

 

 

Everybody loves a new bike  

[Jamesc 3,656]

I'm up to 400 km on mine now and starting to worry less about breaking in

[Xactly 5,435]

Honda says run in my new CBR650R for 300 miles (500kms). The manual says just ride normally with no hard acceleration and don’t labour the engine. There is no rev limit set. I tend not to scream bikes in the lowest gears anyway, so it’s no real hardship following Honda’s guidance.

[Andy m 23,584]

Don't stress over it, no need for spreadsheets or elaborate wall planners. Nothing is changing inside these engines. They are Nicasil lined, CNC machined, lean burn, 21st century designs, not some mobile oil leak cast in sand to a design by Turner. No car has had running in for 25 years because the hire companies complained. They can't make Joe public pay for an unnecessary oil change when Enterprise just don't bother.

 

The only reason they want you to go steady for 600 miles is because the dealers monkey can't be trusted to bolt on the forks correctly and they get to charge you £150 over the ticket price for the pleasure.

 

Just ride them.

 

Andy

[MatBin 5,097]

Thinking about it a bit more, it's probably the tyres and breaks that need running in more than the mechanical side of things.

[Nemanja 91]

Did about 130km today, 2-3-4th gear, 40-80kmph.

 

 

[Andy m 23,584]

58 minutes ago, MatBin said:

Thinking about it a bit more, it's probably the tyres and breaks that need running in more than the mechanical side of things.

Tyres need about 50 miles to make sure any release agent is gone. 

 

The brakes would actually be better used harder. You want the disc up at 150 to 200 then cycled down in stages. For the sake of a set of pads lasting a few miles less it isn't worth the hassle. You don't want to find the dealer didn't bolt something on right during brake bedding.

 

Andy

[Nemanja 91]

Also, what the duck is that line blinking about?

Sometimes it's blue, sometimes green, and I think I saw it white also?

[Andy m 23,584]

31 minutes ago, Nemanja said:

Also, what the duck is that line blinking about?

Sometimes it's blue, sometimes green, and I think I saw it white also?

The display?

 

There are two options to work out the 832,426 variants of display settings, which are all set like a 1980's Casio watch by tiny little variations of pressing two button.

 

1. Spend a month reading the manual

b) Ask a 7 year old to play with it.

 

You will then, possibly, know if your current throttle setting and recent use of the battery represent an ecologically friendly level. 

 

Beware of the second method though, you can also end up with a display that reads "BOOBIES" when you turn on.

 

Good Luck

 

Andy

[Nemanja 91]

I love that your list starts numerical but ends alphabetical.

 

Here's the video again, sorry.

 

 

The light I'm talking about is in the top right corner, and it can change colours.

 

Also, how can you change text on start, I only managed to change one when you turn it off, and it's 6 letters, not enough for BOOBIES 

 

[MatBin 5,097]

3 hours ago, Andy m said:

Tyres need about 50 miles to make sure any release agent is gone. 

 

The brakes would actually be better used harder. You want the disc up at 150 to 200 then cycled down in stages. For the sake of a set of pads lasting a few miles less it isn't worth the hassle. You don't want to find the dealer didn't bolt something on right during brake bedding.

 

Andy

Dealer said take it easy for 100km. Pads take a little while to bed in i.e. take up the surface contours, maybe more so on an old disc, as you know of course.

[Xactly 5,435]

Running in threads are like oil threads. Everyone expresses opinion as fact and has a different view. I don’t know of any study that has taken two identical bikes, used them over the same time, same route, same period etc, each having a different technique and then assessed engine condition after, say, 50,000 miles. Nobody can say with certainty what is the optimum method. Techniques have changed but there is still a difference between liquid and air-cooled engines, not least because the latter lacks consistent engine temperature control and is more susceptible to the effect of heat cycles early on in engine life.  Read Cameron about it (a well-respected engineer of repute). Or just take the word of someone online.

[jeremyr62 2,573]

I side on the thrash it to within an inch of it's life when running in.

I really doubt it matters much these days.

[Andy m 23,584]

33 minutes ago, jeremyr62 said:

I side on the thrash it to within an inch of it's life when running in.

I really doubt it matters much these days.

That's for the piston rings with no regard for anything else.

 

Given few bikes do 10000 miles a year and hardly anyone keeps one ten years, it makes naff all difference.

 

Andy

[Nemanja 91]

Well, whatever it was the right answer, now it's done I'd say.

Did a bit of riding yesterday, almost 400km on the clock now.

Too bad it's going to snow now, and it won't be really enjoyable for riding for at least a week.

I wanted to get 1st service done.

[steeve139 98]

Hi,

 

Interesting question, and interesting replies.  Probably everyone is right - even though there is some disagreement -

 

We know that new brake pads need bedding in, and we know that new tyres need scuffing up.  We also know that our father's cars needed running in because of the relatively roughly honed cylinders - they really needed to be run in properly.

 

Out of conscience and mechanical sympathy I broke my new bike in gently.  I had just handed back a Honda Vision 110, so the Forza 750 seemed both big and powerful.  So I did the first 100 miles in RAIN mode.  Worrying that RAIN mode was making the engine labour a bit, I then swapped to NORMAL mode for the next 400 miles.

 

Intending to keep the bike for a long time, running it in according to the book was the sensible thing to do.  Maybe the cylinders and piston rings don't need it these days, but, well, just roll with it.

 

The 600 mile service (engine oil and engine oil filters change, plus some other inspections) wasn't carried out properly - they forgot to change the clutch oil filter.  The service manager didn't handle it well enough so I went somewhere else and got the service repeated.  But after the second one I felt better, knowing I had done right by the bike.  A £280 adventure.

 

That is my 2 cents, as they say.

[Andy m 23,584]

18 minutes ago, steeve139 said:

  A £280 adventure.

 

That is my 2 cents, as they say.

Ouch ☹ 

 

I have both bikes due a service in 2000 miles so have been getting parts in. The Guzzi service kit and oil were expensive after buying the equivalent for the SuperCub, but Thank You for putting it into perspective , you just made me feel better.

 

Andy