Which Break In Method For You?

[willtill]

Dont they run these engines up at the factory, when they are tuning them and checking them?

Tolerances are rumored to be right on modern day engines, that I think most of the scuffing/seating/mating of surfaces has already been done...?

[pilotguy299]

At the beginning I just took it easy and didn't hammer it. At 1,000 miles I took it in to the dealer for the first oil change to synthetic, and have ridden it a bit more aggressively ever since

Should be up for the 4,000 mile service in about 3 weeks

[seadog]

Thats pretty much what my dealer recommended and I did that on both of my new Wings. I am guessing you would really have to abuse them to make a significant negative impact on them. I do 1000 mile oil changes on my new stuff just in case there is some left over casting sand, etc. The dealer was quite adamant that I not switch to full synthetic until 4000 miles in order that everything can wear in properly.

You can go to full synthetic right from the git go as these bikes these days are so close to tolerances that it really doesn't matter. Any oil expert will tell you the same thing.

[BIGLRY]

Ride it like you stole it!

Yep... that is the way I have broken in all my modern bikes, even my turbo engines and have never had any problems, but not any of my past H-D they puked oil after a few miles when broke in that way.

[pilotguy299]

You can go to full synthetic right from the git go as these bikes these days are so close to tolerances that it really doesn't matter. Any oil expert will tell you the same thing.

my dealer recommended coming in at 1,000 and going synthetic.

[Felloverboard]

I think the old break-in periods of past decades are not the same as engines built today with closer tolerance and harder metals. Engines in cars used to be shot at 90-100,000 miles, not 300,000 plus. I bought my bike in Mississippi. Rode around the small town 10 minutes going through the gears, took the county road from there about 100 miles to the interstate. Slowed going through the gears downshifting to a stop at a gas station to fill up. Back to speed on the interstate varying 55-75 mph and stopping & starting every 90 minutes or so for gas till I arrived back in Orlando, FL. That first day ride was 700 miles. 19K on the bike now and all it needs is for Honda to give me a new paint job on the black soft paint that scratches easily. I did change oil at 1,000 miles not the 4,000 in the book and at every 5k mark since. Sometimes with Rotella dino and sometimes Rotella Syn. Purolator L14610 (longer) or L14612 (shorter) oil filters. Walmart quit selling these but have started selling the SuperTech ST6607 (shorter) again which has been the #1 filter alternative for most of the Full GW owners for many years.

[shooter]

50 mile ride home the day I bought it. My brother in law took me to pick her up. Had it up to 110 on the way home. Didn't redline any of the gears. That's taking it easy. Next day started riding it hard.

[stroguy]

I didn't see any published breakin recommendation. So I drove her hard the day I picked her up.

[Steve 0080]

Climb on, sink steel, ride off.....

[BIGLRY]

I know I made a smart ass post above about breaking in a new bike engine or any engine for that matter, but I though I'd expand on it a bit with a link to an article that explains why I said "Ride it like you stole it" for guys & gals who don't know all about the intricacies of an internal combustion engine and would rather ride their scoot than work on them.
I have been a firm believer for many years in what the article's writer, Pat McGivern exposés as how to do and why his method works. The author has built many engines with empirical evidence that this method produces long life engines with superior performance. I to over the years have build many engines...stock and some not so stock. I use and recommend his methods, my VTX1800s, Runes, F6B were broke in this way and not only does my F6B runs flawlessly, IMHO I feel it is a cut above some other F6B I've run against in the power dept. Yea... I do have an open custom exhaust & Torq Loopz).
Even if you disagree it is still a good read with logical explanations to the science behind this engine break in procedure.
Example: "The piston ring seal is really what the break in process is all about. Contrary to popular belief, piston rings don't seal the combustion pressure by spring tension. Ring tension is necessary only to "scrape" the oil to prevent it from entering the combustion chamber.
If you think about it, the ring exerts maybe 5-10 lbs of spring tension against the cylinder wall ...
How can such a small amount of spring tension seal against thousands of PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) of combustion pressure??
Of course it can't.

How Do Rings Seal Against Tremendous Combustion Pressure?
From the actual gas pressure itself! It passes over the top of the ring, and gets behind it to force it outward against the cylinder wall. The problem is that new rings are far from perfect and they must be worn in quite a bit in order to completely seal all the way around the bore. If the gas pressure is strong enough during the engine's first miles of operation (open that throttle !!!), then the entire ring will wear into the cylinder surface, to seal the combustion pressure as well as possible."

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm