Just Bought An 07 - How To Break It In?

[MaDDaWg836]

Hello All,

As it says, on January 6th I bought the 2007 VFR for a great deal. It was on sale for 9,500 so we grabbed it. It's the RWB 25th anniversary color and I LOVE this bike. I am used to breaking in cars but never a bike. I know not to push it till the first oil change and the dealer said that was at 600 miles. So any tips or is it just keep it to a minimum RPM?

Thanks - MaDDaWg

[tbones86]

Originally Posted by MaDDaWg836

Hello All,

As it says, on January 6th I bought the 2007 VFR for a great deal. It was on sale for 9,500 so we grabbed it. It's the RWB 25th anniversary color and I LOVE this bike. I am used to breaking in cars but never a bike. I know not to push it till the first oil change and the dealer said that was at 600 miles. So any tips or is it just keep it to a minimum RPM?

Thanks - MaDDaWg

Stay away from redline, vary engine & road speeds don't hold @ any speed or rpm for very long. This will allow the rings to properly set. If you want to be on the ultra safe side drop to oil around 300 & then have the dealer do it again @ 600 as well as doing the shake down inspection, loose fasterners & the like.

[panamawing]

Congrats on your new rwb!
In addition to what tbones86 states my dealer reccommended to keep it under 8000 rpm untill the 600 mile service. On my new 2006 (black) I recently purchased Dec. 12 and have the pleasure riding around 700 miles so far, I changed the oil at 100 miles and changed out the filter and oil at 600 miles. the oil sure looked in worse shape at the 100 mile mark than at 600.
Enjoy your new bike!

[VaRollOn]

Not to be a contrarian, but that Honda engine doesn't need 2! oil changes the first 600 miles.

It does need varying RPM mostly, with no red lining. I agree the oil is the lifeblood and all but come on.

My grandfather was in charge of the entire railroad in the Korean war for a time (8th Army) Captain later LTC, 2 Bronze, and he told me a story that the Army saved millions of dollars extending the oil change frequency on the deuce 1/2's etc..from 4k to 8k I think..

Personally I'm kind of like the other 2 guys having changed my previous FZ1 three times in only 7500miles so just a hypocrite I am

[tbones86]

Originally Posted by VaRollOn

Not to be a contrarian, but that Honda engine doesn't need 2! oil changes the first 600 miles.

It does need varying RPM mostly, with no red lining. I agree the oil is the lifeblood and all but come on.

My grandfather was in charge of the entire railroad in the Korean war for a time (8th Army) Captain later LTC, 2 Bronze, and he told me a story that the Army saved millions of dollars extending the oil change frequency on the deuce 1/2's etc..from 4k to 8k I think..

Personally I'm kind of like the other 2 guys having changed my previous FZ1 three times in only 7500miles so just a hypocrite I am

Kind of off topic, but related; the fleet that I work closest w/ as a dealer warranty & service rep. recently (3yrs ago) changed there maintenance interval from 20,000 miles(15 to 20K being average for on highway diesels) to 40,000 miles(inspecting & greasing @ 20K) maintenance savings HUGE. Trade off, higher incidence of turbo & injector failure & block ventilation via rod & piston seperation(CAT C12's only) which usually ripped the engine mounted ECU in two. They get everything covered under warranty or policy consideration because of the volume of product they purchase. Moral of the story, oil is cheap especially when financing the repair out of your own wallet.

[VaRollOn]

Well said bones... when I finished writing it I thought "what the hell does a VFR have in common with an Army truck!"

I'm in, If I move the snowblower I may be able to fit a barrel of Golden Spectro

[RVFR]

Originally Posted by VaRollOn

Not to be a contrarian, but that Honda engine doesn't need 2! oil changes the first 600 miles.

It does need varying RPM mostly, with no red lining. I agree the oil is the lifeblood and all but come on.

My grandfather was in charge of the entire railroad in the Korean war for a time (8th Army) Captain later LTC, 2 Bronze, and he told me a story that the Army saved millions of dollars extending the oil change frequency on the deuce 1/2's etc..from 4k to 8k I think..

Personally I'm kind of like the other 2 guys having changed my previous FZ1 three times in only 7500miles so just a hypocrite I am

Actually your right, it needs 3. Have you ever seen the oil at even 50 miles ooo yuk I wouldn't want that stuff in my VFR any longer than it needed to be, don't believe me............Damn wheres that break in thread at? There's a link to a site that breaks it all down to whats what believe what you want it's your bike, But???????? is it worth the risk for how little it is to make sure.. No..

[VaRollOn]

I'm not trying to be an idiot and my bike only has 725 miles and supposedly had the 600 mile done, so the thread is pertinent to me too.

I will certainly listen to you folks as I am seeing through the prism of a Yamaha shop GM, and these bikes are clearly unique.

Oil is cheap, I'm in thanks.

[nitronorth]

I owned 50 snowmobiles, 22 bikes and Ive broken every single one of them in the same way..from the minute I leave the dealership and as soon as they are warm I drive them normal..lotsa good hard short pulls, etc..just never lug em or get em hot..change oil at 2-300 miles..then its time..:)

.I worry more about the new tires than the engine...Never had a dud yet...and I dont pay the $ to piddle around for 2 weeks..:)

But you cant go wrong following the book if thats what you like ..

[Florida]

As most have said, follow the book, don't redline, don't lug, etc. Frequent oil changes have got to help.

My dealer strongly recommended letting it warm to 153 degrees F before riding. I've always done that; takes about the same time needed to put on jacket, helmet and gloves. Seems like a good idea. Have not had a single problem in 20,000 miles.

[hfam95]

Ok, when you guys say vary the RPMs, how do you do it? I ride in the neighborhood and on the streets. I follow the speed limits, slow down and speed up to pass. I never really stay at a certain RPM for too long due to traffic. Is that good enough?

[Bayou Buck]

Originally Posted by MaDDaWg836

Hello All,

As it says, on January 6th I bought the 2007 VFR for a great deal. It was on sale for 9,500 so we grabbed it. It's the RWB 25th anniversary color and I LOVE this bike. I am used to breaking in cars but never a bike. I know not to push it till the first oil change and the dealer said that was at 600 miles. So any tips or is it just keep it to a minimum RPM?

Thanks - MaDDaWg

I changed the oil on my new 04 VFR at 175 miles. The oil itself looked fine just like new oil from the bottle. What I saw that I did not like was some fine metal particles with the oil. I thouroughly cleaned the drain pan before draining the oil just to be sure that any thing I saw came from the engine. I have been following break in procedures to the letter. Hope this is not unusual. Any way I have 5 yr factory warranty. Bike is running fine. Just thought I would add this to the thread.
Tks BBuck

[mgmathews]

MaDDaWg:
Honda gives a full warranty package with your bike. There really is no breakin period ala H-D not exceeding 55mph for 500 miles. "Ride it like you stole it." and let 'er rip! I've done that with all the Hondas in the last 45 years and never a tires of a bike. At the dealership where I work the obvious answer is the same for any Honda for a new customer that buys the bike today and wants to travel on a 3,000 - 5,000 mile trip...Ride it like you stole it. It's worked like magic for 45 years and I don't expect it to change any time soon!!!!
mgmathews

[cohiba_chief]

And now, for something completely different!!!!

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

I thought it made for interesting reading. Still don't know if I would follow this recommendation, but maybe if your'e a racing dude that knows more than the rest of us, you may be able to coroborate this view.

Any comments are welcome. BTW, I read this a few years ago and remembered where to find it. Check it out-some of it makes sense....

[Spike]

Yeah, I read that before, couple times actually. I still do the easy break in method. Who knows more about the engines, the people that designed them, or some guy on the web who has some mechanical knowledge? Plus no matter what racers do, my goals out of the engine are different. I do a fairly low key break in on all my vehicles, have for years, and used to keep my vehicles for pretty high mileage. I have never had an engine related problem on a vehicle I broke in. That includes my 238,000, was running fine when I sold it Camry, I never opened up that engine once. Did a nice break in, and then changed the fluids and filters when needed. Drive/ride 'em gentle when new, not overly so; is what has served me quite well. Vary the RPM as much as possible, change gears often, don't keep the RPM very high for very long. This is also the same recomendation given by every mainstream car or motorcycle magazine in the U.S.

[MaDDaWg836]

Thanks guys for all the great info, i will get an oil change soon!

[mgmathews]

VFR Break-in. Have any of you ever seen what the factories do to new motorcycles before they are shipped? If not here's what happens...the bike is ridden to a rear wheel roller set-up, gone through the gears at REDLINE till it's in the top gear, 5th or 6th whatever, and held WIDE and I mean WIDE****ing OPEN for several minutes. The idea is if it's going to BLOW it's going to do it there. This is the final quality control for the engine! So you can baby the bike, do unnecessary oil changes at 200 - 300 miles whatever just to make yourself feel good. BUT remember it's an engine that has no feelings!!! It's a man made machine! With rev limiters it's hard to over rev the bike's engine.
mgmathews

[eddie cap]

Hi T Bone; Dont take this as a challenge,but why did you tell the break in guy to stay away from Redline? THANKS eddie cap

[Spike]

Originally Posted by Bayou Buck

I changed the oil on my new 04 VFR at 175 miles. The oil itself looked fine just like new oil from the bottle. What I saw that I did not like was some fine metal particles with the oil. I thouroughly cleaned the drain pan before draining the oil just to be sure that any thing I saw came from the engine. I have been following break in procedures to the letter. Hope this is not unusual. Any way I have 5 yr factory warranty. Bike is running fine. Just thought I would add this to the thread.
Tks BBuck

Nope, not unusual, that is why there are more than a few that advocate changing the oil very early in the motors life, to get that stuff out of there.

[Spike]

Originally Posted by mgmathews

MaDDaWg:
Honda gives a full warranty package with your bike. There really is no breakin period ala H-D not exceeding 55mph for 500 miles. "Ride it like you stole it." and let 'er rip! I've done that with all the Hondas in the last 45 years and never a tires of a bike. At the dealership where I work the obvious answer is the same for any Honda for a new customer that buys the bike today and wants to travel on a 3,000 - 5,000 mile trip...Ride it like you stole it. It's worked like magic for 45 years and I don't expect it to change any time soon!!!!
mgmathews

There has been a break in recomendation in the manual on every bike I have ever bought, Honda or otherwise.