Hi - new to the group but have been lurking more than a year. It looks like I (finally) will be leaving the dark side (91 Fatboy) and getting my VFR within a few weeks. I am really looking forward to it. Was wondering if there are any particular break-in tips I should keep in mind. There's a plethora (heh - he said "plethora" of information on the web. Some of it is redundant, some of it seems appropriate - but now I am on info overload. Any help would be greatly appreciated . Also looking for riders in the SF Bay Area to ride with. Cheers,
I just picked mine up this past monday and the guys at the dealership just told me to keep the tach out of the red and to vary my speed, rpm's and gears. Also you should really take it easy for the first 50 - 100 miles because of the brakes. They are still Glazed when out of the factory. Long story short I think everyone will tell you something different I know a guy that rides a 748 Ducati and he said it took like a month to break his in HE wouldnt go over like 4000 rpm's until like 100 miles then he wouldnt go over 7000 until like 200 miles and so forth. In my opinion just get the extended warranty and flog the shit out of it. ;D Those bikes are tested so much to begin with that I think all that break in stuff is balogny. Any way Its gonna be your bike so do what you feel comfortable with.
The biggest single thing is to avoid lugging the engine. This is when you are at low RPM's and whack the throttle and it chugs up to speed. That means don't do lots of really hard accelerations starting at low RPM's. Baby it until you hit 600 miles or so not so much for the bike, but for you so you have a chance to get used to and familiar with the bike. If you do some city driving mixed with highway speed driving, you'll do fine. Just don't get on the freeway and drone at one RPM for hours on end. It is true that break in is not as critical as it was at one time. However, it is not true that it is irrelevant in modern engines. I would avoid bouncing off the rev limiter Adios,
this is something from the internet. I thing it's an old article, however it's relevant. Recommended engine break-in procedure: The first few hundred miles of a new engine's life have a major impact on how strongly that engine will perform, how much oil it will consume and how long it will last..... We ask four top engine builders what they do to ensure peak power output and optimum engine life..........piston ring and cylinder seating is critical to get a proper seal for power output and oil consumption.....If the wrong type of oil is used initially or the breakin is too easy, rings and cylinders could glaze and never seal properly. A fresh cylinder wall needs some medium to high engine loadings to get the piston rings to seat properly for good compression but don't lug or overheat the engine either. Use high quality low viscosity oil (Valvoline 30 weight eg.) no synthetics, too slippery, if used during initial breakin the rings are sure to glaze. Initial run should be used to bring oil and coolant up to temperature only, with little or no load, then shut off and allow to cool right down. After thorough cool down (ambient temp), start up and ride under light loads at relativly low rpm 3000-5000 rpm, keep out of top gear, lugging is more detrimental than high rpm. Key advice, constantly vary load on engine, a constant load is not ideal for breaking in bearing tolerances. This run should last only 10-15 minutes before another complete cool down. The next run should be slightly higher rpm, 5000-7000 and under light to medium loads using short bursts of acceleration to seat the rings in early. Again 10-15 minutes of running should do it and again avoid top gear. Allow to cool right down. The third run should consist of light to medium engine loads with a few more bursts of medium-high rpm, 8000-9000 rpm max, and lasting just 10-15 minutes varying the engine load and avoiding top gear. Next while the engine is still warm drain the oil and change the filter. This gets out the new metal particles that are being worn away. Al Ludington from Vance and Hines feels most of the metal particles will break away within first 50 -75 miles, get them out soon after. To ensure the rings seat well, use same high quality oil and don't be shy about short duration high rpm blasts through the lower gears after the oil has been changed. A few more 15-20 minute sessions should be used to work up to the engine's redline gradually increasing the engine loads. After some definite hard running and 250-500 miles it's a good idea to check the valves. After 500 miles retorquing the head is suggested. Switch to snythetic oil but not before 500-1500 miles. Most of the engine experts warned of the danger of breaking in the engine too easily and ending up withwith an engine that will always run slow whether it is from tight tolerances, inadequate ring seal or carbon buildup. Engine load is more detrimental than rpm, so avoid lugging the engine but rev it freely especially in the lower gears. Muzzy summed up his break-in concerns most concisely: Basically, be sure not to get it too hot but be sure to seat the rings properly. Its that simple........... So that's it, sure a lot different than keeping under 4000 rpm for 500 miles then under 5000 rpm for 1000 miles. Maybe bike manufacturers are being super cautious at the expense of your motor's performance? I think that they take the cautious route that works over time (1000 miles, or about 20 hours of break in) versus a faster route that can be more easily screwed up. FWIW, on the VF1000R, the slower break-in showed better leakdown at 4000 miles than at 1500, and I suspect that the go-slow method of the factory recommendations are looked at more for simplicities sake than for other effects.
