Re: [St] Break In

[Jim Crate <jimcfl@xxxxxxxxx>]

I like the method given here:

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/NewBike.html#BreakIn

but I've never had a new bike (and only one new car) to break in, so  
what do I know.  It does make sense to me, though, and when I put the  
motor back together in my car I'll break that one in the same way.  My  
new car was never "broken in", I just drove it, and not easy!  At 80K  
miles, it still ran perfect with excellent power for that motor and  
was very clean when I adjusted the valves.  I never got to see how far  
it would go, though, because I broadsided someone who ran a red light  
and the car was written off.

In general, I think the "break-in" procedures are probably more  
intended as a "new rider break-in" than a new engine break-in.  I  
followed a similar procedure when I got my first bike (84 Honda  
Magna), and again when I went from that bike to the Sprint.  The  
Sprint was massively powerful compared to the Magna, and so it was  
probably at least a couple weeks before I even went WOT.  But, the  
Sprint wasn't new, I was just taking it easy to give myself time to  
get used to the (new to me) bike.

If everyone that bought a new bike followed a sensible rider break-in  
procedure (not far from what the factory recommends as an engine break- 
in procedure), there would be a lot less bikes wrecked in the first  
1000 miles.

One of the main reasons that race engines don't last as long as a  
regular factory street engine is that racing engines are built with  
very loose clearances for best power.  In fact, F1 engines are so  
loose that the entire motor has to be warmed up to operating temps  
before the motor can even be started (the oil and coolant are  
circulated through external heaters).

Jim

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