[ST] Oil Consumption and Break-In

[Rich Hartwick <hartwick@xxxxxxx>]

I would agree with "Rick in Oregon" on the need for some strong use of the engine to
help seat the rings properly.  These are powerful engines, and it is hard to strain
them enough to get things properly seated.  The pressure of the rings on the walls
comes from "inflation" by the combustion gasses behind them, and not from the
springiness of the metal. It is important to have some full throttle operations
under load to generate high enough combustion chamber pressures to push the rings
agains the cylinder and break the oil film and glaze.  In the northeast US here, it
is easy, since we have so many hills.  On a new engine, I will run it in normally,
with increasing loads and short bursts of full throttle.  After the 500 mile
breakin,  I find some long hills, and basically allow the motor to pull at full
throttle and high rpm for longer and longer periods.  Doing this 2-up is even
better.  With this procedure on both the Trophy and Sprint, I have had motors with
essentially 0 oil consumption.

These motors need to do some work now and then.  Babying them is worse than goosing
them.  By far, the worst thing to do to any motor is lug it.  For the Sprint, I
consider anything below about 3,500-4,000 rpm under load, as lugging the motor.
Also, I could never understand criticisms of the Triumph motors as having a flat
spot at 3,500 rpm.  Who cares?  Nobody does any serious work there anyway, and a
flat spot there is almost meaningless, and I believe the EPA tests focus on
emissions and noise near that rpm.  OTOH, I don't like redlining any motor except
very briefly and occasionally.  Lots of stresses generated at 10,000 rpm.  In my
mind, these motors live in the 4-7,000 rpm range.

Anyway, I am looking forward to putting 100,000 on this Sprint.  My Trophy had
30,000 when I traded it, and ran absolutely perfectly, and the Sprint is doing just
as well with only 12,000 miles this year.

Rick Hartwick
00 Sprint ST



> From: "Rick & Joyce" <wescottr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [ST] high mileage sprints
>
> Likely the rings haven't properly seated, often the result of a
> too-literal interpretation of the break-in sticker tying RPM to
> distance travelled.
>
> In MY opinion:  (donning Nomex suit)
> a) Triumph's break-in recommendations are too conservative.
> After the first couple hundred miles and multiple heating/cooling
> cycles, an engine should experience several full-throttle "pulls"
> BEFORE the running-in oil is drained at the first service.
> b) If you don't routinely "ride it like you stole it" or live in
> a very hot climate, then it's more likely that the rings will
> seat properly if full-synthetic oil is avoided until after 3K
> miles.  Want more oil information?


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