New bike run-in / break-in period
 

G'day XT riders. Can you please share with us your engine run in methods?

Did you ride with minimum throttle use? 300kms? 500kms? 1,000kms? Allow the revs to climb up? Occasionally accelerate harder? When did you first use full throttle etc?

I've just completed 200kms, kept the revs down for the most part however the engine likes a little revs otherwise it begins to try to chain-slap as experienced with many big bore singles. The engine is quite punchy down low so it's still enjoyable to ride out of corners even with 1/2 throttle.


Scotty

There are many different ideas/takes on running in an engine. Some people say take it easy for the first 600 miles, ie half throttle no harsh acceleration etc etc everything smoothy smoothy. Get the 600mile service out of the way and start increasing to full throttle, acceleration etc etc over a period of time or milage (what this is is up to you really)

Or

Ride it like a run in bike as todays technology means engines dont need run in as tolerances are so small engines dont need to hone themselves to a size or run a part in.

In my opinion, the first one wins. The odd blip up to maybe full throttle or higher revs stuff for a small period of time (say 5 mins) isnt going to wreck the engine, and try to do longer runs than say 10miles to allow the engine to fully warm up.

I'd agree with Maxwell on the whole - take it easy (but don't labour the engine) for the first 500-600 miles, then progressively build up to holding higher revs for longer, but all the time keep the engine under load, both acceleration and deceleration.

There is another school of thought that a modern engine actually beds in in the first twenty to one hundred miles (after all, a race bike isn't run in for 500 miles is it?!), and with modern engineering tolerances, all you are really doing is seating the piston rings, plus clearing any crud (such as excess gasket sealant used to seal the cases during assembly) from the oil ways... Certainly off-road [race] bike riders tend to drop the oil after a hundred miles, and call it good...

There are a million different answers to this question, and the simplest is to follow the instructions in your handbook, that way, should you ever have a warranty problem somewhere down the line, you can hand-on-heart say you ran it in as per the manufacturer's instructions?

But personally, I wouldn't nail it for the first five hundred miles, just tend to use lower gears and keep the engine under load in the mid range, both accelerating a decelerating... change the oil, then progressively give it more and more revs up to 1000 miles when you ought to be able to run it at maximum for as long as you like...

J x

Funnily enough...

I heard an interesting theory about this which actually makes sence.

When running in an engine, technically, you're bedding in the piston rings to the cylinder so that they seal better.

Bearings rarely require bedding in because they run on heat treated hardened surfaces.

Now, the theory goes, when an engine is running, its the pressure produced in the cylinder upon compression/combustion that gets in under the piston ring, forcing the ring to seal on the cylinder wall NOT the spring tension in the ring.

So therefore, the first few hundred miles of a new engine is the most critical cause thats the 'bedding in' period and so for the rings to bed in well, you require LOTS of pressure, more than whats provided under normal riding conditions.

So by this theory, in the first few hundred miles, you should ride it like you stole it (within reason of course!) as the thrashing of the engine (and I use the term lightly) FORCES the piston rings to bed in better and therefore seal better.

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

Makes for an interesting read.

Yeah, Ive heard similar things. If you are too gentle with the running in you can polish the bore too much rather than 'wear' it in which will in turn make the bike burn oil. As Dazmatic says it IS the pressure building up on the rings that makes them seat against the bore maintaining a seal.
Soooooooooo many theories, but than as JMo says if you do it as per the manual you do have comeback if the engine fails at a later date.

On my first Tenere I did as the manual for the first 600 miles before the first service and thereafter when I was sure that it was up to working temperature I used to ride it as I intended and it seemed just fine.

Your Dilmma:confused2:

well, put it this way.

At work we have 4 diesel engines.
They're massive... were talking 1000hp per cylinder and if I remember correctly, theres 12 of them.

They're hardly ever run, only tested for 24 hours, 1 every other week. They're kept warm and can be started and be upto full load within 14 seconds I believe.

There's been the task of going around each diesel, pulling the pistons and liners and deglazing (honing) the cylinder liners because they'd becomed polished from the lack of running and duty placed on them.

I must admit I hate running in motors & usually do the first 1000kms in 2 or 3 days to get it over & done with.

I have been in the motor trade for 30 years now & have just about heard every theory on how to run in motors.

One thing I do know not all motors are the same, every manufacture uses different toluenes, different materials so know one rule can apply to running in a motor, I always recommend one to follow the manufactures running in procedure, surely they would know best having designed & built thousands of motors & have to warranty their motors.

Some people say they don't run in racing motors, but you don't see many race motors doing 10000 miles do you, as I say not all motors are built equally & have the same standard of parts.

Thanks guys. Maxwell & JMo that's pretty much the theory I go with too.

Dazmatic tell me more about the massive diesel engines! Sounds like a ship engine.

Kev I plan to go and do a few hundred km's this weekend!

well, I can't give too much away cause of the nature of where I work, but the engines are massive, so much so they have a building of their own, a pair of air compressors each to fill the starting tanks.

They are pretty much ship engines, without looking through any books, I can't tell you about any sizes or anything unfortunately.

They're used as generators and they kick out enough power to power all the sites essential systems in case of a blackout or loss of power from the grid.


Actually, come to think about it, they're twin turbo V16's I think, individual cylinder heads.
2 Storey's tall and have a walkway eitherside to gain access to the tops.

Interesting stuff!