Just wanted to say hello. I have been browsing the forum for awhile and have gleaned some very useful information from you guys. I am picking up my Red/Black 1000RR in a few days so I am pretty pumped. I have an outstanding dealership nearby so I am fortunate, and is one of the main reasons I have owned so many Hondas.

I was wondering if you guys had any tips concerning break-in, as this is my first new bike (although I have had 20+ bikes, mostly Honda, throughout the years)?

I apologize if this was discussed many times before. If so, could someone please provide a link?

Thanks in advance for any information/tips provided. It is good to be here.

 

been lots of posts on this topic....and many different schools of thought...just about done breaking in mine (537 miles)....kept it under 5k for the first 200, then gradually picked up the rpms as I got more comfortable....honda basically recommends you don't romp it out in the 1st few gears (rapid acceleration) for at least 600 miles....trust me, I hit 120 on the speedo the other night and did not go over 8k; will take it out for a few higher rpm runs (in 4,5&6) over the last 63 miles, just to make sure i seat the valves, then get the oil changed....trust me unless you've had a great deal of recent experience with this level of bike, break in coincides with getting comfortable anyway...so no real worries....

 

The opinions vary greatly on the matter. Most say the Honda recommended break in is BS pretty much created to keep the bike from having to get any warranty work done. Even the Honda service guys pretty much told me "if you don't push it, it won't perform to it's maximum potential". So I took it easy for the first 120 miles or so then I just rode it the way I wanted to avoiding if I could keeping it at a constant RPM. Just research it and do what you think is best. You can't go wrong following the manual though...it's just so damn hard after you get on an open road.

 

topics is beaten to death but here is how i break my in.. right outta the dealership i run it up to near revlimit slowly in 2nd and 3rd gear.. then 4th after a few miles.. i take it up near redline then just chop the throttle and let the vacuum from the motor pull the rings and seat them i alternate speeds and rpms but still you have to bring it up to near redline.. ive never had a motor lost and my bikes always made very good power.. i dont beleive in babying anything.. even by the manual it doesnt say anythign about not going over an rpm.. it just says dont do wide open throttle rapidly to redline.. good luck.. thats just the way i do it its not etched in stone..

 

I talked to the dealership again today and they all told me not to get it serviced until 800 to 1,000 miles, then again at 3,000 to 3,500. They said that 500 is too soon, as that is not enough time for everything to "set." From reading other posts at least I know to keep varying the revs and not to hold a constant speed/rpm. I am cautious about bringing it near redline, but then again even the dealership seemed to downplay beak-in somewhat. The lead mechanic said these things are "bulletproof" so not to be worried. I think I'll keep it under 5,000 or so rpm for awhile with occasional runs up high, then bring it up to 7,000 after a couple hundred miles with more spurts of high rpm until service. After that I'll slowly start to let her rip. I'll talk to the dealership more on Friday when I pick her up, and I'll post their thoughts as someone may find it helpful. The guys at the dealership are very experienced and don't sling BS.

Also, someone else said to "avoid long trips." I am wondering what constitutes a long trip, and why this should be avoided. I am going to need to take some long trips to get the break-in completed anytime soon.

Thanks again for the replies.

Btw, AZ1000rr, I have had numerous bikes including 10+ motocross bikes, a few cruisers (still have an '04 Marauder 1600), and a few sportbikes (CBR 600, CBR 900RR, CBR 929). The great thing is, I still don't have any experience with a "bike of this level ." Can't wait. Ordered the back seat cover as well with "Honda's new vehicle discount."

Thanks again.

 

Maybe they meant that on long trips you usually ride at a constant speed which equals a constant RPM unless you downshift/upshift. And as said before constant RPM isn't very good. Have fun with your new beast and be safe.

 

OK Phewwww,
I was a little worried...I had one person tell me ride it how u want only avoid constant rpm...so thats about what I did. Then of course afterwards, everyone was like...damn, I cant believe you were at the dragstrip with that thing during break in. Sounds like I did basicly what sid did.

 

As posted all over the forums. New to the site so I dont know if its already posted here.

Oh, and Im not going to debate this. Break it in how you feel is best. This is how I do it on the street:

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

 

Damn, now I am more confused than ever. If I want to go with MotoMan's method I guess I will have to call the dealership first thing in the morning and ask that they don't use synthetic oil.

My brain tells me to go with the manual so there are no regrets as I did what was instructed, but then again I also believe what many here are saying so this is definitely causing me mental anguish. The break-in methods are so drastically different, that is what makes this situation tough. I just want to do it right, and now I have no idea what right is. S*&t, this sucks!

 

I'll be damned. I just read this from my copy of "Sportbike Performance Handbook" by Kevin Cameron:

"Any tuner in Superbike racing will tell you that you must break in a new engine with mineral oil if you plan to run it on racing synthetic. The strong anti-wear additives in synthetic racing oils seem to act to prevent or considerably delay break-in, resulting in an engine whose blow-by volume remains high for a long time, with poor oil control and some power loss. ...This make me suspect that modern ant-wear additives have become so good, and are used in such large amounts, that they effectively stop old-style break-ins from taking place.

...late model car and bike engines are effectively broken in at the factory by giving them finer, more accurate surface finishes; piston rings are in most cases prelapped, and cylinder wall finishes are now extremely fine.

Twenty to thirty years ago, rings were less well finished, and the cylinder wall had to be used as a file to shave them into intimate contact. This was the function of the old, relatively course, 60-degree cross-hatch honing pattern used as a cylinder wall finish. This degree of roughness was necessary to remove the necessay metal from the rings to make them seal.

Today, the standard finish is what is called a "plateau" finish. The cylinder is first course-honed, then finished with either a much finer hone or a "plateau brush." This leaves the cylinder wall as a series of smooth surfaced islands, surrounded by the deeper incisions left by the course hone. The incisions limit how far any scuffing- smearing of metal-can go, and they also serve to retain oil.

Even with such accurately manufactured parts, bike engines still require break-in to finally set their piston rings.

Asked about break-in, Wiseco Piston Company's Tom Kipp Sr. said; "After about 20 hard pulls on the dyno, the blowby volume has dropped by half and that seems to be it." A pull on the dyno is one cycle of acceleration under full throttle, usually taking 10-15 seconds, from the bottom of the powerband to the top.

Sensible instructions for breaking in on the street call for something surprisingly similar; frequent applications of full throttle acceleration, but without holding high rpm or load for long periods. Between throttle applications, the engine's oil system can carry away particles to the filter, and excess heat developed in areas of contact has time to diffuse, ready for another go.

Rob Muzzy says his team tries to break in engines over many street miles if possible, but that engines today are so well manufactured, with such good surface finishes, that it takes real power to push the smooth parts through the seperating oil and additive film, into the partial contact that is necessary to achieving a final, high-quality fit. Cruising around mile after mile on 10 percent throttle won't do the job. It takes real load.

You may have heard old timers say "Break it in fast, and it'll be fast. Break it in slow and it'll always be slow." There is enough truth in this to make it memorable."


This seems to pretty much agree with what MotoMan's page says. I think I will go with non-synthetic and change oil after 20 to 50 miles. I'll use high revs but will not let the revs remain high for more than a few seconds. I'll try to use engine breaking as well. I guess "babying" the engine isn't the way to go. Hard for me to believe but these are the experts.

Hope some find this interesting, or useful.