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Message started by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 08:10:06

Title: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 08:10:06

I just bought a 2006 S40 w/ zero miles. The owner’s manual recommends you keep the bike under 60 mph for the first 500 miles. How important do you think this is to adhere to? Your input will be appreciated.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 08:24:19

Do it.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by vroom1776 on 05/22/07 at 08:30:59

there are many theories on breaking in a bike. some say ride the heck out of it. others say baby it. I haven't broken in enough bikes to know. I like to change the oil at 50 miles and ride the snot out of it. but you should prolly listen to greg.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 08:56:09

I just default to the ones with the most wisdom, and that would be the manufacturer that has built the bike for 2 decades.

It isn't that tough to "drive it like you own it" for a few miles.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by verslagen1 on 05/22/07 at 09:08:24

It'd be hard for me to buy a bike and stick to that, but I would.

The recommendation is to accel hard and decel to break in the rings right. Don't remember where I read it. Don't have to go fast to do it. ;D

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 09:55:17

verslagen1 wrote:

You know where you are supposed to read it? It's called the Manufacturers Owners Manual.

Perhaps all those that try to sound cool with their bike knowledge are also willing to accept the liability of telling this guy something else, but not me. Go by the book, is what I say.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 10:14:38

thanks for your input- it's not a matter of liability- it's just a discussion point. i'll take it easy for awhile but 500 miles seems a little extreme. as for sounding cool- please

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by justin_o_guy on 05/22/07 at 10:19:48

Followed the rules to the letter the first couple hundred miles, easy accel, easy decel, low speeds, no more than 3/4 throttle. Not that hard to do for that far. Then, occasional bursts to higher speeds, hold for a few secs, then DROPPED the throttle, to allow the vaccuum in the jug to suck the rings out & seat them( so goes the thinking of a friend of mine who fancies himself quite a mechanic, I couldnt dismiss it). I can't say how good an idea all this is, I do have to add oil after 1500 to 1800 miles into an oil change. I also have a small oil leak at the clutch actuator as it passes thru the case. I have run the bike very hard & it seems to be holding together well. I have 15,000 miles on it, still pulls great.

Your decision as to how you break in is, in the end, your call.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 10:26:17

byke_punk wrote:

thanks for your input- it's not a matter of liability- it's just a discussion point. i'll take it easy for awhile but 500 miles seems a little extreme. as for sounding cool- please

You ain't been around too long, and already you're trying to be cool....please!

Ride the hell out of it.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 10:31:36

650 sure sounds like a fun fella

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 10:37:05

Not as much as a Bike Punk.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by vroom1776 on 05/22/07 at 10:37:17

eh, greg likes to bust balls. take him with a ~~grain~~ pound of salt.

;)

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 10:43:00

vroom1776 wrote:

eh, greg likes to bust balls. take him with a ~~grain~~ pound of salt.

;)

I do it with love, of course. I also prefer sea salt, thank you.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 10:50:39

this is great i do so well with authoirity figures

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by mornhm on 05/22/07 at 11:11:52

mY .02

I've broken in quite a few new engines over the years. My theory is be real smooth, don't fall in love with a certain rpm, and baby them for enough miles 500 hardly seems like much, (one weekend or one week) to break an engine in completely. However, if that's what the manufacturer says, they probably know best from a big picture standpoint.

With my practice, I've only had one engine die on me, and that was a design problem. Once I break a vehicle in, I'll run it hard, but I still try for smooth and not getting stuck at a certain rpm.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 11:23:56

mornhm wrote:

Good practice, actually. Allows even heating and cooling of the entire engine without working any parts too hard.

Just got to try not to sound too emphatic when suggesting techniques. Certain people reject authority. In fact, with teenagers you sometimes even need to use reverse psychology.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by drharveys on 05/22/07 at 12:31:21

Basicly, just ride it and take it easy. Varying your speed is a good idea, don't just cruise at a constant throttle. Also taking it easy is a good idea for the rider on a new bike. Unless you constantly change bikes, there's a learning curve for your body to adapt to the handling characteristics of your new ride.

My suggestion:

Spend some quality time bonding with your bike. Go out on some suburban roads and country byways. Hit a few twisties, but don't go 100% all out -- stay in the 75 -80% range. Don't forget to stop to smell the roses, drink the coffee and eat the barbeque! And oh yeah, take some photos to share with the rest of us.

In other words, ride for the pure pleasure of it so you and the bike are both ready for those 90% days! (you gotta have 10% reserve for oncoming traffic and/or agricultural machinery -- save the 100% for the track.)

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by vroom1776 on 05/22/07 at 12:44:41

I think some of greg's comments were aimed at me, some not... but I have a whole mine of (not sea) salt...

at any rate, just pointing out that there are other theories out there...

so many different opinions :P

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Reelthing on 05/22/07 at 12:51:24

Alright a tiff - where's the popcorn and beer!

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 12:54:52

drharveys wrote:

Unless you constantly change bikes, there's a learning curve for your body to adapt to the handling characteristics of your new ride.

That would be me, too, after I rolled a GSX-R750 out of the garage for a test ride last week. First time I ever rode a crotch rocket...and one with a whole pucker full of power and brakes, too. Yeehaw.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 12:56:48

vroom1776 wrote:

Do you still have that message written in pink on the side of your clutch cover?
;D

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 12:58:07

Reelthing wrote:

Alright a tiff - where's the popcorn and beer!

WHile you're just sittin' there, why don't you box up that head and send it to me?

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by firsts40 on 05/22/07 at 13:12:04

When I broke in my 06 S40, I stayed within what the owners manual said. The first 500 miles were road anywhere from 45 on country roads to 60 on the superslab for no more than 10-15 miles. After that, I took it up to around 65-70 on the superslab. I have 5300 miles on mine so far, and no leaks, no problems, no complaints, just all good things to say about it. Now I can run the superslabs at 65-70 all day, as long as my butt can stand it, and not use a drop of oil, or have any problems.
The bottom line, go by what the book says to be safe and protect the bike. Depending on your dealership, if they think you abused it by running it HARD to break it in, it could cost you money.

Ride safe and enjoy ;D 8)

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by vroom1776 on 05/22/07 at 13:28:58

Greg_650 wrote:

Do you still have that message written in pink on the side of your clutch cover?
;D

This one?
http://w1.bikepics.com/pics/2005%5C09%5C12%5Cbikepics-427621-800.jpg

a little more faded now than above! ;D

Reelthing wrote:

Alright a tiff - where's the popcorn and beer!

and one thing I really like about this forum is there is very little drama. for me, it's water off a duck's back. 8)

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 14:16:56

That's the one....let's all go out to the dumpster now :P

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by LANCER on 05/22/07 at 14:19:14

OK, we're having some fun now !! ;) ;D

Some time back I ran across this idea being discussed by an automotive engineer ... BS & MS in mechanical engineering if I remember correctly, and according to him it went like this .........
during the breakin period you want to avoid sustained high speed riding, but you do want to crank the throttle periodically (though not wide open). During the hard acceleration the cylinder pressure is high which will force the rings out against the cylinder wall, thus helping the seating process. The acceleration is a quick thing, say 10-20 seconds, after which you return to normal riding. Then, 5-10-15 minutes later you do it again. The short bursts of power will do the ring-seat thing but do not build excessive heat which may cause damage if this were an extended high power run.
When going through his explanation it all made very good mechanical sense to me. I wish I had save the material, it was very well written.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 14:31:42

LANCER wrote:

Ah, finally someone brought sanity back to this discussion :P

That's it. No running WOT or cruising down the interstate for miles and miles...

The Savage 40 is air cooled, so it isn't like a new car that is water cooled and runs at a constant temp. Have to think about it differently.

As it was said, a break in period can be done in a week...

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by verslagen1 on 05/22/07 at 14:33:27

That's what I've been talking about...

I thought I read it in a separate web page.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Reelthing on 05/22/07 at 14:56:22

Greg_650 wrote:

WHile you're just sittin' there, why don't you box up that head and send it to me?

I swear I'm a gonna - already boxed - just sitting in the garage - I need one of those automatic spring loaded boots that kick me in the arse now and then!

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by vroom1776 on 05/22/07 at 15:54:48

"A Controversial Toipc" (http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm)

possible drama = why I had a disclaimer in my first post in this thread.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by justin_o_guy on 05/22/07 at 16:12:51

Reelthing wrote:

I swear I'm a gonna - already boxed - just sitting in the garage - I need one of those automatic spring loaded boots that kick me in the arse now and then!

Having first hand experience in observing this guy in action, I am forced to agree.But, in all fairness I think I have to say, when it's time to go fishing, he's gets focused & is keen on achieving the task, no boot required. ;)

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/22/07 at 17:23:00

I knew that following the guidelines of the owner’s manual was probably a good idea but I just needed a little nudging. You see it’s pretty tempting to commute on my new bike with gas at $3.50 a gallon but I’ll keep it off I-5 for awhile. I’ll just have to be patient- thanks for the input.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by justin_o_guy on 05/22/07 at 17:49:38

Good idea, cuz varying the RPM at hwy speeds isnt easy or saFE.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 21:53:26

vroom1776 wrote:

"A Controversial Toipc" (http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm)

possible drama = why I had a disclaimer in my first post in this thread.

Yes, and excluding any internet access and stuck with only your God given MOM, just what are you gonna do? What if you didn't have this guy's input and you don't know crap, then what's next? How ya gonna learn?

Why is it that people can read a web page and not a manual? That guy has done 300 engines which is more than I, and I hardly doubt his knowledge. However, does he engineer them and has he built millions? No. Suzuki has.

Before long it's gonna be..."Please, insert disk and click when requested....Congratulations!. Your biker installation is now complete. Please remove disk and ride safe!"

I don't think so. I newbie should go by the book.

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 21:57:23

justin_o_guy wrote:

Yeah...but I promised to do a little "tinkering" for him and as I wait and wait and wait, the UPS guy never shows up.

If he'd send it when it's raining, I could do it while he's fishin' :P

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Reelthing on 05/22/07 at 22:12:25

I swear tomorrow! - gotta go get nother back tire for the guzzi in the AM - ride'n on slick in the middle and knots on the edges- rattle your guts out in a sweepin turn - perfect time to swing by the ups store

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 22:17:35

byke_punk wrote:

And see...I'm old school. I've fallen down for every year you've even drooled about a bike. I didn't always make the best choices, but I learned a few things anyway. To me biking is both fun and serious. You can have a great time or you can get dead real fast.

What I try to pass on is a conservative type of learning about bikes. You can't get all the info you need in just a couple emails or a web site, and you'll never get the experience that you need from this forum...

So, if I give any info to anyone, it's intended to make them think. I don't sp00n feed. If you ask a question, I usually ask a question. Why? To make people think.

Why? Because when you're out on the road with your newbie mind rattling around in that helmet, you better be thinking on your own. 'Cuz then it's just you and God, and I don't want you cussin' me.

How's that for a nudge?

So, what part of I-5? Northern or southern?

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Greg_650 on 05/22/07 at 22:24:19

Reelthing wrote:

That's cool, Man. Looks like I may have a 650 Honda to work on soon, and that'll be easy enough to fit you in....

...actually just kidding....I don't know crap about the bike, but I'll work on it anyway :P

Send it when you have time, I'll work on it whenever. Okay?

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by byke_punk on 05/23/07 at 10:22:35

Now how about the Break In Period on this forum. How many posts must I post before I address greg_650 directly?

A warm welcome you make. This experienced biker and former 96 savage owner is thrilled to be called a newbie and a teenager. And then you want to know where i'm from? Please do you think i am going to have you over for riding tips? Maybe you can read a story to my kids? You've accused a few people of trying to be cool in your posts- why don't you look up hubris?

Please

Title: Re: Break In Period
Post by Savage_Rob on 05/23/07 at 10:54:33

byke_punk wrote:

Now how about the Break In Period on this forum. How many posts must I post before I address greg_650 directly?

Not addressing any particular poster or topic but that could depend on how many existing posts one reads before posting questions. Historically there are far too many repeats of the same questions, often completely covered within the previous few weeks, that could be avoided with a little effort.