New Ring Break-in Procedure?

[Nessism]

Back in 81 i had a new Z1000j1 it used to go threw a litre of oil in 100miles ,this was
sorted under warrenty kawasaki sent new set of pistons and rings to the dealer work was carried out got bike back "told to run it carefully".
big mistake it started drinking even more oil took it back they wouldnt refused to sort it out,but i did a bit more homework i was told i should had rung its neck and showed no mercey,with it ooh well live and learn i suppose.
cant win can yer?.

Sorry you had these problems but I don't believe it was related to the break in method. Simple fact is something like 15 million cars are sold every year in the US alone and 99.9% of them are broken in without any regard to special procedures yet the rings seal up just fine. Just drive the stupid thing in a half way reasonable fashion and all will be fine; vary the rpm, use some throttle, and stop worrying.

[derickson104]

Perfect, thanks for the info. As a matter of fact, it turns out to be exactly what I wanted to hear - who could resist opening the throttle on a newly rebuilt, warmed bike.

[hjfisk]

Ride it like you stole 'Or you can do this

What's The Best Way To Break-In A New Engine ??
The Short Answer: Run it Hard !

Why ??
Nowadays, the piston ring seal is really what the break in process is all about. Contrary to popular belief, piston rings don't seal the combustion pressure by spring tension. Ring tension is necessary only to "scrape" the oil to prevent it from entering the combustion chamber.

If you think about it, the ring exerts maybe 5-10 lbs of spring tension against the cylinder wall ...
How can such a small amount of spring tension seal against thousands of
PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) of combustion pressure ??
Of course it can't.

How Do Rings Seal Against Tremendous Combustion Pressure ??

From the actual gas pressure itself !! It passes over the top of the ring, and gets behind it to force it outward against the cylinder wall. The problem is that new rings are far from perfect and they must be worn in quite a bit in order to completely seal all the way around the bore. If the gas pressure is strong enough during the engine's first miles of operation (open that throttle !!!), then the entire ring will wear into
the cylinder surface, to seal the combustion pressure as well as possible.



The honed crosshatch pattern in the cylinder bore acts like a file to allow the rings to wear. The rings quickly wear down the "peaks" of this roughness, regardless of how hard the engine is run.

There's a very small window of opportunity to get the rings to seal really well ... the first 20 miles !!

If the rings aren't forced against the walls soon enough, they'll use up the roughness before they fully seat. Once that happens there is no solution but to re hone the cylinders, install new rings and start over again.

Fortunately, most new sportbike owners can't resist the urge to "open it up" once or twice,
which is why more engines don't have this problem !!

An additional factor that you may not have realized, is that the person at the dealership who set up your bike probably blasted your brand new bike pretty hard on the "test run". So, without realizing it, that adrenaline crazed set - up mechanic actually did you a huge favor !!

I also have a good friend who is an engine builder ,and I had him bore acyl block for me and fit the pistons, when he gave me the parts he told me to put it together dry , no oil in cylinders, and run it hard for the first 20-30 miles, it wasn't hard to do because it was my race bike, so after about 20min. on a open practice she was broke in nicely

[hjfisk]

I also bought my 83 gs 750E new at the very knowledgeable age of 19 and the day I bought it I told the dealer it better do what it said on the speedometer or they were getting it back. They told me I would void the warranty, I say F*,^# the warranty and away I went didn't see the 140 but did see the speedo reading 127-132 for about 10 miles on the highway, I figured it still needed braking in so I kept it and still have it today ,still runs great and burns no oil . So don't be scared ride it like you will always ride it.

[gssuzukixxx]

Should you use convensional motor oil during the breakin period rather than synthetic?

Brian

[Steve]

Should you use convensional motor oil during the breakin period rather than synthetic?

Brian

And just what would be the advantage of that?

Depending on what all you have done in the way of machine work, you might consider changing the oil and filter after the first few miles.
In that case, you can save a bit of money by running 'conventional' oil, otherwise, just run whatever you plan on running.

.

[gssuzukixxx]

And just what would be the advantage of that?

Depending on what all you have done in the way of machine work, you might consider changing the oil and filter after the first few miles.
In that case, you can save a bit of money by running 'conventional' oil, otherwise, just run whatever you plan on running.

.

I bought a new bike last spring and that is what was recommended; dino oil for the first 1000 km to aid in breaking in the rings. Then go to synthetic.

The wear rate is so low with synthetic that it would inhibit breakin. At least that is the theory.

Brian

[koolaid_kid]

I bought a new bike last spring and that is what was recommended; dino oil for the first 1000 km to aid in breaking in the rings. Then go to synthetic.

The wear rate is so low with synthetic that it would inhibit breakin. At least that is the theory.

Brian

I'm not sure that is a theory, I suspect they have data to support their statements. I prefer dino oil because I change oil every 3k miles or every year, whichever comes first. Using Rotella, of course.
I broke my GPz in using an altered version of ride the bezeezus out of it. I would rev it all the way up near redline in each gear for the first 50 miles, but not just nailing it from idle, just making sure it went through the entire rpm range (roughly, it is a beast when it comes on the cam at full throttle). Changed the oil, re-torqued the head (it needed it) checked the valves (they were fine), and I was done breaking it in. And it runs like a striped ape.

[Nessism]

I bought a new bike last spring and that is what was recommended; dino oil for the first 1000 km to aid in breaking in the rings. Then go to synthetic.

The wear rate is so low with synthetic that it would inhibit breakin. At least that is the theory.

Brian

It's an urban legend that synthetic oil reduces friction. It's Not true, unless you are talking about extreme high heat conditions.

As far as all these funky break in procedures being referenced here: you guys are NUTS! Just go ride your bike. Don't baby it and all well be fine. Using partial throttle is fine, and it's best to avoid redline until the engine accumulates a few miles.

Urban legends for breaking in an engine are almost as crazy as for motor oil.

[koolaid_kid]

Don't be that way or I will send Bigfoot to Torrance, CA.! I recently heard that he is currently living near Mt. Baldy with his family.

[7981GS]

It's an urban legend that synthetic oil reduces friction. It's Not true, unless you are talking about extreme high heat conditions.

Sorry, but you have EARNED this with that FICTITIOUS statement:







Daniel

[Nessism]

Sorry, but you have EARNED this with that FICTITIOUS statement:


Daniel

No Daniel, you are not sorry.

Regarding oil, if you feel in the mood to learn something, please go to the Bob is the Oil Guy forum and start reading. You are sadly informed. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

[SqDancerLynn1]

I would definitely use Dino oil for the first 1K miles. I think some of the break in procedures are for riders safety !! Not the bike !!

[koolaid_kid]

Everyone, please call Bigfoot at the following number:
1-888-555-1212
Tell him what is going on, I am certain he will be sympathetic to our cause.
Thanks.

[koolaid_kid]

No Daniel, you are not sorry.

Regarding oil, if you feel in the mood to learn something, please go to the Bob is the Oil Guy forum and start reading. You are sadly informed. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

I went there and could not make heads nor tails of it. I have read an article where he does actual data collection on different oils, but darned if I could find it or anything like it using the link you provided.
Sorry, I just got my first computer last Christmas, so I'm still learning.