Here in a few months I'm planning to buy a new Yamaha, and I'm leaning towards the 2008 Grizz 700 FI with EPS. Yamaha says to break new ATVs in easily. What I need to know is what is their definition of easily, and how do I know when it's broken in? I have owned many quads but they were all used so I don't know about how to treat new ones. Thanks for any help.

 

I say ride it like you are always going to ride it. Thats what I did with mine and she still runs solid 600 miles later.

 

ride how u plan on riding it

 

Dont baby her but dont run the crap out of her at first. Dont run her wide open for a long period of time, but run her up and down the RPM range to seat the rings. Yamaha and all other are going to tell you to take it easy because of Lawyers.
Can you imagine what would happen if the owners manual said to get out there and run her hard and you wreaked!
There telling you to take it easy so you get used to her so you dont wreak. Run her through the RPM range and let her cool for a couple hours. I also changed my oil at 1 hour because most of the break in comes at the first couple hours.
Your going to love this quad! I rode my 17 miles yesterday evening. I've had no problems at all with my grizzly. Theres a few thing you"ll want to do like open up the airfilter screen so it can breather better. check out some of the other grizzly sites for all the lastest info.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: CamoKodiak450

Run her through the RPM range and let her cool for a couple hours. I also changed my oil at 1 hour because most of the break in comes at the first couple hours.
Theres a few thing you"ll want to do like open up the airfilter screen so it can breather better.</end quote></div>

What do you mean run her through the rpm range? do you mean rev it up a couple times? what kind off oil did you use? how do i open up the airfilter screen?
Thanks

 

Honda Crusher,
I've read the "run it hard" claims, and even tried it once, and wont do that again. I've usually just kept it to less than 1/2 throttle for the first hundred miles, and have had good results with dozens of new quads broke-in that way over the years. I've had four Kawasaki v-twins, and three of those were broke-in as above, but the fourth was broken in like it says on (I believe) the mototune web site. That proceedure has been quoted many times on this web site, and I'm sure someone can post a link. Basically it says to give it wide open throttle for short periods of time, followed by very low throttle while coasting to a stop, and to repeat that multiple times until its broke-in. Funny thing was, ... that was the only Kawi v-twin I've ever owned that had piston blow by problems, and would put white smoke out the exhaust for a few minutes on each cold start up, until it warmed up. I really don't think the hard break-in helped that engine out any at all. It certainly did not make more power than a conventional break-in.

Most recently I broke in a Grizzly 700 a little differently as well. I tried a process called "heat cycling", where you start the brand new engine and ride slow and easy at less than 1/4 throttle. Vary the engine speed and only ride long enough to get the engine well into its normal operating temperature. I rode for twelve minutes, then parked the quad in the garage and let it cool completely (overnight). I then repeated the process twice more, for a total of three twelve minute long "heat cycles" at less than 1/4 throttle, followed by complete cool down to room temperature after each heat cycle. Then I rode the quad for the next 7.5 engine hours at less than 1/2 throttle, afterwhich I considered it well broken in. I still avoided sustained full throttle for the first 10 engine hours, but think it is acceptable to do brief full throttle use after the first 7.5 hours.

When I compare how this 2007 Grizzly 700 runs, compared to our other 2007 Grizzly 700, this "heat cycle" engine break-in proceedure may have actually made a difference. It is hard to say for sure why this Grizzly runs better than the other Grizzly, but it certainly does. We have two identical Grizzly 700s, with all stock airbox, air filter (both of which are clean), and stock exhaust. Both had stock tires, at the same 4.5 psi air pressure, and were tested on the same gravel road at roughly the same temperature. The Grizzly 700 that I broke-in with the usual "just keep it less than 1/2 throttle for a hundred miles" approach has a top speed of 64 mph. The Grizzly 700 that I broke-in with strictly followed heat cycles has a top speed of 68 mph, and feels like it runs stronger as well. Its hard to say if this is from engine break-in, or just the difference from one Grizzly to the next as they come off the production line.

I know, its not scientific, but given my experience with the run it hard approach vs the structured heat cycle break-in, I certainly don't plan on the run it hard approach again.

Have fun with the new Grizzly.

 

i'll try the heat cycle thing when i get it, but i'm going to hide the keys all the time because all my neighbors think i'm going to let them ride it before me.

 

Not doubting you DesertViper at all I am just curious as to why one can go faster when they should both have the rev limiters set the same. If both have identical size tires then at the same RPM they should run the same speed. I have a feeling that one has the rev limiter a hair higher and it is just coincidental it was the one you broke in that way. Although _they_ do say it will have more power through the bands if broken in properly. Like I said not trying to argue it just trying to figure it out.

There are so many break in procedures out there and almost a horror story to go with each.

 

Westslope,
I have asked everywhere I can think of, trying to find out if there were any differences between what was probably the first production run of 2007 Grizzly 700s, and what was probably the last production run of 2007 Grizzly 700s. Nobody on the forums knows of a difference, and no one at several Yamaha dealerships knows of a difference. And Yamaha's tech line denies any differences. The second Grizzly clearly runs better than the first one though, and has a top speed that is noticebly faster. I thought Yamaha had changed something with the fuel injection program, or the ignition timing, or some other item. But no one is admitting to a change between these two 2007 Grizzlys, other than the normal variance between each ATV as it comes down the production line. It looks like we got a good one with the second Grizzly 700 though, and I'm sure the more structured engine break-in process didn't hurt any either.

DV

 

DV,
Dirtwheels tested them in September last year, and their Grizzly went 68 mph at 3000ft.. and that was when they first came out, so I would say it was your break-in proccess.