It's believable but can you contest it?

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

 

There are lots of ways to break in a motor. Its your money, so do what you think is right. Id go by the owners manual...it was written by the engineers, and i gotta believe they go by more than anecdotal eveidence. Im sure they use scientific methods and test equipment...and I gotta believe they know best.
The sure way to ruin a new motor is to let it idle for very long. Both pressure and volume is low at idle, and there could be excess wear or heat if left to idle. Other than that, ive seen both methods used, and theres no clear distinction between engine wear, by using either method.(factory preferred or racer method).
Its up to you...you paid for it, and youll be responsible for any repairs, after the 6 month warentee is over.

 

I live in an area with very steep hill climbs. I warm a new bike up thoroughly and slowly ride a short distance out to the hills. Then I bomb up AND down (compression braking) three long steep hills. I park it, cool it off completely, then do it again the next day. I do that five times. Then, I ride normally but am carefull to not ride at any constant speed for the first 20 hours.

I do this with all my new bikes..........my motors last forever, and a day!

Did you know that many bikes are dynoed at the factory??? The Honda 450R is run FULL THROTLE THROUGH ALL 5 GEARS ON A DYNO AT THE FACTORY! Why do they do this??? Maybe to seat the rings, because they can't count on the new owner to do it right???

 

I like your way of breaking a motor in reconranger. There is much I agree with in the article refered to. I think it is not all that inconsistent with what the manufacturers recommend. Manufacturers recommend to apply heavy torque loads to the engine (not high speed) to create high combustion pressures to help seat the rings. This clearly is not babying the engine. I agree with both reconranger and the article that the engine needs to be run through these high torque loads, then cooled down.
BryceGTX

 

thats what I'm gonna be doing to a new engine today,,,,,soon as it gets here[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Soooo, what would everyone suggest for my 05 Honda Foreman 500 that I just picked up. I haven't started it yet, need to get a trailer, etc. But when I do take it out how should I run it? I will be taking it out to the desert. Also, do I need to change the factory oil to the car oil the article recommends? This is the first ATV I have had but the article makes sense as far as breaking engines in. I have rebuilt car engines and have done similiar things as he mentions. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

Pityocamptes- Don't do the car oil thing. Motoman is a street biker, and most likely it will make your clutch slip anyway (http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm) . Your 500 most likely came with Honda GN4 in it (a petrolium oil), and I would stick with that for the break-in period (first 20 hrs.).

On a new bike, I change the oil and filter after 1 hr. This is to get the metal shavings out of the engine and filter. I change them again at 10 hrs., and then again at 20 hrs. After 20 hrs., I would switch to a good synthetic oil (none of the synthetics are cheap, but neither is a new engine!). My personal preference is ester synthetic Maxima Extra (http://www.maximausa.com/technical/l...beNews2002.pdf). Motul 5100 is another good choice. Honda HP4 is a synthetic blend (an ester synthetic I think), but is no longer API SG so I pass it up.

Also, change the oil in your differentials because they will also contain their share of metal shavings.

For break-in riding, I prefer hill climbs where the engine is put under a lot of troque (compression) load, rather than just going out and riding fast. Besides seating the rings, I think it is also important to "heat cycle" an engine during break-in. That is, ride it then cool it off, ride it again then cool it off, etc.

 

Thanks! Do you know if the the foreman has a filter? If so where is the drain plug and filter located at (filler tube as well)? Also, do you know if you can get the synthetic oils at checker auto or autozone, etc. for motorcycles? Or would I need to go to a bike store? Thanks again!

Oh, and should I change the differential fluid after the 20hrs or change it as often as I change the oil (as you mentioned) during break in? Should I go synthetic in the diffs?

 

recon,
"Also, change the oil in your differentials because they will also contain their share of metal shavings."
If youve got metal shavings anywhere, tranny , engine or differential, youve got problems. They arent in there when they leave the factory, ...the stuff is put together in a clean room , which is about 100 times cleaner than a hospital room. There are absolutly no metal chips or shavings making it into any thing made by honda, or any other brand, when they are assembled. Quality control is very carefully monitored, and everything is very clean, before it gets put together. So if youre seeing metal pieces, youve got something broke or wearing wrong, and needs to be fixed.
Neither differential in a honda has any clutch disks, or other wear components, if theres stuff in there...it came in thru the breather, or something needs repair. But it did not get there from the factory, and it is definetly not normal.

 

Well, I know with car engines you do usually see "some" metal in the pan after a few hundred miles (very, very, fine particles). Usually attributed to slight ring wear (break in). I don't think he meant chunks of steal as that would be a bad thing...