Kawasaki ZX-10R Forum banner

Break in requirements unrealistic?

4K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  jd41 
#1 ·
So I just got a 2019 zx10r and thE manual says not to go over 4000 rpm for 500 miles. Then not to go over 6000 miles until 1000 miles. Why doesn’t the factory break these engines in the right way ?
 
#5 ·
Uh, the break-in policy from the manufacturer has to account for the vast majority of people who have more money than brains. If they tell someone who just bought their first literbike that it's OK to go to redline right off the floor, then people will do just that. How different can a motorcycle be from driving a car? After all that money was spent they should be able to see how fast they go, right? And that 12 month warranty covers anything that can happen from going to balls out with all that assembly lube in the motor and any possible issues with the parts being assembled. What could go wrong?

Nah, the break-in procedure has more to do with easing the rider into the bike and it's a carryover from the last few decades when it was more important to follow it.
 
#13 ·
Don't feel like a sucka! I did a hard break-in on mine to, but it was more of a controlled exersize than a 'do whatever you want' thing. The biggest thing about the break-in is not to keep a constant RPM. You want to vary it around. Even cruising around on a highway or something, you need to accelerate and decelerate constantly in small amounts. That's better than just keeping the throttle steady at 4,000 rpm. And all that has to be done after the engine is fully up to temp after 10-20 miles of mild use at lower RPM.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I agree with pretty much everyone except on the point of switching to Full Synthetic so soon. Even though the engine may be properly broke in long before the 1000 or 1500 mile mark the transmissions are not. They take a lot longer to really get bedded in so I generally do not condone Full Synthetic oil so early in the routine. I do change the oil early and frequently during break-in, but I don't switch to Synthetic.

The Wife's R6 had 109 Street miles on it when I took it to the track and rode the C Group to more or less finish the break-in without just thrashing the piss outta it. At just under 300 miles it got it's first oil change. The Shop R6 was barely any more miles when it got the same treatment.
444265
444266
 
#20 ·
Yeah I mean kinda, nothing bad unless you rag it out in the first 500 miles. If your too rough on it you can actually get cracked piston rings cause although they are gapped from the factory and slightly run in, when you actually ride the thing with dynamic loads and throttle if you get em too hot too quick and put em through too much abuse before they are able to wear in you risk cracking them, possibly scoring the cylinder walls etc. But still you can get on her. Just don't be jerky or hard core snappy and try and keep her under 10k, don't ride her at anything higher than 8k for the first few hundred miles till you at least dump the initial oil. Wanna get the metal crap out of the oil pan before you start romping on her. And when j say vibration it's not like it shakes the bike. It's just that you can markedly notice when you hit that sweet spot you like to cruise at way more when u are harder on the break in. The bike actually smoothes way the hell out and purs at whatever rpm and speed you ride the most. The rest of the time they still run nice but the short 1500k rpm worth of your most comfy cruise speed just goes butter smooth
 
#21 ·
What tdh said; if a noob buys a super all they do is ride it to Starbucks then sell it after about 5k miles of slabs. Seasoned riders always know that EACH bike has its own personality so simply feel for awhile to learn from the bike. That does NOT mean they may treat the bike easy, but simply that they are not pushing the bike until the bike has figured out if the rider is a keeper.
 
#25 ·
Here is some insight from someone who has been around engine and transmission manufacturing for about 17 years.

Most manufacturers no longer "run" a motor on a dyno after building it. They do what is called a "cold test". The motor and trans assembly is coupled to an electric motor that spins the motor up. The plugs are not yet installed but the motor and trans are mostly otherwise complete. With the motor spinning many things are measure such as, compression, air flow/vacuum at different throttle opening, all installed motor sensor data, and inputs from various vibration and noise sensors external of the motor. The transmission is shifted through the gears and the input and output speeds are monitored. The 1st time I saw this I thought it was a bad idea as what's better than running the motor. The truth is with all of the sensor data coming in the process is better at finding defects and is faster, meaning more throughput.

The motor is run once installed in the bike on a chassis dyno to make sure everything is primed and ready to go. This is the reason the bike has one to a few miles on it when brand new. They just run the motor, get it warmed up, run it up and down the gears, and ship it. No power pulls or anything like that.

As for when to put in synthetic oil, many new motors and transmissions come with synthetic from the factory. There is no need to wait at all.

With my brand new 2019 I ran the motor a few heat and cool down cycles on a stand, drained the factory oil, poured in synthetic, and put it on a dyno and tuned it. It had about 1 mile on it when we started and maybe 20 when we were done. From there the bike went straight to the race track. I haven't had a single issue with the bike so far. (Knock on wood)

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
 
#32 ·
Here is some insight from someone who has been around engine and transmission manufacturing for about 17 years.

Most manufacturers no longer "run" a motor on a dyno after building it. They do what is called a "cold test". The motor and trans assembly is coupled to an electric motor that spins the motor up. The plugs are not yet installed but the motor and trans are mostly otherwise complete. With the motor spinning many things are measure such as, compression, air flow/vacuum at different throttle opening, all installed motor sensor data, and inputs from various vibration and noise sensors external of the motor. The transmission is shifted through the gears and the input and output speeds are monitored. The 1st time I saw this I thought it was a bad idea as what's better than running the motor. The truth is with all of the sensor data coming in the process is better at finding defects and is faster, meaning more throughput.

The motor is run once installed in the bike on a chassis dyno to make sure everything is primed and ready to go. This is the reason the bike has one to a few miles on it when brand new. They just run the motor, get it warmed up, run it up and down the gears, and ship it. No power pulls or anything like that.

As for when to put in synthetic oil, many new motors and transmissions come with synthetic from the factory. There is no need to wait at all.

With my brand new 2019 I ran the motor a few heat and cool down cycles on a stand, drained the factory oil, poured in synthetic, and put it on a dyno and tuned it. It had about 1 mile on it when we started and maybe 20 when we were done. From there the bike went straight to the race track. I haven't had a single issue with the bike so far. (Knock on wood)

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
I took the factory Ducati tour and that's exactly how the engines were run, then placed in to the bike. The time on the dyno was minimal. That day they were working on the V4's :D.
 
#28 ·
This is the way it has been for a long time, modern machining is far far more accurate and efficient than it used to be, the old theory of rings bedding into cylinders is well outdated. Oil is so much more advanced rings do not grind against nikasil coatings FULLSTOP. Transmission like everything else is finished to a higher standard than ever before, shell bearings, pinions etc are all finished to a much higher standard. I haven't been on the Kawasaki course but Suzuki have taught as "Bloose Post" above for many years, Start bike run upto temperature allow to cool, repeat, change to race oil then dyno simple as that!!
 
#29 ·
There is still the initial honing in the cylinder and the beginning of setting the rings but it really isn't nearly as big a deal and mostly it allows any irregularities to smooth out without the manufacturer having to foot the bill if something was run hard right away. But yeah mostly the break in shit is bs. Just gotta get the metal out of the pan and get fresh oil in her
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top