How to break in a new motorbike engine the best way︱Cross Training Enduro

How should you break in a new motorbike engine? There is a fair bit of fact and bullshit about the best motorbike break-in procedure, mixed in with heaps of hearsay and anecdotal evidence. And even the manufacturers advice can be contradictory. We do know the older methods no longer apply due to advances in engine design, modern manufacturing techniques and hugely improved engine oils. Many riders still do this because it's the way their dad did it, and the way their granpappy did it. It no longer applies due to modern engine design and the anti-wear compounds in modern oils. And if you do go too easy on the engine, you risk glazing your rings and not getting a good seat with the bore, meaning less power, higher fuel consumption and burning oil. Not a good idea. And most of that wear occurs in the first hour. This is why it's important to replace that engine oil after your first ride. Often it has a different weight to assist with breaking in, but it also will be full of tiny bits of metal that can damage your engine in the long run so the best breaking in method is handy. ENGINE WEAR IN FIRST HOURS OF BREAKING IN The highest rate of wear occurred at the beginning of the break-in period, and decreased sharply during the first hour. The wear reached its low steady rate after three and half hours of engine break-in. Accordingly, the wear particles reached a high concentration in the oil after the first hour. Why is breaking in, or running in, your motorbike important? The amount of stress on the engine is important for preparing all those metal to metal contacts for a tough smooth surfaces that will mean good performance, not using excessive oil. and a long engine life. So we'll look at the research that does exist and try to make some sense of it all. The most important parts are the piston rings, the piston and bore and the top end of four strokes when looking at how to break in a motorbike engine. The parts in your new dirt bike engine might look smooth and shiny, but they are very rough at the microscopic level. A typical motorbike engine will make all those rough surfaces smooth over about three and a half hours. It assumes you need moderate degree of force in the engine to properly bed your rings nicely within the bore. While there isn't a lot of research on breaking in engines, there is good evidence for moderate force during the break-in. Run the engine for around 30 minutes at half to three quarter throttle, change the engine oil after the first hour and you are done. There is very little research done in the whole area of breaking in engines but industry reports back this up. All the bearings throughout an engine are important too but bed in very early in the break-in procedure. The dirt bike manufacturers usually take care of the initial break-in steps at the factory with what is called a 'dead run' when looking at how to break in a motorbike engine. DEAD RUN BREAK-IN PROCEDURE AT THE FACTORY Changing the oil after one hour would reduce the wear in an engine. Manufacturers typically do a variant of the 'dead run' in the factory, a process that is also required when any engine undergoes a major rebuild. The piston is lubed at at the wrist pin, the bore and rings are left dry and the engine is rotated for several hundred revolutions to seat the moly-filled top ring and coat the bore in the ring sweep area without placing any undue stress on the piston skirt. This, combined with all the modern technology, means your motorbike break-in period is now reduced to somewhere between one and three hours. The engine is then run (often up to the rev limiter) and checked. Some manufacturers run a dyno test when breaking in a motorbike engine. So let's look at the theories. The methods of breaking in a motorbike engine can be broken into four main categories. The gentle break-in The aggressive break-in The moderate break-in Heat cycles The gentle break-in or running in of a motorbike is the old school approach, such as don't go over half throttle for the first thousand kilometres. The aggressive break-in...... One popular school of thought is to ride the bike like you stole it immediately after the first warm up, using full throttle as much as possible when approaching how to break in a motorbike engine. The moderate break-in is the one we favour, it aims to cause wear and pressure where it's needed, but avoid excessive wear where it isn't needed. With luck you will get good ring seal with the bore, but it won't be good news for any plain bearing surfaces and the piston skirt. The use of low power settings does not expand the piston rings enough, and a film of oil is left on the cylinder walls. When this happens, the ring break-in process stops, and excessive oil consumption frequently occurs, when approaching how to break in a motorbike engine.