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Break in myth. Listen to Honda!

36697 Views 137 Replies 54 Participants Last post by  etiainen
I'm going to put this debate to rest. Do what your manual tells you to. It takes 300 miles to break in the bike. Keep the revs low as instructed to. Honda built it... Not motoman or any other site. Also, I now have synth oil in it. My guy at the dealer has been working with bikes for 20+ years and said bike engines like these are small and don't take nearly as long to break in as a car engine... plus they are partially broke in from being tested at the factory. If ya wanna use synth then just wait for the 600 mile service. Also, yes there are metal fragments that come loose in any new motor... this is what the filter is for!
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I totally agree. Seems like a lot of people never bothered to read their owners manual.
Thank you Mongoose. The debate is now at rest.
Thanks for bringing this up. I see a lot of people just don't care about the engine break-in process and just drive it however they want to. Honda has been doing this forever so taking their word on their product just makes sense, no one knows their product any better than them.
I'll be taking very good care of mine once I get it. I'm the same way with my car. I treat it like a good woman... that reminds me. I need to send it flowers.
Lmao! "hey baby... need anything... flowers... spark plug... your oil level good?"
my dealer, and the manual, and this thread, all said the same thing. Hence, this is probably the best advice. Case closed.
I'm going to put this debate to rest. Do what your manual tells you to. It takes 300 miles to break in the bike. Keep the revs low as instructed to.
What does it say about the RPM?

Word for word please.
Honda doesn't specify any break in period rev limits.

Speculation: it's an extremely over square short stroke engine so the actual piston speeds at higher revs aren't really so high as to be a big concern.

I was going to wait until 50 miles before taking mine on freeway, but at 30 miles I needed to get on the freeway to get somewhere.. so up to 6500 rpm it is, just not at full throttle to get there yet, per their instructions.
Honda mostly says it so you don't stuff it in the hedge on the first ride. They redline them at the factory when testing them before shipment. I've had 5 new bikes all broken in Motoman style and not had any problems. The only bike I've ever had burn any oil for an extended period of time is the BMW R1200GS. But they're notorious for burning oil until about 12000 mi. I broke my wife's 250 in that way. No problems.
.. I've had 5 new bikes all broken in Motoman style and not had any problems.

The proper breakin may depend on the bike. My 2006 Speed Triple (with modern engine) had a strict breakin regimen with different rev limits specified at 100, 250, etc.. starting off with not exceeding 3500 rpm before 100 miles and increasing up to specific limits thereafter.
Additionally they specify NO OIL change before 600 miles AND a change to full synthetic (ONLY) at 600 miles.
I did as they recommended. I would recommend following a manufacturers advice in all cases.
I'm going to put this debate to rest. Do what your manual tells you to. It takes 300 miles to break in the bike. Keep the revs low as instructed to. Honda built it... Not motoman or any other site. Also, I now have synth oil in it. My guy at the dealer has been working with bikes for 20+ years and said bike engines like these are small and don't take nearly as long to break in as a car engine... plus they are partially broke in from being tested at the factory. If ya wanna use synth then just wait for the 600 mile service. Also, yes there are metal fragments that come loose in any new motor... this is what the filter is for!

Sorry to say but I dont think this has put anything to bed. The manual doesnt state at all to keep below any rev limit but just has a few points include that dont really tell you much in detail. Talking to Honda dealers you can get a different message depending on the dealer you talk to and I know from where I got my bike I was simple told "Dont Baby It"

The break in that a lot of people discuss on here is the method used for the last 20 years. Im sure that these methods where great for the time, but are they still relevent with todays technology..............
Some manufacturers are using a special break in oil. My buddy's KTM had that and we broke it in Motoman style and just left the oil in until the 600 service. Now he just has trouble with wind buffeting and keeping gas in it. BMW and Honda don't use that so I don't worry about it. I wouldn't doubt that your break in process had mostly to do with the clutch. Triumphs tend to have good clutch feel and that's usually attributed to materials.

After watching production videos and the way they run the bikes on the dyno to test them I stopped worrying about the break in issue. I do, however, load the engine smoothly and avoid jerking the throttle around, which is a bigger issue. Today's materials are so hard and well finished that you really can't hurt the motor unless you lug it or drone it on the freeway before break in. As a typical example, my GSA didn't stop burning oil until after I ran it hard for 24 hours straight from Lincoln, NE to Sacramento, CA and at that point it had 15,000 miles on it. Air cooled motors are a bit different though. I didn't understand how hard you had to run that motor for the rings to fully seat which is partly why it took so long.
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They redline them at the factory when testing them before shipment.
Indeed.

Honda doesn't specify any break in period rev limits.

Indeed.

Why are you spreading incorrect information/lies mongoose?
Honda mostly says it so you don't stuff it in the hedge on the first ride. They redline them at the factory when testing them before shipment.
Comments like this are the source of how myths get started. How do you have access to these "facts"? Do you work at Honda in Thailand? Did the R&D department at Honda tell you this information? Are you assuming it's done this way cause another company does it this way? Please share your sources! <p><p>
As for this motoman website. It's a low budget website! The guy says nothing of his credentials, training, experience, or awards received for his methods. All the "photographic evidence" on his page could very well be total BS. Anyone can take a pic of 2 pistons and say they came from one bike or another. All I see is a website with un-backed information asking for my e-mail (which is most likely sold off to companys to spam your inbox).
Honda doesn't specify any break in period rev limits
Sorry, you are correct there. Honda does not... this is what my dealer told me. He said to just keep the revs low and accels tamed till the initial service.
From page 59 of the manual for the CBR250R/RA, as sold in Malaysia:

RUNNING-IN
Help assure your motorcycle’s future reliability and performance by paying extra attention to how you ride during the first 500 km (300 miles).
During this period, avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
I would recommend following a manufacturers advice in all cases.
That's all I'm saying. Not trying to give bad advice. Everyone is gonna do what they wanna do anyway. Motoman says "RUN IT HARD", Honda says "AVOID FULL-THROTTLE starts and RAPID acceleration. AVOID HARD breaking. Ride conservatively". Now look back at the capped words. Do they match? What part of what Honda says sounds like what motoman says. Complete opposites! Come on people... this is why we bought a Honda in the 1st place. They know their stuff!
That's all I'm saying.
No it's not. You were saying that the Honda manual instructs you to keep the revs low. It says nothing of the sort.
No it's not. You were saying that the Honda manual instructs you to keep the revs low. It says nothing of the sort.
Now your just being a troll. If this thread bothers you so much then find something else to do with your time. Your not sharing any input or advice here! That's the point of a forum. To exchange info. All your on here to do is police my comments. Get a life dude.
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