I'm breaking in a 2009, and having a hard time staying under 4k RPM. The majority of the time I can do it, but the occasional connecting road requires that I get up around 6k to avoid getting run over. My dealer said as long as I warmed it before I rode, and kept it under 1/2 redline (6500) it would be fine.

Any thoughts/advice?

See this thread:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10171

Thanks. Looks like there are lots of opinions on this. I wonder which one is right?

:confused:

Everyone has an opinion! I have over 600 miles and still haven't hit the redline. Just ride like you always will and try to avoid a constant speed for long periods. Lots of engine braking and vary the rpms. I got all that info from this forum, etc. :)

After reading all that, I loosened up a little. Made a store run, and let it get up in the 7k range. It's like my old Ninja. The higher it revs, the more psycho it gets. This is going to be fun.

:thumbup:

The higher it revs, the more psycho it gets. This is going to be fun.

:thumbup:

that's an understatement! :happy50:

After reading all that, I loosened up a little. Made a store run, and let it get up in the 7k range. It's like my old Ninja. The higher it revs, the more psycho it gets. This is going to be fun.

:thumbup:

Oh Yea - :crazyloco:

yeah, just do whatever you want. f*@# the "break in rules"...

yeah, just do whatever you want. f*@# the "break in rules"...

not entirely true... there are some conditions you should stay away from.

break in rules are just so the stealership makes sure there are going to be no problems, I broke in my ninja by usually cruising around 4 -5 k but shifted at 6 to 7


edit. I wish i had this info before i broke in my bike, the link above is probably the best way to do it.

I'm in the same boat. I try to cruise it around 4-5k as traffic allows, but every now and then I get the urge to just let her rip on up to about 7 or so. All the potential this little bike has is just crazy.

I'm in the same boat. I try to cruise it around 4-5k as traffic allows, but every now and then I get the urge to just let her rip on up to about 7 or so. All the potential this little bike has is just crazy.

you have an 08 and you're still breaking it in? how many miles do you have on it? :confused:

I bought it used from someone who only put 84 miles on her. They would just ride it to the corner store and back. Right now she's got about 330.

hope you've changed the oil/filter at least once to this point. twice if you really like your bike. :)

Hey Kelly I just noticed you ride a dual sport too. Any good places to ride dirt over there?

kauai is filled with lots of brutal off road riding. Though they have fenced off a lot of riding areas in the recent years due to the sugar cane companies closing, riding a dual sport allows me to jump from road to trail and back on the road when the trail ends. :)

how do you like the dr200?

I love the DR. It's a great little trail bike. It's a 200cc five speed, so it's limited on the road. Anything under 50 mph is fine though. In the woods it's hard to beat. You like the 230?

I bought a hitch carrier a while back, and the DR is perfect to carry along on family trips.

http://dugdown.com/motorcyclestuff/suzuki/hitch2.JPG

I just sold a KLR650 because it was just too big for trails. It was fast on the road, but not as fun as the Ninja.

not entirely true... there are some conditions you should stay away from.

ok, ok,...there are some things you shouldn't do, like redline it for minutes on end, ect., ect...but IMO, you can generally do whatever you want. if you wanna stay below the factory suggested 4k rpm, don't expect to go on the highway or anything over 50 mph for that matter. i pretty much just did whatever with my bike and it worked fine for me! still goin' strong! :evil6:

I love the DR. It's a great little trail bike. It's a 200cc five speed, so it's limited on the road. Anything under 50 mph is fine though. In the woods it's hard to beat. You like the 230?

love the 230, but like yours, a bit underpowered, though it can do 50-60. I've regeared the cs sprocket one up so it would have more top end. I've also desnorkeled, rejetted and opened up the exhaust to let the bike breathe a bit better. The gearing is so low on the bike stock, it still pulls nicely at slow speeds.

Good to see another D/S on the board... there are a few others. :)

you have an 08 and you're still breaking it in? how many miles do you have on it? :confused:

I bought it used from someone who only put 84 miles on her. They would just ride it to the corner store and back. Right now she's got about 330.

Hey - no worries on the low mileage! I'm at 500 as of yesterday

Hey - no worries on the low mileage! I'm at 500 as of yesterday

Your suppose to have more miles on your bike, than post's on this site:boink:

Your suppose to have more miles on your bike, than post's on this site:boink:

:rotflmao:

Your suppose to have more miles on your bike, than post's on this site:boink:

maybe you need to take that stick to one Kkim then.... I've dealt with a torn meniscus/lcl and lots of snow - what's his excuse?

maybe you need to take that stick to one Kkim then.... I've dealt with a torn meniscus/lcl and lots of snow - what's his excuse?

Them sound like fighting words :)

I've got more miles than posts, so you're on your own. :D

I've got more miles than posts, so you're on your own. :D

ditto :thumbup:

Remember when you bought a new car and you were supposed to break it in, too? OK, most of you don't remember, but it was true. Yeah, nobody breaks their new cars in anymore. They buy em and go out and drive em. If its a stick, you rev the piss out of it. The manufacturing process for engines has come a LONG ways in the last 30 years. My method:

5 warmup cycles (Gently vary the engine revs to warmup temp, then let it cool down completely)

30 miles or so of easy riding. Try to vary the revs, and keep them below 7K or so.

Change the oil

Rev the crap out of em for another 150 miles (one race weekend)

Change the oil

Rev the crap out of em for another 150 miles (one race weekend)

Change to Mobile 1 synthetic

Good to go :)

Honestly break in is a joke. A friend of mine was invited to the Honda manufacture where he saw the Honda motorcycle assembly line. Trust me these bikes are broken in before you even sit on the bike. They rev the piss out of these motors at the plant.

A good way to break a motor in, is to moderatly but steadily bring the motor up to high RPM and then let off the gas but let the bike come to a stop by itself still in gear. Do this through all the gears and your done. I have done it this way since day one and never had a problem.
There are many different methods to break in a motor. This can be a touchy subject for some.

Not to jack the thread but I tried searching and couldnt find anything and it kind of applies here- I was just told that you should never use the kill switch to shut off the engine unless in an emergency. Is this true and if so- how else do you shut the bike down?

You can shut off the engine any way you like. Hit the kill switch, put the kickstand down while in gear, or turn the key to the off position. Engine doesn't care, and the bike's electrics certainly don't care. The logic that I've heard behind those that say not to use the kill switch is that the switch isn't rated to be switched on and off many times per day over many years, and if you wear the switch out it might fail and leave you stranded. Personally I think it's utter BS, and that same logic would apply to the ignition switch or the sidestand safety switch as well, so you have to pick one of the 3 to use each time. I guess you could alternate between the 3 to spread the wear out. :p

Thanks. That makes alot more sense!

My thinking is that if I kill it with the switch, I may walk off and leave the key in the ignition.

i didnt even break mine in, i couldnt
first ride was in 50mph traffic and then on to 55mph so i was around 7-8k the first 100 miles

but i dont see why you need to break an engine in, if it works the first 100, it'll work the next and the next
everything should seat pretty quickly and even if u hit redline im not seeing why anything would seat improperly and cause a problem

i preferably never hit redline on anything i drive :D

i preferably never hit redline on anything i drive :D try not to hit redline, but ride the bike up there near it... you'll have a blast!! :dance:

Search motoman break in method Im a believer.

Search motoman break in method Im a believer.

yeah, i was about to bring this up, i read through the whole website of Motoman, and was truly impressed with a lot of his tips, especially with his break in technique.

i plan to follow his hard break method, but i still have this little voice saying "what if?"

so i wanted to ask here if anyone has done a proper hard break in as per Motomans procedure? if so, how did it go? any problems during the break in, or after?

on my last bike i tried my best to follow the factory 4k limit break in rule, nothing broke, and nothing special happened. but it was a hassle to stay under 4k rpm for so long! where as with the hard break in, you can get the proces over and done with faster, have better seals on the O rings, more power, and even reduce engine wear in the long run.

looking forward to hearing from other peoples experiences 1st hand with the 250r and their hard break in.

cheers

so i wanted to ask here if anyone has done a proper hard break in as per Motomans procedure? if so, how did it go? any problems during the break in, or after?

cheers

This is what the salesman from the dealership recommended. He didn't point me towards any guide on how to do it (such as the 'motoman break in method'). Anyone I know who rides has pretty much followed this method. No problems from it as far as I've heard.

i kept it under 4k for the first 30 miles or so

the next 30 to 60 miles at around 6K max

60 to 100miles at 7.5K (lots of engine braking)

then normal usage after that

changed oil to full synthetic at 386miles, changed oil filter too

never went red line though, probably maxed out around 9.5K

rode on the freeway three times now at around 65 to 70ish at 9K+ rpm for around 20 to 30 minutes. wouldnt go above 75mph (i got slapped with a $157 fine for doing 75mph once on my other ninja)

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10171 :rolleyes:

I'm just wondering, i've read thru about 50 threads like this. The one prevailent thing is changing the oil. When i asked the dealer if i should he said as long as i'm not reving the piss outta my bike it should be good until 600 miles (the first official check up).

Should i change it or leave it considering 80% of my 200 km so far has been on sweeping side roads @ less than 5k?

Change it, change it, change it. Its inexpensive motor insurance. How can it hurt to get those little metal flakes out of the engine? I used motomans method to break in all my engines. Im at almost 3500 miles on my little ninja and have no problems at all.

How can it hurt to get those little metal flakes out of the engine?

I don't know that why i ask. I read somewhere tho that by leaving them in (until the first scheduled maitenance) helps wear in the engine and that the big flakes get taken care of by the filter.

:confused20:

One say up the other say down. In the end i'll probably follow the instructions of those who built it, it's the fail safe.

The oil change might also depend on your chosen break in method. People that ride it hard via motoman method should be ending up with more metal and thus require more oil changes. Theoretically, a factory recommended break in at less than 4k should be less wear and tear on the gears etc. so that might mesh with their factory recommended oil change at 1000km or whatever it is...

My thinking is that if I kill it with the switch, I may walk off and leave the key in the ignition.

I shut off using the rule I learned in my MSF course.
Thumb/Key - Thumb the kill switch, key the ignition off.

Then on using FINE-C
Fuel, Ignition, Neutral (not necessary), Engine (switch on) - Clutch (important if not in neutral)

I rode mine normally when it was new, my dealer is on a 4 lane high way and I had to ride it home, so 4k was out the window as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot. I changed the oil at 600mi and now im 3500 and it runs fine, plan on switching to Rotella at 4k.

I'm using a kind of hybrid method. From 0 (well 21 at the dealer) to 100km I kept it under 4000RPM for the most part, with a few part-throttle runs through a couple of gears to about 7000-8000RPM, some low-stress engine braking when slowing for stops and varying speed when cruising to keep the revs moving around a little.

I did an oil and filter change and am going let the revs go a little higher on those part-throttle runs, cruise a little higher than 4000RPM now and then while still engine braking and varying speed.

At 300km I'll do another oil and filter change, then continue letting the revs get over 4000RPM when cruising at speed and run through the gears to higher RPM and engine brake from slightly (note slightly) higher RPM.

At 600km I'll do another oil and filter change, then keep going on the same scheme with revs getting up near (as in close to, not about to bounce off) redline a couple of times here and there and cruising higher than 4000RPM as needed on the highway.

Then at 1000km it's time for the first dealer service and I feel that break-in should be done and done well.

Note that my rides fairly short most times (10 - 40km) and starting from 100km oil change I'll do some heat-cycling rides by going out for a short ride, letting the bike cool, then going for another short ride.

So I'm basically building up gradually riding somewhere in between the mild and hard-core break-in methods with a nod to the manufacturer's method.

I don't think this is the best way for everyone, since I don't think there is a best way to break-in an engine unless you are going to use that engine for a specific purpose, like racing vs. running a parade float. Plus my schedule hasn't yet allowed a day of heat-cycling and quiet roads to play. But this makes sense to me and is taken from about a month of reading and talking to people about the subject.

Hmm interesting, kinda taking a little bit of everything and some personal ideas/experience.

Im thinking after riding for a few more days and doing a ton of reading, I'll have a much better idea of what I should do.

Can anyone give a specific illustration of what exactly happens (or should be happening) during a break in period. (i guess like fluid dispersement through parts and w/e).

Chances are im going to be ridirected to a ninjette wiki which I havent had time to look at :)

Like most assembly-line built machines, a new motorcycle and not just the engine but the whole bike is put together to a specification, delivered, checked to that specification and then sent out into the world under your butt.

Once you start using it, friction, heat, joint / fastener tolerances, material properties all start to change. The changes are known and thus compensated for by the specifications I mentioned, for example the engine heats as you ride and the metal expands, so places where two pieces of metal meet evenly might get slightly uneven, and parts such as piston rings settle into their races. The road vibration may loosen fasteners slightly, your brake rotors are scrubbed by the pads when you brake, and your clutch and brake cables may stretch slightly.

You keep an eye on all these things as a dealer and manual will tell you, checking for loose bits, oil leaks, weird coolant level changes and so on while riding the bike gently at first, then building up the stress you put on it accordingly (this is where the break-in procedures vary). Then after a period perhaps requiring some adjustments, the bike is sorted such that is is acclimated to what happens to it (described above) while you ride it.

At this point, the bike is considered to be broken in.

Focusing on the engine, I'll let someone with more expertise, say kkim describe exactly what goes on inside the engine, but lets just say that some little machining imperfections and hard edges are worked out, and the parts become able to transition from cold and dry to hot and lubricated (oh that sounds bad) smoothly. Like a baseball glove that works from day one but after it's used and broken in, flexes better on your hand and fits... like a glove.

That help? Thought I'd keep it descriptive instead of hard-core technical and hopefully that was what you were after.

That really helped, i appreciate the fact that you kept it "descriptive instead of hard-core technical ". I understood everything that you said and it makes a lot of sense.

I'm looking forward knowing to what happens in the engine during break in, hopefully kkim or someone will have some time to share their knowledge. I own a car but never knew anything mechanical about it, but I'm a little bit more concerned with the bike considering that it's hard to feel comfortable riding around when I'm not even sure whats really going on inside the bike.