Breaking in your motorbike engine - what mechanics and engineers say︱Cross Training Adventure

How should you break in a new motorbike engine? Some guys still follow this, even though it no longer apply due to advances in engine design, modern manufacturing techniques and hugely improved engine oils. Other riders say ride the bike like stole it when you break in a new motorbike engine. There is a fair bit of fact and fiction about the best motorbike break-in procedure, mixed in with plenty of hearsay and anecdotal evidence. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. In the old days, manufacturers would say running in the engine gently for the first gazillion miles or so. And then there's the middle road. Just warm the engine up briefly, don't let it idle for minutes. Vary the revs from low to high in the break in period. The parts in your new dirt bike engine might look smooth and shiny, but they are very rough at the microscopic level. Often it has a different weight to assist with breaking in, but it also will be full of tiny bits of metal that could cause premature wear in the long run... important for how to break in a new motorbike engine! The manufacturers usually take care of the initial break-in steps at the factory with what is called a 'dead run'. Put the engine under load, don't baby it. Flogging it really hard probably won't hurt, but it probably won't help either. Replace engine oil after the first hour, or as per the manual. Most importantly, don't get too hung up on how you run in your new engine. Chances are it won't make a big difference anyway. We did a pile of research, then chatted with two very experienced mechanics. Our conclusion? Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. New bikes have already been tested and run in at the factory. And the rest of the break in period done by you is very short. But if you are bored, feel free to hang around as we look at the research that does exist. This, combined with all the modern technology, means your break-in period is now reduced to somewhere between one and three hours. Typically it's holding the bike at maximum power for up to minute. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. The gentle break-in for new motorbike engines. The aggressive break-in. The moderate break-in. Heat cycles for running motorbike engines. 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. 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. 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. Just ride the bike like you usually do. And a spoiler alert, that's our position for breaking in new motorbikes. We will explain why shortly. With luck you will get good ring seal with the bore, but our experts say it may not be good news for any plain bearing surfaces and the piston skirt. The moderate break-in for new motorbike engine 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. It assumes you need moderate degree of force in the engine to properly bed your rings nicely within the bore. Hard Facts About Engine Break-in: Lycoming, Avco Corp 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. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. 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. The aggressive break-in... After the dead run, a few drops of oil are placed on each ring and it's rotated it in its groove to distribute it, and a film of oil is applied to the bore for protection during the first 30 seconds of exposure to live fire. The engine is then run (often up to the rev limiter) and checked. Some manufacturers run a dyno test for the initial break-in. So let's look at the theories. The methods of breaking in a motorbike engine can be broken into four main categories. The weird thing is I can't find any research or evidence to back this up. The manufacturers don't recommend it. Key engine parts are heat treated before assembly at much higher temperatures than the engine will run at, so I suspect it's a myth. #crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding #enginebreakin