1199s "break-in" period..

So I bet this question has been asked prior. Regardless, here it goes once again .. As far as a engine "break-in", how do I go about a proper one? I have about 80 miles so far. First ride was about 8 miles, then 10, then 20 etc. I have been twisting the throttle and getting up in the amber/orange rpm ranges quite frequently during my last few rides. Am I being to hard on the engine this way? Feedback is much appreciated!!

:0 oh no !!!!

Actually Ducati referred to, in their literature, the amber and red areas on the tach as their "challenge zones." They put the amber section really low for the first 621 miles to attempt to challenge new owners to keep the RPM's in that zone, and actually more credit for the red zones. Its sort of like Dance Dance Revolution. You get more credits, in the ECU, for time spent in the amber and red zones, and a bonus round if you can continually bounce off the rev limiter.

So when you are "breaking in" a new engine, you should try and maximize your time in the higher RPM areas. After the first 621 miles the Ducati engineers moved the amber zones farther back on the tach display because the initial challenge period has ended. So make sure before the engine has a chance to actually seat rings, and instill proper wear zones, that you literally flog the .... out of it. Its really good for it. Thats why Ducati lowered the amber area on the tach. Its all in the manual in the Addendum marked "No fuckhead, don't run a new engine hard." Look in the index for the exact page number.

NOLA.

NOLA said:

Actually Ducati referred to, in their literature, the amber and red areas on the tach as their "challenge zones." They put the amber section really low for the first 621 miles to attempt to challenge new owners to keep the RPM's in that zone, and actually more credit for the red zones. Its sort of like Dance Dance Revolution. You get more credits, in the ECU, for time spent in the amber and red zones, and a bonus round if you can continually bounce off the rev limiter.

So when you are "breaking in" a new engine, you should try and maximize your time in the higher RPM areas. After the first 621 miles the Ducati engineers moved the amber zones farther back on the tach display because the initial challenge period has ended. So make sure before the engine has a chance to actually seat rings, and instill proper wear zones, that you literally flog the .... out of it. Its really good for it. Thats why Ducati lowered the amber area on the tach. Its all in the manual in the Addendum marked "No fuckhead, don't run a new engine hard." Look in the index for the exact page number.

NOLA.

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I actually wished that what you mentioned had been accurate... well everything except for the not running engine hard part.. This way you'd have more ducatisti experience the upper revs while Starbucksin'

There are many bikes that have gone from showroom to the track, usually with just a 20 minute breaking that would far exceed the loads on the street.

Remember nearly all current engines are machined & assembled to such a high tolerance that the breakin is really minimal, I have 25+ years engine building experience Porsche Ferrari, US V8's Ducati & the big 4 Japanesse road & race etc etc
It takes load to seat / brake-in piston ring to cylinder wall same goes for cams & lifters, this cannot be accomplished by babying the engine, yes years ago you had to brake-in because of the poor surface finishes & part interface clearance but that's all ancient history now, course I am not suggesting you can go straight to 12k but I seriously belief much of the recommendations are written due to liability factor particularly here in sue happy USA, IMO the stepped running in period as per the owners book is to acclimated to rider.
But it's your bike do as you please

Better safe than sorry.

Less you have to deal with Ducati NA, the better. Take it easy until first service but going through the rpms without pinning the throttle wide open is probably not a bad idea.

sean999r said:

There are many bikes that have gone from showroom to the track, usually with just a 20 minute breaking that would far exceed the loads on the street.

Remember nearly all current engines are machined & assembled to such a high tolerance that the breakin is really minimal, I have 25+ years engine building experience Porsche Ferrari, US V8's Ducati & the big 4 Japanesse road & race etc etc
It takes load to seat / brake-in piston ring to cylinder wall same goes for cams & lifters, this cannot be accomplished by babying the engine, yes years ago you had to brake-in because of the poor surface finishes & part interface clearance but that's all ancient history now, course I am not suggesting you can go straight to 12k but I seriously belief much of the recommendations are written due to liability factor particularly here in sue happy USA, IMO the stepped running in period as per the owners book is to acclimated to rider.
But it's your bike do as you please

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most Panis that go on the track blow up and no warranty

so break the bike in exactly by the book....whatz that called? RTFM ¿ ¿

NOLA said:

Actually Ducati referred to, in their literature, the amber and red areas on the tach as their "challenge zones." They put the amber section really low for the first 621 miles to attempt to challenge new owners to keep the RPM's in that zone, and actually more credit for the red zones. Its sort of like Dance Dance Revolution. You get more credits, in the ECU, for time spent in the amber and red zones, and a bonus round if you can continually bounce off the rev limiter.

So when you are "breaking in" a new engine, you should try and maximize your time in the higher RPM areas. After the first 621 miles the Ducati engineers moved the amber zones farther back on the tach display because the initial challenge period has ended. So make sure before the engine has a chance to actually seat rings, and instill proper wear zones, that you literally flog the .... out of it. Its really good for it. Thats why Ducati lowered the amber area on the tach. Its all in the manual in the Addendum marked "No fuckhead, don't run a new engine hard." Look in the index for the exact page number.

NOLA.

Click to expand...

You can simply say you dont recommend a hard break-in as opposed to wasting all your energy to be "sarcastic". Its ok. I get it. Thanks anyway sir.

Doesn't matter. Ducati dyno tested the bike at the factory. It's already broken in.


Just follow the manual for the rest. Try plenty of hills, avoid cruise control. No big deal. It's impossible for any of my sportbike bud's to properly load up a Superbike engine on the street. And we haven't had any problems.

I don't KNOW if the jap bikes get dyno tested at the factory, but they should be. All high performance engines should be broken in on the dyno IMO.

We ALL have our own way of doing this and there are "stickies" posted up by our Mods for questions such as this since they are so debatable ya know? Definitely do some searching before posting so as not to get that wide open throttle of info dumped from everyone like a fire hose here!

As stated, we all do this our own way based on experience. Every new Superbike I bought has gone thru its same break in and yet Ive NEVER had any issues with it at all. Matter of fact the dealer I use, and personal buddy of 10+ years, always says beat it in hard, before i leave with it. I have never abused the bike with red line for extended periods but have gone thru ALL gears ALL the way to red line and back down thru them all over and over. Key to me is not to run it at same speeds and RPMs for too long of time. Variation and using ALL the features of bike is important to ME. Some have not used the quick shifter and all the riding modes and engine setting until AFTER the first service - whats the point of this?

I won't dive into this any further since it surely goes against what someone else does on their bikes for years. Do it YOUR way mixed with a little of everything I say. But then again who am I here?

If you want to break in your Pani properly
Go up and down on the RPMs, DO NOT stay riding at the same RPM for too long, take it to 9000 RPM for a few seconds and then come down to 5000.

Every Engine is like a fingerprint, all engines are different so don't be afraid to go hard now and then for seconds ONLY!
Enjoy it and have fun!!

ChasDuc

Buliwyf said:

Doesn't matter. Ducati dyno tested the bike at the factory. It's already broken in.

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So for clarification.
Are you saying that the 3-4 Kms that are on the odometer from the factory run-up on the dyno to check that the bike is functioning properly, is actually sufficient for break-in and absolutely nothing further is required?

The Panigale Owner's Manual has a major typo that should be noted: replace "break-in period" with "throttle strangulation" and you'll understand it. As Buliwyf said, the engine gets dyno'd in QC before the bike is fully assembled. It's good to go. Break-in is for lawyers writing motorcycle manuals who don't want new-to-bike riders to die due to the power.

Thank you for the feedback! My mind is at ease finally. I also talked to my dealer and they stated if you go by the manual you might damage the bike. They said get in the ranges, you wont hurt it.

BAIBAICOP said:

The Panigale Owner's Manual has a major typo that should be noted: replace "break-in period" with "throttle strangulation" and you'll understand it. As Buliwyf said, the engine gets dyno'd in QC before the bike is fully assembled. It's good to go. Break-in is for lawyers writing motorcycle manuals who don't want new-to-bike riders to die due to the power.

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NO doubt that five minutes on the dyno to ensure that it doesn't grenade itself is a sufficient "break in" period. That makes perfect sense. In that amount of time the rings fully seat, cam paths are worn, valves seat"¦.sure dude.

And what about the amber bar on the tach that stays low till 621 miles ? Thats just for show, or to taunt you ? I am SURE that a bunch of guys on a web board have WAY more info on the Panigale engine than the engineers with Doctorate's in engineering and that BUILT THE ENGINE"¦.What the hell could they know.

Silly.

NOLA.

Arctic1199 said:

Thank you for the feedback! My mind is at ease finally. I also talked to my dealer and they stated if you go by the manual you might damage the bike. They said get in the ranges, you wont hurt it.

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Haaaaaaaaaaaa"¦..Your dealer SAID "If you go by the manual you may damage the bike""¦.riiiiight dude.

What dealer do you use again ?

NOLA

NOLA said:

NO doubt that five minutes on the dyno to ensure that it doesn't grenade itself is a sufficient "break in" period. That makes perfect sense. In that amount of time the rings fully seat, cam paths are worn, valves seat"¦.sure dude.

And what about the amber bar on the tach that stays low till 621 miles ? Thats just for show, or to taunt you ? I am SURE that a bunch of guys on a web board have WAY more info on the Panigale engine than the engineers with Doctorate's in engineering and that BUILT THE ENGINE"¦.What the hell could they know.

Silly.

NOLA.

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What? Do you own a 2012 model? j/k I'm only speaking from the perspective of an owner...not a lawyer or engineer who has broken in eight sportbikes this way (hard!) The one I babied dumped blue smoke at 4k mi. Feel free to argue with my results, but I won't. Yes, the bike can still .... itself, but I think it would be bound to happen anyway.

I would break it in by the book . I am currently doing the same with my fresh motor . I actually replaced the front sleeve from the first break in .
Heat cycles are also really good thing to do to get the most out of a break in period .

NOLA said:

Haaaaaaaaaaaa"¦..Your dealer SAID "If you go by the manual you may damage the bike""¦.riiiiight dude.

What dealer do you use again ?

NOLA

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Im just stating what they told me.