I saw TWO brand new V4R’s this weekend at the track, one had 40 miles and the other had 14…here i am trying to keep my warranty intact and follow break in instructions, and these owners are out spanking them…i guress when you got money…
What is it with break in crazies?
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There are lots of different views on how to break in a motor. You will find many racers (and track day folks) break in their motors on a dyno and then the track -- all within a few miles. Two of my coaches at the track had brand new ZX4RR bikes with a few dyno runs on them and then cracked them open full at the next track day. I, for one, do not allow my new motors to run for 600 miles with metal shavings in them. My break-ins are within 5 miles, then full throttle and the oil gets swapped at 50.
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Shouldn’t the oil filter be catching said worrisome shavings? I don’t get all the deviations from the manuals for break in or in other specs. It’s like one’s anecdotal evidence is better than Ducati’s engineering of which their warranty is based on.
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As I said, there are many different opinions. Empirical evidence says no, the oil filter does not catch all the metal savings (even when following the break-in recommendations).
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If you're racing, with a good budget, you will refresh the engine every 1500-3000 miles. There's no point running it in.
There is data somewhere, that shows an engine not run in produces more power. But, shorter life span. Marginal numbers though.
There is data somewhere, that shows an engine not run in produces more power. But, shorter life span. Marginal numbers though.
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That look more like “empirical evidence” for when you go full ham on break in.
The thing that suffers from no break-in is the valvetrain. The rest of the motor doesn't care. The early flogging probably helps ring seal though. So future owners of those bikes will be changing rocker arms (it'll take 8 or 10K miles)
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That pic was from a bike that had a 600-mile run-in. Regardless, the question was if the oil filter catches the shavings and I have pics from several bikes (not all my bikes) that look like this (regardless of run-in procedure) and so I say no, the oil filter does not catch all the shavings (at least it didn't for these bikes). No need to argue. Just showing some folks that there may be metal shavings in their oil and they may want to consider changing the oil sooner than 600 miles.
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The magnet did its job and caught the shavings before it got to the filter. The oil filter catches detritus as it’s pumped out of the oil pan and into the engine. One way or another something’s going to catch those metal shavings. It’s not an argument. Do you have any photos or oil samples or any empirical evidence from an engine broken in using your full throttle method?
Oil flow is engine
oil pan oil pump mesh filter oil pump oil filter engine.
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I find it kind of fascinating that even after a century of use and development, there is still an almost mythical uncertainty regarding the appropriate break-in procedure for the internal combustion engine. The fact that we haven’t accumulated enough anecdotal data to put the issue finally to rest suggests to me that it’s not critically important - if it was, the irrefutably correct procedure would have been identified by now. Consider - how much controversy persists regarding whether wearing a helmet reduces your chances of suffering a head injury?
Chris Moore (Moore Mofia) asserted that the recommendation for graduated rev limits during the first several hundred miles of use is really intended to give time for operator skill to develop, not for the engine to break-in. He punctuated his assertion asking (paraphrasing), “You really think they would leave it to you and me? You think they’re gonna leave an issue that could result in millions of dollars of warranty claims to you and me following instructions? He’ll no! If it was that important, they would just program in a rev limit for the first few hundred miles and require that you go to the dealer to get the limit unlocked.”
Which is exactly what bmw does with the s1000rr. I don’t know if they do it with other models as well, but it’s interesting that none of the other manufacturers do this (to my understanding).
Chris Moore (Moore Mofia) asserted that the recommendation for graduated rev limits during the first several hundred miles of use is really intended to give time for operator skill to develop, not for the engine to break-in. He punctuated his assertion asking (paraphrasing), “You really think they would leave it to you and me? You think they’re gonna leave an issue that could result in millions of dollars of warranty claims to you and me following instructions? He’ll no! If it was that important, they would just program in a rev limit for the first few hundred miles and require that you go to the dealer to get the limit unlocked.”
Which is exactly what bmw does with the s1000rr. I don’t know if they do it with other models as well, but it’s interesting that none of the other manufacturers do this (to my understanding).
I have a 2016 RR, and yes I know well about the rev limiter setting. I was surprised when Ducati put out these dire warnings in their owners manual, but didn't do that to prevent it....
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I follow the break in procedure just for my own peace of mind. I know deep down that it doesn't really matter either way, but if the company wants me to follow this for 600 miles I'm just gonna do it because it's an easy ask in my mind
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To be clear - I don’t know one way or the other. I’m no expert and I’m not particularly invested in one opinion over the other. Having said that though, given that most vehicles are computer controlled now, it seems it would be awfully easy and inexpensive for all the manufacturers to program a rev limit for the first 600 miles if a break-in period was critical to engine life.
Things that make you go “hmm…”
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