I took the Steel Toe Tour at the museum in Milwaukee and we talked about this very topic. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier in the thread. Thanks for refreshing my memory and educating us, Dolt!
best way to break in new bike
- Thread starter hillbilly81
- Start date
I took the Steel Toe Tour at the museum in Milwaukee and we talked about this very topic. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier in the thread. Thanks for refreshing my memory and educating us, Dolt!
kstrohs57
Active Member
Breaking new engine in should have oil & filter changed per dealership but to go little further changing the speed up & NOT running same RPM is a good way to break a new engine in . Manual tells you to vary your speed/rpm's during break in period . Realy don't think going over 50 mph is harming the engine unless your tacking rpm's over 4000 . Think you do more harm by tacking the engine out for extended time period then 50 mph .
hillbilly81
Active Member
I was talking to the service manger today at the dealership where I bought my bike and he told me it got broke in good on the dyno run I had done right after purchase after installing intake and propipe
Perhaps there is someone here who is familiar with heat treating, hardening, and tempering steel. My concern is that while parts are new and tight that under load there can be temperature spikes which can irretrievably alter the characteristics of rings, cylinder walls, cam faces etc. Short cut techniques which may work well in fall, winter, or spring might be disastrous in summer due to brief overheating during the high power output portions of the procedure. When overheated, cylinder wall may scar rather than smoothly wear in and rings might lose temper or hardness, either result leading to increased oil consumption for the rest of the service life of the engine. I'm just asking because I don't know.
from what i remember of hardening steel you have to heat it until its glowing red then immerse it in cold water, this then makes it very brittle, you then clean it up and heat it until it goes blue then allow it to cool on the anvil this then allows the heat to slowly dissipate produces harden metal, remember as well these are quite high temps and usually these temps could turn alloy to a puddle
FIREDOG239
Active Member
I was at the factory last summer and they seat the rings during their test before the bike is shipped out. Best thing to do is ride it like you usually do just vary your highway speeds the first 1000 miles. 
hillbilly81
Active Member
did you go to the KC plant? Our hog group is taking a ride up there this summer...it will be my first visit I am 150 miles south of KC
dolt
Well-Known Member
You are way over thinking the topic. Breaking in a new motor really is about two things; ring seal and surface mating of new parts. If a motor is up to operating temps, rings can be seated in less than 20 miles; all it takes is heat and pressure. Hillybilly's motor was broken in on the dyno; can be and is done often. Surface mating goes on for a while but all should be mated up in 1000 miles, or sooner.
Surface mating is nothing more than cam to lifter, pushrod to rocker arm, rocker arm to support, wrist pin to rod, etc. This surface mating generates metal debris that will travel in the oil which is the reason for an oil change after the first 100 miles. I know the dealer doesn't do it until after 1000 miles but that means you run an extra 100 miles assuming that the filter has caught all the metal debris from the surface mating, which it may have. :bigsmiley11: When I build a motor, the oil comes out after 100 miles, again at 500 miles and oil and filter changed at 1000 miles. Not afraid to let the motor see some rpms after 500 miles; lugging the motor :newsmile055: is much worse that spinning it.
FIREDOG239
Active Member
hillbilly81, I went to the York Pa plant. Haven't been to the KC one.