I completed the following within the first 25 miles -- each of the three segments consisted of acceleration and deceleration between the given RPMs, repeated in each of the first three gears. And, following MotoMan's suggestion, I did this on a deserted straight stretch of 2-lane road:
- VERY IMPORTANT -- Get the bike up to operating temps first.
- Using 1/2 throttle, run from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm, then roll the
throttle off completely until the rpms drop back to 4,000.
Do this in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear.
Ride normally for a few miles.
- Using 3/4 throttle, run from 4,000 to 7,500 rpm, then roll the
throttle off completely until the rpms drop back to 4,000.
Do this in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear.
Ride normally for a few miles.
- Using full throttle, run from 3,000 to redline, then roll the
throttle off completely until the rpms drop back to 3,000.
Do this in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear.
Ride normally for a few miles.
- After 20 miles on the odometer, change the oil and oil filter,
using "normal" petroleum oil (not synthetic). Let the bike
cool down for at least 1/2 hour before riding again.
- Ride the bike for another hour, followed by another complete cooldown.
I found my FJR never showed more than 2 bars on the temperature guage during this entire process.
I ended up back in the garage with 25 miles on the odometer. I changed the oil and filter (there was a fair bit of suspended metal in the oil), and let it cool down for a couple hours.
Then I went out for another ride of about 75 miles, parked it and let it cool overnight. After that I just followed the owner's manual recommendation to "avoid sustained RPMs" above the recommended RPMs for the recommended mileage. Fortunately, the manual doesn't say to avoid running it up to redline, though it warns that the engine should be fully warmed up before any hard acceleration.
I figured that after the first 25 miles plus oil/filter change, the bike was pretty much broken-in. But I avoided running at steady speeds for more than a few minutes for the next 900 miles (never took it on the freeway), though other than that I rode it normally. That is, I wasn't afraid to use the throttle when I felt like it, and ran it up to redline every now and then.
It is interesting to note that the break-in rules in the owner's manual DO NOT PRECLUDE YOU FROM USING THIS METHOD. It simply says, "avoid sustained operation" above 4000rpm for the first 600 miles, and above 5000rpm for the next 400 miles. I followed that advice for the first 1000 miles.
At the 600 mile oil/filter change, sure enough, there was hardly any metal suspended in the oil -- though there was plenty in the rear differential oil.
Copyright © 2002, by H. Marc Lewis. All rights reserved.