Break In-Run In Tips Please.......

[BigSkyRider]

Yeehaw!

I just picked up my new G.S. last night. After sleeping next to it in the garage (just kidding) I got up this morning to take her out for a little spin. It's been awhile since I've run-in my 2K G.S. so any tips would be appreciated. I've heard that you should change the oil at 100 miles/200 miles or just wait for the first service for example.

Pictured is the new beast alongside my trusty 2K model with 94K on the clock, thanks to Ted at the Beemershop in Santa Cruz, Ca.

Thanks for the help!

Mike

[AKBeemer]

Boy-oh-boy, are you about to get a heap of inconsistent, conflicting and contradictory advice. Baby it, keep it under 4K RPM for the first 1K miles, vary engine rpm, no interstate like riding, change the oil at 20 miles….. or ride it like you stole it, many racers break in engines under race conditions. This is going to be entertaining. :lurk :dunno

[AKBeemer]

By the way, congratulations on your new bike. Enjoy it! :thumb

[The_Veg]

Here's what worked for me: I kept a load on the engine and constantly shifted up and down through the gears. I kept it under 4K for the first 600 miles or so, and under 5.5K for the first 1000. In 200 miles the engine tightened up and smoothed out, and by 1200 miles oil consumption had mostly stabilised. I think I've added about 400cc total, and all in the first 3-4 K miles.

[feds27]

Here's what worked for me: I kept a load on the engine and constantly shifted up and down through the gears. I kept it under 4K for the first 600 miles or so, and under 5.5K for the first 1000. In 200 miles the engine tightened up and smoothed out, and by 1200 miles oil consumption had mostly stabilised. I think I've added about 400cc total, and all in the first 3-4 K miles.

Same experience here on my R12S. Another thing to keep in mind, the engine is not the only thing running-in. Tires need to wear-in, brakes need to seat, and the tranny needs to get settled too. There are alot of things that need to run-in in the first 600 miles. Congrats on the new bike.

[deilenberger]

I'd suggest opening the manual, reading what the engineers who designed the bike think you might best do - and then do it.

Leave the speculation/theories/etc to others.

I did - it worked great. Bike uses no oil and the engine just keeps getting smoother and smoother (now at 13.5k)..

[grossjohann]

Here's what Mark Lawrence (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/About.html#Me) at CalSci (http://www.calsci.com/) has to say:

This is an area of no small controversy. Here's my opinion, after breaking in 21 new motorcycles. You can get other opinions from Moto Man or in your owner's manual. You'll find what I have to say is in reasonable agreement with Moto Man, and we both contradict your owner's manual rather strongly.

I believe when breaking in a new engine you have several things to accomplish, and several things to avoid. Your new engine is not perfectly machined, and in the course of running for the first few hours a fair amount of metal will be worn off various engine parts and wind up in your oil. These metal chips will quickly overwhelm your oil filter, which is really not made to handle the volume of junk that happens in the first couple hours. You don't want to drive around a for a long time with a lot of metal chips in your oil.

In the first 15 to 30 minutes you run your motor, there can be very small hot spots that get to temperatures that are really not at all healthy for your motor. The motor overall is a large system and will almost certainly not overheat, but this doesn't mean every little spot on your pistons, rings, bearings, and cylinder walls is within temperature spec. Of course, you don't want to overheat your motor.

Your engine rings are probably designed to spin around the piston as your motor runs. If you run your motor for a long time at the same rpm, your rings can cut small spiral grooves in your cylinders that effect your rings sealing and lifetime.

My opinion: The bike should be started and allowed to warm up at an idle for about two minutes. This is to get the oil at something close to operating temperature. Then, ride the bike normally for about 5 miles. Stay off freeways or anywhere else that would make you maintain a constant speed. Don't lug the engine - run the engine in the mid-range rpm band, roughly 1/3 to 2/3 of the red line rpm. You want to be accelerating and decelerating, and using the engine as a brake to slow you down at times. Stop, turn off the engine, and let the engine cool for about 5 minutes. This is to even out the temperature in case there are any hot spots. Start the bike and ride for about 10 minutes, again in stop and go traffic. Stop and allow about 5 minutes for the engine temperature to even out.

Now, ride the bike fairly hard for about 25 to 50 miles. A mountain or curvy road is a good thing at this point. You can use the entire rpm band, up to and perhaps even a bit over the red line. Make sure to accelerate and decelerate a lot, using full throttle and using the engine as a brake. Notice that your owner's manual says at this point you should still be keeping the RPM under something like 4,000. I disagree with this quite strongly. Moto Man gives a good argument on why the factories give such a recommendation, which goes against all my experience and understanding and what every racing team in the universe does.

At about 50 miles, go home and change the oil and the filter. I strongly recommend you use a top quality oil filter, a Purolator Pure One, Mobil-1, Bosch, or SuperTech. I recommend you use a synthetic oil such as Shell Rotella, Mobil-1 SUV, or Delvac-1. If you simply can't bring yourself to use a synthetic in a new engine, use Chevron Delo-400. Don't use a 10w-30 oil. If your manufacturer recommends a 20w-50 oil, use Mobil-1 red cap or Chevron Delo-400 15w-40, which meets the high speed shear standards of a 20w-50 oil. Information on oils and oil filters is available on this web page, see the Lubricants section. When you take out your factory oil, if you hold it up in the sunlight you'll see the color is very good, it looks almost completely unused, but you'll see lots of reflections from metal flakes in the oil. These flakes are very bad for your engine, and can clog up your oil filter so that your filter bypass is activated, meaning you effectively don't have an oil filter. Notice that the factory says you should still be using the factory oil and oil filter. I think this is insane.

Corvettes and Porsches come from the factory with Mobil-1 in their engines. Remember, these engineers have designed world- champion engines for F1, Indy, Le Mans 24 hours, etc.

At this point, the bulk of your break-in is done. Your rings are substantially seated, your cylinder walls are scrubbed in, and your transmission gears have shed the bulk of their machining flaws. You can ride your bike now like it's broken in, except I recommend you try to avoid lugging the engine or running at a constant speed on the freeway for long times until after your next oil change.

When you have 500 to 800 miles on the bike, change the oil and filter again. Again, I recommend a synthetic oil, or Chevron Delo-400, or if the manufacturer recommends 20w-50 use Mobil-1 red cap or Chevron Delo-400 15w-40. If you have a drive shaft, now's the time to change your rear end gear lube. Use a good synthetic in there, like Mobil-1 or Valvoline synthetic gear lube. Continue to ride the bike normally. At this point, you can get on the freeway and drone if you simply must.

At 2000 to 2500 miles, change the oil and filter again. Your bike is now pretty much completely broken in. There will still be a small amount of break in stuff happening until up to 10,000 miles, but it's nothing you have to think about. You can now get onto a sensible oil change schedule. I recommend changing your oil every 2500 miles if you use a normal automotive oil. If you use one of the recommended synthetic oils and recommend oil filters, you can confidently go 5,000 miles between changes. I go 8,000 to 9,000 miles on an oil change, and I measure the oil viscosity and detergent after every change. A good synthetic will hold up this long in a modern water-cooled engine. Except for the Ural, every motorcycle made after about 1985 has what I consider a modern engine. Even Harleys.

More at motorcycleInfo.calsci.com (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/index.html)

[airoilheadbeemerguy]

Agree with the earlier post, open your manual and follow the break in guidelines. Did that last year with my new RT and all is just fine 10K later. Did not change the oil etc, let the dealer do that at first inspection. If lots of advice is posted on this thread, ask yourself how many are automotive type engineers/designers.:thumb

[deilenberger]

Here's what Mark Lawrence (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/About.html#Me) at has to say:

More at motorcycleInfo.calsci.com (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/index.html)Alex, problem here is what he has to say is basically wrong for a BMW engine.

A BMW engine is not loaded with machining debris. Hexheads do not share the engine oil with the transmission (or clutch) - and you aren't going to wear in the cylinder bores on any BMW engine that uses Nikasil plating on the bores (engines with over 300k miles on them still show the factory hone markings on the cylinder walls..) His mention of the initial 15 minutes of running - misses the fact that your bike is delivered to you with 10-15 miles on it. The 15 minutes of running has already been done for you.

The engineers who design the engine also write the break-in suggestions in the manuals. While CalSci makes great windshields, last time I checked they haven't designed or manufactured a motorcycle engine. BMW has made a few engines in the past 80 years (Bavarian MOTOR Works), and I'd guess they have some clue how to get maximum performance and life out of the products they make. They have no vested interest I can see in your wearing out the motor prematurely unless I'm missing something. Since many of their motorcycle engines easily exceed 100k service life, I think if BMW had some secret agenda - they did a very bad job of it.

It sounds good for sure - but I'd say he missed the mark on BMW engines. There are way too many of them running very well that have been broken in with conventional techniques, following the factory instructions - more than the 21 bikes he broke in for sure. His instructions at least don't have you running the engine at 8K RPM for 30 minutes to "seat the rings" - and seem generally harmless (I do NOT agree with his recommendation to ignore the factory recommended RPM limits) - but they aren't really applicable to a modern BMW engine.

If you're interested - I can point you to an oil analysis I had done on my engine oil at the 12k change. I had it done because I was curious if the engine was broken in correctly. The oil analysis made a point of how BMW really seems to have gotten it right with the Hexhead engines - the levels of metal found in the engine oil is exceptionally low, which indicates very low wear on the engines.

Best,

[revkev]

I am no mechanic but this is what I did...I went almost 800 miles before the first change because the dealer is about 160 miles from my home. So, those 800 miles came quickly in terms of time. Almost 400 was running back and forth from home to the dealer. The head of the service department said it can be pushed to 800 easily before the "600" mile service especially if they are highway miles and are done in a short time. I didn't hammer the engine but didn't baby it either. When heading onto the interstate I tried to vary speed and made a point of exiting and re-entering the interstate at each exit. I am at 4,500 miles in less than two months and it hasn't needed any oil. I have not come close to red-lining the engine to this point.

My two cents...

[grossjohann]

Thanks, Don.

Yes, I'm interested in seeing the analysis.

I have heard of K-bikes burning oil until they were run more aggressively, and my oilhead burned oil for the first 8-10K miles until I really got on it. I haven’t broken in any engine using Mark’s suggestion. I simply go easy on it until after the first few oil changes… While I’ve only broken in 6 or 7 engines, I’ve never required any engine maintenance on any of my vehicles.

(except after an Quick-Lube oil change where they forgot to put oil back into the engine and I didn’t check the level for 2 weeks – $1,600 for a rebuilt Toyota Celica engine could be considered maintenance)

-Alex

[Axe]

I broke my 06 R1200RT in by the book ( owners manual) I was very careful not to exceed 4000RPM for the first 600 miles, spent all of that 600 miles on the back roads in the twistys stayed off the highway altogether. I constantly loaded and unloaded the engine using engine braking, had the first oil change done at the 600 mile service. The bike now has 6000 miles and runs like a top never have had to add an ounce of oil.

[gulfcoastbeemer]

Don't listen to anyone else. I am the only qualified person who knows how to properly run-in/break-in a motorcycle. It's a very involved process best left to professionals.

I would be glad to relieve you of this onerous and highly distasteful task.

You can either ship the bike to me, or arrange my travel to your location. Of course, during the run-in period -- which could take most of the Summer, you will be responsible for paying my fuel, travel and lodging expenses.

I have considerable experience running-in motorcycles in your area. Might I suggest Red Lodge, MT as a starting point.

[rmarkr]

Don't listen to anyone else. I am the only qualified person who knows how to properly run-in/break-in a motorcycle. It's a very involved process best left to professionals.

I would be glad to relieve you of this onerous and highly distasteful task.

You can either ship the bike to me, or arrange my travel to your location. Of course, during the run-in period -- which could take most of the Summer, you will be responsible for paying my fuel, travel and lodging expenses.

I have considerable experience running-in motorcycles in your area. Might I suggest Red Lodge, MT as a starting point.

And trust me... it will be BROKEN-in when you get it back - if you can recognize it on Ebay

[deilenberger]

Thanks, Don.

Yes, I'm interested in seeing the analysis.
Here'ya go:
http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roadster/r1200r%20oil.jpg


I have heard of K-bikes burning oil until they were run more aggressively, and my oilhead burned oil for the first 8-10K miles until I really got on it. I haven’t broken in any engine using Mark’s suggestion. I simply go easy on it until after the first few oil changes… While I’ve only broken in 6 or 7 engines, I’ve never required any engine maintenance on any of my vehicles.

My former oilhead was still using oil at 24,000 miles when I traded it in on the Roadster. I didn't do the initial break-in on it, but I know who did, and I'm certain he did it as he described "gently"..

Snip..

-Alex
The interesting part on the oil analysis is apparently the R12 engine has made an impression on Blackstone. And it was a good impression which is a nice thing ;)

[Bob1100RTC]

I broke my bike in according to the manual. Had the first service around 800 miles. Never has used any oil and runs great. I'll stick with dino oil every 3000 until 12000 and then go to synthetic. I agree that the guys that designed the engine know how to break it in.

[grossjohann]

Here'ya go:
http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roadster/r1200r%20oil.jpg
My former oilhead was still using oil at 24,000 miles when I traded it in on the Roadster. I didn't do the initial break-in on it, but I know who did, and I'm certain he did it as he described "gently"..

Snip..

The interesting part on the oil analysis is apparently the R12 engine has made an impression on Blackstone. And it was a good impression which is a nice thing ;)

Thanks, Don.

No kidding! It really did make a good impression. As a testing lab, I'm sure they see the best of the best as well as the worst of the worst. I'm hardly an expert in this field, but (as they pointed out) even with 1,400 additional miles on the oil, your engine still scored well within the average.

Great report.

-Alex

[Burnszilla]

Let me add to the controversy...

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

After 100 miles or so, I rode my GS hard.

[BuddingGeezer]

If you have broken in one GS with now 94k miles and no problems, I think I would do it the same way.

Ralph Sims

[swall]

Even though there may be some theoretical advantages if an engine is broken in per these interesting anecdotes, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO TAKE THE RISK?

[feds27]

I just went through this on my R12S a couple of months ago and I"ve been keeping to BMW's recommendations + how the bike feels to me. When I road the bike home (about 30 miles) I kept it around 4k rpm. When I went over 4k rpm (momentarily and slightly) the engine seemed a little rough so I kept it to under 4k for the most part making sure I kept the engine under load (accelerate/decelerate/downshift). The next day, I took the bike out for another spin. The engine immediately felt much smoother with significantly more pull. I also noticed I could go further into the RPM range 4.25k without it feeling rough. By the time I took it to the dealer for its 600 mile service, it was smooth at 4.5k and started feeling rough around 4.75k. The bike has not used a drop of oil since I took ownership. I think the ride and cool down periods are key. Each time I took the bike out for a spin it felt much better than the previous. The 600mi service made my bike run even better. Just take your time, listen to the owner's manual, and equally as important, listen to your bike.

I know we've focused mostly on the engine but the brakes, tires and tranny also need running in. The tires felt better after the first 300 miles. I started to lean it over a little more as I started to put more miles on them. At this point, the tires feel great. I had Metzeler Z6's on my R11S, they felt hard and didn't give great confidence on turns. The R12S has Pilot Powers and they are more sticky and give me much more confidence when leaned over. The brakes started to feel better around 500 miles. The tranny still feels like it's wearing in. Also, I'm at the point where I need to setup the suspension for my weight.

Enjoy your bike.

[BigSkyRider]

Thanks to everyone for the advice, between work and the hail storms the bike still only has 55 miles on the clock, today is looking good for a ride.

Happy Trails!

Mike