after almost being run over from behind and side swiped a couple times and having to split lanes which is 'illegal' where i live i have to know how much 'damage' is caused by riding above 5000rpm? Was wondering because I read a thread saying just ride the bike(altho it was talking about 600s)
From my experiance, i kept it under 6000 rpm for the first 1000 km/500 miles. Then you can put it up to 8000 for the next 600 km. After that its up to you. Suzuki recomends 10,000 rpm at the most. I have let it slip over a few times, while racing around, but as long as you don't beat the sh!t out of it, you should be fine. Mine is :mrgreen:
Have fun, and if they get in your way (cars), even at 5000 rpm you should be able to pass them! :thumb:
You're not allowing the pistons and rings to seat properly and maybe breaking of more little peices of metal (or larger peices! :o ) that may potentially lodge themseves in oil galleys, bearings, gear teeth, and just plain generally shortening the overall life of the motor. Also, due to improper break-in, the rings wont seal as well against the cylinders, so you'll have less compression, less power and less fuel economy; and greater oil consumption (the oil and gas have to compensate by filling in the gap and sacrificing themselves for the needed compression). The cylinder walls will lose their crosshatch, which helps retain oil along the cylinder walls so the cylinder skirt and rings will glide smoothly in the bore.
But it's okay to do it occationally, the rpm's need to be varied on break-in, and the bike has to get used to it sometime; I'd rather find out if it can handle it while it's still under warranty.
Break it in somewhat hard... I've allways done it like that with my engines and NEVER had any problems..
the engine needs to go through heat cycles and needs to have loads put on it so that the rings seal properly (basicly braking off the little peaks on teh walls). If you baby it too much, it wont seal properly. If you rev it way too much (valve float!) you may get too much metal particles in your oil.. either way if you change the oil immediately after your done your cycles say at 300 or so KM then you dont have to worry about metal particles. If you can manage yourself to change the oil before 300km, dont be affraid to give it gas, just make sure theres allways varying loads on the motor, both positive and negative loads (engine braking).,
I have read that most of the break-in between the cylinder walls and rings take place within the first hour, or about 50 miles. Excessive heating during the this time is the thing you have to be careful with, as well as not operating at a sustained RPM for a lengthy period. Also smooth heavy throttle application as well as engine braking help to create the pressures necessary to force the rings against the cylinder walls for a better seal and less blow-by and chance for glazing. There are alot of different opinions on the subject.
Oh, after reading Danny's post reminded me. I changed my oil at about 300 miles, and again at 600 mi. The 300 mi change I made sure the drain pan was clean so I could see the particles that settled to the bottom. The oil itself had a silvery color from the suspended metal and after pouring it into the jug there was scattered larger particles (sand grain sized) left in the bottom. Some of the larger particles could be from the manufacturing process as well. The 600 mile change was more normal looking color and just a few specs in the bottom of the drain pan. I might have some pics of the sediment...have to dig around.
There are lots of different opinions on breaking-in an engine. The only common denominator I see is that the engine should not be held at a constant speed.
So, hitting 5-6K for a short time to get around a problem is probably a good thing.
- If you read the book, they say cycle the engine, but do it in moderation (the 5K limit for 600 miles) and increase over time.
- If you listen to some dealers, they say, "Ride it like you stole it!!!" (Twist the wrist any way you want... as long as it's hard...)[/list:u]Who's right? Beats me -- but I did it "by the book" and I don't have any evidence this is bad.
Caveat Emptor...