Running in advice please

[bikerjoe]

After sensible running in of course!

[Diego]

> ... but most of you guys seem to know what you're talking about (heh heh!).

Fooled you pretty good, didn't they? :-D

Whenever someone asks this question in future, if I'm one of the first responders, I'm simply going to write "please tell us which approach you already favor so we'll know how to answer, or whether not to bother." So many folks ask the question because they already don't believe the manufacturer could possibly know what to recommend for their engine.

Assuming your inquiry isn't one of those, the correct answer is: there's no magic formula. Two principles are common to all modern engines, though.

(1) Don't maintain constant speed during the first thousand miles.

(2) Don't strain the engine by running too low an RPM in too high a gear, and don't place too much load on it under the opposite circumstance by opening the throttle too wide--especially before you've got the fully synthetic oil in it after 500 miles.

That may seem awfully general, but it's the way to get longest life out of the bike. You don't have to baby it. You can go down the highway of life at quite a nice pace, as long as you keep varying that pace; but don't get overly adventurous, especially until after the oil change.

However, if your ambition is to take it to the track immediately, and you don't want to wait a few thousand miles to get every last horsepower or kilowatt, and you don't care about life expectancy, go ahead and ride the ***** out of it early.

[bikerjoe]

John:

So many folks ask the question because they already don't believe the manufacturer could possibly know what to recommend for their engine.

It's not a case of not believing what the manufacturer recommends for their engine but that sometimes the manufacturer's information in the owner's manual is too brief and not specific enough on some topics. And sometimes dealers are not able to provide accurate information or are simply not motivated to put the effort in after the sale has been made. I'm not saying this is the case with my local dealer though.

John, thanks for the information, very helpful. Also appreciate Ogre's advice about not starting it unless it's going on a decent ride. Cheers, Bikerjoe.