Break-in

[Kevin]

I have a weird situation.

I have a '14, just have 200 miles on the clock. I want to take a trip next week that is 600 miles each way. No, it's not practical to put on another 400 miles before I leave for the initial engine/drive oil change. I wish... I could change the oil when there if I needed to.

Does anyone think I am asking for trouble in doing an oil change now, putting on another 1200+ miles, and then changing again at around 1400 miles? Subsequent to that i would go back to the recommended change interval of 4000 miles. I would fully intend on staying below the 4500 RPM sustained RPM limit the entire time until the 2nd oil change. Actually, the owners manual says "600 miles or 1 month" for the initial oil change - with the weather just now clearing up, I am past the 1 month period. I would stay with conventional Yamalube oil until the the break-in was complete.

Would this give anyone concern?

Thanks.

 

[bluesdog]

If it gives you peace of mind, do an oil change before you leave. If it were me, I'd do it along the way or upon arrival.

Does the journey consist of mainly highway miles? If so, I think you have little to worry about if you leave it until you arrive at your destination.

Remember to redline that beast a few times during initial break-in. Also good to do a couple of wfo runs, (maybe not in first gear -- she accelerates quickly!), then pull off the road and let the engine cool down for 20 minutes or so. Overheating/lugging the engine = bad.

"There is never a more important period in the life of your engine than the period between 0 and 1600km (1000mi). For this reason you should read the following material carefully. Since the engine is brand new, do not put an excessive load on it for the first 1600km (1000mi). The various parts in the engine wear and polish themselves to the correct operating clearances. During this period, prolonged full-throttle operation or any condition that might result in engine overheating must be avoided."

Make sure to check coolant level frequently.

Good luck, and enjoy your ride.

 

[mcatrophy]

... Actually, the owners manual says "600 miles or 1 month" for the initial oil change - with the weather just now clearing up, I am past the 1 month period. ...Would this give anyone concern?

Thanks.

I think you've answered your own question .

 

[HotRodZilla]

600 miles each way?? I'd do a change before I left, finish the owner's manual recommended break-in and then change the oil at 4k. A couple hundred over won't hurt anything.

 

[NightShine]

Hi Kevin! Welcome to your new bike. And it's new, and you want to do right by it, and have a long and happy life together.

As mentioned above, the first several hundred miles are important in allowing the various moving bits to create their own unique fine points of contact so that they can best play well together. So the break-in suggestions of "vary the engine speed (don't continuously run the same RPM)", "don't lug the engine", "don't overheat", etc are all good practice. They all address not stressing the engine with a high load until its components have had a chance to make a more optimal fit under lower loading.

That first oil change is important to get rid of any metal residue from initial wear, but I wouldn't sweat the 600 mile limit myself. So change the oil out either before or during your trip, whichever gives you peace of mind. A couple of suggestions:

(1) Be sure to NOT over tighten the oil drain plug. I don't know if they still do, but earlier model years spec'ed 31 lb-ft of torque. Way overkill that trashed a fair number of soft aluminum drain pans. An expensive mistake! "Snug" enough to crush a new washer and a bit should be plenty.

(2) Perhaps get one of these: https://www.drainplugmagnets.com/yamahamotorcycles.php, DIMPLE® M14 X 1.5X16 YAMAHA Super Magnetic Drain Plug. They are likely to be the most useful on a new engine, are another peace-of-mind thing, and are simply way cool!

Happy trails...

 

[RadioHowie]

Plus, there is NO detriment to changing the oil too often...except for the impact on your wallet.

Change it now, change it when you get back. Be happy.

 

[bluesdog]

... I don't know if they still do, but earlier model years spec'ed 31 lb-ft of torque. Way overkill that trashed a fair number of soft aluminum drain pans. An expensive mistake! "Snug" enough to crush a new washer and a bit should be plenty...

My '11 FSM still has that ridiculous torque value for the oil drain plug. The crush washer 'crushes' at @ 22 ft-lbs, iirc. That plug has to be tight enough to create an oil seal, and to not work loose. 31 ft-lb is just nuts.

BTW, I place one of those Neodymium magnets on the oil filter. Dunno it it does anything, but it's a great conversation starter when other riders notice it!

 

[bgross]

Congrats on the new bike!

Whether you choose "before & after" or "halfway through" your trip is up to you. Sounds like you have a clear understanding of the importance of the break-in.

Add one more vote for NOT over-torquing the drain bolt! 31 ft/lb is higher than the specified torque for the bottom bolt of the rear shock!

Snug enough is... Enough.

Have a good trip.

 

[art miller]

Silver Spirit says to "redline that beast a few times during initial breakin". I do not see that recommended in the breakin section of my owners manual!! In what Yamaha publication is that found?

 

[Bogus]

This was discussed when I got my 08.

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

 

[NightShine]

Silver Spirit says to "redline that beast a few times during initial breakin". I do not see that recommended in the breakin section of my owners manual!! In what Yamaha publication is that found?

And referenced here: https://www.fjr1300.info/breakin.html

 

[blrfjr]

Silver Spirit says to "redline that beast a few times during initial breakin". I do not see that recommended in the breakin section of my owners manual!! In what Yamaha publication is that found?

And referenced here: https://www.fjr1300.info/breakin.html

Seeing how yamaha has to warrantee that engine I would do what your manual says. If you can behave yourself till your NEXT trip.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I knew what he was referring to when he said to take it to WOT, but I think that motoman guy is an ***** so I left it alone. I would NEVER do that to any engine I own. If, and I mean IF because I try to avoid used vehicles due to stupidity like that, I was looking at a used bike and the owner said the motoman break in method was used, I'd walk away.

 

[Bearly Flying]

If you don't change Oil every 500 kms, your engine is going to implode.

Yamaha get's all of these extra Horsepower by an Intenational agreement that they change oil every 500 kms, otherwise Your Warrenty is viod.

If you do not have ALL of the extra H/P that Yamaha has to offer, YOU have obviously done something wrong, So my advice is to change oil every 250 kms, just to be safe.

 

[RossKean]

Its on the Internet so it MUST be true! I have no problem with an early oil change although I think 20 miles is a bit silly. (I do run with an oil filter) I'm not sure how the opinion of one individual trumps the collective knowledge of multiple manufacturers and hundreds of highly knowledgeable engineers. As HRZ says, I would avoid buying a bike from someone who bragged about doing the Motorman breakin. Not necessarily because it hurt the bike (probably didn't) but because I would wonder about what additional Internet wisdom he might have applied to the care and operation of the vehicle.

 

[bluesdog]

To clarify: I'm not a fan of the motorman method. Running at WOT and/or hitting redline during the initial 25 miles is NOT something I would recommend.

After that first oil change on my bike, I continued to avoid lugging/sustained rpm etc, but did a few BRIEF runs to redline, and with full throttle.

Note that the break in procedure outlined in the manual states: ".. prolonged full-throttle operation or any condition that might result in engine overheating must be avoided."

and: "Avoid prolonged operation above 4500 r/min"

(emphasis mine..)

iirc, I redlined about half a dozen times during the 1000 - 1600 km (600 - 100 mi), with perhaps two or three full throttle (very briefly), in third and fourth gears. (I'm still terrified of WOT in first!)

I then did a second oil change at @ 1600 km (1000 mi), and proceeded to 'operate the vehicle normally'

I still never lug the engine..

I still redline and higher rpm from time to time, especially through the twisties.

Now have @ 42,000 km on the bike, and she runs like a champ, uses absolutely zero oil, excellent compression, valves in spec, (just checked)

I change engine oil and filter @ 5000 km (3000 mi)

FWIW, the wrenches endorsed my break in procedure...

 

[BkerChuck]

I think the fact they even bother to list " 1 month" is pretty silly. The mileage is far more important than the time frame. Weather can play a huge factor in your ability to put on miles. I would suggest trying to get a few more miles on it before the trip and change it the day before. Vary your RPMs and try to get some good heating and cooling cycles in the engine. An extra oil change is a pretty low cost for piece of mind.It's not an aircooled motor where I think the breaking in period is even more critical.

 

[ionbeam]

I think the fact they even bother to list " 1 month" is pretty silly. The mileage is far more important than the time frame...Vary your RPMs and try to get some good heating and cooling cycles in the engine. An extra oil change is a pretty low cost for piece of mind...

I believe break-in will work out to be someplace between 10 and 15 hrs of engine operation based on keeping the majority of engine rpm below 4.5k rpm and the various gear selections. FWIW, an average of 40 mph for 600 miles turns out to be 15 hrs. It is the elapsed engine time that is more important than the actual miles, 600 miles is just some number that should get you close to the desired number of hours.

The motoman proponents hammer us saying that the rings need to seat and spout things about cylinder wall crosshatch patterns and you must beat it to seat it. As a backyard hotrodder I have installed new high performance cam shafts. Almost all aftermarket cams come with instructions on how to run the engine and how long to run the engine before putting any real hard use on the cam(s). The issue of running in a new cam shaft is the lobe nose running with high pressure on one small contact point needing time to mate before putting real high loads on the lobes. The old race saying went something like, "Break it in fast to make it run fast", then they have to rebuild the engine regularly to keep it tight. The motoman method allows very large thermal swings of the engine parts as opposed to the factory recommended break-in which results in many smaller thermal cycles as the green parts start to age.

Empirically there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two methods, suit yourself. I'm with HRZ.

 

[RadioHowie]

..... As HRZ says, I would avoid buying a bike from someone who bragged about doing the Motorman breakin. Not necessarily because it hurt the bike (probably didn't) but because I would wonder about what additional Internet wisdom he might have applied to the care and operation of the vehicle.

Well said!