Breaking in 06 F4i

I think I read that you shouldn't take the rpm past 4000 until it has 600 miles 0n it? So when commuting, how many rpm should it be ridden at?


Thanks

Yeah, I remember those days. It is tough, but you gotta run in 6th gear on the free-way. Stay cool and in the safe lane... where ever that may be. Just get those 500 miles out of the way as quick as possible. Take longer routes to and from work until then. Have fun!

Also don't stay at the same speed, keep varying it up and down. Holding a constant RPM during break in isn't a good thing

Ignore that slow breakin crap. Just ride on it like you normally would, without beating on it.

Change the oil at 50 miles, 300 and then at 600 and follow the recommended maintenance crap.

Breaking it in slow can actually be worse for the bike by not seating the rings as well, which costs you HP and allows easier contamination of the oil due to blow-by of spent gases and crap past the rings and into the oil.

That easy breakin is 20 year old stuff, it is not really applicable anymore, even if they still print it in the manual.

Just go have fun and change the oils a few extra times early on!

Who would you rather believe? The people who designed and built your bike, or random advice from the Internet?

How about other experts in the motorcycle field?

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

You are following a myth. It used to be the case, but not any more. Was the same way with cars, not to go over 50 miles an hour for 500 miles, etc... Now they tell you to just go out and drive it normally.

It will not hurt the bike to break it in hard, in fact, it can help it. When you understand what actually happens during the break in, and how the rings have to seal properly, you will change your opinion.

Or, you could keep following the procedures from the 1970's, an era with far different machining techniques, materials, lubricants, etc...

Go talk to a mechanic, a good one, and he will tell you that I am right.

What you say may be true, I don't know, but why wouldn't Honda change their manual to reflect this new breakin technique? Makes no sense.

Besides, most of the mechanics I know are seat-of-their-pants types, even the good ones, and they don't have any particular engineering knowledge.

Because a macufaturer will always err on the side of caution as they are financially responsible for warranty repairs. If they said "go beat the hell out of it", people would do exactly that.

I am not saying to beat on it. But breaking it in the way you mean to drive it is a good thing. Just change that oil early and often to get rid of the crud and you will be fine.

Can the oil and filter be changed without having to remove any faring? What brand of oil is best?

quote:

ORIGINAL: joesuits4

Can the oil and filter be changed without having to remove any faring? What brand of oil is best?

Use the Honda stuff. Can't afford it you say? Castrol and a K&N filter will do nicely.

I use the stock Honda filters, and currently am using Motul 300V full synthetic. Next oil change though, I am swithing to Royal Purple synthetic.

Is it ok to switch to synthetic oil with just 50 miles on the bike?

There are mixed thoughts on that.

I changed the oil at 75 miles, 250 miles, 500 miles and then changed to synthetic at 1000.

Actually, my 2005 F4i manual does not specify any RPM limits. It only says to avoid full throttle starts and rapid acceleration for the first 300 mi.

Avoid redline in the beginning. Even if you ride easy, visit redline at least once in a while after, it keeps all the wear areas wearing the way they are supposed to, things stretch a little at piston accel/decel we'll see. I doubt that a modern motor (with modern metals and lubes) will see any wear at all in 600 miles so the thought of breaking it in hard from the beginning seems a little alarmist, but if you never see 14,000 rpm for 10,000 miles, the first time that ring sees a new part of the cylinder it could be trouble.

When I was a kid my old man had two identical Mustangs, one had a 'loose' motor, and one was 'tight', my guess is that it came down to break in procedures. Not beating on a motor once in a while is almost as bad as beating on it all the time.

I agree with fishfryer. Just avoid going nuts at the beginning and you'll be fine. Woogie is also right about what it says about break-in in the F4i manual. Kawasaki, on the other hand, has strict RPM limits listed in their manuals and the bikes even have a sticker on the gas tank to the same effect.

I just don't buy that "run it hard as soon as possible" philosophy that some people espouse. Just because someone sets up a website (mototuneusa) doesn't mean anything they say has any basis in reality. Hell, the Apollo moon landings were faked--this website proves it.

To the nay-sayers:

April 2006 issue of Motor Cyclist, pages 154 + 155.

A great article about prepping a new bike and proper breakin procedures. They cite the head tech for a japanese manufacturer who is responsible for prepping all of the test bikes, and he said that a hard break in is best. That revving it up under load helps the rings seat better, and to just ride it and put it through it's paces without abusing it. He also said that it is ok to slowly take it to redline during this time period.