Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

Can anyone Elabirate on what exactly they mean by pushing the engine in the break in period. I thought the whole point was to be gentile on the engine during this period.

I'm breaking in a GSX650F tomorrow, and the dealership is conveniently located 2 miles from I-75. Rest assured she's not getting a gentle break-in. She'll be at 85mph before she turns 10 miles. Then she'll be going through the gears for 180 miles on the way home.

She better like it, and smile.

Some people believe either that you should REALLY beat the shit out of your engine, there's certain bike mechanics, there's a website somewhere where a dude makes a case for running hard during break in, why it's actually better.
And the opposing side is those who want to treat her gently.

I'd rather take my chances... and go with Suzuki's recommendations, because I am not like most who plans to sell it after a week off the showroom floor for another bike.

The engine needs to be put under certain load (or stress) during a run in period. The parts and engine oil heating up from the extra force generate a process kind of similar to forging steel for tensile strength and corrosion resistence. As important as it is to heat them up they also need to cool down, over and over and over again. That is why you don't hold the one rev range for too long, and make sure you vary your gears and speeds. All this gives the parts that chance. However push it too hard and you can create stress fractures and weak spots in the metals as they have not been given a chance to harden properly prior to being worked hard.

If you take it gently all the time, the process is not given a chance to adequatley perform and the oil will just create a glazing over the metal parts which in time will become as good as sandpaper rubbing on wood. The internal parts will be softer, weaker and wear quicker so you end up with a shorter life span of the engine and it will be more than likely lacking in performance (run sluggish) its whole life.

Follow the max. RPM recomendation from the handbook reasonably close but there is nothing wrong with gradually working the engine a little harder in progressive stages.

eg:
For the first 500km - I did not exceed 6000rpm.
Between 500km and 800km - I gradually brought it up to 7500rpm.
Between 800km to 1200km - I gradually brought it up to 10,000rpm.
After 1200km who cares just dont redline it all the time.

I don't agree with a hard break in for a street ridden and owned bike. I don't stick with the factory way either. Rightly or wrongly I have my own way which I have been refining over the last 20 odd years (and continue to do so) of rebuilding mechanical bits and pieces. I've seen the bad results of hard break in, but have also seen hard break in succeed on a very few occasions.

Some things to keep in mind when deciding how t break in your bike.

* The ECU on this bike (and other suzuki's) can and does record info on what occurs when there is a problem with the engine which can (and will) be downloaded by the dealership if you need to have something looked at.
* There are stories (of which I have heard none 1st hand, but that doesn't mean it isn't true or possible) about BMW voiding motorbike warranty due to not sticking with their rules for break in procedures after download such info.
* Look at the larger machines (cars, trucks etc etc) that can and do use info from the ECU to know exactly what you (the user) has been doing with the machine.
* You are not just breaking in your engine, you are breaking in the whole bike and you to the bike (think about it).

My suggestion is to read all the opinions, make your own mind up and then unless you have even the tiniest bit of mechanical sympathy and understanding - stick with the factory way

chears

I always go with what the owners manual says. I figure that the engineers who made the engine know what they are talking about.

So norm how is the break in coming?

The somewhat popular "Mototune" technique is basically a race break in. Great for track bikes that need maximum power immediately and are going to get torn down at the end of the season anyway. It surely gets the engine broken in in a hurry, buy I would NEVER do that to a machine I plan to keep. Brisk riding within the factory recommended limits along with lots of engine braking and an early oil change seems a more rational route to me. All those engineers who built the thing are not dummies. A friend used Mototune on his new Speed Triple, and now at 10,000 miles it has started going through over a quart of oil every 1000 miles, and I tend to blame the break in. Modern rings will seat in the first 300-500 miles without radical measures, IMO.
My other bike- an SV1000S- has 20,000 mi on it, goes like stink, and it doesn't burn a drop of oil between changes- and I didn't Mototune it.

Too early to tell just yet. Hopefully 200 highway miles right off the bat didn't hurt her in any way.


Anyone have a recommendation on a top of the line motorcycle engine oil?

Mobil 1 synthetic

Amsoil here. But it should have conventional oil until break in is basically done- say 1000 miles or more...

I'm curious to know you reason for having conventional oil in the bike during break in.

I hope your using motorcycle oil instead of car oil. There is a difference.
I am running Amsoil motorcycle oil in mine.

yes, I am using motorcycle oil. duh.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!