"Motoman" Rough Break In

When I toured the BMW factory in Bavaria I saw them pull brans spanking new 3 series car off the line, dump oil and fluids in the them and run them hard on the dyno.

They would to flog the car through the gears hitting the rev limiter on every gear on the way up and on the downshift. Didn't even warm the cars up.

This was not a random quality test, they did this to every 3 series that came off the line.

Running hard on a dyno is a fair bit different than running under load on the road, I'd imagine?

Little of the forces, wind, weight, inertia, etc. would stress the engine. Different, perhaps, than having some ham-fisted meatball rev the crap out of the new car on the road, immediately after signing the paperwork and grabbing the keys.

What's done in a controlled environment, vs what's done by a fired up new vehicle owner.

This pretty much sums up the whole idea behind his method:

Realistically, you won't be able to do full throttle runs even in 2nd gear on most bikes without exceeding 65 mph / 104 kph. The best method is to alternate between short bursts of hard acceleration and deceleration. You don't have to go over 65 mph / 104 kph to properly load the rings.

Maybe it gets lost in the translation.

I have always believed that my engines need to work for there living, not be abused, but worked. I think that that is the biggest problem most vehicles face is a lack of effort. Engines are designed to work. Driving them like they will break under load is what causes them to carbon up and run poorly. I know my diesel truck is happiest pulling a load through the hills ( I know not the same animal as a car or motorcycle engine, but I stand by statements)

Every engine I have had I make work on a daily basis, gas, diesel, car, truck or motorcycle. Just cause its running doesn't mean it is working. Get it up in the revs and let the engine slow things down off throttle, before you use the brakes.

Never had a problem with any of them.

don't abuse it, just use it

Dynamometers do load the engine - that's the point.

Especially in 1-3rd in a car it is hard to imagine accelerating to redline and then engine braking as being significantly different than doing the same on the road, other than that you would be less likely to have a clean accel/decel cycle because there'd be other cars and geography in the way.

I've followed my motorcycles manuals to a T. Never had a motorcycle engine that burned oil. When it ends the break in period I ride them hard, some of them really hard. And I never stressed out about whether what I was doing during the break in period was hurting the motor or not.

If the motoman method works for you, if that is what you believe, than that's what matters. You should feel confident that it works for you. In the end, it appears, both methods work, and are not too dissimilar from each other.

For the others who made it into a Talibanesque approach (fundamentalist on either way of the debate), please carry on, it is indeed entertaining to read your commentary and arguments.

I've done the hard break in on some bikes, never had any issues and never had an oil burner. I haven't got a new bike in a while, just my scooter, and I tried to ride it like I stole it since day 1, but she refused to, so I took her easy on her, and the more miles we did, the faster she went.

Well, I may have a bit to add.

A little background first to qualify:

I'm a 20 year machinist. Automotive engines (ASC Master Machinist M1 M2 M3) I've worked on some of the fastest cars in the country. Done R&D for major teams, builders, Aftermarket parts companies. I quit counting the engines I've built when I got to around 400 (around 1996)
An Aerospace Machinist
A Tool and Die Maker.
I could go on..

To say I know a thing about engines, and other things mechanical may be an understatement.

I write Test Procedures, Inspection Processes, Installation Manuals, etc... So I am well aware of the twist that gets put into manuals to keep the legal department happy.


One more qualifying statement: I don't give a shit how you treat your bike/engine/weedeater/boat motor

I just bought a 2012 DL650 Adventure, and this is how I broke it in.

Left dealer after a warm up. Hit the back roads and ran up to about 75% of redline with LOTS of engine braking. Up/Down. Roll on/Roll off.
Got home- changed oil and filter (Rotella 15/40 if you care to know) at 20-ish miles. Next 20, more of the same, and another oil/filter change. Cut open the filter. It was super clean, and so was the drain plug.

I'll switch to Synthetic at the first service, and be happy.

And that should put this thread to bed.
Thanks for the expert (your cv is impressive) opinion. Personally, Ill take that to the bank.

LOL. On the Internet, nothing is ever put to bed.

Obviously.........I can't believe that article is still discussed on forums to this day. Also makes me wonder if actually anybody ever did take a look at the whole webiste.

Here you go: www.MotoTuneUsa.com

A real "pro job", HTML in the fringe range........why not add a couple of additional columns - "dinosaurs and humans did coexist 6000 years ago" or "the world will end on December 21, 2012".

It is true, that website was designed with the "crackpot special" site theme.

The words make sense, though

Especially with black boxes that can record what your engines been doing. THIS.

This is almost exactly what oil analyses of the fleets I've been responsible for, and other rather gigantic analysis databases indicate is best, too. It's how I 'break-in' an engine.

Just ringed my 85 Honda CB650SC.
Used motoman's "method" to break in.
Bike is running grear. Tight. Good power in akk gears.
Me likey motoman.

I went with the hard break in after I saw cars being driven off the assembly line, just after being filled up with fluids, right into the dynamometer, where they would proceed to redline them in every gear.