How to know when broken in? Fuel ratios?

GoldenMotor.com

michaelbikin

Member
Jul 9, 2015
67
1
6
New Hampshire
I probably have about 30-40 miles on my bike so far, and have been using a 20:1 gas to oil fuel ratio with non-synthetic 2 stroke oil, I don't know if it is meant for air cooled engines or not but... don't know if that matters but I'm sure it helps. Anyways, I wanted to know how do I know if my engine is broken in yet, I am almost done with a gallon of gas and I am wondering what fuel mixture to use when I refill my next gallon at the gas station. Also, my max speed so far is about 23 to maybe 24 mph full throttle, but I don't hold WOT for a while because I heard it's bad... I'm sure I would accelerate a little more if I held it at WOT. But will my max speed increase naturally overtime when I switch fuel ratios after break in?

Also, I plan on getting some high performance parts, but what does an expansion chamber muffler do? Make you go faster?
 

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
158
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USA
I run 32:1 after first gallon, and have had some motors that needed about 100 miles to get to decent speed/power.
 

Slogger

Member
Sep 8, 2014
544
4
18
nohio
If you take off the exhaust you can see the rings in through the port.
When it's broken in they will be scuffed and rough looking. If they still look new, or only partially scuffed up, you got some more breakin in to do. Yes, the engine will become a more efficient pump as those rings seal up all the way around, and it will make more power.

An expansion chamber pipe can be tuned to produce a burst of power in a certain RPM range, with the header being lengthened or shortened to choose that range. It has to do with the intake and exhaust flow through a piston ported engine, resonance and a bunch of pressure wave/technical jargon I would leave to those that understand it better. It's like a boost bottle for the exhaust, but unlike a boost bottle it actually works.
 

michaelbikin

Member
Jul 9, 2015
67
1
6
New Hampshire
I have used a gallon so far, should I go to 24:1 now using non-synthetic? I am thinking about doing this for the next two gallons then going to 32:1. Should I?
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
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OKC, OK
I have used a gallon so far, should I go to 24:1 now using non-synthetic? I am thinking about doing this for the next two gallons then going to 32:1. Should I?

If that's the plan you feel comfortable with, then that's what you should do. There is a lot of gray area in this topic and everyone is a different shade. There is nothing wrong at all in your plan.

Best of luck in your adventures!
 

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
158
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there's not 'one right way' to do these, but there are a lot of wrong ways - you're doing OK so far
 

Trey

$50 Cruiser
Jan 17, 2013
1,432
5
0
Where cattle outnumber people 3 to 1.
Yes, the engine will become a more efficient pump as those rings seal up all the way around, and it will make more power.
A very helpful perspective I was given by an accomplished mechanic, is that an internal combustion engine is an air pump. I'm not well versed enough to explain it properly, but it is true, and it's useful in diagnostics etc.

Well said Slogger!
 

Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
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San Antonio Texas
I gotta agree it's a grey area and everyone you ask will have their own opinions... my thoughts would be to say it's safe to run the engine on 32:1 right from the start and go up to 40:1 after the second tank is used up.
A lot of it depends on how you ride too as hard riding and high rpm use does mean more oil is needed in the mix, even tho I've run 100:1 using opti2 and not had any problems, but I'm not going to recommend others do this for obvious reasons, and it was like 35 degrees outside and it was about a 3/4 mile round trip. The short trips and the cold weather is what kept that engine alive, but there's no way I would try that on a hot summer day, even on short trips like that. The opti2 at 100:1 mix is safe for cruising but if going fast I'll use amsoil dominator at 40:1 with a small amount of castor oil to bring the total content to around 35:1, then I feel a lot safer running at 10000 rpm for a half mile without letting off. You can mix opti2 at 50:1 or 40:1 but it gets pretty messy with oily residue or oil dripping out the exhaust after shut down and when parked it will leave a spot on the floor.
back to the break in, you will start to notice the engine running smoother, accelerating better, and a better top speed as the rings seat since there will be less friction and better ring sealing, you'll most likely notice the engine running cooler as well if you got a temp gauge or monitor your engine's temperature with an infrared thermometer, the point and shoot type..
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
I used to care, but my experience shows none of it really matters. I've run opti2 at 100:1 from break in to destruction on daily riders, stopped using it in race bikes because it didn't hold up, put the worst crap lawnmower gas pre mixed months earlier in my bikes, bought off-the-shelf synthetics, bargain brands, exotic racing oils, castor bean oils, etc.

Everything seems to work fine.

I mix everything by eye. 20:1? 32:1? Heck, how about approximately 27.5:1.3?

I just pour it in and go.

That old gas can with brown stuff in it? That's probably about right. Maybe I'll just add a little more oil just to be safe.

Changed the sending unit on a 1960 falcon ranchero that sat for 15 years. Sure, that gas will work. Lemme hit pep boys for that $1.99 bottle of 2 cycle oil. Add that to the gas and whatever residue left in the oil change pan I draned the gas into, using luck and apathy as a measuring stick, and my bike has a whole new scent, but still ran fine. The more smoke, the better. Let's people know I've been there.

Only thing I haven't tried is 30w motor oil, which is what these motors were designed to run on, just because I needed that oil for the monthly top-off on the cadillac.

I've seen bikes so covered in old oil you could probably wipe them down, squeeze the rag into your tank, and go another 50 miles.

Break in is for shoes and leather jackets. Just fill up your damn bike and run it full throttle all day. If it's gonna blow, it's gonna blow.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
63
OKC, OK
See, there's lots of shades of gray, grey ---- whatever works for you. I think that I'm about 3/4 gray, grey...............:D
 

Trey

$50 Cruiser
Jan 17, 2013
1,432
5
0
Where cattle outnumber people 3 to 1.
I used to care, but my experience shows none of it really matters.

Everything seems to work fine.

I mix everything by eye. 20:1? 32:1? Heck, how about approximately 27.5:1.3
And that's from a guy who knows.

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up sir! (^)

I use tools that are 2-banger powered all the time. Just like Dan :) said, you never see a lumberjack baby a chainsaw. Get some oil in the fuel and go WOT forever.
I am not recommending this for every china girl owner, just sayin...
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
No. What I was trying to get across to everyone, is that pretty much any type of oil will work.

These are not hi tech, precision machines, meticulously pieced together by italian engineers in a spotless facility.

They're out dated relics, handed down from the russians and bastardized by the chinese. Yet somehow, most of them work.

The longest lasting engines I've had, and still have, are filled with whatever i have laying around and they keep going.

My above post may sound like a joke, but it's all true.

And you already answered your question. If you broke it in with synthetics and it's still running, then obviously, you can.
 
Jul 5, 2015
128
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Santa Barbara, CA
No. What I was trying to get across to everyone, is that pretty much any type of oil will work.

These are not hi tech, precision machines, meticulously pieced together by italian engineers in a spotless facility.

They're out dated relics, handed down from the russians and bastardized by the chinese. Yet somehow, most of them work.

The longest lasting engines I've had, and still have, are filled with whatever i have laying around and they keep going.

My above post may sound like a joke, but it's all true.

And you already answered your question. If you broke it in with synthetics and it's still running, then obviously, you can.

I am still in the break in period, so i wanted to be sure.
 

Davezilla

New Member
Mar 15, 2014
2,705
10
0
San Antonio Texas
I agree... These engines aren't anything so special that the oil ratio needs to be ultra precise or that only certain brands etc will work... You could probably save the used oil from doing your car's oil changes and they'll run just fine on it. You will Not blow your engine if you accidentally or intentionally grab a bottle of marine 2 cycle oil either.
I already know that at 10,000 rpm the rings and cylinders aren't going to last very long, but I just put new rings in, re hone the jug, and I'm good for another 6 months or so...