Proper Break-in and Making your engine last.

C

Cr9ck

New Member
I remember reading a post that Thatsdax did about breakin. It read something like 10min on and 10 min off for the engine for the first 30miles and then something like 50% throttle (or low throttle) for the first 400-500miles.

he also recommended never going full throttle down hills if you want to

Also a 20:1 mixture during that time. I have a 50cc thatsdax kit and my bike will be up and running soon. If anyone remembers the post Im referring to please link.

Also I would love everyones input on whats safe and what isn't. Do i really need to break it in for 4-5 hundred miles???


IDIOT EDIT
for break-in procedures go here (didn't look around too well did I?): http://motorbicycling.com/f3/definitive-break-procedure-thread-3850.html (although its not really definitive yet)

I would still like some tips for making the engine last.
 
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Cr9ck said:
I remember reading a post that Thatsdax did about breakin. It read something like 10min on and 10 min off for the engine for the first 30miles and then something like 50% throttle (or low throttle) for the first 400-500miles.

he also recommended never going full throttle down hills if you want to

Also a 20:1 mixture during that time. I have a 50cc thatsdax kit and my bike will be up and running soon. If anyone remembers the post Im referring to please link.

Also I would love everyones input on whats safe and what isn't. Do i really need to break it in for 4-5 hundred miles???


IDIOT EDIT
for break-in procedures go here (didn't look around too well did I?): http://motorbicycling.com/f3/definitive-break-procedure-thread-3850.html (although its not really definitive yet)

I would still like some tips for making the engine last.
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in my opinion 4-500 miles seems a bit excessive, i think 100-150 miles will be just fine, You can go full throttle just not for extended periods of time, naturally you want to see what your new motor kit can do, so if i were you i would get at least 30 miles logged before i "see what it can do" but just 1 or 2 times. if you buy a bell speedo it wont work with your stock plug wire, go to the auto parts store and get yourself a single plug wire and replace your stock cheapo wire with it. DO NOT REMOVE IT unless you have the replacement wire on hand. The old wire unscrews from the CDI/ignition coil like a screw (believe it or not but it does) and you install the new one the same way.
 
I think 4-500 miles is a lot for break-in also. I went through 2 tanks of gas at 16:1. At that mix, it didn't have much power do do much harm. I went through a lot of full throttle on & offs (mostly trying to start the #%?* thing)
I've been only riding a few blocks at a time.This week went to 20:1. Starts much easier and runs better. Went on a 3 mile trip to the store today. With the shifter kit installed I didn't use much throttle except dodging cars.
Mine 4 cycles at higher rpms, so it's like a governor anyway.
I think after this tank it'll be ready for some carb tuning and be broke in enough .
 
I started that "Definitive" thread hoping I would get a lot of the experts to voice their opinions in one place. Unfortunately it seems to have fizzled out. I did the 10 minute idle on first startup followed by only very short hops (under 3 miles) for the first 50 or so miles. For me that was easy since I live close to my work and just used the bike to commute. I've now done a couple of longer 8 to 10 mile type trips with my cruiser and had no problem and even went over 100 niles today! (^) So I think slow and easy is the ticket. I live in town so I don't really want to open it up as fast as it will go. Anyway feel your way along and if you think something doesn't sound/feel right then back off and check it out. I suspect if treated with a little respect these engines will give you a lot of miles of riding, they just need to be pampered a bit. Good luck! :D
 
Cr9ck said:
whats the benefit to replacing the wire and sparkplug? do you get more power or what?
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easier starting, i am sure you will gain a bit of power, but in my opinion it is mainly so that you can purchase and use a digital (bell brand or other brand) speedometer, if you attempt to use a digital speedometer with your stock plug wire it will cause it to constantly reset and drive you crazy. The plug wire is a cheap and easy upgrade **** you could go to a local repair shop or junkyard and get a used plug wire, it will still be better than whats there now.
 
I'm no expert on these engines. I have however rebuilt and broken in many m/c motors and a coupla cars too. I understand general consensis to be: vary your speed and load don't hold one throttle position for very long, ride in all ranges being wary of max rpms. But the last thing you want to do is lug (rpms too low) the motor around during break in. Ride it, just don't ride it too far or too fast right out of the gate. I would reasonably expect the rings to be seated and the motor to be broken in after 1 gal of gas.(^)
 
I have only had mine for about 2 weeks but I have noticed that letting the motor warm up for about 5-10 minutes before riding it makes it run a bit smother.
 
tyrslider said:
But the last thing you want to do is lug (rpms too low) the motor around during break in. Ride it, just don't ride it too far or too fast right out of the gate. I would reasonably expect the rings to be seated and the motor to be broken in after 1 gal of gas.(^)
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Yes, exactly!!! We would build up our MX bikes and run them stand still for 10-15 mins while reving gently just to make sure it didn't sound like a box full of rocks. 3.5 ounces to the gallon for the first tank. After the first 10-15 minutes at stand still we would take off and wing the crap out of them.

3 ounces of oil to the gallon there-after...never had a problem!

I didn't have any problems breaking in the motor on our shop bike. I went heavy on the oil 16:1 as recommended for the first tank and then changed the plug and went to a high grade of synthetic at 20:1. It works great!

Jim

BTW: My all time favorite road bikes were the RD series from Yamaha. They were light, handled well, and had a great power-to-weight ratio.
 
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One of the things you'll want to do to increase your engine's life is pull in the clutch when going down long hills.

If you have the clutch engaged and the engine is spinning fast, throttle closed, it's not getting much oil, and it's running in a lean condition to boot.

During prolonged idling (like going down a long hill with the clutch pulled in) be sure to blip the throttle once in awhile.
 
Bikeguy Joe said:
One of the things you'll want to do to increase your engine's life is pull in the clutch when going down long hills.

If you have the clutch engaged and the engine is spinning fast, throttle closed, it's not getting much oil, and it's running in a lean condition to boot.

During prolonged idling (like going down a long hill with the clutch pulled in) be sure to blip the throttle once in awhile.
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Excellent advice!

It may sound Corny for me to say this, but 2 cycle engines are "happy" in the upper RPM range while making power!

Jim
 
SOME MEMBERS MAY NOT BE AWARE OF PISTON TO CYLINDER CLEARANCE. ANY ENGINE SHOULD BE WARMED UP AT LOWER RPM. THE FIRE IS ON TOP OF THE PISTON, IF IT HEATS UP AND EXPANDS FASTER THAN THE CYCLINDER, YOU LOSE THE CLEARANCE AND SCORE (SEIZE THE PISTON= MELT). THIS HAS PROBABLY RUINED AS MANY ENGINES AS ANYTHING = CARS, BOATS, CYCLES, TRUCKS, LAWNMOWERS - ANY COMBUSTION ENGINE. WITH THE BIG CC CHAINSAW ENGINES, WHEN THEY START TO RUN OUT OF GAS THEY MUST BE SHUT DOWN AND REFUELED. WHEN THE CREW TRIES TO FINISH A CUT THEY MELT THE PISTON (SMEARS=MELTED=SCORED) IT RUNS LEAN = HOT= LIKE A CUTTING TORCH. SOMETIMES YOU CAN FIX IT WITH NEW PISTON AND RINGS, IF THEY STOP SOON ENOUGH. OTHER TIMES IT CAN LOCK UP AND BEND THE ROD AT FULL THROTTLE. THE BAD NEWS = I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGE!! :eek: THIS CAN HAPPEN TO A CAR WITH 100,000 MILES ON IT. TREAT YOUR MOTORS LIKE A NEW WIFE. I HOPE THIS HELPS (WITH MOTORS AND ??) RON
 
ibcnya said:
Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power
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From the article; these principles apply to all 4 stroke engines:

Do 2-strokes seal differently?

Anyway, I did not follow any break-in procedure. I ran it for about 5 minutes twice, adjusted the carb, ran 5 more times for 10-15 minutes per ride, then ran it for 11 miles (35-40 minutes) without stopping. This probably totaled 16 miles.

So what is the correct procedure?
Is it 10 minutes per ride for 1 gallon at 16:1 with varying throttle positions?

Have I hosed my engine? It seems to be running pretty good and I've used a little under 2 liters of 16:1 so far.

I've read so many things. Do you really need to let it cool down before taking it out again for the next break in ride?
 
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