Running in a new engine

[Jaik]

Hi. Fairly new to two wheels and will come straight out....I have a scooter. I have a Chinese scooter. I have a Chinese scooter that shat itself!

However, I can't deny that I have loved riding it (no doubt I'll upgrade upon full licence and when wife earns enough!) and I can't wait to get on it again. Besides, as well as being a big, good looking retro 125cc that handles very nicely, it only cost me a grand and it'll still be well under the 2 grand mark for a 2008 body and brand new ported engine. So bag me if you like....

Anyway, the reason for this thread is that I've tried searching but couldn't find anything here on running in a new engine. The link below, which I found on a UK scooter site forum, suggests not holding back and the reasoning seems to make sense.

I'd love to get more opinions please, about the link below that is! Thanks.

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

[CookMySock]

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

Most of the little factiods in that article sound like a lot of crap.

Like this one ;

The engine vacuum created during closed throttle deceleration sucks the excess oil and metal off the cylinder walls.

Um, right. I'd like to hear exactly how that works.

Steve

[Jaik]

Thanks for your comment Steve. I'm not a mechanic so it all sounded pretty impressive to me. Perhaps I should keep my sceptical spectacles on.

And thanks for not knocking my ride...

[Pixie]

I followed these suggestions on both my bandits.
They never used any oil,even after more than 120,000km,
And they produced power at the upper end of the bandit scale when dyno tested.

[popelli]

I'd love to get more opinions please, about the link below that is! Thanks.

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

follow those instructions and you will have a stonkingly good motor

take it easy and the rings will never bed in, bores will glaze up and it will have loads of blowby and produce less power

know of people who ran motors in at meremere with excellent results

[Jaik]

Wow! OK so maybe it does make sense. If someone could explain the 'vacuum sucking the oil from the cylinder walls when throttle off' scenario then maybe DangerousBastard may also be convinced. I know I am but I'm an easy target (....where have I heard that phrase?!). Thanks again.

[CookMySock]

Wow! OK so maybe it does make sense. If someone could explain the 'vacuum sucking the oil from the cylinder walls when throttle off' scenario then maybe DangerousBastard may also be convinced. I know I am but I'm an easy target (....where have I heard that phrase?!). Thanks again.

Perhaps it will work? I do not know. Others have plenty of success with it.. My comment is just about his non-scientific discussion of the process.

Clearly there are two schools of thought, and the racers seem fairly subscribed to the mentioned method.

I don't feel comfortable with it.. The more I thrash engines the more they leak oil and piss smoke everywhere. I am more concerned with how long they run for and not so much with how well they run. If I want more power, I get a bigger engine.

Steve

[popelli]

The more I thrash engines the more they leak oil and piss smoke everywhere.

may be if they were run in properly they would not have blowby and pressurise the cases as much causing the oil leaks and smoke

ran a 68 triumph in propely once (read slowly as per the book) it had been rebuilt with all nerw parts and it was completely fucked in 3500 miles

treat my harleys with a lot less respect and have 250,000 km on my evo

[Max Headroom]

There are a few things that can kill a new or reconditioned engine prematurely. A "fresh" engine shouldn't be left idling for extended periods, nor over-revved, nor be allowed to "lug".

A good way of treating a fresh engine is to avoid stop-start traffic altogether and head for some quiet back roads where there are some hills. Moderate use of the throttle will allow the rings to load up, while coasting down hills allows temperatures to fall before loading the engine up again. Avoid full throttle and redline for the first 1000 - 1500kms.

Use the gears to avoid lugging or over-revving, and avoid holding a constant speed for extending periods too (such as HW27 on the Hauraki Plains!).

Dump the engine oil & filter as soon as practicable (300 - 500km) and retorque the cylinder head. Re-check valve clearances and check visually for oil leaks.

[AllanB]

Go here and read the Break in Procedures.

http://www.919.org/

Then do what ever you like, everyone has a different opinion.

One point of interest is this: At the factory before you got your bike it was fired up and run through the gears rather vigorously.

Re-torque the heads - that shit does not happen any more on modern engines - 1st service - fresh oil/filter and a wander around the bike! Most cam covers are not even removed to check the valve clearances for 20- 25,000 kms.

Chinese scooters are different - thrash the shit out of them as they will explode anyway so you may as well have some fun before they do!

[Ender EnZed]

So the manufacturers are all in a conspiracy to have us using engines that aren't as good as they could be?

[dipshit]

If someone could explain the 'vacuum sucking the oil from the cylinder walls when throttle off' scenario

Under decelerating closed throttle, the vacuum in the cylinder draws the piston rings up and against the cylinder wall. The rings then scrape more of the oil away. It is important to get both leading edges of the rings bedded in.

[Pixie]

Perhaps it will work? I do not know. Others have plenty of success with it.. My comment is just about his non-scientific discussion of the process.

Clearly there are two schools of thought, and the racers seem fairly subscribed to the mentioned method.

I don't feel comfortable with it.. The more I thrash engines the more they leak oil and piss smoke everywhere. I am more concerned with how long they run for and not so much with how well they run. If I want more power, I get a bigger engine.

Steve

Read the mototune directions .He is not suggesting a new engine be "thrashed"

[Roger]

Just thrash the shit out of it,
If it breaks then it was crap to begin with,
If it lasts It will just go faster and faster and faster

[YellowDog]

Riding normally is better for it than riding slowly. You need the engine to use as full a rev range without revving the bollox off it.

Big mistake buying a Chinese scooter. You are now a member of their new technology testing department - until you run out of cash.

Good luck.