Going over 5600 RPM

jumb5150

Member
I am 300 miles on my bike. I am wondering if I can screw up the engine since Ive been going over 6000rpm occasionally. When Im riding on the freeway, @ 80mph my tach is at 6000rpm. So I slow down to 75mph so that it goes down to 5200. Is this really gonna screw up my engine?
 

mckshred

New member
There are many different schools of thought on the subject of engine break-in techniques.
Here's a couple opinions:
New Engine Break-in Procedure
Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

from what I can gather - these are some guidelines mentioned:
  • Warm up the engine completely before riding
  • Run the engine at inconsistent rpm's <6000 for short periods
  • allow FULL cooldown in between next run.
  • no long trip or constant rpm's for long periods
  • increment rpm's 1000 more every 200-300 miles after that.
  • dont pin it until you have 750-1000 miles
I'd be interested to hear how others are running their FZ8's during break in. Is there a thread already?

Does anyone know what kind of engine oil is used during break in period? Is it the usual Yamalube or something else?
 
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impostor1981

New member
You would rather mess it up by going on the freeway at constsnt speed for longer period of time (15-20 min I guess).
It is acually recomended to take it up all the way to the red line at approx 500 miles but do it by gently increasing the revs. Reason for that is that the piston only reaches end of the cylinder at max rev speed. If you dont do that it simply will not polish the very top of the combustion chamber.

In regards to the oil I spoke to Yamaha dealer and they said it is some sort of mineral oil which gives less lubrication. Actually when I tried rubbing it pn my fingers it felt some kind of sharper, if you know what I mean.

Anyway dont worry that much about that breaking period you would not cause any damage to the engine only could decrease its performance by couple BHPs and TQs

By the way congratulations u ve made the right choice by getting FZ8
 

jumb5150

Member
You would rather mess it up by going on the freeway at constsnt speed for longer period of time (15-20 min I guess).
It is acually recomended to take it up all the way to the red line at approx 500 miles but do it by gently increasing the revs. Reason for that is that the piston only reaches end of the cylinder at max rev speed. If you dont do that it simply will not polish the very top of the combustion chamber.

In regards to the oil I spoke to Yamaha dealer and they said it is some sort of mineral oil which gives less lubrication. Actually when I tried rubbing it pn my fingers it felt some kind of sharper, if you know what I mean.

Anyway dont worry that much about that breaking period you would not cause any damage to the engine only could decrease its performance by couple BHPs and TQs


By the way congratulations u ve made the right choice by getting FZ8

When on the freeway, I go 80mph which is 6k RPM for about a couple of miles then realize where my revs are at so I slow down to 70mph -75mph. I hope its ok since Im really not even try to go faster than I should Im just going with the flow of traffic.
 

Speedo007

New member
Yeah don't worry about it too much. I'd avoid very long highway trips for reasons mentionned above. And once you have a few hundred miles you can start going up the revs but without holding it there for long, just bursts here and there. The oil they put in the bike when it's new is indeed oil made specially to allow friction between parts otherwise with synthetic oil it would probably take 2-3 times as many miles to get break-in over with.

I had like 5 new bikes in the last 5 years, have just rode them normally without following everything to the book, and then I'd put around 20000km in a season and they all worked perfectly fine. What I don't mess with is the first oil change. As soon as you hit the recommended milleage, have it replaced with synthetic oil. I then follow the maintenance recommendations pretty much to a T.

I heard that for some ski-doos the minute the engines go off the production line, they rev the engine to the top. If it resists, it means all is good, if something goes wrong, it's cause they're was a problem with it.

With todays' manufacturing specs engine are near perfect when they get off the production line, still some break-in is required for micro surfaces of the parts to match perfectly and have the best seal possible, but certainly not as much as it was required 25 years ago...
 
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hypo

New member
I ride to work about 15-20 miles and was very conscious about the RPMs not going over that 5700 mark too often or for too long... when I did my oil change at 600 I saw some shavings in the stock soup, but not a lot. I went full synthetic then, and again at 3600 and I've not had issues.
 
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calscrazy

Guest
i put about 150 miles on mine then i started to ride normal and a few times really rung its neck real quick. had about 1000 miles on it when i took my trip. if its gonna break it will break early. that is my theory.
 

Black Widow

Avid Rider
I could not resist going over 6000 RPM after 100 kms. I would take it to 9500 quite often , i break in an engine the way i will be using it after break in period. As long as you vary the RPM and don't sustain a constant load/RPM you can wick it up thru the entire RPM range without harming anything. It's a Yamaha, a super reliable product.
 

specops13

New member
I did heat cycles early on. The trip home from the dealer was 20 miles. I loaded the engine on acceleration and deceleration but kept the rpm's way down. Gradually built the rpm's up to a max of 5600 while accelerating, over the next 280 miles.

Took a ride the other day with 300 miles on the clock. Rode some interstate and other roads with high speed limits. Shifting between 4th, 5th and 6th so it wouldn't run at a steady speed more than a few minutes. Went over the Skyway Bridge near the end of the ride. After climbing the main span, I ran the bike up to 8,000 or so rpm in high gear on the down hill side of the bridge.
I will now gradually run the bike up farther to 600 miles but not for any length of time. After 600 miles, it's gonna be open season. If it's not broken in by then it never will be... It will then have good ( Not Break In ) oil in it too.

Based on the experience of 37 OR 38 ??? bikes I've owned...

Dave
 

Petercwelch

New member
Piston travel

I believe that the travel of the piston is the same regardless of rpm. Crank and connecting rods define the travel, not rpms. I have kept the rims below 7000 so far (500 miles) with varying rpm throughout the range below 7000. Kept distance to 25-30 miles. Will change oil at 600 and then start to open it up a bit and by 1000 miles, no limits.
 

FZ1inNH

Administrator
The manual states no "sustained" RPMs above that range while breaking in. Nowhere does it say you cannot or shouldn't, just don't keep it there.

When I break in my bikes, it is a heavy hand with quick on/off throttle in low gear for about 50 - 70 miles. The pressure forcing the rings outward is what seats them faster and evenly. After that 70 miles, I change the oil and filter. No bike I've owned has burned a drop of oil after his type of breakin. :D
 

jumb5150

Member
I wish I knew about varying the RPMs before i finished break in. I Dyno'd the bike with yosh slip on and K&N air filter. Only got 95 ponies :(
 

BunGhoLeo

New member
I believe that the travel of the piston is the same regardless of rpm. Crank and connecting rods define the travel, not rpms.

There are allot of physics going on when an engine is running, and I won't go in depth explaining it, but as rpms increase, so does the stroke. The crank, rod, wristpin, and wristpin boss all flex, in this case stretch. It is possible to build an engine with too little piston to head clearance, where at a certain point the piston starts slamming into the head. To thin of a head gasket can also cause this in some engines.

When I break in my bikes, it is a heavy hand with quick on/off throttle in low gear for about 50 - 70 miles. The pressure forcing the rings outward is what seats them faster and evenly. After that 70 miles, I change the oil and filter. No bike I've owned has burned a drop of oil after his type of breakin. :D

I usually do my first change at 50 miles, but I'm perty much the same way. As a professional engine builder for the last 25 years I learned early on the importance of properly breaking in an engine. The ONLY reason the factory doesn't tell you the right way is for legal reasons.

The factory, as soon as the bike/car/whatever has an engine, rolls of the assemble line, puts it on a dyno, FULLY warms up the vehicle, and then proceeds to run it in all gears to redline, under full load. Several times. They are doing the initial ring wear in.

btw, I'm picking up my new fz8 today, and I garentee it will be seeing readline before 20 miles. Several times. Probably closer to 20 times. :)
 
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Deleted member 438

Guest
I wish I knew about varying the RPMs before i finished break in. I Dyno'd the bike with yosh slip on and K&N air filter. Only got 95 ponies :(

I only got 97.87 with a full system, and I feel like my hard break in was good. I varied my rpms and I ran it through the entire rev range during break in. I think the power and torque curves are more important than the top HP and TQ the dyno comes up with.
 
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Vapordan

Guest
Heavy hand here for break in. Very heavy. Routinely ignore the 5900 rpm. Both upshifting and down shifting. Keep the pressure on the rings. Haven't taken it past 7000 yet though!
 
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