Importance of heat cycle break in on new DRZ, advice needed

[SMThumperDRZ]

Hey everybody,

 

I recently bought a brand new DRZ.  I am only 100 miles into it so far. I guess this is mostly a question about break in, and I figure this would be the best place to ask.

 

Well, I always knew the few key do's and don't about breaking in a new engine, but I started doing some more reading after my first ride with the bike and it has raised a couple of concerns. 

 

I have pretty much made up my mind how i wanted to do the break in on this bike, but my question is about the heat cycling part of it.

 

Other than the first ride the dealer did after set up, my first ride on the bike was done on some back roads that had 35-45 mph limits., I made sure to vary the rpm through the ranges, doing steady pulls and doing as much engine braking as i could.  The thing is, the ride was about 25 miles total, probably around 45-50 minutes of runtime in about 40-45 degree weather. Was this too long for a first ride? I later started reading about heat cycles NEEDING to be somewhere between 15-20 minutes max for the first few for keeping the engine cool during run in since a new engine will produce more heat quicker. I know the point is to not overheat during it's early life, but I don't know if I could consider my ride as that.  I kept moving and there was constant cold air flow over the bike in reasonably cold weather.  Is there any chance that this first ride could have a negative effect on the bikes future lifespan? Has anybody else bought a crate bike and put that many miles or time on the very first ride just riding it home from the dealer for the first ride and ended up with a reliable long term motorcycle?  I do understand thermal cycling can be important, but is the short time durations recommended that critical? 

 

With that information given, i have probably another 8 rides following that one on the bike. All were for shorter durations then letting the bike cool all the way down.  I feel like i have been doing everything i want to for the break in, except that first ride being of a longer runtime.  I guess, it was just lack of knowledge and research of even knowing that i needed to do these short heat cycles, and the service manual and owners manual for the DRZ don't state anything about the importance of the initial heat cycling.  I am sure there are many people who have bought their bikes and rode them home from the dealership brand new and put about that much time or miles on it for the first run,  I would like to hear from you guys on this one with your thoughts and personal experiences.

 

Thank you

Edited February 10, 2014 by SMThumperDRZ

[quick221680]

You are fine. Break in is like oil. Every one is going to have there own opinion on it. Change your oil at or before 500 miles with regular oil. Then again at the 1000 mile mark or b4 with synthetic oil of ur choice and u are good.

[k4f5x0r]

I have 15x miles on my brand new 2013. I changed the oil at 120 miles and it came out black and sparkly. At 150 miles i had to drain it because i had a leak from installing the crush washers the wrong way and the oil was still perfectly clean and shaving free.  Just make sure you clean off the crank case magnetic plug really good, mine had a ton of metal particles on it(none on it the 2nd time i changed the oil at 150miles).



 

[SMThumperDRZ]

I have 15x miles on my brand new 2013. I changed the oil at 120 miles and it came out black and sparkly. At 150 miles i had to drain it because i had a leak from installing the crush washers the wrong way and the oil was still perfectly clean and shaving free.  Just make sure you clean off the crank case magnetic plug really good, mine had a ton of metal particles on it(none on it the 2nd time i changed the oil at 150miles).

 

I was planning on changing the oil/filter and check the screen anytime now, probably about 150.  I guess I was hoping to find out if anybody else had done a ride similar to the duration and mileage as I did for the very first ride without any issues later on.  I know a 25 mile-50 minutes ride isn't overly long, but it isn't exactly the short 10-20 minute that a lot of people seem to stress the importance of for the first heat cycles.

[Mr-Adventure]

Have to  agree, everybody has an opinion on breaking in a new engine.

Personally I break them in like I am going to ride it, I don't lug the engine, I do don't use max revs.

Early oil/filter change, well before the recommended first service, especially clean the wire gauze filter at the bottom of the front fame tube. 

# 12 in this diagram.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/shop/oem.php?partcategory=742743&manufacturer=5&category=5&year=2013&model=27039

Don't go over thinking about heat cycles, engine tolerances and assembly are much more precise with better materials and tooling, just ride as normal.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Black_DRZ

[BurnCycle]

Your rings did most of their breaking in in the first 20 minutes of operation. By you or the shop. From here on out its just upkeep. You did well enough.

[motoinmoab]

Some say "Ride it like you stole it!" right from the start:

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

[SMThumperDRZ]

Your rings did most of their breaking in in the first 20 minutes of operation. By you or the shop. From here on out its just upkeep. You did well enough.

Really? Is that what the heat cycle bit is all about, the top end and ring seat only? I have done several short rides, got it to temp and let it cool down fully before going out again, it is mainly the first ride I am concerned about here seeing how I didn't follow the typical short runtime, I just.. Didn't know at the time. My concern is negative effects from "overheating" new engine in the first ride of close to an hour without a break.

Edited February 10, 2014 by SMThumperDRZ

[seemus]

Eddie once posted his break in technique here. It went something like this

1. Tow bike to track

2. Unload bike

3. Wheelie away from van

 

Seriously mate, heat cycles went out with conventional forks.... 

The mototune article posted is good too.

[carbon_unit]

You are done as far as the rings are concerned. They are seated.

I would just change the oil and ride it like normal now. If you are really concerned about the break in, just try not to bounce it off of the rev limiter until you get 500 miles on it.

Don't worry about the initial heat cycle. The cold air kept you safe. If it was 100 degrees out then you want to keep the heat cycle short.

[SMThumperDRZ]

You are done as far as the rings are concerned. They are seated.

I would just change the oil and ride it like normal now. If you are really concerned about the break in, just try not to bounce it off of the rev limiter until you get 500 miles on it.

Don't worry about the initial heat cycle. The cold air kept you safe. If it was 100 degrees out then you want to keep the heat cycle short.

I think I am just worried because it is a brand new bike and I want it to last a long time. I have read after the facts on a few forums where individuals stress how heat spikes are killer for brand new engines..no matter which method of break in you decide to go with. And I can see where they are coming from with properties of different materials used in manufacturing and their characteristics of thermal expansion and compression at all different rates. My fear after learning this was that this 25 miles at about 50 minutes there was a chance of possible "overheating", if you will.. and with the expansion of all the new parts inside might have caused excessive pressure on parts of the engine, broke down the oil viscosity and caused hot spots, or scuffing resulting in damage. It was quite cold, in the 40s maybe 50 degrees outside. I kept the bike moving most of the time and I didn't ride at high speeds( over 50 ) nor ride it real hard, I just rode it normally, smooth roll on power and compression braking but did not rev the piss out of it during the 25 miles and we did make one stop about half way where the bike was shut off, only 5-10 minutes though (not enough time for a good cool down) so I figured those things worked in my favor if this was even a possible issue to worry about at all, to begin with. I followed up the next several rides with more control in mind with not running it too long, figured that would help and be the best I could do at that point. Edited February 10, 2014 by SMThumperDRZ

[SIKKBOY666]

Its fine...

[carbon_unit]

Stop worrying. It's fine. Just change your oil and ride it.

These engines are not as picky as some others.

[SMThumperDRZ]

Thanks for all the input from everybody so far. I know this might seem like an unessesary post to begin with, but I figure this would be the best place to gather information from people who have experience with these machines personally, and gather some insight on my questions and concerns. I appreciate any input at all

I was thinking it is probably pretty common for someone to buy a machine in the next town over or a few towns away and ride them home in one shot without adverse effects. Possibly I am being overly concerned

Edited February 11, 2014 by SMThumperDRZ

[BurnCycle]

Did your engine fan come on and stay on at anytime during your ride? Did you drive it low on oil or water? If no to these you are just fine. Enjoy your ride. Change the oil at 500 miles. Replace with quality oil. Add some stabilizer. Check and clean the tank to engine screen. Then just set up your oil change schedule. Some do it by time and some by mileage. I change my oil anywhere from 1000 to 1500 miles. Sometimes way less but never more than 1500. But thats me. Shes your bike now. Do your fixes/preventive maintenences. Have fun with your modding but always remember your oil changes.

[SMThumperDRZ]

Did your engine fan come on and stay on at anytime during your ride? Did you drive it low on oil or water? If no to these you are just fine. Enjoy your ride. Change the oil at 500 miles. Replace with quality oil. Add some stabilizer. Check and clean the tank to engine screen. Then just set up your oil change schedule. Some do it by time and some by mileage. I change my oil anywhere from 1000 to 1500 miles. Sometimes way less but never more than 1500. But thats me. Shes your bike now. Do your fixes/preventive maintenences. Have fun with your modding but always remember your oil changes.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. As far as the oil and coolant goes, it was all topped off at the dealer and I checked before I started it. About the fan though, I am not sure since I was on the bike the whole time, I doubt the fan came on since I only stopped at a few lights before hitting the back roads and the temperature outside was around 40. I read somewhere that it takes quite a bit for these radiator fans to start up

[e_scourboutis]

Relax, I think you  are anxious because you want the best for your new ride.

 

The DRZ has a modern engine with allready very good tolerances from the factory so there will be less heat generated during run in compared to older, aircooled engines.

 

It is difficult to overheat if riden normally as you seem to have done in your first ride.

 

Kevin Ash has published an interesting article about running in that explains how too little heat can be as bad a too much.

 

Enjoy the ride!

[SMThumperDRZ]

Relax, I think you  are anxious because you want the best for your new ride.

 

The DRZ has a modern engine with allready very good tolerances from the factory so there will be less heat generated during run in compared to older, aircooled engines.

 

It is difficult to overheat if riden normally as you seem to have done in your first ride.

 

Kevin Ash has published an interesting article about running in that explains how too little heat can be as bad a too much.

 

Enjoy the ride!

That is a really good article with some comprehensive information, probably one of the better ones I have seen.

[ohgood]

kick it over on both sides. look at the stuff that got scratched. 

 

 

then do the loctite fixes, all of them. add some bark busters, and check back in 20 oil changes. that's 1,000 miles each. 

 

see ya  

[gdub1970]

Ride the bike hard and constantly change engine speed for the best ring seal. Change the oil and filter after 150 miles