I used to work in aviation, and i remember watching a guy fly away from the overhaul shop that finished a major on his Beechcraft bonanza ( io-540). The shop owner who was standing next to me commented that there went an engine that would be back under warranty. When i asked why, his response was that the owner/pilot hadn't used full power on takeoff, probably thinking that he was babying the fresh engine. He then went on to explain the very same things about the relationship between cylinders, pistons, rings, thermal hardening and the break-in period that Ryan did, but without the benefit of video aids. Well done Ryan
Best representation of how to properly break in a new/rebuilt engine (mainly a stock or street engine) and why to do it that way. Of course race engines or blue-print builds are a little different. Tighter tolerances, types of rings, types of bearings, and even types of plated cylinder walls, cylinder hone,can change the break in procedure as well, but that's a whole different topic.
Just remember that while that is true, it doesn't warm up and get all parts right. A short moment to get oil around the engine is fine (which is only about the time it takes to put on your helmet and gloves), then ride gently until the engine reaches operating temperature. That's generally enough time for grease and oil in all other moving parts (ones that may not get heat idling, but actually moving to get to a good running temp before giving the bike a bit more go.
"...and so that anything that's going to break, will break under warranty." Now that advice is refreshing to hear coming from a company, that's why I respect and trust FortNine. You would never hear advice like that from most of the others in the industry, 👍 to Ryan (and the FortNine team) for keepin' it real.
Right on, It's a company for the people rather than the industry, in a world where it's so lucrative and tempting to betray your own and be swayed their way
Its unfortunate that the experience isn't universally shared. Ryan makes fantastic content. Fortnine customer service however, encourages people to go to their local brick and mortar to try on equipment and clothing first when you are going to buy something Fortnine has on sale. They don't do exchanges so if you want it for a price, you either buy multiple sizes and return everything or you have to try it on.
@@Aenslaei so nice to be living in the EU. ANYTHING you fucking buy apart from food can be returned to the store within two weeks, no questiones asked. EU policy against scumbag companies
@@Darkest_Soul_187 Can't speak for the whole EU, but in Germany the legal regulations for returning goods are part of the Fernabsatzgesetz (mail order law?), so they apply only for stuff you buy online or by mail order. There is no law about returning goods in real (brick & mortar) stores so any "right" of returning goods in these stores is a voluntary service of the shop.
I was a bit concerned about the break in period, but I've actually been doing all of this with my new bike by accident. I've only put a little over 200 miles on it so far and I've been cruising between 35 and 50, taking off in the straights and hitting a few twisties before either stopping to grab a soda or something to eat for 10-15 minutes.
Interestingly enough my brand new Yamaha Bolt owner’s manual described almost the very same break-in… varying RPM, don’t lug the engine and don’t go for sustained high rpm rides (highway). FortNine’s videos are always spot on. I would think the manufacturers know how to break in the bike so the customer gets a longer, lower maintenance life from their product.
Excellent video. I broke in my bike this summer and the service mgr told me to ride my new bike like I normally would. That is, 1/4 throttle, 1/2 throttle, 3/4 throttle, and full throttle in every gear with multiple stops. I varied between road and highway so I had to make stops at traffic lights. I made stops to tap up on gasoline and for dinner. The main thing is not to ride at a constant speed in one gear.
I always get mad when I notice how low your views are when compared to other channels who provide shitty content... The amount of work put into each video looks huge. Keep it up, you will get a fair recognition some day!
Currently, this video has 1.8 million views and the channel 1.98 million subscribers. Kinda cool 6 years ago when you made this comment to where the channel is now. -June 2024-
FINALLY I hear something that makes SENSE, thanks for this men, Ive broke in 3 bikes so far and I was never sure if I had to take it gently or savagely on the engine. This is the most sober advice, and I know it'll help a lot.
Great advice! Just got myself a brand new Honda nc750x, I've had bikes for 10 years and this is my first new one, thanks for the advice on breaking the new beast in! You always make quality watchable and relatable videos! Cheers from Ireland, Claire 👌😊
It's not a time lapse. He just jumped 4 times with different outfits, shot with a high fps, try to recreate the previous jumps using the same path and speed, right cutting at the right time, and then stitched the videos to create an almost flawless sequence. Edit: Had to edit my grammar in case another grammar Nazi comes. My grammar was f'd up because I wrote it while drunk during liquor ban and English is my 2nd language.
Brave guy taking on such a controversial topic. I totally agree and have followed that same strategy with cars for years- never had any excessive oil use until over 100k miles. Good advice and easy to understand. I respect your opinions because you have much more experience than me, and seem to be thoughtful about every topic I’ve watched. Thanks!!
I just figured break it in the range that I ride. Able to do traffic in city and a few twisty backroads home. All the range of speed is involved in my commute. With one perfect pull off road by a car rental place with markings on the ground for u turns practice. And year round riding with extreme heat vs cold. Had it 2 weeks and up to 289 miles already from 8 only when I bought. One oil change done, spark plug & fuel/air hoses changed from factory, getting ready for next round. It sat for a few before I got it, they never rode it ,ever..😢 so being super vigilant will help I hope. These videos are all very helpful and entertaining without being lame IMHO. I have learned a lot. Thank you, years later, it's still helping people.
Very good points. To each his own for sure. Reason I love used is I switch out a lot of parts anyway to customize the vehicle and I enjoy working and learning on them.
Asad Siraj yea if you are going to do that , then I do understand you. I think if a motorcycle is not good enough stock, then its not worth buying. But thats just me. At least we both love working on our motorcycles!
Daniel B i can see that with off road bikes but I'm looking for a more street oriented bike as my next bike. Oh my profile pic? Man I need to update that. I was planning on getting that as my first bike but I ended up getting a 01 ninja 500r!
Stephen Hartley Brundrett hear you man. Also there are some bikes that are very special like the 05 06 gsxr 1000. I bought my dream project bike being the 05 R1 when they had great horsepower for a fraction of what its worth.
Ive been breaking in my bike this way without even knowing this was the correct way to break in the engine. See its my first bike and its not a slow one so im slowly learning and getting used to the bike. I take it out on the town streets and go from light to light then climb up on the highway for a few miles while dropping the hammer as i enter the hwy. Then i exit the hwy and come back towards town and do some sprints on the lonely service road with no traffic. After 30 min or so i come home with a big smile on my face and call it the day.
I simply love this channel. It always covers up all posibilities and thoughts without being afraid to trigger someone.Also time flys by while watching your videos, cause they are just so entertaining. Huge respect guys, excellent quality, amazing presentation and valid opinions. Love from east Europe. P.S. Sorry for any mistakes, my english are not the best.
Finally. A nice balanced and factual version of everyone else's passionate fantasies about how two pieces of metal wear together. I've broken in a handful of new bikes the same way. Although my method involved a bit more vigor, with heat cycles and cool downs of course. Oil changes flush out the fines and away we go. Never ever had a single issue with any of them. All ran exceptionally well. One note: the plating manufacturers are coating cylinder walls with these days are EXTREMELY HARD and DURABLE, and don't take to mating with steel rings real thoroughly unless sufficient force is put in the cylinder. The longer the user pokes along, the more apt they are to glaze (heat treat via. mechanical friction) microscopic ridges and peaks in the rings which will ensure they never shear and mate properly.
Good job. As taught 60 years ago and currently. Applies to all engines . Don't forget to change oil early during break in . Break in all moving parts , U2 .
From an automotive engineer and test driver perspective, you said 4 wrong things according to my experience testing vehicles. First: dont EVER let your engine idle for more than 2min, let alone 5 and let alone a brand new engine. An idling engine does not create oil pressure, and when an engine is running on low oil pressures, it creates heat spots. Now imagine the "heat spot" a brand new engine will create at the tight rings idling for 5 minutes in a cold day. Second: buying in november. Preferably you never want to break in an engine in cold moisty weather, like the one in the video. The (slight) condensation spots that is created within the parts can cause either overheating and/or overcooling and crack materials with different heat expansion rates. Third. Dont do figure 8s to wear in tires. Tires wear-in with temperature, pressure and inertia. One should pump the up the pressure a little more than you would usually ride with and just go out on a sunny day and ride some speeds, hard breaking and corners. Dont worry tires now a days arent "waxed" anymore, you wont crash on a sunny dry weather. And the tire needs that higher speed inertia to sit the wires properly in place. Fourth. What you do NOT want to do when breaking in a new engine is the constant "on and off/hot and cold" cycles like you mentioned. A new engine still needs to "sit and fit" all its components, and that wont happen properly if you constantly let the engine components heat and cool all the time, because different materials and parts sizes/shapes have different heat expansion rates, and if you keep messing around with those expansion rates by heating and cooling it all the time, you might create scratches or even cracks. Theoretically the best way to break in a motorized vehicle is to turn it on and run it with smooth throttle (never full throttle) across all rpms and gears for a veeeeeery long time. Hours. Hundreds of km/miles. And after the first oil change you really shouldnt bother anymore....oh, and preferably you should break in an engine using the best possible quality gasoline you can find, that helps the spark plug, valves, rings, injectors and exhaust/cat to break in properly as well..
...cold days also impact the mentioned heat expansion rates. A very cold engine metal is a lot more "compacted/contracted" in a cold day than a hot day, and expanding that material all the way up to working temperatures might create cracks or scratches. About the low oil pressure thing on point number one: to understand more the theorie behind oil pressures, please watch a "cold day idling" video from a channel called Engineering Explained. That dude explains very simply why idling for 5min is a bad idea. Also, believe it or not, some lab testing we performed at the university showed that, even from dead cold, a piston hardly ever takes more than 20-40seconds to be at working temps. (Gasoline high comp engine; this result does not apply for turbo or diesel engines).
I would still argue that there's more to it than just fuel wash and heat spots in the cylinder. There's also the simple fact that until the engine is warm, nothing fits right. There'll be play, and play is bad. Letting it idle longer allows the heat to permeate the block and things can expand to a more reasonable fit. Bear in mind I'm no expert, but that's how I see it. I'll continue to idle my car for 10 minutes before leaving for work for now.
This is by far the best video and best information I have heard on this topic. It seems there are many people at both extreme ends of the spectrum on how you should break-in a motorcycle, but this video does a great job of splitting the difference. It explains a few things that I don't hear touched on very much and does a great job turning that into a logical and compelling argument for proper break-in (as well as making good, well informed points on what constitutes improper break-in!)
Break in could also just be a wives tale. New bikes are dyno'd and put through the ringer before they get to the showroom floor. So if damage is done by that process then it's done before you buy a new bike!
Thanks FN good info especially about new and slickery tires. Breaking in a motorcycle engine and other moving components is hard work, I've done it three times over the years and it is a constant in life, up and down, red line occasionally, no lugging, and riding in an area where you won't piss off the other traffic as I go about my routine. Hard work requiring conscientious attention to "the plan". Best experience was the first, '75 750 BMW, I swear you could feel it just busting out to get to the next rpm allowence. Quite an experience as the engine responds to what is allowed to do. I use a different formula now than back then but essentially the same as FortNIne lays out, for the first 1000 miles, I'm not sure how many liters of beer that is in Europe.
Then there's me that takes a 1400km weekend trip 2 days after i picked her up from Calgary through the Kootenays and back. South to Creston with a Kootenay bottom rocker leading the pack was the most exhilarating experience I've had on a bike yet. The rest of the Ferry showed up about 15 minutes later
Just got my first new serious bike in november - gotta say it's a very pleasant feeling, when you know that nobody sat on this thing, nobody raped the engine, and, needless to say - it's worth to buy a new bike just to peal off that protective film off of the brand new dash.
I’ve watched this before. Watching it again on this beautiful Sunday as I’m about to get my new bike out! Bought it this winter and it’s waiting for me.
Manual doesn’t say to ride gently. It says to avoid full throttle acceleration and hard engine breaking. So just a normal ride for most. The video is a good summary of advice from forum “experts”. The procedure demonstrated won’t hurt, but it looks and sounds like a spell to me.
For my z1000sx it said to go under 5 rpm for the first 500 kms and under 7 for 1500 kms. On cb500f it was something like under 5 rpm for 1000 kms. Same thing with the cars.
Yep. For my Scrambler, I had to stay below 6k rpm for 600 miles, and then below 7k till 1500 miles. It also said to vary the road type to hills and valleys like Fort suggests.
Hey, mechanic here. I beat the piss out of it to break in a new engine. Works great every time. The being gentle for however many miles is a myth at this point.
The factory has usually test ran your new bike on their dyno. I think they may bring it up to redline without a lot of RPM varying. It does get a very long cool down cycle.
Wow, that idling part is what my dad used to do with out bike back in 90’s. I kinda did is because of that without actually knowing what it does, since I live in a cold weather it’s very helpful.
New to motorcycling and motorcycling interest. And your videos Ryan, are staggeringly awesome. Crisp, informative, not lengthy, and word efficient. Simply phenomenal.
I'm glad you went into this I've sold motorcycles and worked on them for 50 years and I never could argue with too many people that say you don't need to do anything to break in an engine which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of but anyway thank you..
You said vary rpm well above lugging (low) and well below redline (high) and that seems good. Also I would add vary load from half throttle to full throttle for short bursts to apply ring pressure while allowing cool down between bursts. Look up "motoman engine break in" to see why (if you have not already).
been lurking your page for a month. the process we use to break in RC engines is roughly the same. avoid low pressure, avoid overrev, dont baby, but dont stress. since all engines are basically identical your logic is sound. got a new sub.
I find myself watching some of your videos multiple times, that's how good and informative they are. I'm watching this one for the third as I'm buying another new bike next month. here i am watching it again with my new bike
I got a good kick out of the "Evils of Capitalism" and other contentious topics section. I dig this a bit more than the full-on skits becuase it's funny while still being an informative format. But, literally everyone else seems to dig the skits and I won't lie and say that they aren't imaginative and well done. 'Cause they are, especially the Bill Nye themed invisible riding one. Also, WOW, I did not know anything about the piston/piston wall thing, and the sandpaper analogy is great like Lawrence said. That's incredibly informative, I'll have to keep that in mind.
This week I am in the same situation; I got a new Ducati 1260S, and I'm totally agree with you: " experience bikers in a new bike, get inexperienced ". Good videos
Hey Ryan! Absolutely love your videos and you commentary! Just wanted to know whether these rules apply to all kinds of bikes across various platforms and manufacturers? Or just top of the line German engineering... And I've also heard erratic hard riding has an impact on the fuel efficiency.. your thoughts?
Rode my CRF300L Rally from the dealership with 0 miles on it, 130 miles back home. Pulled over once to refuel. Varied speeds between 70-80mph on the interstate all the way back. Rode it as I normally would after that. No smoke or sparkles in the oil at 450 miles when I changed it. Hit 1,000 miles in less than three weeks commuting. Get between 60-70mpg depending on how I drive it. Most of the break in period is in the first 40 mile of riding.
I'm so dumb. I literally sat here waiting for him to bring up "how to brake in your new motorcycle" lol I didn't realize the title said "BREAK" not "BRAKE" 🤭
The problem is here in the UK too many motorcycles are purchased with PCP and longevity of ownership isn't something of consideration. So breaking in doesn't get a look in as the bike will get traded in one /three years max
You are right. I have been in the auto industry for more than 30 years involved in Product Engineering of gears and axles. Bearings and gears don´t like high speed or load when new. We do break-in cycles on dynamometers always before testing or you WILL get premature failures with bearings galling and gears scuffing or pitting. Break-in should be low to medium load cycles, up and down for first few hours.... NEVER lug it or rev it to redline when new if you want a long lasting gear-train. Then again, you don´t need to die of boredom when breaking it a motorcycle. Figure half throttle and short shifting for first few hundred miles...
You're not going to overheat the rings and warp them. The only heat-related issue that rings can run into is if the gap is too narrow. No amount of break-in will save you then, 'cause the rings will expand, the gap will close, the rings will continue to expand and then you get a seized ring. Hard break-in is what every engine builder I've worked with recommends. And I've never torn an engine down that had damage from hot spots in the cylinder absent some condition that caused gross overheating or complete loss of oil pressure. And I've torn down a shitload of engines. Metal shavings shouldn't be an issue past the first hour (max time it should take to break an engine in), if that. A competently-assembled engine will be extremely clean and produce next to nothing in the way of shavings. If an engine has an oil filter, it should be more than sufficient to catch all the alleged "break-in crud" that will happen.
I like your "give it a few minutes and see if there is something wrong" approach. Some years ago I worked for an engineer who scoffed at my remark about breaking engines in. He said that the materials alloys and manufacturing techniques ( CNC machines that can work to 80 Millionth's of an inch) Obviate the whole break-in thing. Which back in the bad old days of manual machining was required because manual machining imposes all manner of irregularities on the metal surfaces and simply can not compete with CNC. So the surfaces of things like the cylinders, rings gears, bearings etc., are already damn near perfect. And of course metals technology is vastly superior today too. That said you certainly won't harm anything by taking it easy for a few thousand miles.
I can only talk for the BMW R 1250 engines. They come from the factory with a different oil filter than the one you get after the break in inspection. This visible smaller oil filter has a tighter filtering mesh that leads in combination with high revs to insufficient lubrication. The rpm must not exceed 5000rpm which is also logged in the ECU. That's one way to immediately void the warranty and get a pricey bill for a new engine if it kicks the bucket prematurely
I like the part where you were talking about higher RPMs and and a lot of that does make sense in certain situations yes definitely need higher RPMs but generally for the break-in on a gas engine I want to be a little bit more on the gentle side and I try to kind of take it easy and then change the oil right after that I've done that forever and my engines always last
Always let the science do the talking! I'm all for listening to experienced rider's opinions but you always have the best scientific facts! Thanks FortNine. I get my first bike in 6 days and couldn't be more excited.
That’s pretty much my method- don’t lug, don’t bounce redline, vary rpm, and throttle. I also prefer to do the first oil change quite early. If re torque of head bolts is recommended, do it.
The only bike I ever bought brand new was a 2006 KLR650. I just rode it...not too fast, not too slow, not too moderate. Variety is the spice of life, and engine break in it seems.
Nice logical and easy to follow explanation. I also use this method of varying the revs without loading the engine but see so many riders on forums fail to grasp this concept. I’ll use this video to explain my point of view. 👍
I agree. I've never done the cool down thing though. I just ride them like I ride. I don't lug engines and I don't keep the rev limiter pegged on the redline for long periods of time regardless of age. I do try and shift up and down a bit to vary revs if I'm on a long, straight road. That's my contribution to a bike's infancy. My guide for when a bike is broken in is when the gas mileage stops increasing. Usually, it's within a thousand miles or so, but my ZRX took over 3k miles before the MPG flattened out.
New Honda motorcycles are made from the first 2 parts going together to being ridden out of the factory ready for sale in just one hour. So make it right and break it in properly is best.
Amen. I've always wondered this. They could even hooked it up in someway to generate electricity or do something useful, so it's not all a waste and costly to do. Same for audio products, like a speaker, headphone or in-ears... please just break it in at the factory.
Firstly, let me come clean. I was in mind to fulfill a dream I have. That is, to one day go on a bike trip with my brother. Destination to be decided (Germany most likely). Problem is... I don’t have a licence yet. But here’s the kicker.. After watching quite a few FortNine videos.. I’ve had my desire to just simply go on a bike tour, turn into a desire to commute on a bike. I’m now more driven to get a licence (and bike), more than ever. FortNine made me excited to learn. They cover things like techniques to watch out for, to even waterproof jackets. What I appreciate is the type of content that FortNine covers. It’s not just “ooh let’s have a look at this bike, from manufacturer X”. I guess I’m just trying to thank you for the good work. One day (soon), I may enjoy the outdoors, on a motorbike as you quite obviously do. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Excellent video, but it still begs the question: Why buy a new motorcycle? Don’t get me wrong, over the years I’ve owned many bikes, four of them were purchased new. However, in these times when normally maintained bikes easily last for a couple of hundred thousand kilometers, ya gotta wonder. On top of that, four or five year old bikes, fully farkled (from FortNine of course) are amazing opportunities for economically feasible fun. No?
Thanks Walter! I agree with you, and I've actually never "bought" a new bike. Only borrowed them. We're making a video on how to buy a used bike shortly. ~RF9
Exactly, the commonly held belief that a bike with more than 20,000 miles has a "lot of miles" is laughable. I would prefer a well-maintained bike with 50k over a barely ridden one with 20k in any case. Plus, 1st year models often have manufacturing issues that either have to be dealt with under warranty or at the owner's expense. Wait a few years and you have a more refined version.
What a silly question. So how the fuck are you gonna buy a used bike if nobody buys new ones? How will manufacturers make money to invest into new things? Just because you can't afford new, doesn't mean nobody should buy them. Plus, I actually prefer a bike that I know was not abused or neglected or crashed a few times. If I have a choice between a $12.5k used bike or a $15k new one, you can bet your ass I'll get the new one, regardless of the miles on the clock.
And in addition to this, gotta say - there's a type of people (such as I'm) who'll never bother to get into technical stuff choosing and maintaining their bike. All I want to touch on my bike is a handlebar, and if something breaks, I'll just take it to the dealer and have it replaced by the warranty. I simply have no time, nor money, nor technical background to buy a proper used bike
Сергей Метельский I agree with this. I work on my car too much to want to work on a bike too. I want my motorcycle to be something I get on and enjoy, not a potential project I need to constantly repair.
Let it warm up and ride it like you stole it. You only have a certain amount of time to seat the rings and valves. Vary the RPM and don't lug the motor. Change the oil after 20 miles.
Yeah, right. I did this once to a freshly rebuild (car) engine, thanks to all stupid comments like this in the internet. Actually it wasn't so simple : it was few runs to 3000rpms, than 4000, 5000 and 6000 with breaks for cool down between them. The result was a massive oil consumption and a new rebuild. Lesson learned, so for the second break-in I used the good a old method: twisty roads, no lugging, no more than 4000rpms, no full throttle... For about 2500-3000km. Worked perfect.
