Engine etiquette

[Guest BoBOKik]

here's an article which i posted, b4 the database was corrupted. was too lazy to retyped it again... but since its a really good article n it might benefit ppl here... so wat the heck

 

Engine etiquette

The way you treat your engine, from cold start to switching off hot and ticking, has a huge effect on its life and performance

 

Running in

FORGET ALL THAT nonsense about sticking to rev limits for a certain number of miles, just ride normally, allowing the engine to rev freely (but not redlining) and never let it labour. Go up and down the gearbox and up and down the revs. Dont't sit on a motorway for hours hoping to speed up the process - it doesn't work.

Engine tuner Dave Setphenson, who's run in hundreds of bikes, has two tips:

"Find a long downhill stretch, get in top at about 50mph (80kph) and wait till the bike's pulling ahead of the engine, then whack the throttle open. When it starts to pull, shut it again. That causes a vacuum in the crankcase, pushes the piston rings against the cylinder walls and helps them bed in."

The second tip is not to use synthetic oil for running in. "It won't just slow the running in process, it ruins it - do 20 miles (32km) for new on synthetic and the engine'll need stripping." the bores and bearing surfaces end up polished and unable to hold a film of oil. the same thing happens when you run engines in too carefully

 

Cold starting

Most engine wear occurs in the few seconds after starting from cold. The oil is thicker can can't circulate, and while the bike was parked all the oil drained away from the top end of the engine. You can help circulation by cranking the starter for a few seconds wifh the kill switch off.

Modern sportsbikes are enve more at rick, as Dave explains: "Because they've only got sidestands, the oil drain away more from the right side of the engine. It's common to find big-end and main bearings porgressively worn across from number one, with number four scrap."

When you start the bike, don't let it race on choke, ride off as soon as it'll run evenly, be gentle with the throttle and give the oil a chance to warm up and circulate.

 

Ride it, don't tickle it

Engines are built with a particular duty cycle in mind. Lawnmowers are designed to run at one speed all day, but bike engines aren't. They're designed to rev (crusiers excepted). So you won't do your GSX-R any favours if you never take it above 6000rpm. Dave: "Engines last better if you use them fairly hard, and especially if you rev them throught the gears (not redlining, just letting them spin) instead of short shifting. It keep them clean and healthy. There's more damage done by people who sit at 60 all day than by lads doing track days." Watch out on down changes, though, change too early and you could over-rev the engine, bending valves in the process.

 

Don't get too good at wheelies

Bikes are designed with two whees, so if you choose to u se just one, you're outside the engine's design parameters. On most bikes, a lengthy wheelie will drain all the oil to the back of the crankcase, and away from the oil pick-up pipe, which can strave the bearings. Early Nineties Yamaha EXUPs and YZFs are particularly prone to this. On some bikes (notably Ducatis) you might even end up with most of the oil spat back out through the crankcase breather and into the airbox. So the better you get at them, the more damage you're likely to be doing to your engine.

 

One last thing

Everyone does it, and no-one knows why: that last blip of the throttle before you turn the engine off. If you have a Scott Squirrel two-stroke it might help clear the plugs, but for the rest of us it has the unhappy consequence of dumping a large shot neat fuel down the bores, washing the oil away. That means extra wear when your start up or corrosion if you leave it standing for too long. So don't do it.

 

Extracts from Bike April 2002

 

finally me no expert in these stuff.. me jus cut n pasted for a magazine...

[lychee]

keke, the last point.....evryone been doing it, perhaps its time to change that?

[Ah Teck]

BOBO glad that u post it again ... been looking for it ...

abt the last part i believe it a habit cos i never do it

i never do it becos i always forget haha

[Guest Desmond]

this is ah dez........

[lokeks]

Very cool ... was about to buy a new scooter ....

[Allan]

so the last part is reccomended for 2 stroke bikes lah?

[maomao]

Hi,

 

Some question about the part on running in. After reading a few article on hard break-in, i have more or less accepted the part about allowing the engine to rev freely and using mineral oil during this period. As i have rev my S4 to about 10k a few time liao and is running on mineral oil.

 

But i am keen to know what type of oil is put inside the engine by the manufacturer ? Because i only change to mineral oil at 500km. If it is synthetics, wouldn't it defeat the purpose of breaking-in. Guess the manufacturer wont be so generous rit?

 

Just want some opinion.

Thanks!

[Ah Teck]

the manufacture wun out any oil in your bike when it first come ...

it the motor shop that put oil in ... so u think motor diam will put wat type of oil

[maomao]

Okay, so thats the case. Guess the motor diam wont put more then $10 worth of oil inside rit?

[Pizzaboy]

Okay, so thats the case. Guess the motor diam wont put more then $10 worth of oil inside rit?

Of coz maybe its sum animal fats dat they pour into ur bike...

[Guest BoBOKik]

in the interest of ppl askin abt running in.. and it will be a waste for tis article to jus dead off n get forgotten... so i decided to make it into a sticky thread..

[No_regret]

here's an article which i posted, b4 the database was corrupted. was too lazy to retyped it again... but since its a really good article n it might benefit ppl here... so wat the heck

 

Engine etiquette

The way you treat your engine, from cold start to switching off hot and ticking, has a huge effect on its life and performance

 

 

The second tip is not to use synthetic oil for running in. "It won't just slow the running in process, it ruins it - do 20 miles (32km) for new on synthetic and the engine'll need stripping." the bores and bearing surfaces end up polished and unable to hold a film of oil. the same thing happens when you run engines in too carefully

 

 

 

Extracts from Bike April 2002

 

finally me no expert in these stuff.. me jus cut n pasted for a magazine...

 

 

I could see that the article is talking about 4-stroke bikes. But does syn 2T affect a new engine?

[hide83]

ya. as RUN-IN 2-stroke bikes. what grade shld be choose for 2T n gearoil/engineoil?

 

anyone knows? or recommand?

[AeROSmitH]

 

Engine etiquette

The way you treat your engine, from cold start to switching off hot and ticking, has a huge effect on its life and performance

 

Running in

FORGET ALL THAT nonsense about sticking to rev limits for a certain number of miles, just ride normally, allowing the engine to rev freely (but not redlining) and never let it labour. Go up and down the gearbox and up and down the revs. Dont't sit on a motorway for hours hoping to speed up the process - it doesn't work.

Engine tuner Dave Setphenson, who's run in hundreds of bikes, has two tips:

"Find a long downhill stretch, get in top at about 50mph (80kph) and wait till the bike's pulling ahead of the engine, then whack the throttle open. When it starts to pull, shut it again. That causes a vacuum in the crankcase, pushes the piston rings against the cylinder walls and helps them bed in."

 

Extracts from Bike April 2002

quote]

any1 can explain this step??

 

"Find a long downhill stretch, get in top at about 50mph (80kph) and wait till the bike's pulling ahead of the engine, then whack the throttle open. When it starts to pull, shut it again."

[visual]

Great Article!!

 

just could i ask this ..dont quite understand this

 

1) Running in

"wait till the bike's pulling ahead of the engine"

 

- what does that mean?

 

 

2) Cold starting

"You can help circulation by cranking the starter for a few seconds wifh the kill switch off."

 

- this is you have a kick starter.. what about those with electric.start.. we cant do this then huh?

 

thanks any replies appreciated

[Guest BoBOKik]

Great Article!!

 

just could i ask this ..dont quite understand this

 

1) Running in

"wait till the bike's pulling ahead of the engine"

 

- what does that mean?

 

 

2) Cold starting

"You can help circulation by cranking the starter for a few seconds wifh the kill switch off."

 

- this is you have a kick starter.. what about those with electric.start.. we cant do this then huh?

 

thanks any replies appreciated

 

hmm dnt quite know how to explain the first part.. but i can try, cos im nt very technical incline.. i jus leech tis off a magazine... so if anybody thinks other wise, feel free to debate.. cos im oso learning...

 

i guess.. wat its tryin to tell u is.. with a reasonable long down slope.. u can let the gravity of the slope to pull yr bike down.. so wif u holding yr throttle position at a steady 80Kph initially wen goin dwn slp.. the gravity of the slp will eventually pull yr bike to a speed way beyond 80kph.. dats provide u r still holdin yr throttle in the same position...

 

as for the 2nd part.. well wif the kill switch off..yr starter motor will still run, n hence make yr engine spin.. but nt starting it.. dat is wat its tryin to tell u.. to get the oil circulate in yr engine first b4 really starting it...

 

research has shd dat the most engine wear comes from the initial start of the engine wen its cold

[visual]

 

with a reasonable long down slope.. u can let the gravity of the slope to pull yr bike down..

 

 

as for the 2nd part.. well wif the kill switch off..yr starter motor will still run, n hence make yr engine spin.. but nt starting it..

 

hey thanks for the reply.. very helpful

just wondering.. hmm where can we find a long downhill slope.. (mount faber?)

 

and 2nd pt.. means i press the cut off switch.. and press the electric starter button?

 

thanks again

[Guest BoBOKik]

 

hey thanks for the reply.. very helpful

just wondering.. hmm where can we find a long downhill slope.. (mount faber?)

 

and 2nd pt.. means i press the cut off switch.. and press the electric starter button?

 

thanks again

 

ya i oso agreed where to find such a place.. if u noe or found such a place let me noe oso..

 

dont think Mount faber is good cos its nt straight.. u nid to maintain speed...

 

yup.. u jus press the engine start button..

[feng125]

 

ya i oso agreed where to find such a place.. if u noe or found such a place let me noe oso..

 

dont think Mount faber is good cos its nt straight.. u nid to maintain speed...

 

yup.. u jus press the engine start button..

 

i have one good place in mind that fits the description.

 

Hendon Road... at Changi village area. The road up to Old changi hospital for ghost tours. Its not longer the commando camp so its legal to ride up there. has about 400m of downhill with just a very slight right bend in the around the 200m mark. steep enough to let commandos curse and swear when marching up in full gear.

[No_regret]

Yo ricky!

[Guest BoBOKik]

 

i have one good place in mind that fits the description.

 

Hendon Road... at Changi village area. The road up to Old changi hospital for ghost tours. Its not longer the commando camp so its legal to ride up there. has about 400m of downhill with just a very slight right bend in the around the 200m mark. steep enough to let commandos curse and swear when marching up in full gear.

 

tks for the info

[feng125]

 

tks for the info

 

when u wanna go lemme know ok? show u around the place if u dunno which road i'm talking about. hope to meet some ppl in this forum!

 

[Guest BoBOKik]

 

when u wanna go lemme know ok? show u around the place if u dunno which road i'm talking about. hope to meet some ppl in this forum!

 

 

well u can take a look at Trip Thrills or Beyond the screen for outing..

 

tks of the offer.. ya i think i noe which road u tokin abt...

[tempest]

as for the 2nd part.. well wif the kill switch off..yr starter motor will still run, n hence make yr engine spin.. but nt starting it.. dat is wat its tryin to tell u.. to get the oil circulate in yr engine first b4 really starting it...

 

research has shd dat the most engine wear comes from the initial start of the engine wen its cold

 

Bro, my engine wouldn't do anything with my kill switch on. Nothing happens when I press the start button. Like that means I cannot do as recommended is it? Am riding a Shadow.

[Guest buja]

check this out

 

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