BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Happy Monday to All !

Regarding the break-in period
I went last night trough at least 20 to 25 threads discussing about it...
They are particularly describing the many different ways of doing it.

Two groups seems to emerge from this debate !
Those who prefer to stick to the BMW manual and those promoting a more...let's say..."pushy" way to deal with the break in factory rules insinuating sometimes that the manufacturers have certain interests in asking us to keep the engine under 4000 Rpm all the time until reaching the 600miles limit.

So ! on this thread why not talking about WHAT TO ABSOLUTELY AVOID ! under 600miles...

And let us write honestly how we are doing it or how we have done it even if we passed many times the 4000 Rpm short limit of the BMW owner manual ...

So ! precisely the questions are those below

Realistically how do we perform the Break-in period ?

What Should We Absolutely Avoid Under 600miles ?

What can be tolerated if not didactically sticking to the BMW Owner Manual ?

I pretty much stuck to the manual recommendations. There are people who have their own theory of how to break a bike in - and you're asking to hear from them (I'm sure - absolutely sure - you will..)

Once I got to 600 miles I started opening it up a bit - slowly increasing max RPM and the time spent at max RPM. The final break-in happened when I took the bike on a week long trip that included several days in West Virginia and North Carolina.. on back roads and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The roads I found in WV - extreme switchback roads - frequently required running it at fairly high RPM in 1st and 2nd gear (kind of switchback where you can see your own taillight as you're looking through the corner..) and lots of engine braking on downhill sections. At the end of that section - the engine felt just fine and had stopped using any oil. The bike went to BMW synthetic at the 6,000 mile change, and hasn't used any oil since then (about to do 24,000 mile service.)

EDIT: Oh - to answer your question - to absolutely avoid - starting another break-in thread..

I just did 100 miles yet but honestly it is very hard to stick under the 4000 Rpm all the time. I do be carefull to almost never hit the 6000 Rpm but most of the time I am in between 3700 and 5600Rpm.

I try to make the Rpm's browsing trough the 3000 to 5500 limit as much as possible.

If I feel and see that my Rpm's are higher than 5000 for more than 2 or 3 minutes I decrease it.

But I already did a quick power/speed test ride on an empty carpool lane for about 5mns and I am sure I was over 4000... let's say in between 4500 and 6000. Honestly at that time I was not too much thinking about breaking in the bike always around the 4000 Rpm limit, When I bought the bike the BMW mechanic told me to try all kind of riding landscapes and while doing that just keep the bike in between 4000 and 5500 with sometimes for 3 to 5 minutes max a few forcing around 6000 and slowly increase for short sessions this 5500/6000 limit around and after 500 miles.

In anyway I never push the bike high for more that 5mns...I'll say even 3mns

A friend also told me to decelerate in between gears and make the bike running all the way to its available speed/power in every gears but smoothly decelerate before changing gears as much as possible.

As he said : "Let the engine cruise itself inside each gears and don't shift your gears too shortly or abruptly"

I have been doing the "Motoman" break-in before he claimed the title, or I knew he even existed, and have never had any mechanical problems with any engine I ever did it on. All my engines in the trucks go to 400,000 miles or more, and the cars usually go at least 150,000 before trade-in, and all use full synthetic lubes after the first 3000 miles in most instances. YMMV, Caveat Emptor.

I broke mine in the way the manual said to do it. I still had plenty of fun keeping to lower RPMs. What's the hurry? The break in period will be over before you know it.

Mark

in my opinion bmw or any other bike company is going to tell you the best way after all they have the most to lose during the warr. period.

FredeR1200Ric wrote:Happy Monday to All !

Regarding the break-in period

So ! on this thread why not talking about WHAT TO ABSOLUTELY AVOID ! under 600miles...

So ! precisely the questions are those below

What Should We Absolutely Avoid Under 600miles ?

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AVOID ALL CAPS.
Avoid failure to use the search feature.

Of the generally prevailing schools of thought, I am firmly in the OEM-recommendation camp.

My preferred method is to do the running-in miles in the mountains. Besides being pleasant riding, it naturally enforces the recommendation to vary the engine load and rpm. Three easy, fun days and back to the dealer for the initial service. After that, I gradually increase the maximum rpm and duration of sustained max rpm over the next few hundred miles.

I am undoubtedly overly anal but that initial discipline makes me feel so virtuous and self-righteous when I wring it out forever after!

You won't go wrong using the OEM recommendations although they routinely run their new motors through their full range. The biggest problem is if you lug an engine or keep it bouncing off the rev limiter (also during break in don't drive extended periods at steady RPM's). There are no absolutes other than to avoid the extremes. Modern manufacturing has developed motors from all OEM's with little need for break in when compared to not so many years ago, but riding it like you stole it out of the crate doesn't make sense either IMHO. I've read the peg it and change the oil after your "1/4 mile" is complete theory. I know folks that say nothing bad can come from it and nothing may, but a day or two of riding with the OEM guidelines will allow for the warranty to be valid and let you get to know the bike as the motor, trans, brakes and tires all introduce themselves.

Safe travels.