I just bought a 2007 KLX 250H7F (which I believe to be the same thing as the 250S).

I have a question about the 1,000mi break-in period: under 4,000 RPM for the 1st 500 mi, under 6,000 RPM from 500 to 1,000mi.

How important is it to stick to this?

So far I have been very cautious, but it is getting old fast!

LG

 

welcome... just dont keep it at the same rpm for a while... dont worry about going over....

 

Look at it this way, if you stick to 4000 rpm you are going to lug the crap out of the motor sometimes. Going up hills and upshifting will do it. It's about the worse thing you can do to your new motor. Just use common sense and everything will be fine.

 

Welcome Lady Green. You have asked the 64,000 dollar question. The majority of riders agree to break in as follows;
ON THE GAS, OFF THE GAS, ON THE GAS OFF THE GAS, ON THE GAS......do not ride at the same speed all the time, the trick is to be changing the engine speed all the time. Now this may be harder to do than running it at 4k. Traffic behind will think you are crazy (aren';t we all) so be careful and your wrist will be begging for a rest. Some people combine this with heat cycling. Ride like that for 20 minutes let cool , ride for 20 minutes let cool ride for 20 minutes let cool completely. And some will change the oil after that, at more or less 20 miles to 100. I Have done this to my three new motorcycles in the past two years. My bikes run strong but have only 15,000 miles no engine teardown yet but people have compared my bikes to similar ones and say that mine pulls a little harder. Whatever you choose to do moderation is the key and you will not harm your bike. Enjoy....

 

+1 jellyfish - that right there is the break-in method most recommended for both new engines as well as new sleeves. The idea of "off the gas" is the vacuum pulls the oil up through the oil rings in the piston helping to cool them down during the high friction time of the first few heat cycles of a new engine or cylinder. Try to avoid lugging the engine - run up through the gears and back down, letting the engine brake slow it down, use 0 to 1/2 throttle for the first heat cycle, 0 to 3/4 throttle 2nd and 3rd. Change the oil and filter, then take it easy for the next few rides and call it broken in. Also, stay out of mud and sand during this time as they work the engine hard and can make it overheat - the main thing you want to do is seat the rings through friction but not get them so hot they seize.

 

Mototune works for me.

 

Great article and good reading.... Looks almost exactly how II broke mine in... Changed the oil at 20 rode hard on/off the trhrottle. etc.
Looks good seems bulletproof. Now a guy like MT will be inside the engine more than usual. I might take my cylynder off to check the piston one of these days my bike is 2 month old and has around 2200 weekend miles.... I ride hard can't deny, bike has held up multiple wipeouts including bent bars ,broken levers, overrevved engine ( new boots are to blame for that) bottomed suspension after too high jumps etc. I am 100% satisfied with my little green mean machine.

No brakes has a pic from his stock piston when he removed it.

Cheersmate \\\ In the end we are responsible for the choices we make.

 

lmfao, I see all these pretty pics of the klx on here and I was wondering if I was the only one with multiple wipeout disorder.

Hey jelly, where ya at in Florida, I'm in Jupiter (se coast), but trips to Croom and Ocala National Forest are always a posibility.

 

Or in other words: "Ride it like you just stole it!"

The key to the Mototune method is to break it in hard right away (WOT acceleration through all the gears, and then hard deceleration using the engine compression instead of brakes). He says the first 20 miles are the most critical, as this is when the rings get seated the most. Then you do your first oil change.

Jellyfish's method is perfect after that. (That's my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it!)

The Mototune method is something you need to plan for, even before you take possession of your new bike. Since you will be riding erratically, you want to plan to be somewhere where traffic won't be a problem. (I live on the edge of town and my dealer is about 30 km farther outside of town, so this worked out perfect for me ... I "rode it like I stole it", then changed my oil when I got home.) It's an interesting read in any case, but don't do it if you've already gone more than 20 miles -- stick to the method Jellyfish describes.

Now you have to realize, of course, that engine break-in methods are right up there with holy wars, debates on natural vs. synthetic oil, and who makes the better KLX250S exhaust system (Hint: Its NOT Kawasaki ... enough said on that topic!).

Anyway, welcome to the forums, LG!

Mike

 

I read some interesting suggestions on a net someplace about motor break in that supports the practice described by Jelllyfish. From what recall, the method is supposed to be done in the very first few miles of use. I can tell you that I quickly realized following the factory break in was not going to happen, as my daily rides at that point involved going over a pass, staying under the 4-5k rpm range was pretty much impossible if I was to maintain any kind of forward motion. I quickly decided to rev the snot out of it, and then decel hard in 2 or 3rd gear about 10 times. After that, it was up to the mercy of the motor gods - I no longer limited myself in any way with the revs. I did change my oil after a couple hundred miles, and I could see traces of metal, but my understanding again is that this is common/normal with a brand new engine. New filter/fresh lube and I've ridden another 800 or so miles with no ill effects. I just recently performed the standard "free mods", and bike continues to run great.

An interesting side note - a friend of mine bought the same bike about a week before I did. He went the route of the factory break in recommendations. I can't feel any difference between the two bikes when ridding, of course I can only take his up to about 6k or so at this point. But, I would expect if my bike has sustained damage from my break in method, I would notice something. In the end, its up to you....