I've been lurking around this form too long andbecause ofall the bad influence to be found here, boughta bike for my very own. Put the first 40 miles on it today. All I have to say after that experience is, It's going to be a long 500 miles. 4000 RPM sucks. Tire Question for you knowledgeable gentlemen. The dealership put 25#s pressure, front and back. I reduced it to 16F and 18R. I will be doing all gravel road and trail riding. My weight is 185#. And I have no tire locks front or rear. Whatcha recommend? I also went over thebasic mods with the service rep at the dealership. They gave me a very uncomfortable feeling as far as warranty. They recommended to not do them. But ended the conversation with, they would call Kawasaki for final approval of any repairs thatmight have been caused by the modifications.

 

Welcome aboard, Fishfinder!

Well, you jumped in head first with your opening post topics, that's for sure!

I guess there's 3 schools of thought on the proper break-in of a new bike:
1 - Follow factory recommendations (which, as you are now familiar with, basically suck for 500 miles)
2 - Ignore the recommended RPM limits, try not to redline too much initially, and keep changing your engine speed (i.e. don't cruise at the same speed for long periods)
3 - The "Mototune" method, which is basically break it in real hard from the start, then just keep varying your engine speed for a couple hundred miles. The first 20 miles are the most criticalwith this method, so after 40 miles, this is no longer one of your options.

Changing your engine oil early on seems to be the constant in all three approaches.

Rim locks seem to be a recommendation from those that have them, and those that need them (i.e. the people that have ripped out a valve stem or 2 due to low tire pressure.) They came stock on my previous KLR-250, and my guess is Kawasaki thinks you should have them, too, because the stock rims have holes for them.

I can't speak for how my dealer looks at the modstalked abouthere, but others here have done them and taken their bikes in for servicing, so I'll let them pass along their impressions.

In any case, I'm sure the rest of your miles are going to be a lot better than the first 40!!!

Mike

 

Hi,

I am not an expert but I have read a lot about engine break-ins in general and found many people with more experience do not do break in by the manual. I chose to use an alternative break in method and everything is working fine. http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm


I think you would be safe with re-jetting and air box removed. If worse came to worse you could always "undo" those mods when you bring it in for service/repair.

 

Welcome fishfinder, you will find a great bunch of guys here. I was fortunate enough to read about the Mototune break in method before I bought my bike and decided to use it to break my bike in. But I think there is something to be said for the good old fashioned manufacturer break in too, I think that millions of motorcycles are living proof. Later Bro.

 

Welcome Fishfinder
I am not sure on what mods you are talking about.
Break in is another matter. I do not have the same ride as you, but a four stroke is a four stroke.

 

The 'old fashioned method' existed prior to nikasil coated cylinder linings It's out of date and could actually be detrimental to the break-in process, because the rings may nottake a proper seat in the cylinder during that initial, very crucialfirst 20 miles. That's why theguy atmototune said that the majority of his customers eperiencing too much oil consumpitionway too early in theengine's lifehad "followed the owners manual."

The'old fashion method' is a dinosaur that needs to hit the skids, but likeall long establish traditions, it dieshard.

 

Welcome, dont worry about keeping it under 5000 rpms.... just dont keep it at the same for any period of time...

 

Thanks for the info. About ready to mount the beast and put some more miles on it. One more question for you. First oil change. I was told after two tanks of gas. Is that about right?

 

Lots of different opinions... i did mine at 500 miles... some did thiers at 100 miles...

 

I did my first one after40 miles, but that was using the Mototune method, and when you break it in that way it speeds up the process. Also the book says to change it every year or 7500 miles. I think if I am reading that right. I then changed oil at 200, 540, 1000, and finallyswitchingto full synthetic at 3000 miles. I have 3980 now. I would recommend changing at around every 1500 miles just to be safe.