2015 R1 Engine Break-in Procedure

26757 Views 87 Replies 31 Participants Last post by tobarus, Apr 25, 2016

Ckempf

Discussion Starter · Mar 15, 2015

Anyone know what Yamaha is recommending on breaking this monster in?

21 - 40 of 88 Posts

PoorUB

· #21 · Mar 15, 2015

PurpleLion said:
For the most part, everyone above agrees with each other. The lifetime of the cross hatching is the question.

The cross hatch in the cylinders never wears away, at least until high miles are met and the engine is worn out. All you are really doing is wearing off the high points. I have torn down engines with 100,000 miles on them and the cross hatch is still obvious.

xnakedrider

· #22 · Mar 15, 2015

I'm still waiting for mine to make it to the dealership, wonder if I can have EDR break her in?

bacchus40

· #23 · Mar 16, 2015

xnakedrider said:
I'm still waiting for mine to make it to the dealership, wonder if I can have EDR break her in?

yes they offer that service.. break in on dyno that is... i have found a mix of road and dyno break-in is a good way to go.. road 1st, then dyno so you can reach some of the higher rpm range safely

PurpleLion

· #24 · Mar 16, 2015

PoorUB said:
The cross hatch in the cylinders never wears away, at least until high miles are met and the engine is worn out. All you are really doing is wearing off the high points. I have torn down engines with 100,000 miles on them and the cross hatch is still obvious.

Yes, but isn't it the process of wearing off the high points that seats the rings? Which, again, is the rationale for this break in method.

JohnJohn15

· #25 · Mar 16, 2015

PurpleLion said:
Yes, but isn't it the process of wearing off the high points that seats the rings? Which, again, is the rationale for this break in method.

if you break in your bike with common sense being a "process" minimum, i doubt even the scientist at the Hadron Collider are even going to tell you any future engine issues are a result of you not adequately wearing off the high points that seat your rings.

Get your bike dude and ride it. Worrying more about a break in is going to distract you from the first moments of getting to know your new love.

Juerg

· #26 · Mar 16, 2015

PurpleLion said:
The following is not the factory recommended method, but I have found it to work well: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

That BS keeps popping up, it's probably an evergreen when a new bike comes out.

Here is what I said in another thread.

---
No bike is "broken in" on the dyno!
Those engines all are running at the factory already, the famous "first few miles" BS has been around for long and some believers will always think to be smarter than the engineers who develop such engines.

The break-in restrictions are there because parts need to polish in "slowly".
Think of gears that may still produce shavings for some time.
This probably was more important in the past. Nowadays manufacturing tolerances and materials used are on a level where one doesn't break the engine immediately when using its whole potential for a short time.

The biggest single reason nowadays is "manufacturing residues" that need to be washed out of the engine.
If there is less load during that period they will cause less abrasion, it is as simple as that.
Second, and more important, I would assume that all those residues are restricting the oil filter flow capacity.
At high rpm / high oil flow the bypass valve (exists in many motors, if not all) may open because the filled filter simply can't handle it any more and unfiltered oil with lots of particles that have been accumulated in front of the filter will get back into the motor. Not good.

If there is no bypass valve, it's not better at all: Oil pressure will drop!
Not good at all!

So go figure what I will do?
(Break in by the book, but do a first oil / filter change after 200km.)
This gets you a strong AND reliable engine.
If I was a manufacturer, I would protocol rider behaviour. Just takes a bit of flash memory and helps a lot with rejecting warranty claims on damaged engines...

)

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The Governor

· #27 · Mar 16, 2015

(I'm sure I'll regret sharing this, lol)

Oil doesn't really get "filtered" like you think. The PSI release valve on stock oil filters open at 5-7 lbs of PSI.

Before you criticize this:
Cut one open, take the "filter/filament" paper and try to blow air through it. See how much PSI it takes to blow air through the filament. Keeping in mind it only takes 5-7 to make it open.

Oil averages between 7-14 microns in size thanks to the additive packages (zinc, etc..). Thus, oil is large enough to see,,, right? If you cannot blow air through the filament,, what makes you think the Oil (at 7-14 microns) will pass through it? Oil (and the debris/particulates it carries) runs between/across the filament lifts the bypass and keeps on keeping on. What's caught is caught what's naught is naught, lol.

Sorta crazy when you think about it.

Anyway,,
Here's one more thing for the "pro's" to theorize and throw stones at.
I will be draining the stock oil before I even start the bike up. There are silicas and other additives in the stock oil I do not want to burn. I'll actually drain, and fill with Rotella (diesel oil) for the first couple oil changes before switching to the custom blend provided by Purepower.

I'm no chemist nor "professional" engine builder, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. Well that plus I have access to more engineers, machinist, technicians, and engine builders than I can shake a stick at.

So there you go,,, use it, disagree with it, or don't even read it. Merely sharing.

Enjoy

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JohnJohn15

· #28 · Mar 16, 2015

My 2012 S1k, i rode it normally the way i would everyday, revved at a 10k max, no labouring, changed the oil at 600 miles. Bike now has over 21k miles.
Other than catastrophic failure from someone just flogging a new motor, does anyone have anything tangible that actually points fact to any effect on a modern day motor that is attributed to a break in.
Is it just an ongoing argument because there has never been anything scientifically, factually proven?

Its down on horsepower because i did / didnt baby it?
I wont get 62k miles on it before i need to rebuild it?

Never done that amount of miles. I get a new toy every 3yrs, always hit the 30k mile mark.
But over 30k miles, hot / cold cycle starts, track days / twisties at high rpm, false neutral grinding, bad fuels, moisture in oil for whatever reason.
How can anyone point blame or even insinuate that the first 600 miles creates any factual legacy on through life ownership?????:sleepy:

Millers_Yamaha

· #29 · Mar 17, 2015

From the 2015 owner's manual

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The Governor

· #30 · Mar 17, 2015

Millers_Yamaha said:
From the 2015 owner's manual

Some will say this is nonsense.
They will say the engineers who developed these bikes, designed them, tested them, measured and maximized the tolerances in them, do not know the best way to break them in. These same "pro's" will insist you break it on on a Dyno, break it in like you stole it, or break it in like you plan on riding it (which basically says don't break it in at all, lol). (Lmao)

But I sir,, thank you.

JohnJohn15

· #31 · Mar 17, 2015

BAAA HAAA!
Yamaha simply states to avoid "PROLONGED" operation north of the specified RPM.
Manufacturers generally say stay below, which im sure has only helped fuel the ongoing urban legends of "Break in".

And yeah, maybe for some people modern day oil filters wont catch all of the cigarettes, spanners, spoons and used condoms that may have been left behind in the manufacturing process. I thinks its safe to say it will catch the odd shaving that would surely inhibit the life expectancy of your motor, because its through life use couldnt affect its longevity........:joke:

thanks Milllers for factual information.

Gearheaded

· #32 · Mar 17, 2015

I would never in my life put rotella into an engine for break in... I don't give a shit how much "success" you've had with it. :fact

I'll stick with the manufacturer specific break-in procedure. :yesnod

bacchus40

· #33 · Mar 17, 2015 (Edited)

no no, i would not put rottella on a brand new engine either, AMSOIL 10w40 gets my vote, i did a few changes on it after break-in, i think i ran it till 26k kms actually

Juerg

· #34 · Mar 17, 2015

The Governor said:
(I'm sure I'll regret sharing this, lol)

Oil doesn't really get "filtered" like you think. The PSI release valve on stock oil filters open at 5-7 lbs of PSI.

Before you criticize this:
Cut one open, take the "filter/filament" paper and try to blow air through it. See how much PSI it takes to blow air through the filament. Keeping in mind it only takes 5-7 to make it open.

Well, I know very well how an oil filter works... and for that reason I have to say "BS"!

(No offense meant)

Oil and air cannot be compared and the pressure delta through the oil filter is a function of the whole filter surface. So trying to blow air through some spot doesn't bear any information value.

(It's not relevant in respect of what I wrote either... but I don't care much to persuade the "believers".)

The Governor

· #35 · Mar 17, 2015

Yep
Sounds crazy right. Lol.
Just research it little. It's amazing what you can learn after you know it all.

Roadracer86

· #36 · Mar 17, 2015 (Edited)

Gearheaded said:
I would never in my life put rotella into an engine for break in... I don't give a shit how much "success" you've had with it. :fact

I'll stick with the manufacturer specific break-in procedure. :yesnod

Shell Rotella T full synthetic (not the conventional based diesel blend) is one of the best oils on the market. Plenty of oil studies out there that will confirm my statement. I've used that oil in everything from tractors, lawnmowers, dirt bikes, race bikes etc and never had a failure yet. Pay more for the other companies hype and that's what your paying for....hype.

I've always break an engine in on regular conventional based motor oil and then switch to full synthetic after the break in period. 41 years of riding/racing and never a problem.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

The Governor

· #37 · Mar 17, 2015

Roadracer86 said:
Shell Rotella T full synthetic (not the conventional based diesel blend) is one of the best oils on the market. Plenty of oil studies out there that will confirm my statement. I've used that oil in everything from tractors, lawnmowers, dirt bikes, race bikes etc and never had a failure yet. Pay more for the other companies hype and that's what your paying for....hype.

I've always break an engine in on regular conventional based motor oil and then switch to full synthetic after the break in period. 41 years of riding/racing and never a problem.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

Another engineer that blends oils for race teams told me about Rotella. Although he said any synthetic was also just marketing. Long story, but here's the short version.
- Synthetic additives reduce the amount of dinosaur oil. Sort of explained it to me like a cheap filler. It does coat the walls/parts, but this is not wanted on a fresh engine. A loose or aged motor sure.
If you run synthetic and break a motor down to freshen it up, you'll notice some black scaring on the plates or parts. This is said to be the silica sorta burning.

I quit running synthetic, and only run a certain blend now. All of the said scaring has also disappeared. I don't know. I just freshen up my race motors every other year. But I've only been at it for 18 years. I'm sure others have done more.

Rotella has a high zinc count along with other additives and helps the motor last under abuse.

Again a quick comparison
- in the car/motorcycle market, we change conventional oil,,, what???? Every 2500-3000 miles. Maybe push a so called synthetic to 5000. ?
- in a diesel market, they change the filter every un-teen thousand miles and change the oil even less. It's abused, heat, load, torque, HP, constant running, etc.
what's the difference? Are cars just that much more abusive or is the oil the difference?

Look,,, when I first started talking to the oil companies I was blown away too. I was and still am a believer in Motul. Never had a problem. I just took the word and testing of engineers in the market who invented the shit, lmao.

Don't change your habits. If they've worked for you, keep at it. Just don't be afraid to look behind the Oz curtain from time to time.

Every time I change the oil, I still think about Motul, lmao.

At the end of the day, this is just information.

Enjoy

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Roadracer86

· #38 · Mar 17, 2015

The Governor said:
Another engineer that blends oils for race teams told me about Rotella. Although he said any synthetic was also just marketing. Long story, but here's the short version.
- Synthetic additives reduce the amount of dinosaur oil. Sort of explained it to me like a cheap filler. It does coat the walls/parts, but this is not wanted on a fresh engine. A loose or aged motor sure.
If you run synthetic and break a motor down to freshen it up, you'll notice some black scaring on the plates or parts. This is said to be the silica sorta burning.

I quit running synthetic, and only run a certain blend now. All of the said scaring has also disappeared. I don't know. I just freshen up my race motors every other year. But I've only been at it for 18 years. I'm sure others have done more.

Rotella has a high zinc count along with other additives and helps the motor last under abuse.

Again a quick comparison
- in the car/motorcycle market, we change conventional oil,,, what???? Every 2500-3000 miles. Maybe push a so called synthetic to 5000. ?
- in a diesel market, they change the filter every un-teen thousand miles and change the oil even less. It's abused, heat, load, torque, HP, constant running, etc.
what's the difference? Are cars just that much more abusive or is the oil the difference?

Don't change your habits. If they've worked for you, keep at it. Just don't be afraid to look behind the Oz curtain from time to time.

Enjoy

Yeah I hear ya; I was sponsored Motul rider so the price was right........free. Now that I have to pay to maintain about 3 motorcycles, 2 cars, 2 tractors, log splitter, diesel generator and a host of other small engine shit I wanted a one stop solution instead of buying 15 different oils. Rotella Synthetic 5T 5w-40 was my solution for the last 20 years.

Anyhow many new cars come with full synthetic such as the Porsches and a lot of VW/Audi products including the R8. I even think some new motorcycles come with full synthetic and if I'm not mistaken I think Ducati does.

Whatever works for you is my moto and if you're confident in a product I say stick with it. That is all.

azn370z

· #39 · Mar 17, 2015

I believe the 2015 r1 comes with full synthetic oil.

Silas

· #40 · Mar 17, 2015

The Governor said:
I knew I shouldn't have posted. This topic has always brought out the "pros" lmao.

Sorry brother. Don't mind me.
I only work for a certain company that deals with certain related things. Been through too any bikes and spoke with too many engineers.
The way I indicate has worked great for me and seems to net a better outcome when compared.

Break in:
- Get the shavings out
- Seat the rings

Have nice day.

I have no interest in the arguments on the topic, but I did want to ask about something as it seems you work in the industry vertical.

I've read/heard that new engines ship with particular special additives which assist in the breakin of the engine, and that changing the oil too early would prematurely remove that "break-in oil". What are your thoughts on that? Is that something restricted only to cars?

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