you have to get on it a little bit~
I broke mine in (VN 900) fairly hard.I never had a vehicle, never mind motorcycle, that had such a soft break-in period. If you follow by the book it is easy to lug the engine (bad). Some say to run it hard. I'm not feeling that either. We're talking Vulcan mean streak but all Kawasaki V twins are built similar.
Do you have a high milege ride and how did you break it in?
EXACTLY!! Allowing the bike to engine brake helps seat the seals better than coming to a hard stop using the manual brakes (Front and back break)...The no throttle deceleration is a good thought.
Untitled DocumentLook under 'engine building'
/\ from Hastings piston ring company... who else would know how to seat rings better than an OE supplier (to HD, and a lot of other companies). Their factory is located about 30 miles from where I live, so I think that's pretty cool.
just don't go running it hard (your MC, in the dyno lab, it's your job so do what they say) before it reaches operating temperature. Piston slap is bad. It was more important for older engines, but I like to be easy for the first 5 miles or so just to be safe. I do this for the life of the engine.I work for GM as a dyno operator & our run ins vary.1..for performance testing.up to 40hrs run in,with the last 20 hrs at 3/4 throttle.2000to 6000 rpm, & auto varying.2.if its a endurance test its run in for 1 hr serviced then put onto cycle,test lasts 330hrs, most at wot,with speeds between 1200- 6700rpm.(depending on the type of engine) current 6lt v8 uses 100 litres per hour,during the test.3.if the engineer cant wait for 40hrs,we run at wot @5500rpm & set the water temp to 125C & oil temp to 140C.After this a full service & oil change then power is consistant for the rest of its life.If power varies by more than 2% it gets the flick & we get another one .Basicly just ride & dont mother it.Some of our worst tests are from dead cold to full power for three hours straight.then dismantle for inspection.All engine companies have similar tests.DONT MOTHER IT. wayno 1500 drifter
I never had a vehicle, never mind motorcycle, that had such a soft break-in period. If you follow by the book it is easy to lug the engine (bad). QUOTE]
FWIW, every new Kawi I've ever seen has the same sticker on it, and the same break in method in the M.O.M. That means the "recommended" break in for my Ninja 650 (which can easily do freeway speed at low RPM) is the same as the break in for my Ninja 250, which at low RPM has zero power and can only hit about 40 in 6th gear following their "recommended" guidelines. I'm an ardent fan of the hard break in method.