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Interesting the differences in break in. I was following the advice of another person, after the initial idling heat cycles of doing a 25 mile ride at under 4000 rpm. The bike is running really well but I have no idea if the rings are getting seated or how to check. So far I've only done about 15 miles since it's so darn hot here! Tomorrow I hope to do some more and then change the oil at 100 miles. I was told to do a few oil changes but that I'd be good keeping the filter until about 500 miles or so.
My heads were smoking when I turned off the engine a bit after the first 10 miles but I didn't notice it when I came home from work. Engine smelled a bit like oil but no leaks or weeping as of yet... For me the challenge is going to be getting the break in done in a modicum of time since my rides are currently so short due to ambient temps. But I do "think" that I feel like the bike has more power... who knows!
There's tons of different break in methods. Which one is best is anybody's guess.
I wouldn't worry about the burning oil smell, normal at first, at least from my limited experience. Make sure you don't have any noticeable leaks and the smell will go away after some miles.
There's tons of different break in methods. Which one is best is anybody's guess.
I wouldn't worry about the burning oil smell, normal at first, at least from my limited experience. Make sure you don't have any noticeable leaks and the smell will go away after some miles.
There are definitely a million different opinions about break-in... Since my pistons and cams came from S&S, I decided to follow their recommendations:
As far as some oil smell goes, I have a little bit, but it's less than it was during the first 50 miles. I assume that some oil gets past the rings until they're fully seated... I'm also not sure now whether the occasional hot oil smell I notice isn't just coming from my breathers. They vent through an open filter that sits right where I would probably notice it when sitting still. I'm never aware of the smell when moving.
So, I passed 500 miles last night. No leaks, no funny smells - except a little bit of hot oil smell sometimes when the engine is hot and I'm sitting at a light. It's not a burning oil smell, and there's no smoke from the pipe. I think I'm just catching a whiff of the external breathers here and there.
I am starting to imagine an "off" noise occasionally, but it may actually be in my head. Sometimes at idle once the engine is hot I think I hear a slight knocking sound from somewhere, the kind of noise that makes me paranoid about low oil pressure. My idle is set around 1200 right now, so it's not running too slow. I never hear it until the motor is really hot, and only at idle. I'll have to investigate more, but it may be in my head. I should probably pick up a stethoscope for this sort of thing.
Otherwise, all good so far. I changed the oil and filter at 50 miles, oil only at 250, and shortly I'll do oil and filter again. I haven't seen 4000 RPM yet, but I will soon... It feels strong from what I can tell...
The odor probably is the breathers. I always get a mild oil (and fuel) odor on my old carbed, vented engines. I usually run solid lifters, too, so some ticking is also part of the ambiance.
The knocking could be the piston skirts. Know what kind they are? Hypereutectic, forged, cast? Hypers don't expand much and must be fitted very closely to the bore (at room temp) to keep from slapping at operating temp. Forged is the other way around.
The knocking could be the piston skirts. Know what kind they are? Hypereutectic, forged, cast? Hypers don't expand much and must be fitted very closely to the bore (at room temp) to keep from slapping at operating temp. Forged is the other way around.
Interesting thought about the piston skirts. I guess a stethoscope on the barrel might tell me something. They're forged, with anti-friction coating on the skirts: https://www.sscycle.com/products/97-...standard-bore/
As for me, I'm feeling weaker at the moment... a 26 year-old chick has been kicking my butt at the gym, but I guess I'll end up stronger... Or just stop going as I usually do!
As for the bike, I'll know shortly... I can definitely say that at about 3500 RPM it starts begging to have the throttle whacked open, and it feels super responsive. Prior to dyno time, I have the slowest advance curve selected, just to be safe...
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