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44 Posts
Kawasaki recommend 4000 rmps for the first 500 miles any one really gonna follow that or how should I break in my bike I currently have only about 65 miles on it.
Break - In Period reccomed by Kawasaki a Joke???
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6,846 Posts
Howdy, there is a few schools of thought on this issue, if you use the search function you will see there is already quite a few discussions on this. If you have started doing it one way, just keep doing that.
Check here to.
http://www.newninja.com/index.php?topic=153.0
Felix
Check here to.
http://www.newninja.com/index.php?topic=153.0
Felix
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649 Posts
I dont wanna say its a joke or a bunch of poo, but I do say ride it like your gonna ride it. I have heard so many different ways to "break" it in. Personally, I just rode it like I was gonna ride every day. Changed the oil at 250 miles then 600 miles and my bike feels great. The big thing is that you vary your RPMs. Dont ride it at 6000 for a long time for example. I did alot of speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down. I did try and keep it under 8000 for the majority of my riding. Now I just let it ride. I did wait until about 600 miles to go on the freeway, just me though. Go out, ride, have fun, change your oil, take it in for your 600 mile check up and have fun. ;D
4000 is a bit excessive if you ask me, well excessive as in its overly careful, i woulda thought under half revs would b fine but as stockwall says vary the revs because it can get stuck in a rut, not the engine but (on the USA model) the carbs can, i should imagine they could get acclimatised to a certain amount of revs pretty easily
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201 Posts
I kept mine at 4,000 and under for the first 50 miles or so (but this was also possible because I really wanted to practice riding around the neighborhood and riding at low speeds before I went out and about). For the next 50 miles, I kept it under about 6,000, and then until I got to 500 miles, I didn't go above 55 mph. After 500 miles, I started getting on it a little bit more, hopping on the interstate and stuff, and it did awesome! Always felt like it had more to give! 
I did alot of research on this and asked many experianced riders.
Ride the bike like you are going to ride it...with the exception of varing the revs. like previously said, don't leave it at 6 grand for 20 minutes. change your gears, very the revs and use engine braking to vary the pressure in the engine and create a good seal.
They haven't updated their breakin procedure in 20 years. the machinary used now has such low tolerances that it's not like breaking in a bike 10 or 15 years ago when there was more "varience" in the cylinder walls rings ect.
Good luck, have fun, and most important.....be safe
Ride the bike like you are going to ride it...with the exception of varing the revs. like previously said, don't leave it at 6 grand for 20 minutes. change your gears, very the revs and use engine braking to vary the pressure in the engine and create a good seal.
They haven't updated their breakin procedure in 20 years. the machinary used now has such low tolerances that it's not like breaking in a bike 10 or 15 years ago when there was more "varience" in the cylinder walls rings ect.
Good luck, have fun, and most important.....be safe
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23 Posts
I break in Harley Davidsons every year, and there are no restrictions on engine rpm at any mileage. Just ride the bike like you would normallly ride it. But don't go out and try to blow it up either. Don't go to redline every time you shift. You can ride it like you stole it after it has 1000 mile on it and at the very minimum 2 oil changes.
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35 Posts
The Dealler I Bought Mine From Said Its A Ninja Ride It Like A Ninja. No Break In Needed.
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1,795 Posts
I was stuck in trafic yesterday. I had to putter along . Not stop and go just slow .
I have a 15/42 gear set . It was easy to ride normal at under 4000 rpm. The stock 14/45 gears make it imposible to keep it below 4000 rpm. especaly with a new rider.
The aftermarket exhaust allows the bike to pull from 2500 rpm.
It is funny that with this bike all the modifications to make it go fast help it go slow.
I have a 15/42 gear set . It was easy to ride normal at under 4000 rpm. The stock 14/45 gears make it imposible to keep it below 4000 rpm. especaly with a new rider.
The aftermarket exhaust allows the bike to pull from 2500 rpm.
It is funny that with this bike all the modifications to make it go fast help it go slow.
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11 Posts
1, 2, ... 3 brand new quads.
2 new dirtbikes.
Now, one new Ninja250r. All of this over a long time of course. I have NEVER brought something off the showroom floor just to baby it when I got home for the first few outings. Not only have I never followed a factory break-in procedure, I have NEVER taken a bike or quad back to the original dealer for its first service. There's a difference between abusing something and not following factory recommendations. If you choose to rag your bike out and never change the oil and filters then yes, you're going to have problems in the long run.
Take your bike off the floor and ride it, not walk it. Obviously you shouldn't redline it at every shift, as stated above, but I can't see it being any better for the bike when you bog it down. Change your oil after a few hundred miles along with the filter, and again a few hundred miles later. Paying hundreds of dollars for a service is rediculous. These bikes are built well, but there will be problems so just plan to fix things as the problems arrive. Don't mistreat your bike, that's a given. If you have previous knowledge of riding any type of powersport vehicle, you probably know your limits. If you don't abuse it, you'll be fine.
2003 Suzuki Z-400 --- NEVER HAD AN OIL CHANGE TO THIS DAY! Runs like the day my brother bought it. (Maybe one day I'll change it for him.)
2 new dirtbikes.
Now, one new Ninja250r. All of this over a long time of course. I have NEVER brought something off the showroom floor just to baby it when I got home for the first few outings. Not only have I never followed a factory break-in procedure, I have NEVER taken a bike or quad back to the original dealer for its first service. There's a difference between abusing something and not following factory recommendations. If you choose to rag your bike out and never change the oil and filters then yes, you're going to have problems in the long run.
Take your bike off the floor and ride it, not walk it. Obviously you shouldn't redline it at every shift, as stated above, but I can't see it being any better for the bike when you bog it down. Change your oil after a few hundred miles along with the filter, and again a few hundred miles later. Paying hundreds of dollars for a service is rediculous. These bikes are built well, but there will be problems so just plan to fix things as the problems arrive. Don't mistreat your bike, that's a given. If you have previous knowledge of riding any type of powersport vehicle, you probably know your limits. If you don't abuse it, you'll be fine.
2003 Suzuki Z-400 --- NEVER HAD AN OIL CHANGE TO THIS DAY! Runs like the day my brother bought it. (Maybe one day I'll change it for him.)
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11 Posts
That's what I figured. I'm going to do my first full service tomorrow on my own, just rolled over 600 miles.
BTW - The 250r CAN and WILL lengthy freeway trips with no issues. We rode about 200 miles, 150ish of which were freeway and the bike held 70-75 with no issues what-so-ever. Only issue was comfort. I had bags strapped to the bike and I was geared up as well, but even with the added weight I couldn't have been more impressed with the bikes performance.
....unless it had cruise control.. or AUTO PILOT!!! Muah ha ha
BTW - The 250r CAN and WILL lengthy freeway trips with no issues. We rode about 200 miles, 150ish of which were freeway and the bike held 70-75 with no issues what-so-ever. Only issue was comfort. I had bags strapped to the bike and I was geared up as well, but even with the added weight I couldn't have been more impressed with the bikes performance.
....unless it had cruise control.. or AUTO PILOT!!! Muah ha ha
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5,699 Posts
Break-in is for ONE reason only, to shape the piston rings to the cylinder wall. The key is heat cycles. Warm up the engine, cool it down. Heating and cooling the engine causes metal parts to expand and contract which causes them to shape to one another... So, ride it to work, ride it to a coffee shop where you can sit down for an hour and let it cool... Then ride it to the store. When I got mine I rode it to work until 600 when I got the oil changed, no probs. Keep in mind, it's a virgin and you have to educate it. Keep RPM's respectful but don't look at the tach too much, your eye-time is better spent watching traffic. Good luck, and for goodness sakes wipe that stupid grin off your face!
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