Some of you may remember me on here asking a variety of questions about rebuilding a F22B1 and installing 11:1 pistons in the process. Well, the day is drawing near when I will turn the key. (Just saying that I get butterflies.) Only things left to go back on are PS pump, alternator and valve cover (and wires and plugs of course)! Then just fill her with fluids and pray (really hard).

Are there any tricks of the trade when starting a rebuilt motor for the first time? I plan on breaking it in with ND oil. (I will pour that over the valve train gratuitoulsy before I slap the valve cover on.) I have read that you should give it a few cranks with the plugs out to make sure you have oil up into the cylinders and valve train. Anything else I should know about so I won't blow this thing up on the first crank?

 

after starting it for a while take apart the oil filter and check if there is any thing in it so u know if any thing is wrong

 

Thanks. Sounds like a good idea. Any other suggestions?

 

Read this: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

I will be using this technique when I break in my motor when it gets back from CA. :yes:

 

Hmmm.... he makes a persuasive argument. I know this is a pretty hotly debated topic. Anyone else want to chime in on this?

 

Real live experience. Maybe you want to take this into concideration..

me & a friend saw the new Honda CRF-50 (mini-bike).. & we just had to have them so that we could be idiots & have fun screwin around.. well we had the same debate on how to break in the engine.. I believe that you should run the thing hard to break it in & he didn't think it was a good idea. Yea sure i had some doubts but you have to look at the position i was in.. Full Warentee, if anything bad happend.. i'd take it back.. so i really didn't care.. it was more or less a real test for us to find out..

We both picked up our mini-bikes the same day..

dave - let his idle for a while & warm up & then rode around in circles in the yard a lil bit..

I - let it warm up for about 60seconds till it was idleing properly & took off down the street. after about 5minutes of moderate riding.. i hit the rev limiter in every gear. let the engine wind down in each gear & then road the hell out it it.. from stop to go as fast as possible.. trying to pull front wheel up & what not & varying speeds as much as possible..

dave - having a heart attach thinking that i was going to blow it up, kept riding his around shifting very easily & slowly.

4 days later & both of us have been riding our 50's each day for a couple hrs.. we lined up to race them.. & i blew him away..

Now we have to take into concideration that the bike are identical / we both went to rev limiter in each gear / semi clutch so there is no operating difference / BUT i am 20lbs lighter than dave is..

so we switched bikes & lined 'em up again.. My bike with dave on it.. blew me away..

I know that these are just a couple of 50cc minibikes but the principals are the same.. they are 4stroke engines & operate the same.

I have become a firm believer in the "run it hard" breakin theroy

thats just my 0.50 cents

 

oh yea.. FYI i had a crotch rocket ride next to me last week to see how fast it actually got up to! It was doing 38mph on a flat road!

 

The article I posted changed my whole perspective on the break-in process. It makes perfect sense after not doing this with my first build and having to contend with bad blow-by..

 

yeah, I know a lot of guys who swear by the "controlled flogging" break-in strategy... I think thats probably what I'll use when the time comes... plus, thats less time you have to spend waiting to enjoy your new motor

:edit: that is, of course, after Josh is my guinnea pig.

 

I'm really thinking hard about giving it a shot. It does sound like a whole lot more fun than babying it for 500 or so miles.