If something doesn't go wrong before the 1 year factory warranty is up, then chances are nothing will go wrong after the 1 year factory warranty is up.
New bike break-in & highway riding
- Thread starter dgunay
- Start date
If something doesn't go wrong before the 1 year factory warranty is up, then chances are nothing will go wrong after the 1 year factory warranty is up.
I am in the camp where I ride it normally until it's warmed up, probably about 5 miles or so then I wring the snot out of it and try to wear out the rev limiter with a heavy emphasis on engine breaking. Lather rinse and repeat a couple of cycles and you're good to go.
Here's a fairly aggressive break-in on the yellow 'Busa.
Yes, the lack of riding gear makes me cringe, but it's their life...
Yes, the lack of riding gear makes me cringe, but it's their life...
FZ-09 has been around long enough that it is pretty well-sorted and reliable as has been said. As well, if something is going to be an issue, it should show up in that first year assuming you ride it regularly.
JAT, if you are buying it now, the clock starts on the warranty and you may not get many miles on it until next riding season comes around depending on the weather in the Great White North. Half of the warranty or more may be expired before you can put good mileage on it.
I have a buddy with a 2011 Kawasaki C14 who bought an extended warranty for 4 or 5 years, and he had an option to re-up for an additional cost during the extended warranty which ended up a total of 8 years on the bike. His electronic windscreen mount let go a few years back and the whole assembly and windscreen ended up in his lap and covering his view. Said he hasn’t been more scared on a bike in his life. That aside, it was well past the factory warranty and he got it fixed for no charge. Would have been a spendy repair that would have cost well more than the cost of the warranty and re-extending of the extended warranty. He was glad he had done it and swears by the peace of mind, but reality is how many folks get their money back in terms of repairs under those warranties.
With that said, is it transferable to a new owner if you decide to sell it in 3 or 4 years? If so, that would help me decide as that would allow top dollar on the used market. As well, looking at it from the perspective of $USD$ (about $475 equivalent for the 4 year additional warranty), it is a pretty good deal.
There are pros (peace of mind, could save you a lot of $$ on something big) and cons (initial cost, would you get your $$ back out of it). How you look at those elements will lead you to do the thing you feel most comfortable with and it’s not wrong either way.
Hey thanks for the detailed response.
Yes, it is transferable to the new owner. To be honest, it is not a new platform. CP3 engine and Tracer have been on the market for a while. That's why I was leaning towards opting out.
But, it is relatively expensive bike at least for me. If it was a cheap like my last bike (Z650), I wouldn't think twice. I didn't even take my previous bike to the dealer including first 1000 km maintenance. I did all the maintenance myself. The bike had nothing electronic except the ABS, but that's not the case anymore.
In regards to the mileage - I put 5-6k miles (8-10k kms) / year and I ride from March to December (if it's dry). Not a lot of miles but definitely more than average here in Canada.
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Good deal, sounds like you will be good with the std warranty and work out any of the bugs if there are any to be found with an otherwise proven bike.
I've got a 2016 XSR900 with the CP3. Bought it new and it's been absolutely flawless. Only has ~5000 miles, but I've has zero issues with the bike. Guess on the XSR900 chat board never report any problems, so Yamaha has the FZ09/XRS900 bikes with the CP3 engine pretty much perfected.
I believe you have up to one year from purchase of the motorcycle date to purchase an extended warranty. You may not have to decide today.
Also, you can call other dealers and ask what their price for an extended warranty is and get it from them.
Also, you can call other dealers and ask what their price for an extended warranty is and get it from them.
Depends on if you wrench yourself or rely on a mechanic. If you are a good mechanic, with ebay and a plentiful supply of wrecked bikes and an active forum, you can fix most things yourself for pennies on the dollar. If you will rely on the dealer, this might be a good idea.
Rod
Rod
This, just be sure you change lanes as appropriate for your changing speeds LOL. Plus you can change gears to vary the engine speed as well.
Keep in mind that all engines are test run before installing -- and by everything I have read on the topic, no manufacturers are gentle with these first few minutes of use. Engines are also run a few miles more after installation. I agree with the emphasis on engine braking (manifold vacuum) during the first few hundred miles. Otherwise I would not worry too much about it.
Yes I would do an early service the first time, maybe half of the recommended interval, just to flush out any extra wear particles. I'm sure your existing supply of T6 5w40 will work fine, but personally I would buy a jug of the T6 15w40 and mix them for a 10w40. That way you don't have to lie in order to keep the warranty
Enjoy the new bike!
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varying RPM is good + you need to put enough heat in it to set the rings by winding it a bit then riding normal! it it uses oil you were too EZE on it. conventional oils for a few thou then synthetics later or real synthetics if your not overly thrifty. check the yami forums!!
I would agree varying the engine speed is important. However if it’s simply by downshifting then maintaining a higher RPM or an upshift to lower the RPM I would caution there needs to be harder acceleration to expand the rings against the piston walls and also the use of strong engine braking by downshifting in order to expand the rings out against the piston walls as well. Accelerate up to a higher RPM under load, then roll out and let the engine bring itself back down, lather, rinse, repeat... You can do this relatively easy and safely on the road as there will be areas where traffic will not be a safety issue. At the end of your first stint on the road if you keep a load on the rings during acceleration and deceleration your pistons are broken into the cylinder wall, if they already weren’t from the factory or a test drive...
As has been said, I think the truth be told the main break-in of the rings to the cylinder walls occurs at the factory and any engine run-in before the customer ever sees the bike. Think about the last car or motorcycle any of us test drove. Did you drive it around like Miss Daisy with respect to using that as a gauge to whether you may like the performance of the vehicle or not? No and HECK no. I don’t know of a single person who hasn’t given a car or motorcycle a wringing out on a test drive. We focus on the piston rings and the cylinder walls however all the other parts of the vehicle have to come up to temperature and that’s where the longer period of break-in and going through heat cycles is helpful with respect to mechanical aspects of what makes an vehicle tick.
With respect to the break-in procedure that we debate here often, do manufacturers specify which components the “slow” break-in is best for? Do they specifically say this is to allow the piston rings to mate to the cylinder walls? Do they specifically say this lets the gears in the transmission mesh and come together as reliably as possible? As far as I know they don’t specify.
As has been said, I think the truth be told the main break-in of the rings to the cylinder walls occurs at the factory and any engine run-in before the customer ever sees the bike. Think about the last car or motorcycle any of us test drove. Did you drive it around like Miss Daisy with respect to using that as a gauge to whether you may like the performance of the vehicle or not? No and HECK no. I don’t know of a single person who hasn’t given a car or motorcycle a wringing out on a test drive. We focus on the piston rings and the cylinder walls however all the other parts of the vehicle have to come up to temperature and that’s where the longer period of break-in and going through heat cycles is helpful with respect to mechanical aspects of what makes an vehicle tick.
With respect to the break-in procedure that we debate here often, do manufacturers specify which components the “slow” break-in is best for? Do they specifically say this is to allow the piston rings to mate to the cylinder walls? Do they specifically say this lets the gears in the transmission mesh and come together as reliably as possible? As far as I know they don’t specify.
Rumor was it's to "break-in" the person driving the vehicle so they don't wrap it around a tree before getting use to the power, lol.
This^^^
The "slow" period in the manual allows the rider to get used to the bike. Mechanically, it also allows the tires to scrub in and the brakes to bed into the rotors.
I lived in Japan for 3 years and I made the pilgrimage to every Honda
factory on the Island... They would build a bike in 12 minutes then
run it to red line on the rollers you see in the pic... it's not bike
abuse but employing what's need to seat the rings in accordance with the
engineers and designers...
I asked about the "break it in gently" warning in the owners manual
and the replay was the "break it in gently" are written by their
corporate lawyers not by their engineers... if you follow their engine
rebuild steps in their official shop manual there are no reference to
any "break it in gently" warnings...
I routinely visited Honda's Saitama Factory where the CBX was
produced... The CBX was not only their pride and joy but more
importantly held the status as their number 1 bike... Each bike was
assembled by a select team of their finest workers... If a fork leg
some how became scratched it was no longer worthy of their number 1
bike and without pause it would be scrapped and replaced...
Ever CBX upon completion was rolled into the green dyno room... they
would run the engine to red line and go up the gears and number of
times...
factory on the Island... They would build a bike in 12 minutes then
run it to red line on the rollers you see in the pic... it's not bike
abuse but employing what's need to seat the rings in accordance with the
engineers and designers...
I asked about the "break it in gently" warning in the owners manual
and the replay was the "break it in gently" are written by their
corporate lawyers not by their engineers... if you follow their engine
rebuild steps in their official shop manual there are no reference to
any "break it in gently" warnings...
I routinely visited Honda's Saitama Factory where the CBX was
produced... The CBX was not only their pride and joy but more
importantly held the status as their number 1 bike... Each bike was
assembled by a select team of their finest workers... If a fork leg
some how became scratched it was no longer worthy of their number 1
bike and without pause it would be scrapped and replaced...
Ever CBX upon completion was rolled into the green dyno room... they
would run the engine to red line and go up the gears and number of
times...
Thanks guys for all input and great advice!
I picked it up and already put 1100 miles, I did not use cruise control and tried to vary speed, gear and load on the way back, as much as possible.
I would have changed oil myself but didn't want to take risk with 5 figure bike and took it to a dealer for the first maintenance for warranty purposes (at 650 miles). They put dino Yamalube 10w40 and so far there is no oil consumption.
For next oil change, I may buy the oil and filter from dealer (for warranty) or use leftover T6, but for sure I will change it myself. Planning to do it around 3k miles.
Things that I didn't like:
- Wind protection isn't the best, had to add windshield extension. Coming from a naked/sport bike background, I am not that sensitive to excessive wind but OEM windshield causes horrible buffeting. Instead of buying whole new aftermarket windshield, wanted to try it with an extension and seems like it fixed the problem at least for my size (6'1" and 205 lbs)
- OEM blinkers look horrible, I have just changed them with LED ones.
- Footpegs are a little bit on the aggressive side, same as MT/FZ09. I was expecting it to be a little bit more neutral (or placed a little bit more forward). It is not as comfortable as an Africa Twin or V-strom on long trips, which is fine for me as I ride it 99.9% locally.
Things that I like:
- It is one of the best bang for the buck. Seriously, one of the best do-it-all bikes for the price range. I would have paid $3000 more for base Africa Twin with no heated grips, no side bags, no center stand etc. and that was the second cheapest option in my list, after the Tracer.
- Love the triple sound, need to get aftermarket pipe but it is pricey - I will wait next year to decide.
- Although the gear ratios are tall, the powerband is very good, it has torque everywhere, from 2000 rpm all the way up to 11.500. It's not the fastest bike, but the way it looks and it rides is like a wolf in a sheep's clothing.
I hope this helps for people who are interested in buying one.
I picked it up and already put 1100 miles, I did not use cruise control and tried to vary speed, gear and load on the way back, as much as possible.
I would have changed oil myself but didn't want to take risk with 5 figure bike and took it to a dealer for the first maintenance for warranty purposes (at 650 miles). They put dino Yamalube 10w40 and so far there is no oil consumption.
For next oil change, I may buy the oil and filter from dealer (for warranty) or use leftover T6, but for sure I will change it myself. Planning to do it around 3k miles.
Things that I didn't like:
- Wind protection isn't the best, had to add windshield extension. Coming from a naked/sport bike background, I am not that sensitive to excessive wind but OEM windshield causes horrible buffeting. Instead of buying whole new aftermarket windshield, wanted to try it with an extension and seems like it fixed the problem at least for my size (6'1" and 205 lbs)
- OEM blinkers look horrible, I have just changed them with LED ones.
- Footpegs are a little bit on the aggressive side, same as MT/FZ09. I was expecting it to be a little bit more neutral (or placed a little bit more forward). It is not as comfortable as an Africa Twin or V-strom on long trips, which is fine for me as I ride it 99.9% locally.
Things that I like:
- It is one of the best bang for the buck. Seriously, one of the best do-it-all bikes for the price range. I would have paid $3000 more for base Africa Twin with no heated grips, no side bags, no center stand etc. and that was the second cheapest option in my list, after the Tracer.
- Love the triple sound, need to get aftermarket pipe but it is pricey - I will wait next year to decide.
- Although the gear ratios are tall, the powerband is very good, it has torque everywhere, from 2000 rpm all the way up to 11.500. It's not the fastest bike, but the way it looks and it rides is like a wolf in a sheep's clothing.
I hope this helps for people who are interested in buying one.
My XSR900 has the same basic 3-cylinder engine, which I love to ride. The torque curve on the 3-cly is very flat like you described, which makes the HP curve very linear throughout the RPM range. My XSR900 doesn't use any oil at all, super solid engine.
dgunay, nice looking bike! First oil change is in the rearview mirror, ride that thing anyway you want.
I will say, changing oil every 2500-3000 miles you shouldn’t have issues with shift quality running a conventional oil. But if you stretch it out to the recommended oil change interval you’re going to appreciate a quality synthetic for shift quality purposes alone.
I will say, changing oil every 2500-3000 miles you shouldn’t have issues with shift quality running a conventional oil. But if you stretch it out to the recommended oil change interval you’re going to appreciate a quality synthetic for shift quality purposes alone.
Good looking bike Dgunay. Please take the advice of some of these guys with a grain of salt. You can't go wrong following the Owners Manual. I recommend using dino oil in your bike for the first 5,000 miles or so. It takes a while for all the parts to wear in together. You are going to find that the bike will give you years of reliability.
And that's how you bend valves. Not good advice at all.
And that's how you bend valves. Not good advice at all.
Congrats on the bike.
We have Akrapovič full Ti systems on all of our sportbikes. I have yet to find a better made system. Not cheap, but If you want the best.
Akrapovič | World Championship-Winning Exhaust System Technology
Akrapovič | World Championship-Winning Exhaust System Technology
There are sound clips on the link.
