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Hello, Im going to get a kawasaki ninja 500 soon and I was reading a few articles on how to break in the engine. http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/NewBike.html#BreakIn This method say don't follow the method the manual suggests. Which method should I follow?

botchog wrote:Hello, Im going to get a kawasaki ninja 500 soon and I was reading a few articles on how to break in the engine. http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/NewBike.html#BreakIn This method say don't follow the method the manual suggests. Which method should I follow?

There are endless opinions on this topic and it seems everyone is very passionate about how "right" their viewpoint is.

Some people say follow the manual.

Others say run it hard and vary the RPMs.

The truth is, I've never heard of anyone ruining their engine OR improving their engine by using either break-in method.

Therefore, my advice is, don't worry about it. Feel free to follow the manual or to follow the hard-fast method like here:
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

No matter which approach you choose for your bike, I'm willing to bet it will work and your bike will run great for many years and many tens-of-thousands of miles either way.

^^ what he said pretty much. This day in age, very few manufacturers ship anything with an engine that does not already have the rings properly seated.

run it hard. it will blow up then or never

I ran mine hard for the first 600 miles. Varying RPM's and fast take offs and shifts up and down through the gears. Then normal riding after that. I haven't noticed any ill affects.

t_bonee wrote:I ran mine hard for the first 600 miles. Varying RPM's and fast take offs and shifts up and down through the gears. Then normal riding after that. I haven't noticed any ill affects.

That is my normal riding!

Thanks everyone for the advice. Now I won't be so strick on following the break-in period.

run it hard, all the problems will come out before the first 1500 to 2000 miles, the only guys that have problems with their bikes are the ones that baby them.

I would say do whatever the owners manual says, but then again, what does the manufacturer know.

Go easy for the first 100 miles then break it in like you are going to ride it... But I would not go full throttle until you change the oil for the first time. After that have at it.