Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Bike Break in

I have a buddy that is wanting me to pick up his new Speedmaster and ride it home for him. Problem: picking it up is a 980 mile trip. Will a road trip this long on a brand new bike be bad for the break in??

You really don't want the throttle staying in the same position for the first 500 miles. With that being said, it would make for a long ride and a sore wrist. Not to mention you wouldn't want to be doing 75-80 either. So, get comfortable
Also Triumph wants to perform that first 500 mile service for warranty purposes, so you would have to find a dealer along the way that would take you in.

That's kind of what I thought, I was hoping to just fly in pick it up and go. Now I have to drive the truck and trailer out there. Bummer

Rode my '05 TBA from the dealership in Chattanooga to home, about 110 miles, but I took highway 27, a 2 lane all the way, varying RPM, and stopping occasionally. Did my own oil change at 500 miles, (O.K. per Coweta Custom Cycles), but took her back to Chattanooga last month for the 12,000 mile check. $198 total, included oil, filters, check valve clearances (so they said), balance carbs, replaced rear pads. Thought that was a good deal, don't know, but CCC wanted $380 or so for the same.

I wouldn't sweat it at all. Just stop somewhere around 5-600 miles and change the oil and you should be good to go. You could even just put some more cheap dino oil in it for the trip, then change it again when you get home. Heck, a cheap drain pan from Wallymart, a gallon of 30w oil and a PureOne filter should only cost ya about $20 at most. And this is something you could do yourself along the way. Or stop at one of those quick oil change places and they will let you dispose of the oil there too.
The reason you need to change out the original oil is cause it's dino oil and helps seal the motor all up nicely and you will get a bunch of crud from the initial breakin as well.
So, my opinion says go for it and swap the oil on the way. It'll be fun! Just take your time and it will be nice and broken in by the time you get it back.

One more thing, maybe take an AI removal kit (Brent has them at newspeedmaster.com) and remove it before you start the trip too.

Not to sound like a complete dolt but, why remove the the AI boefore the trip? Better gas milage?

Removing the AI will prevent the pipes from turning blue. No other reason.

By the book, you should vary the speed and don't exceed 75% of redline for the first 500 miles. For the second 500, vary the speed and ease it up to redline occasionally. Accelerate WFO in case of emergency only.

Considering that the gearing puts the redline in top gear at around 108 MPH, there should be no problems running at up to 75 as long as you don't hold it there for long periods.

Why not just have them ship the bike to him, or won't they do that? By the time you add up the expenses for trailering it home, it might be more cost effective to just ship the bike.

If you want to ride, I would say ride. A nice cool time of year and varying your speed up and down as you go for the first 500 miles is probably the best break in you can do on the bike. Pick up a filter at the dealer when you pick it up, and some oil the day you change it. Just pull in to a mom and pop garage and flip the guy $10 to borrow a pan and change the oil in his drive.

Y'all are gonna put this guys warrenty to the test and it's not even his bike.?.
I'm just saying...
Haven't some had warrenty problems with SOME dealers because they did the 500 service themselves?
Triumph wants to "go over" the bike and make adjustments etc. (so they say)
Is he really gonna harm the bike? (probably not)
Is he gonna void his warrenty? (maybe not)
Is it really worth it? (insert answer)

I just pose the thought!
I know luck and sometimes it ain't nice. I would hate to advise chancing the warrenty.
Probably a much easier decision if it were his bike. If the owner says go for it, I'd peddle away.

..just in case you missed this, go back up and read the line that says "I just pose the thought" again.
I know how brutal it gets and don't want to have to hurt someone.

No way would I be "trailoring" when I could be riding. The oil change is way to easy to be an excuse, and I'll take my chances with the dealer(s). Common sense is common sense. An oil change is an oil change.

Someone here posted this just before I bought mine, so, GUESS WHAT I DID????

HOW TO BREAK IN YOUR ENGINE FOR MORE POWER & LESS WEAR

I have no regrets. Do all of my own oil changes, too.