Thoughts about break in on concours

[Rhino]

You are welcome to do neither.  But claiming it doesn't matter is your (and perhaps many others') opinion, not fact.  Might not even matter much; but Kawasaki put it in there, so they think it matters some.

I didn't claim it doesn't matter to the bike. It doesn't matter to me and that's a fact!

[PH14]

Wow, basically what I did as well.  No stinkin following the rules break in for me, although it took me about a week.  I also recall I nearly cooked myself in a traffic jam in Asheville, NC.  That was the hottest I've ever seen the bike get.  Course the guy in the GW next to me was dying as well.  We both got off the interstate and had a nice steak meal with beer.

I kept to the manual's recommendation by keeping the RPM under what they said, I guess it was 4,000 until I was past the 500 mile mark, then all bets were off. Still, I was done in a day. Thankfully I didn;t get stuck in traffic and bake like you did, of course the steak and beer sounds nice. Maybe they need to add that to their break in instructions.

[maxtog]

I didn't claim it doesn't matter to the bike. It doesn't matter to me and that's a fact!

[CADMAN97]

I'm pretty sure I took mine past the recommended 4000rpm, but I wasn't taking it to red line either. Prob up to 5-6k a few times then backed off. It's pretty hard to keep it under 4000rpm, the C14 just likes to rev

[Rhino]

BTW: I agree Kawasaki put it there, they must have a reason. But Kawasaki also says to change your iridium spark plugs every 7500 miles. When I finally did change them at about 29,000 miles they looked fine and the bike was still running fine. I really wonder how many people do it and why they call for only 7500 miles on iridium plugs. In any case, as per my original post, I did try to follow the Kawasaki break in recommendations, I just didn't have the will power.

[Conniesaki]

On my new '94 Honda CBR900RR, I was following the stated break-in to the T, and while riding along a remote road watched the ODO slowly approach and then hit the 'off break-in' mileage, aka "you're free! go like the wind!", so I punched from 60 to ~80 and immediately got pulled over.

[PH14]

On my new '94 Honda CBR900RR, I was following the stated break-in to the T, and while riding along a remote road watched the ODO slowly approach and then hit the 'off break-in' mileage, aka "you're free! go like the wind!", so I punched from 60 to ~80 and immediately got pulled over.

See, Kawasaki had a reason. 

[Son of Pappy]

Hey OP, why don't you give it a shot and in 50,000 miles give us a report?

[katata1100]

The manual also says something about letting your bike idle for so many seconds after starting before riding during break in.
I do think these motors do need some time to break in.
When i got my bike, i rode it about 500 miles or so the day I bought it. Before I retired for the night in the motel, I filled up the tank and noticed at the station that the bike sounded a lot less clattery than it did when I got it earlier that day, suggesting that the valves settled in.
My dealer was pretty adamant that the oil should be changed at 600 miles (or 500, don't remember), told me that they have seen all kinds of wierd breakin related crap in the oil, so I changed the oil that night, in 33 degree temp.
Another thing to keep in mind is that somewhere between 500 and 1000 miles, those stock tires start to feel pretty crappy!

[Bourne2Ride]

It seems to me that more likely, in this litigious world we live in, that Kawasaki is looking for riders to become used to the power and handling of this beast of a machine (as a reason for so conservative a break-in period).  So they give you 1,000 miles or so before they tell you it’s OK to “Hit it!”

[martin_14]

after 5 years ownership and 50 000 miles, I'm still shocked when I open her up. I know there's power there, but the effect has barely washed out. Grin