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Rickster · 09-03-2007, 10:28 PM

It's really no different than any other bike. As dlrshort said, don't run it at a steady RPM for the first 500 miles, and stay away from holding the throttle open. Personally, I don't think giving it full throttle for 1, or 2 seconds will hurt anything as long as the motor is warmed up good, but for sure don't hold it open.

On the subject of warming the engine up, Harley's seem to be susceptible to valve problems if you do a lot of revving of the motor when it's cold. Air cooled motors don't have as tight of tolerances, as liquid cooled ones do, and you need to let everything heat up, and expand, before you get heavy handed with your right wrist.

The other thing I do is just a quirk of mine, and I do it with all my new motors. even lawn mowers. I change the oil, and filter right away, between 50, and 100 miles on a motorcycle. My idea is to get any particulate that might be left over from assembly out.

MoonRunnerI'm pretty sure, it's illegal for a dealer to require you to have them do the break-in service, in order to validate the warranty. I have 16,000 miles on my Road King, and it's never been back to the dealer. I have heard good things about the Minton procedure, but I have never used it myself. My FLHRI also doesn't use a drop of oil.

09-03-2007, 10:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rickster Bridal Boutique Manager Joined: Oct 2005 Location: St Paul Mn Posts: 2,911	It's really no different than any other bike. As *dlrshort* said, don't run it at a steady RPM for the first 500 miles, and stay away from holding the throttle open. Personally, I don't think giving it full throttle for 1, or 2 seconds will hurt anything as long as the motor is warmed up good, but for sure don't hold it open. On the subject of warming the engine up, Harley's seem to be susceptible to valve problems if you do a lot of revving of the motor when it's cold. Air cooled motors don't have as tight of tolerances, as liquid cooled ones do, and you need to let everything heat up, and expand, before you get heavy handed with your right wrist. The other thing I do is just a quirk of mine, and I do it with all my new motors. even lawn mowers. I change the oil, and filter right away, between 50, and 100 miles on a motorcycle. My idea is to get any particulate that might be left over from assembly out. *MoonRunnerI'm pretty sure, it's illegal for a dealer to require you to have them do the break-in service, in order to validate the warranty. I have 16,000 miles on my Road King, and it's never been back to the dealer. I have heard good things about the Minton* procedure, but I have never used it myself. My FLHRI also doesn't use a drop of oil. __________________ Ever notice that the person telling you to calm down, is the same one that got you worked up in the first place. 2008 1250 Bandit ABS 2008 DR 650 2006 HD Road King 2005 DL1000 V Strom (sold) 2004 Twin Peaks 700 2003 KTM 525 EX/C (for sale) 2005 Santa Cruz Heckler Last edited by Rickster; 09-03-2007 at 10:45 PM.