Breaking in your new bike Don't let the excitement of your new purchase overwhelm your good sense. A new bike must be broken in correctly if you want the bike to function correctly. If you do not take the proper steps, you will dramatically decrease your engine's life and possibly kill it. It will also void your warranty.
ATTENTION: Change your motor oil before and after break in and do not start your bike without changing the oil first. You can use standard 4 stroke 10w-40 motorcycle oil (non synthetic, no car oil & do not run it with the oil that comes in it). 2 Stroke 50cc bikes require gas/oil mixture as per the manual.
Opinions vary significantly on the correct way to break in a bike. We will discuss the most common method often called "heat cycling." Heat cycling means you run the engine at low idle for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. You might have to adjust the idle at this point. After this time the engine will be right below the normal operating temperature. Then you turn the engine off and let the bike cool down. Once the engine is cool, you turn the bike on for another 10 minutes and then shut it down again. Do this process for a total of three to four times. DO NOT put the bike in gear during the "heat cycling" process!!
When you have finished this process, run the bike at an easy pace, shifting thru each gear, during the 1st full tank of gas at 10-15 minute intervals. Again, let the motor fully cool down after each interval. After the first tank of gas you should change the oil for the second time. Avoid putting excess stress on the engine and avoid high RPM's for the first 4-8 hours of run time. Make regular oil changes from this point on (every 20-30 hours or every 3 months, whichever comes first).
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