Questions on Stelvio V100 running in parameters

[BioKnee]

I’ve now done 850 miles and it’s booked in for its first service in four days’ time. I’ve finally looked at the manual for running in instructions (yes, weak, I know, but at least I’m looking now!). The bike has its shift light threshold set at 6000 rpm (as did the two other Stelvios and two Mandellos I’ve ridden in Europe) and I assumed that riding within those bounds (mostly gently) is all that is required for the first 930 miles.

Two contradictory mentions in the owners manual:

“Running-in
Running in is essential to ensure the durability of the vehicle. During the first 1500 Km (932 mi), observe the following rules to ensure the reliability and performance of the vehicle throughout its lifetime:

• Avoid full throttle starts and hard acceleration;
• Avoid exceeding 4,500 rpm;
• Avoid hard or prolonged braking;
• Do not ride for prolonged periods at sustained high speed; preferably ride the motorcycle on varied routes with frequent, gentle acceleration and deceleration;”

And:

“ON NEW VEHICLES, THE SHIFT LIGHT THRESHOLD IS SET TO 5200 RPM.
RAISE THE THRESHOLD GRADUALLY UNTIL YOU HAVE BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE VEHICLE AND THE RUN-IN HAS BEEN COMPLETED.”

WTF? Are new bikes set to 6000 when Guzzi _know_ that it’s not best practice?? Is 5200 or 4500 their actual recommendation?

 

[john zibell]

Better late than never on reading the manual. Most important to vary load and RPM. Occasional hard acceleration is needed to get the rings to seat. Upper RPM limits are conservative from the factory but understandable. So long as you haven't blasted past redline, (just about impossible with fuel injected bikes) no damage done.

 

[GTM®]

Another topic covered hundreds of times here. I follow THIS - you can do as you wish.

 

[scott_m]

I totally agree with GTM on this one. You have a very limited time to seat the rings otherwise the engine will burn oil forever.

There is nothing worse than babying an engine for the break in. You will have a oil burning engine forever.

The best place to break in an engine is hills and mountains where you naturally work the engine throughout the rpm range and varying loads and throttle inputs. The worst way to break in an engine is to drone it on the freeway at the same elevation, speed, and throttle position. Cruise control should never be utilized during any break in of an engine.

 

[BioKnee]

Thanks for the advice and the link to Mototune. Service light came on at 900 miles exactly. Job done, and I admit to using full throttle up to 6000 revs many times in the running-in period. Lovely motor

 

[GTM®]

Ari Henning did a good video on this, where he broke two identical motors in using completely opposite methods, hard and soft. Then he did compression testing and opened them up to inspect. They were identical lol.

Ari is a journalist, not an engine builder or engineer.
We'll leave it sit as is.
You can choose to do whatever you wish.

 

[scott_m]

I have an auto engineer friend who tells me this is not so anymore.

That's nice.

I have been breaking in motorcycles and wrenching on motorcycles my whole life. My personal experience over many years, along with that of other professional mechanics and engine builder friends and associates, has proven otherwise.

I have had numerous motorcycles (including tons of BMW's) under my wrench, that were babied and burned oil like crazy. The industry standard for a motorcycle engine operating "normally" is oil consumption less than 1L of oil per 1000km. That's the biggest joke I ever saw.

You may like your engine to burn oil like that. My experience has been completely the opposite. The customers were pissed at the rate of oil consumption but the manufacturers stood solid on their refusal to do anything.

On at least half a dozen engines, at the customer's expense, we disassembled and re-ringed the engines and then properly broke them in as was previously described, and the engines no longer burnt oil at any appreciable rate.

You do as you wish but I don't put much faith in "my friend tells me".

Also, that video and the one like it from the Fortnite Canadian guy, are truly the most unscientific things I've ever watched.

(n) Sample size = 1

Negative Controls = 0

You cannot make ANY intelligent conclusion from a data pool like that. It's a complete joke. A compression test will not measure oil burn rate. That takes a few thousand kilometers of running.

That said, I don't know if Guzzi dynos every motor. The Japanese manufacturers and most of the Euros do for sure.

Moto Guzzi does not nor does any other manufacturer of motorcycles in the world that I am aware of. The cost and time necessary would be phenomenal. I believe you are completely wrong here on this.

My sincere apologies. I was completely wrong about Moto Guzzi dyne testing the bikes. See below.

 

[GTM®]

Moto Guzzi does not nor does any other manufacturer of motorcycles in the world that I am aware of. The cost and time necessary would be phenomenal. I believe you are completely wrong here on this.

When I last visited (CARC era), EVERY bike off the assembly line went right into their dyno room, where it was run extremely hard. When I inquired about it, they said they prefer it to break or leak there where they can address it. See video link below at ~ 4:10 & 4:45 on.
This is why a real PDI is SO CRITICAL!

 

[scott_m]

When I last visited (CARC era), EVERY bike off the assembly line went right into their dyno room, where it was run extremely hard. When I inquired about it, they said they prefer it to break or leak there where they can address it. See video link below at ~ 4:10 on.

Thank you GTM! I stand HAPPILY corrected with regard to Moto Guzzi. Thank you for this.

Hopefully Moto Guzzi still continues this practice to this day.

Cannot see the big Japanese players being able to do this due to way more volume but maybe they do as well.

 

[BioKnee]

When I last visited (CARC era), EVERY bike off the assembly line went right into their dyno room, where it was run extremely hard. When I inquired about it, they said they prefer it to break or leak there where they can address it. See video link below at ~ 4:10 & 4:45 on.
This is why a real PDI is SO CRITICAL!

Thank you for sharing this video @gtm. Heart warming to see their approach to production, and as someone else here mentioned - practically hand made.

I turned up uninvited at the Ducati factory in Bologna in 1981 in a group of four nobodies from the UK (I was on a LeMans, but the other three rode two 900ss’s and a Darmah). We were given a guided tour of the workshops completely free of charge. There was such enormous pride in everything they stood for and did. You get just that impression from this video also.

 

[V700Steve]

I'm so glad I didn't buy Guzzi's new crap, happy w/what I own. At least I can change my cyl's and not the whole engine.
Also glad I don't look at social media, or read Moto mags for info.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Well I think we ought to go back to point and condenser ignition because this here electronic stuff can just quit and then where are ya? And I want air cooled jugs I can pull myself because I’d be so highly suspuscious of these new engines going 100,000+ miles. The old way is always the best way after all.

Seriously, picked up a new V100 Stelvio this week in Savanna Yellow, meaning it matches road signs and yellow stripes on the pavement. Loving it after putting on a 1” gel seat pad to get over the rear seat hump.

Fwiw - The factory sets the break-in rpm warning at 6,000. For the first 230 miles I reset it to 4,500 which wasn’t a problem riding backroads from Accident Maryland to Damascus. LOTS of accelerate, decelerate, and shifting. That 4,500 in 6th is 73 mph.

 

[john zibell]

Well I think we ought Togo back to point and condenser ignition because this here electronic stuff can just quit and then where are ya? And I want air cooled jugs I can pull myself because I’d be so highly suspuscious of these new engines going 100,000+ miles. The old way is always the best way after all.

Seriously, picked up a new V100 Stelvio this week in Savanna Yellow, meaning it matches road signs and yellow stripes on the pavement. Loving it after putting on a 1” gel seat pad to get over the rear seat hump.

Fwiw - The factory sets the break-in rpm warning at 6,000. For the first 230 miles I reset it to 4,500 which wasn’t a problem riding backroads from Accident Maryland to Damascus. LOTS of accelerate, decelerate, and shifting. That 4,500 in 6th is 73 mph.

Better to wind it up for break in. Need high pressure to seat in the rings. Being low RPM all the time isn't good.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The book says the shift light as delivered is 5,200 but the bike was set at 6,000 RPM

Just as and probably more important than the piston rings is to keep going up and down thru the gears and on and off with the throttle. This puts wear on both the front and back for the whole drive system including each of the gears, cam-related parts, etc.

Never said I kept the rpms low in all those West Virginia twisties, and I'll stay with what Guzzi says in the Owners Manual:

1. Running in
   Running in is essential to ensure the durability of the vehicle. During the first 1500 Km (932 mi), observe the following rules to ensure the reliability and performance of the vehicle throughout its lifetime:
   • Avoid full throttle starts and hard acceleration;
   • Avoid exceeding 4,500 rpm;
   • Avoid hard or prolonged braking;
   • Do not ride for prolonged periods at sustained high speed; preferably ride the
     motorcycle on varied routes with frequent, gentle acceleration and deceler-
     ation;.

 

[moparnut72]

I agree with the above but add that frequently give it some moderately hard throttle from time to time. The salesman told me to get on the brakes hard right away, I think not and didn't, worked them in moderately. I have never had any problems with any of my new bikes follow the manual. My Mandello hasn't used a drop of oil in the almost 5,000 miles I have ridden it none of my other bikes have either.
kk