Noob Break-In advice required

Hello world,

I'm going to be picking up my new motorcycle next Thursday. It's a ninja 300 if that matters (this is my first motorcycle, I've only ridden during the training course). I've been reading around and watching some videos and I've been getting mixed advice on how to break in the bike. One third of the people are saying I should break in the bike however Kawasaki suggests, which is to keep the RPMs under 6,000 for the first 600 miles. The second third of people are saying hard break-in is the way to go (get through the entire range of RPMs before shifting). The last third recommend just riding as I normally would for the 600 miles (just don't race or abuse the bike).

I'm confused and I got no idea what to do. Anyone here got mechanic advice on how to break in a bike or know which is the best method to do so?

Is 600 miles too much or little for the break-in period?

Anything else I should do or keep a lookout for before the 1,000 kilometer service?

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. I did try to research, but like I said the results varied.

Thanks so much any advice is much appreciated!

http://www.motorcycleextremist.com/Motorcycle-Engine-Break-in-the-Right-Way!.html

You decide.

Kawasaki engineered the thing and they're warranting it. Do what they say.

Blackfin said:

Kawasaki engineered the thing and they're warranting it. Do what they say.

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I agree. 100%. I did the same with my GSXR600. It's completely your decision, but you bought a 300 for reliability and good insurance rates. If you wanted performance, you would have bought it. In saying that, the performance break in seemed too questionable for me. I stuck with manufacturer recommendation, and I'm at 6000km, running perfectly.

Dump your our oil at 500-700km. Get all of the **** out.

noobwagon said:

...break in the bike however Kawasaki suggests, which is to keep the RPMs under 6,000 for the first 600 miles.

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Hello n00b,
Not revving the motor too high is just one factor (albeit the most well-known) in a good break-in procedure.
Less well known is that you should not rev the motor too low either.
It's sort of a 'Goldilocks' thing, heheh...
Not too high - not too low. Just right! In other words, the middle of the motor's powerband.
Large throttle opening at low RPM is every bit as discouraged as is high-RPM operation!
You should try to keep the motor between 4k and 7k, something like that...
Also, do not roll along at a steady engine speed.
You should either be on the gas, or off it.
Take a little pull on the throttle, and then close it. The vacuum thus created within the cylinder will pull some motor oil up past the rings, flushing and cooling them.
On the gas, off the gas. Not too high, not too low.
There is a good argument that 4 grand is 'bogging' your motor (since the littlest Ninja has its torque peak pretty high, like 8 grand or something)...
So try not to for example open the throttle wide open at 4k on the highway in sixth gear.
Whereas full throttle (briefly) would be okay at 4 grand, in second or third gear...
Downshifting and using the engine braking is the best thing you can do with a fresh new motor! For reasons mentioned above.
You will see a little puff of blue smoke when chopping the throttle closed. This is motor oil.
Relatively quickly (~1000km) this should go away. Your rings will have then achieved a good mating and seal with your cylinder bores.
Which at the end of the day is the definition of a successful and proper break-in!

And an oil change after the 600k is a good idea and then another after 1000 to 1200k. The first oil change gets rid of the nasty stuff that happens as a new engine breaks in.

Break it in as per the manual (typically called an easy break in). The manufacturer knows the best, although a 'hard' break in MIGHT mean a bit more power from the engine, keep in mind when racers do this they only care if the engine lasts 1-2 races at best before it is torn down and rebuilt. Chances are you'll want to keep your motorcycle for a lot longer than that.

Also, since no one else really touched on this...you are a new rider. You need time to get used to riding and the bike in real world conditions, and one of the WORST things that could be recommended is go push the bike to the limit with 0 seat time. That's how bikes end up at the wreckers and new riders in the hospital....