Breaking In...... A Precaution:
I personally believe breaking in an engine is not about increased engine life or better performance. But its all about precaution. I never mentioned it before but I think its the right time and the right place to speak about it. Usually back in the old days when quality control management was not as good as it is nowadays. manufacturers instructed consumers to break in the engines........however with better material engineering and vigorous post production testings, engines do not require a break-in....because the manufacturers do it themselves before handing over the engine to the vehicle to the consumer.
It is easier for the manufacturers to hold tighter tolerances now, and the average surface finish of a new cylinder wall has improved. Therefore breaking in an engine is not required theoretically.
Remember its Pakistan:
However we must remember its Pakistan....and AHL QC is not as good as it is in Japan. So its always better to be gentle with the engine in the beginning. Remember even if the engine is claimed to be broken in by the manufacturer which I know AHL does....they still leave the tappets loose to help the engine cool down better. revving the engine to its limit with loose tappets can ruin the head.....so its better not to go heavy on the throttle.
What Breaking-in Really Means:
The goal of engine break-in is the settling of piston rings into an engine's cylinder wall. A cylinder wall is not perfectly smooth but has a deliberate slight roughness to help oil adhesion. As the engine is powered up, the piston rings between the pistons and cylinder wall will begin to seal against the wall's small ridges. Thats it...it has nothing to do with any other moving part....just the rings and cylinder.
Bad Break-in Consequences:
The following are consequences of a bad engine break-in:
- Oil will be allowed to gather in the cylinder wall, and a vehicle will use much more of it than necessary.
- If a ring does not set into the grooves of the cylinder wall but creates friction against them each time an engine runs, the cylinder wall will be worn out.
- Unsuccessfully setting piston rings into a cylinder wall will result in the necessity of new engine parts, or the entire engine depending on how extensive the damage is.
I personally do not take risks on locally assembled bike specially Chondas and allow them to break in properly before pushing it to the limits. Waisay BTW Unique too has similar QC practices as AHL and they do also test the bikes on Dyno and rev them to the limits on the track they have specially for this purpose before handing it over to the consumer. Dont know about the rest of Chondas.
