DL650 BREAK IN?

New bike break-in...

You should change oil at 500-600 miles when he bike is new... look for metal shavings in the old oil... a little is normal... a lot ain't! Buy a magnetic oil drain bolt. It has a tip on it that attracts the metal shavings in the oil. As for using Mobile 1? If it is not specific for motorcycles, and they do have that, then I would not use it. Regular car oils, even synthetics, lack the lubricants used to keep the transmission running smoothly. You're not only lubing the engine and you should remember that! If you buy a magnetic bolt for the oil pan and use your auto oil, you'll always find shavings stuck to the bolt. Not so with a quality motorcycle oil. Like I said, a little shaving after the initial break-in is normal. After that you should not see any.

As far as breaking it in? I am old-school. Ride it like you intend to ALWAYS ride it. Don't baby the damn thing. 30mph in top gear to 70mph and letting off and repeating? What on earth for? You want to throw a valve? Damage the heads? 30mph is a bit low to be full throttle accelerating from in 6th gear. It's not going to seat the valves, it's going to stress them. MHO, of course.

Stan

Thanks...

Trappercase...

Thanks. I like to think I know after 30+ years of riding different makes and models. You're right, I didn't check the post dates. I guess I am an anxious V-Strom newbie owner :smile:

Nice sight, but so far I have not seen too much on this model. I will say this bike shifts smoother than any I have owned previously. It's a tad underpowered as far as the other 650's from Yamaha and Kawasaki, but you can't really compare V-twins to inline fours. Has a nice, quiet ride. moreso than my Concours had (a bit buzzy, the Connie). Hope they streamline the bodywork up front. It's a bit bulbous. Kinda a face only a father could love kinda thing :roll: :smile: Windscreen angle is good, but I would like to have it wider to cover say another 2-3 inches on each side. I am not going to waste my money on their touring screen. It really won't do much more than the stock one.

I will say one thing about oil and filters. I am cheap on the filters! I buy Framm since they are readily available at auto parts stores. Since I only ride about 3,000 miles max between changes I have had no problems with the $5 filters ever. I do like good motorcycle oil though. Yamalube is one of the best regular oils, and GoldenSpectro is my choice for synthetic.

Stan