I talked to a mechanic who used to work in Canadian Superbike racing teams, and his input was that the "stay below" bit is not a good idea. He said to run a good wide range and "dance the needle" rather than holding it in any rev range for extended periods. He felt that lots of shifting and using the whole rev range (maybe not topping it out) was the best way to do a break in.
My cousin and I bought identical 96 Ninjas from a dealership, took delivery same week, and they came from the same shipment. He rode his HARD from day one (screamed it actually) while I really rode it careful and followed the break in to a T. From the end of our breakin we started doing a lot of side-by-side testing and his bike was PAINFULLY stronger than mine. He'd easily pull 2-3 bike lengths every time through the gears. If we switched bikes, I'd pull the lead. I know some bikes are just plain stronger than others, but this was beyond just manufacturing tolerances in my books. At first service where they do the clearance and seating checks on valves, mine actually needed more help than his. Don't know that I'm recommending you scream your bikes when you take delivery, but I honestly feel the "stay below (whatever rpm) limit" is nonsense.
Just run a wide range so the valves don't get "seated" incorrectly. And don't hold throttle constant in the same gear. If you've got a long run of highway to use, go 3rd 4th 5th 6th 5th 4th etc etc... you get the picture. And again, don't be afraid to rev it up a little, says this mechanic.
My cousin and I bought identical 96 Ninjas from a dealership, took delivery same week, and they came from the same shipment. He rode his HARD from day one (screamed it actually) while I really rode it careful and followed the break in to a T. From the end of our breakin we started doing a lot of side-by-side testing and his bike was PAINFULLY stronger than mine. He'd easily pull 2-3 bike lengths every time through the gears. If we switched bikes, I'd pull the lead. I know some bikes are just plain stronger than others, but this was beyond just manufacturing tolerances in my books. At first service where they do the clearance and seating checks on valves, mine actually needed more help than his. Don't know that I'm recommending you scream your bikes when you take delivery, but I honestly feel the "stay below (whatever rpm) limit" is nonsense.
Just run a wide range so the valves don't get "seated" incorrectly. And don't hold throttle constant in the same gear. If you've got a long run of highway to use, go 3rd 4th 5th 6th 5th 4th etc etc... you get the picture. And again, don't be afraid to rev it up a little, says this mechanic.
