Riding a different bike today

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

I took my bike in for its 600 mi maintenance (a few hundred miles late). Why a brand new bike has to go in the shop that soon is beyond me, but it's a free visit, so ok.

So they gave me a loaner: a 2008 BMW F800S. Fast little scooter, corners great, but the riding position is so scrunched up I think my knees were against my chest.


It's a belt drive, first one of those I've ridden. Good belt though, wheelies didn't seem to cause any belt stretch (did I mention it's a loaner?)

It just seems wrong that a BMW's pistons go up and down. The cylinders are supposed to stick out the sides, like good little BMW's.

Oh, well, it's all fun!

[matcom]

1. I'm about to drop mine off for its 600 miles

didn't know about loaners :think:

looks like fun!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. I don't know if most shops have loaners

but it wouldn't hurt to ask when you make the appointment.

I'll be glad to get my bike back, maybe today. I know they were going to re-torque the head bolts, change the fluids, adjust the valves, I don't know what else. Hopefully, they'll wash it. It was pretty much covered with mud when I dropped it off.

This loaner doesn't have sidebags, so I had to load up a backpack for my commute to work this morning. And, it doesn't have guards in front of the clutch & brake levers, so my hands were getting pretty cold speeding along in 45 degree air. The 800cc motor does have plenty of oomph on the freeway, so that was nice.

[ThomWV]

3. On that early maintenance

There are mighty good reasons for that early stop by the dealer, its something that is not to be avoided with a new bike. Here's why. Your engine and drive train are comprised of several hundred parts that all fit together very nicely, but not perfectly. From the moment the engine is first started and the transmission gears first spin the rough edges of all of those parts begin to wear off. It happens very fast at first as all those parts wear slightly to conform to their neighbors. You will get more wear and oil contamination during that engine's first hour of operation than you do during any other with the exception of its last. You will also get dilution of the oil in those early miles at a higher rate than at any other time during the bike's life. Dilution of the oil is a special kind of contamination that comes from the leakage from combustion chamber past the rings into the sump of that minute amount of fuel left in the cylinder after the engine is shut off. It will continue until the rings are fully seated and it diminishes the ability of the oil to lubricate, seal the rings, and cool the engine. Also, while the factory got everything tight when they built the bike and the dealer rechecked and adjusted everything (yeah, right) before you picked up the bike its still true that after the initial run in lots of things stretch, pull, wear, and find every way possible to become out of adjustment - so all of those things get checked and readjusted.

So there are the reasons; first to get worn metal out of there that came from the rapid initial wear as all the parts shook hands and got to know their neighbors; second to put fresh oil in there that has not been diluted with gasoline or other contaminants; and third, to check all adjustments that might have changed during the break-in period.

I have always considered that first couple of hundred miles the most critical in a new (or freshly rebuilt) engine's life. I consider it essential not to overly stress the engine, to be maniacal about not letting it get too hot, and to get that oil and filter changed by about the 500 mile mark. Because I do almost all of my own work I do it all again at about the 1,000 mile mark too not only because the price of a couple of quarts of oil and a filter is very cheap insurance but more because I am convinced that it will save me a ton of money in repairs in the thousands of miles to come.

On Edit: Disclosure - I've only owned 2 new bikes in my life so in a way I'm makin' all of this stuff up, it does not come from vast experience.