New bikes and engine oils and procedures

[Mikekitts81]

So I was watching a program the other day on t.v about cars and automobiles and it was about engines and how they are q.c checked before they go in the car... They are put in a machine and used and reved and put through there paces to check the engine is suitable for the car before they put it in. Q. C checking it for any issues and problems before it goes in meaning the car as done 100s and thousands of numerous miles before its placed in its body and checked off as fine.

So does anybody know if the motorcycle industry is the same surely the bike as to be run and put through some test to seat the gaskets properly etc heating up the engine helping the gaskets etc to seat on the heads and surely there run to check for issues and problems leaks etc etc. So as anyone worked in that part of the industry and does anyone know how many miles in equivalent a bike actually gets q.c checked or is it just a case of bolt it up and throw it in and if it breaks on road within first few hundred miles it's breaks???

I know it's not adevnutee based but just out of curiosity really and if anyone does know the answer on here. My mind works in weird ways sometimes and I would like to know

[qcnr]

The prototype engines will obviously be run to destruction for QC and compliance purposes.
THe engines going into cars/ bikes for sale will be assembled and then run on a bench rig to check
for leaks and that they run. Then once the vehicle is completely assembled they will be run
under their own steam as it were for final test to check that the vehicle actually works.
There are some youtube videos of how cars bikes are assembled, I think there is one on the GS.

[qcnr]

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Running engines prior to shipping from the factory is a standard process.

Norton used to take their bikes from the Andover assembly plant to Thruxton for test. BSA ran their bikes on rollers in the factory using town gas as a fuel so they didn't have to drain petrol out of the carbs prior to export.

[garyboy]

I remember, in the 1970's, running in my new GT250 Suzuki 2T for a couple of thousand miles .. to make sure .. and it turned out to be a great, smooth engine, that even the guys doing the servicing praised. But it took months of boring riding to achieve it.

Fast forward half a century, and I read that bike motors are factory run in, and I was told by the mechanics, when buying my nearly-new NC750, that there was no need to run the bike in, at the then 170 miles, and that it had already had its first 600 mile service.

I read somewhere that Honda dealers re-set the milometer at this 600 mile point, which I can see some sense in, but the local dealer denied this .. (so why was it given the 600 mile service at 170 miles?) .. but it was explained to me that the service was merely to get rid of the cheap and nasty original engine oil which was simply used for the transportation of the bike to the UK.

I know though, when I did the first .. no second .. service on my Honda crf250L that the oil was very black and dirty and there were lots of bits, including mastic, in the flat filter gauge ????


ps .. loved the qcnr video … giggled at the machine accuracy when laying the gasket sealant .. so cool

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Modern oils and machining methods have transformed 'running-in'.

The worst thing you can do is 'lug' the engine along in top gear. Best thing is to go up and down the box.

[mechanic]

Been round the KTM plant in Austria. The big v twins are run up to max revs on a Dyno for a short time, they have been doing this for a few years apparently. Yes I know, I was surprised as well. After this, the oil is dropped and they get a fresh fill!

[Mikekitts81]

So seems a lot of Companys run the engine for a while before hand and check it over so are we just told to take it easy etc just because it's in warranty. And they don't want the engines back till its out of warranty.

many years ago I was told a yamaha mechanic was told to always run the bikes lean so the engine was less likely to be due for a recall or break which would make sense if it was to happen within the warranty as its costs to them and not us.

I guess more than anything I was wandering how many miles an engine as really done before it its the showroom floor with 0 miles on it...

[Hugh]

Greetings,

In my experience all manufacturers run their vehicles on a "rolling road" before final quality control.

The attached links will take you to two Triumph videos showing their testing process. The videos may be old but I am sure that similar processes are still employed.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tr ... M%3DVDVVXX

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tr ... M%3DVDVVXX

Back in the early 1970's I worked as a factory rectification engineer which meant that we would repair the brand new vehicles immediately after they had been run on a rolling road prior to hard trim being fitted. You needed asbestos fingers because every thing was so hot to touch.

TTFN

Hugh.

[dave h]

i owned a 2011 990sm ,

might have been my engine

dave.