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Ariel Red Hunter · 05-07-2019, 03:19 PM

I would like to say a few words about break-in. (LOL, like ARH even knows what a few words even means). Shut up!! Please think of this this way. Imagine that you are observing the factory assembly line. Parts are being bolted on by torque sensing air wrenches. Because air torque wrenches are adjustable, some of the bolts and nuts will be over tightened and some will be under tightened. So, therefore they ALL need to be checked. Including the wheel nipples. And you haven't even started it yet. Of course you will change the oil before you start it the first time. If you change out the fork oil before you even start to put the front end together, like Megadan suggests, so much the better. Yeah, I know it's hard to be patient the first time you assemble a bike, but patience really pays off. But I would not loctitite any thing untill you've got 500 miles (860 km) on the clock. This gives parts a chance to bed in together which are diss-similar, like the engine-frame mounts, and a lot of other parts that are hung (bolted) to the frame in a factory that produces a million motor cycles a year. After 500 miles, Loctite 'em! Like I've said before, keep your spokes as tight as it takes to "ping" middle "C" on them. No tighter. Check them every riding day for the first riding week (That is to say every day you ride until you've covered 7 riding days. And no, a ride around the block is not "a riding day". Then once a week. Then once a month. Unless you are really riding hard off-road. Then do the spokes every riding day. Re-greaseing the steering head bearings and swing arm bolt/bushes and the rear shock bolts bushes with marine grease will pay off from day one. Now the chain. The stock chain has a bad reputation, but I am not sure it is deserved. Clean the chain in Kerosene, the re-lube it in warm fluid chassis grease or warm liquid canning wax that you color black with colloidal graphite....ARH

For your kind attention.

05-07-2019, 03:19 PM	#1085
Ariel Red Hunter Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: akwesasne, NY-13655 Posts: 2,220	New Bike Break-in. I would like to say a few words about break-in. (LOL, like ARH even knows what a few words even means). Shut up!! Please think of this this way. Imagine that you are observing the factory assembly line. Parts are being bolted on by torque sensing air wrenches. Because air torque wrenches are adjustable, some of the bolts and nuts will be over tightened and some will be under tightened. So, therefore they ALL need to be checked. Including the wheel nipples. And you haven't even started it yet. Of course you will change the oil before you start it the first time. If you change out the fork oil before you even start to put the front end together, like Megadan suggests, so much the better. Yeah, I know it's hard to be patient the first time you assemble a bike, but patience really pays off. But I would not loctitite any thing untill you've got 500 miles (860 km) on the clock. This gives parts a chance to bed in together which are diss-similar, like the engine-frame mounts, and a lot of other parts that are hung (bolted) to the frame in a factory that produces a million motor cycles a year. After 500 miles, Loctite 'em! Like I've said before, keep your spokes as tight as it takes to "ping" middle "C" on them. No tighter. Check them every riding day for the first riding week (That is to say every day you ride until you've covered 7 riding days. And no, a ride around the block is not "a riding day". Then once a week. Then once a month. Unless you are really riding hard off-road. Then do the spokes every riding day. Re-greaseing the steering head bearings and swing arm bolt/bushes and the rear shock bolts bushes with marine grease will pay off from day one. Now the chain. The stock chain has a bad reputation, but I am not sure it is deserved. Clean the chain in Kerosene, the re-lube it in warm fluid chassis grease or warm liquid canning wax that you color black with colloidal graphite....ARH For your kind attention.
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