Whiskery old chestnut - running in - advice sought

Bought a new Triumph Bonne T100 just before I buggered off to the UK
in April. Did 380kms on it going to and from the All British Rally
just the other side of Bendigo. Rode it home, put it in the garage for
10 weeks then when I got home took a look at it to discover the
Scottoiler had been wrongly installed. Took it back to PS's new
workshop in Elizabeth St to get the Scottoiler sorted and a Ventura
pack frame installed, and decided on the spot that they may as well do
an oil change.

I'm a bit fussy about running in because I usually keep bikes for at
least 200,000kms.

Collected the bike 2 days later and the guy tells me he's put Honda
Semi Synthetic oil in the damned bike. I protest and tell him I
expected a basic mineral (and preferably another dose of the original
running in oil) but he tells me it's OK to put the semi synth in at
this stage and when it's done 1000kms they will change it to fully
synthetic oil.

Seems bloody wrong to me from all I've read here and other places
together with knowledge accumulated running a helluva lot of my
previous bikes.

Comments, please.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

I think you're going to have to kill him and firebomb the workshop.
There's nothing else for it.

JL

 

Hi Dave, I have no idea what possesses people (including 'mechanics')
to think just because it's some techy oil that it's any better than
ground up rock juice.
It simply does not need it.
There are far more qualified people than me on this group to debate
the finer points of semi/fully synth VS rocks/vegetables however, as I
understand it, unless the engine was specifically designed with
tolerances that require a semi or fully synthetic oil and/or you
intend running it in race conditions regularly where boundary
lubrication may be a consideration (with the attendant budget for
bloody expensive oil and frequent changes thereof) there is no point
in using it.

I have mates here who used fully synth in sports bikes (Yamaha R6 and
Thundercat) and were shocked at the oil consumption of new bikes; in
the order of 1 litre every 1000 miles... 2-stroke territory!)
They individually complained to the dealership who assured each of
them that this was perfectly acceptable consumption. One of them then
rang Mitsui Yamaha in London and was similarly placated that, oh yes,
this is perfectly normal. He then spoke to someone in the technical
dept. who said, look, if it's a problem, go out and buy some cheap n
cheery rock oil, run that and after about 3 oil changes it should take
up the loss. And it's perfectly acceptable to run the engine on that -
it's designed to run on various oils provided they are the correct
grade. He did, it did, he's happy. Oh - and it also worked when he
took the R6 clubman racing.

I'm happy to stick with ground up rocks, but then what would I know, I
ride a Guzzi

Jeffles

 

Farcanal that's appalling. My Bonnie *never* used a drop of oil (nor
did it leak any - insert Triumph joke here anyway), Mobil full
synthetic is what the book specified and what I used. Clearly YMMV

 

snip, my earlier remarks

The higher spec oil/more expensive/bigger mark up was my first
assumption, but it appears (from a message from a shy boy of these
parts - maybe he doesn't want his employer knowing he frequents this
parish talking shop) advising me the Triumph Bonneville and others
with the same engine (not sure about the other models on the Triumph
range) are designed to use a semi synth for running in purposes.
Apparently it arrived in it's box in Aust with a skerrick of mineral
in the sump (supposedly) from the factory, which was promptly dumped
at the pre delivery prep and filled with semi synth for the 1000km
running-in process then it's normal to fill with fully synth.

Bugger me! and I presume that Al is not talking out his bum.

You learn something every day.

Was thinking about the Icicle ride on Saturday, but after a Pommie
Summer in the rain & flooding you can shove cold weather riding where
the Sun don't shine.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:10:55 -0700, wrote:

snip

I'll get around to opening up the airbox inlet and fitting a K&N
filter and there's a carby clean air gadget to be removed, all of
which gives it more oomph. Some outfit in Auckland make a very good
exhaust system which adds more oomph again and sounds a whole lot
better. Might look at that some time.

I got the optional King & Queen seat and it's fine over 500kms.
Footpegs are not a problem either, so far.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Dave,

When I'm using my personal address I do not speak on behalf of Triumph or
the Peter Stevens Group.
If you want an official word on what is used then speak to the gents in the
technical department.


Al

 

Dave,

Beware putting a K & N on it, they only filter out gravel and small
children, I have seen some BMW engines distroyed in 25,000 kilometres using
K & N's not worth the risk.

John Olive (Boxer)

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:34:40 -0700

And I thought clouting the centrestand now and then was a problem!

(Mind you, judging by
http://guzzitech.com/PHPBB2/viewtopic.php?p=2991#2991 I'm clearly a
sedate Norge rider...)

Zebee

 

Hi Al,

Spoke to Gary McD and his answer was something like - you can run it
on anything as long as you don't stress it too much. Which was not
what I was looking for - I was talking about the running in period
whereas I think he was talking about general use after the running in
period.

He did mention some sort of diesel engine oil. Can't remember the name
but he said I could run it on that as long as it had regular 3000km
changes.

You on holiday?

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Blimey ! And you swapped it for a dirt bike ? I would have thought a
sports bike would have been a better choice ?

JL
(or was it a super motard you went to ?)

 

Good Luck?

Had a lot to do with my moving over to give you some room and the ABS brakes
of the mighty K1100LT on that day, whilst I have sold that bike now that
little incedent made me tick the ABS box on the new R1200GS Adventure. We
all have been guilty of a stupid move out on the road (some of us more than
one) thank God no one lost any skin. The lesson learned on that day is don't
assume old farts on BMW's are slow.

Boxer

 

Bloody oath I am!

Mobil Delvac or Shell Rotella would be the Diesel oils....very good stuff.

justAL

 

That was one of the lessons, certainly! We must go for a ride on the
dirt one of these days, not as much chance of my killing you at least,
and I imagine you'll be so far in front of me that riding in your dust
probably wont be a problem either. OCR 2008 perhaps?

 

She's mysteriously working.

justAL

 

I hear it's going to be around Borroloola next year with a short stint to a
nearby station for the piss up.

justAL

 

Sounds good the destination looks like Lorella Springs NT deep in the heart
of Crock country about 100 km north of Cape Crawford so that is a 3,000
kilometre each way trip from Brisbane.

Boxer

 

Dave

Forget the K&N, they are really built for racing, so they try to get
as much air through as possible and don't necessarily catch all the
dirt. If you intend to keep the bike for 200,000km then do yourself a
favour and get a Uniflow filter (http://www.uniflow.com.au/). Breathes
better than the paper filters, washable and catches the fine dirt this
wonderful country throws at us.

SteveB
BMW R1100RT

 

The standard paper filter will flow as much air as your bike can use, test
them on a Dyno no practical difference.

Boxer

 

The standard paper filter will flow as much air as your bike can use, test

x 2