Correct Methods for Running-in Period of Scooter Motorcycles
3 Answers
Warm up the engine for a few minutes before daily riding, 3-5 minutes in winter and 1-2 minutes in summer. The complete running-in period should be 3000KM, but keep the speed below 30KM within the first 1500KM. Change the oil at 300KM, 800KM, and 1500KM respectively.
When I first got my scooter, Old Zhou at the dealership patted me on the shoulder and said, 'Don't go acting like a reckless speed demon during the break-in period.' Those first 500 kilometers need to be treated like serving an ancestor: never twist the throttle past halfway, keep the speedometer under 50 km/h, and avoid sudden acceleration or hard braking like the plague—it's like chugging ice water right after running a kilometer, terrible for the engine's heart and lungs. Change the oil frequently; for mineral oil, drain the blackish break-in oil after just 300 km, and the second change can last until 800 km. On weekends, I'd deliberately take long detours through mountain roads, using different gears to evenly wear in the transmission. Now at 30,000 km, the engine still purrs as smoothly as when it was new. Oh, and the front brake pads are especially delicate at this stage—using gentle taps instead of hard stops can extend their life by half a year.
The new scooters in our delivery fleet all have yellow warning stickers for the first month. The break-in period focuses on three temperature management aspects: Cold starts require thorough warming up—in winter, wait until the idle speed drops before moving off, otherwise the piston rings will scrape noisily. Avoid overheating—after climbing ten buildings in a row for deliveries, park and let it cool. Oil temperature is the most critical, so the first two fuel tanks must have anti-wear additives. Don’t exceed a 70kg load—once, when I helped my mom carry two bags of rice, the engine sounded off. Maintain smooth RPMs like practicing Tai Chi, intentionally varying speeds—20, 30, 40 km/h in rotation. Those who say the break-in period doesn’t matter are all used-car dealers—believing them is like believing the sun rises in the west.
