is 70 miles a day too much ?

[Dave48]

Years ago engines werent machined to such close tolerances and the lubricants were less "sophisticated". Running in was a long drawn out process, valves needed grinding & cylinder heads had to be decarbonised fairly often. I would consider it very strange if any properly serviced modern car/bike engine didnt go round the clock at least once. Was talking to a mechanic friend & he was saying that running in is still important but the main thing was to avoid loading/straining the engine & avoid over-revving in first few hundred miles. REGULAr oil & filter changes using the makers recommended grade of oil for local conditions. The greatest wear occurs on start up before the oil is up to temp & circulating & the best advice with modern vehicles is to drive straight off but avoid putting the engine under excessive stress -at least let the motor reach operating temp. There is a lot of rubbish talked about oils Its the SAE/JASO spec & viscosity rating that counts-forget the packaging & marketing hype & be suspicious of claims that the oil is good for 20,000milesetc. One of the worst things to do to any bike/car fitted with manual choke is to leave it warming up with choke out. The excess fuel just washes all the lubricant off the cylinder walls leading to premature wear

[darrsi]

@Lumpy, well thanks for all your advice 'cos i am still a bit green after 25yrs of riding bikes daily........

[positron]

I have been doing similar 60 mile commute for last year and half now, thru winter too. I am sure bike is more than good for the distance, but there are few things that could go wrong:

Downpipes. I usually wash the bike once a month and spray stuff etc to keep the rust off, but downpipes rusted thru and went all holy and later a huge gap opened up and I had to change it. So unless you have stainless steel downpipes, you are going to have a to keep a close eye on them throughout the year, but doubly so when the roads are salted.

Service. You would need at least one complete service a year, imho and plenty of oil tops etc too. My front brakes were binding (?), which I had serviced, and now the rear brakes seems to be binding once warm. It has started scarring the rear brake disk, so I need to get it serviced asap as well.

I suppose none of this is surprising - regular commuting = regular maintenance.

[Lumpy]

@Lumpy, well thanks for all your advice 'cos i am still a bit green after 25yrs of riding bikes daily........

no probs. Sounds like it. Time left yet though    Only 25 years, just a youngster then 
 
Some people have been doing stuff for years and getting it wrong. But don't take it to heart.

[Lumpy]

mine doesn't get washed very much at all. Stainless downpipes and a Fazer thou caliper have helped no end to stave off the excesses of the weather. Mine does at least 250 miles per week, normally more, in all weathers including snow unless completely unrideable. Do wash the salt off with cold water though just to give her a chance. No corrosion problems if ACF 50 is used in certain areas.
 
darrsi is the chap to ask, he knows everything after 25 years riding 
 
 

[darrsi]

@Lumpy


What exactly am i doing wrong then in your specialist opinion........erm, nothing!!! 


You do realise that this forum is here for people to help others, and bearing in mind i never actually had a problem on this particular occasion then you are more or less behaving like an internet troll and taking a cheap shot for a reaction, which is all a bit of a bore to me to be honest, so how about we just agree to disagree and leave it at that?


By all means if you actually want to give some good advice, which i'm sure you have mountains of, then maybe you could attempt to write in a bit more of a friendlier manner in the future!

[Lumpy]

@Lumpy


What exactly am i doing wrong then in your specialist opinion........erm, nothing!!!   

Don't be so sensitive young man. It's just my daft humour I'm afraid. Nothing is meant by it, apologies if it comes across badly.

[darrsi]

Cool 

[philshaq]

i do a 72 mile a day round trip commute. Bikes been fine for the last 2 months and that started on circa 32k... Its good fun. Doesn't buzz too much at 70mph and is a great way to start and end the day, which reminds me... Its home time!


out of interest what are the service intervals?

[JZS 600]

I change the oil every 4000 and filter at 8000. Plugs and air filter inspection at 8K too.

[Slaninar]

Years ago engines werent machined to such close tolerances and the lubricants were less "sophisticated". Running in was a long drawn out process, valves needed grinding & cylinder heads had to be decarbonised fairly often. I would consider it very strange if any properly serviced modern car/bike engine didnt go round the clock at least once. Was talking to a mechanic friend & he was saying that running in is still important but the main thing was to avoid loading/straining the engine & avoid over-revving in first few hundred miles. REGULAr oil & filter changes using the makers recommended grade of oil for local conditions. The greatest wear occurs on start up before the oil is up to temp & circulating & the best advice with modern vehicles is to drive straight off but avoid putting the engine under excessive stress -at least let the motor reach operating temp. There is a lot of rubbish talked about oils Its the SAE/JASO spec & viscosity rating that counts-forget the packaging & marketing hype & be suspicious of claims that the oil is good for 20,000milesetc. One of the worst things to do to any bike/car fitted with manual choke is to leave it warming up with choke out. The excess fuel just washes all the lubricant off the cylinder walls leading to premature wear

All true. Except that not all oils are the same. Not even every petrol. Sometimes differences are so vast you can feel it. Gearbox behaviour, etc.

Anyway, I heard that ester oils (motul semi and full synth) offer better cold start protection. Molecules stick on the cylinder sides longer, providing wear protection. The only time I tried to go cheap on oil made the engine bust. Extremely unlucky set of circumstances, but I've never went for anything but quality full synth ever since and have had no problems at al. Woud I be trouble free with dyno oil as well? Probably, but 10e difference per oil change is not worth my peace of mind.



70 mile round trip shoud be no problem for the machine. What you should worry about is YOU. Will you be rested, concentrated? Riding a bike is nice, but also more challenging than driving a car. One second of absentmindedness and you're in a ditch. Be careful, enjoy. Fazer is the last thing you should worry about.

[JZS 600]

"All true. Except that not all oils are the same. Not even every petrol. Sometimes differences are so vast you can feel it. Gearbox behaviour, etc. "


Funny that, I've changed from Silkolene semi to HG own brand semi and the gear box feels "crunchier" as a result,,,


Apparently it's based on Motul.

[Raymy]

Current mileage....


108,108

Never washed, never serviced and in all weather for the past year and a half. Fucking bulletproof

[Lumpy]

not quite
 

[JZS 600]

WOW!
 
Tell us the story,,,,,

[Slaninar]

WOW!
 
Tell us the story,,,,,

[Lumpy]

WOW!
 
Tell us the story,,,,,

I was riding it, joining the motorway, and it exploded. That's all really.
 
see thread http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,618.0.html
 

[Raymy]

faulty batch is all