There is a lot of misunderstandings of what ABS is and what it does and more importantly, what it doesn't do. Let us discuss it with a listing of what I think are 3 facts and myths surrounding ABS and why it could save your life someday . ABS is Anti Brake-Locking System As the name implies, it prevents brake locks - the heart-stopping panicking moments of wheel locking up if we apply brake too suddenly. Brakes? Kinda are more important than the engine themselves. This can cause awesome skids which could be attractive if you are a stunt rider and are stunnting. Whereas, if you are trying to stop because you are riding head-on onto oncoming traffic; I have no clue why you would be; but that wouldn't spell good for you, so stopping the biking when you want it to stop is critical for riding. ABS is any system that prevents the wheel lock, by releasing the pressure on the brake disc, if it senses a wheel lock. This is done using motion sensors, which in turn
When an Automobile Engine is fresh and just assembled from a factory it will have microscopic imperfections. Even when they are produced through CNC controlled machines. If an engine is run at its top performance with these imperfections, the engine would get damaged due to irregular heating.
The degree of imperfections has decreased considerably after computer controlled systems; okay maybe the one brand that still makes it by hand :P
And yet we can see and feel a lot of difference between a Fresh Undriven Engine from Yamaha and Bajaj. This is not just because of imperfections but because it is almost impossible to ensure 100% purity in the materials made and hence the walls of the piston are always going to have at least one spot that will have a slight microscopic imperfection pushing against the engine wall and vise verse.
The process of refining and engine by gradually grinding down these imperfections by running it is known as Engine Break-In. This not only helps in ensuring that the walls of the piston are smooth, but also that the piston rings sit correctly with proper sealing both in turn return higher engine life.
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| This is How a Healthy Engine Should Look Like - Glossy! |
There are a lot of articles online that tell you how to properly Break-In an Engine but very few tell you how not to and why not to do it that way.
Let us focus on how an engine will behave when not broken in correctly and through that discussion, on how not to Break-In and how to as well. And then there is the controversial "Hard Break-In" which will work only if you plan on using your bike for a short span at 100% performance and then throw it; we will discuss it as well.
That Imperfection - remember about that one imperfection that was there on the wall of the piston, yes that one.
As the imperfection grinds over the walls of the engine constantly, because of friction it heats up.
The region around it heats up more than the rest of the engine because this imperfection causing more friction.
This causes heat spots to develop on the piston wall. As it heats up considerably - this spot starts to chip off. Which is good, but because it is a lot hotter than the surrounding region, it chips off parts that are good as well. Hence disfiguring the piston/engine case.
How to Avoid This?
Rest the engine at regular intervals, hence allowing the case to cool down. And when the chipping of imperfection occurs, only the imperfection is taken off. And at the end of the day, the piston/engine case is smooth as it is meant to be happily married ever after.
Piston Rings - Similar to Pistons, the rings need to be smoothened out carefully.
The Rings are there to hold air/fuel combustion pressure and the oil inside the case from mixing together. If the rings are improperly sealed or damaged, the air/fuel is going to be mixed with oil particles before combustion.
Remember the white smoke from older motorcycles? this is the usual cause.
How to Avoid This?
Same principle as above, rest the motorcycle a few dozen kilometers and let it cool before firing it up again.
Alright, now we have a decent idea why it is best not to Hard Break-In; which also suggests resting the engine regularly by the way.
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| This is an Engine Must Not Look Like - Abused |
But what is with Break-In an old engine? That too after 10k KMs and why is a Soft Break-In better than the other? Let us Discuss
Hard Break-In as suggested by a wealthy genius is simply running the new engine at high revs and resting regularly to allow it to cool, then running it at high revs again. Rinse and Repeat.
The magic is that if done correctly it will open up the engine to high RPMs very early on, and allow high acceleration and power delivery.
As mentioned, this is magical and hence can easily screw up your engine because of a lot of factors. Simple one being dust particles that bypass the filter might combust and the ash leaves a residue that in turn increase piston/engine friction. Am just saying, we all know that Chennai is a clean city :P
My Cousin's Friend's Girlfriend's Dog's Friend's Owner's Motorcycle has amazing Pick-Up because he did Hard Break-In *yo*
Yes, Revving the crap out of a new engine causes it to smoothen out really well. Essply the higher rev bands, which gets opened up a lot sooner. Ask that dog's owner and you would know that he probably gets a fuel efficiency that is half as your bike even though you both ride the same make and model.
This is because even if his engine isn't smooth, it still has lost friction and hence moves smoothly, producing good power. But because it's rings and pistons might be damaged, it would yield lower kilometers/liter.
Can we Reverse this?
Nope; not unless we change the engine and engine case -aka change the engine.
My Motorcycle was broken in softly for Mileage, now Lacks Pick Up - "sob sob sob"
Yes, it means that you have broken in as how the manufacturer asks you to, and your motorcycle has smoothened out in the lower rev bands!
And that is it. This is what it means. Nothing more.
Your engine hasn't smoothened out in the higher rev bands even though it is 2 years or more old!
Can Increase the Acceleration while keepine Mileage High?
Yup, you are in luck. Simply break in again, into higher RPMS gradually. Unlike that poor dog Owner, you have an engine that is fuel efficient at lower RPMs and it can be broken in into higher RPMs for better acceleration.
Be warned, increase in RPM will drop fuel efficiency but unlike the dog owner, once you drop down the RPM your fuel efficiency will return back again. Hence you will have the best of both worlds.
Alright, now when do I stop further Break-In into higher RPMs?
Refer Owner's Manual for Max Power Production RPM. This is the statistically tested value of RPM where the most power can be produced in an Ideal Scenario. Unless you are running a list of mods; which we will discuss later; there is no way the engine will produce higher Power than this.
Look at any Dyno Graph; the Power will always drop after this Peak RPM. Hence no point in trying to rev harder than this. On most bikes, this is the redline. And in most Carburated Bikes, there is no RPM limiter. So it revs past this point- simply don't. It doesn't make sense scientifically.
So as discussed, it is best to Break-In into higher RPMS gradually. If you are skeptical about engine life and performance, Break-In into low RPMS first and gradually go higher. Engine lives are well past 45k KMS right now and you should definitely be able to enjoy the best of both worlds if you wait. Patience is indeed a virtue. Peace.
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