[Nando]

600 miles?...before the first oil? What is the oil recommended by the Mother Honda?

Do you have to vary the speed in the first 600miles? ...drive under a certain rpm? … take it easy? … don't go past 1st gear? … don't look at Playboy centerfolds while you drive the first 600? …

I don't have mine yet, but I am wondering.

 

[davepierce]

I made the same mistake as you thinking I needed to change the oil at 600 miles. Your first oil change is at 4,000 miles. I encourage you to buy the service manual. This procedure is more complicated than dropping a drain plug and filter.

 

[William Anzik]

I believe it's the same as prior models.

BTW, Honda is not my mother...

 

[Tonik]

Details are in the manual. But it's a very simple break in. Drive sane for 600 miles then drive however you want to 4k and change the oil. If it is a manual trans it is just drain and drop the filter. DCT is a bit more. Hardest part is checking the oil level. Has to be cold...run for 2 minutes, wait 4 then check it while upright.

I couldn't stand it, I change oil at about 600. Waste of time and money but it kept me sane.

 

[murf]

600 miles?...before the first oil? What is the oil recommended by the Mother Honda?

Do you have to vary the speed in the first 600miles? ...drive under a certain rpm? … take it easy? … don't go past 1st gear? … don't look at Playboy centerfolds while you drive the first 600? …

I don't have mine yet, but I am wondering.

The answers to all your questions can be found here.

https://powersports.honda.com/goldwing/brochure_pdf_files/2018_gl1800 31mkc600.pdf

:doorag:

 

[gug1953]

I made the same mistake as you thinking I needed to change the oil at 600 miles. Your first oil change is at 4,000 miles. I encourage you to buy the service manual. This procedure is more complicated than dropping a drain plug and filter.

Only if you have the DCT.

 

[El Toro]

I was happy to wait for 4000 miles to change the oil. I see this as a plus. My 2016 F6B had the same service requirement if I remember.

Break in is hardly mentioned in the owner’s manual. In fact the dealer told to to just bring it back at 4000 miles.

 

[PeteF1]

Per the Owner’s Manual
Break-in Period
During the first 300 miles (500 km) of running, follow these guidelines to ensure your motorcycle’s future reliability and performance.
Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
Avoid hard braking and rapid down- shifts.
Ride conservatively

As others have mentioned, and despite some dealers trying to convince people to change the oil earlier, the first service is at 4000 miles.

 

[Pigeon Roost]

Details are in the manual. But it's a very simple break in. Drive sane for 600 miles then drive however you want to 4k and change the oil. If it is a manual trans it is just drain and drop the filter. DCT is a bit more. Hardest part is checking the oil level. Has to be cold...run for 2 minutes, wait 4 then check it while upright.

I couldn't stand it, I change oil at about 600. Waste of time and money but it kept me sane.

I have found very consistent oil reading COLD on my '18 DCT. I first verified by strictly following the Honda screwy directions to note the oil level was right at the top mark on the dipper. After next ride, I parked the bike on center stand and then turned off the engine. Three days later I checked the oil COLD without disturbing the bike. Oil level was 1/3 distance between the marks. Several subsequent checks like that with bike still a little warm or after several hours and cool yielded the same result. So now I do not have to do the around the mulberry bush Honda technique. Settled on center stand and cold is the way for me.

Vern

 

[OldAge]

600 miles?...before the first oil? What is the oil recommended by the Mother Honda?

Do you have to vary the speed in the first 600miles? ...drive under a certain rpm? … take it easy? … don't go past 1st gear? … don't look at Playboy centerfolds while you drive the first 600? …

I don't have mine yet, but I am wondering.

.



Start bike, put in gear. Go for ride. Repeat as often as possible. :grin2:

 

[reginaldmc]

:biker:I broke mine in by riding it everyday. :biker:

 

[Farmguy]

Nav manual can also be downloaded from Honda.


Handy to have both electronically.

Quite easy to jump from area to area in the manual using the embedded links (when reading with adobe reader)

 

[William Anzik]

I think the easiest way is to give it to me and I'll break it in. I'll offer my services for free, just pay gas.

 

[JonfromCB]

Hey Nando, The correct consumer/owner answer is to break it in strictly according to the owners manual.

Most will say to ride it like you normally ride and service it according to the manual

Some subscribe to hard acceleration and engine braking through each gear at increasing percentages of redline until you get to 75-80
of redline a couple of times when the machine has as few miles on the odometer as possible. If nothing breaks, change the oil and you're good to go.

Or you could just buy one of the three I've test ridden...they're definitely broken in but I didn't change the oil.

 

[dudleydoo]

Service guy said ride it like you want and change oil for the first time at 4k. If it was so critical to baby these bikes, they would not let you test drive them. Because when I test ride one, well lets just say, I do not follow any break in procedure.

I ride it like I am going to ride it. This is my 3rd wing and I have never had any engine issues ever.

 

[epiphysis]

Per the Owner’s Manual
Break-in Period
During the first 300 miles (500 km) of running, follow these guidelines to ensure your motorcycle’s future reliability and performance.
Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
Avoid hard braking and rapid down- shifts.
Ride conservatively

As others have mentioned, and despite some dealers trying to convince people to change the oil earlier, the first service is at 4000 miles.

this is exactly what my dealer told me.....like most, I have tried to ride mine every day....I only have around 1000 miles in the first two weeks. I apologize for this number, I have had to spend time putting on accessories.

 

[Steveo1800]

600 Mile Oil Change - That wives tail just wont die!

Imagine if your new car needed its first oil change at 600? They’d be out of business!:surprise:

BMW, Ducati, and all of the other ridiculously expensive bikes seem to still live by this 600 mile first service. That’s just insane! They blow back some nonsense about checking the torques on fasteners and such... Buddy if your bolts are loose at 600 miles, they weren’t torqued correctly at the factory. Shame on those manufactures for such a wasteful service and sucking the cash out of their customers wallets!

 

[Kanjo]

I saw the title of the post and came here looking for the punchline.

 

[El Toro]

This thread was refreshing because not one person argued for a “Moto Man” style break in.

Maybe Moto Man has finally gone out of fashion. Or maybe Gold Wing owners are brighter than owners of some other marques.

 

[JonfromCB]

Imagine if your new car needed its first oil change at 600? They’d be out of business!:surprise:

BMW, Ducati, and all of the other ridiculously expensive bikes seem to still live by this 600 mile first service. That’s just insane! They blow back some nonsense about checking the torques on fasteners and such... Buddy if your bolts are loose at 600 miles, they weren’t torqued correctly at the factory. Shame on those manufactures for such a wasteful service and sucking the cash out of their customers wallets!

A couple of issues here. I've never owned any high performance machine, including the Goldwing that I didn't consider "an expensive luxury"..."ridiculously expensive" seems to depend on how much one is able and willing to afford. Simply put, anyone who thinks something is ridiculously expensive more often than not can't afford to own and maintain it...that's not an insult to anyone...it's exactly why I don't own many things I would own if I could afford them.

I never had to pay for one of those first services on any of my "ridiculously expensive bikes" AND in addition to changing oil, there IS/WAS a lengthy list of "inspect and adjust" items on every one of those "first services" that I would argue are good policy to protect the product, manufacturer, and owner from many possible problems that may exist. Regardless, I think low mileage oil changes on any high performance motorcycle is prudent and smart regardless of what minimum meets the factory warranty requirement. Oil will degrade over time. If that oil is sitting in an engine that was shipped from Japan or Germany (or where ever) several months ago, then possibly sat in a warehouse for some amount of time and then again possibly sat at a dealer for some amount of time, once oil is exposed to air, metal, temperature changes, and humidity changes it degrades to some varying degree. The worst looking and smelling oil I've ever changed was in a Honda that was manufactured 7 months before I purchased it and It would have been a huge mistake for me to have left it in the machine for any additional time or miles. When I bought my last Wing it was 9 months after date of manufacture and a fresh oil change was part of my deal before riding off the lot. Even with the highest quality materials, tolerances and assembly, a low use/hour/miles oil change is still an incredibly cheap way to check for and remove any possible contaminants including partially depleted oil. Not that I'm right or wrong, but we all have different experiences and reasons for what we do and believe.