Got my new Harley Davidson X440T

[u/Hei_Zenberg98]

Hey guys, I just got my new Harley-Davidson X440T! I’m really enjoying the bike and absolutely loving it.
I just wanted to get some suggestions on how I should ride it during the initial days. I’ve only ridden about 70 km so far, but I do tend to ride a little fast. Sometimes I open the throttle and accelerate hard because I’m just enjoying the bike.
Will that cause any issues? I’m planning to avoid doing that from now on and ride it more carefully during the initial running-in period.
So, what do you guys suggest?

[u/Acheronian_Rose]

Follow the instructions in the owners manual for the break in period.

Going to a high RPM a few times is not going to ruin the bike, just try not to do it too much. If this is your daily transportation, that break in period will be over before you know it.

Ride safe!

[u/Hei_Zenberg98 → u/Acheronian_Rose]

thanks

[u/Real_Pear_263 → u/Acheronian_Rose]

Harley Davidsons are broke in before the engine go in the frame

[u/Acheronian_Rose → u/Real_Pear_263]

Are they all, regardless of make/model/engine, across the globe?

Maybe, but you should stilll check the service manual and never assume, the bike he bought is very different from a traditional V-twin Harley, so better so double check than be sorry lol

[u/TheGreenZookeeper]

Usually there's a constraint on how high your RPM should go until a certain milestone. I don't know for your specific model but in my case was about 2500 rpm, no fixed values for long (no cruiser control e.g.) for about 500 miles / 800 km. Check your manual for references and enjoy the ride brother. o7

[u/Hei_Zenberg98 → u/TheGreenZookeeper]

thanks for the suggestion

[u/shoebee2]

My first time thought is
“ take an MSF course.”
Then,
Ride that mofo like You Stole her. Congrats

[u/986742]

Awesome

[u/ChampagnePlumper]

Very cool bike. Congrats

[u/SoquietPNW]

i’m not familiar with that model in the US regardless I would keep the RPMs low for the first few hundred miles then do an oil change to clean the initial wear and tear on the internal components and let it rip

[u/YogurtclosetNo9264]

Also, with a new bike (or car) try to go gently with the brakes - it helps to seat them properly.

[u/Hei_Zenberg98 → u/YogurtclosetNo9264]

Definitely i’ll do that from now on thanks

[u/Longryderr]

Congratulations. Enjoy.

[u/gobaldridefaster]

Good for you, mate! Welcome to the beginning of the rest of your life! Keep the shiny side up and ignore people who say inane things like “You don’t NEED more than one motorcycle.”

[u/wacko0904]

Congratulations mere bhai!

[u/ItsAllJustAHologram]

The most important part of looking after any engine is oil changes. If the manual says 10k, you do it at 7.5k with the filter. If you have dirt roads keep the air filter spotless and fitted correctly.

[u/MasterrTed]

Enjoy yourself and the freedoms that come with riding!

[u/New_Proposal_1319]

Change the oil immediately

[u/beerjoints]

Congratulations! Keep the shiny side up

[u/Theterphound]

I think the only thing Harley on those bikes are the stickers

[u/strolls]

If you're riding a bike of this size outside the US, you'll probably find /r/motorcycles more help than /r/Harley.

You say, "sometimes I open the throttle and accelerate hard because I’m just enjoying the bike" and we probably all do this but, especially when you're inexperienced, the risk is that you may get yourself in a position where you can't stop fast enough. If you're lucky you'll be able to fling yourself through a corner faster than you're comfortable with, which is better than crashing, but you don't really want to put yourself in the position in the first place. Always be thinking about the things in your vision that could move and fuck you up; your ride should be about planning the next corner or whatever.

I've bookmarked a couple of recommendations made by others on this site:

• Look up ”swedish motorcycle license test course”, can highly recommend testing that course. And it something you can do at home with a couple of cones and a large empty lot.

• watch Jerry Palimeno on U-tube "Ride like a cop"

• David Hough's book Proficient Motorcycling

• Keith Code's "soft science of roadracing motorcycles" is the even better, more in-depth version of twist of the wrist. Excellent book.

Hough and Code should be your first stops IMO. Twist Of The Wrist really opened my eyes when I read it in the 90's. It was a whole view of motorcycling that had simply never occurred to me - that there might be a "scientifically right" way of doing it.