When you first get your pocket bike, it can be exciting and it is normal to want to take it for a ride right away. But there are proper breaking-in procedures that should be followed to ensure maximum longevity of the bike’s engine. Otherwise you risk reducing the engines effective life by almost half and that means money on maintenance much earlier than necessary. There are two most popular strategies to breaking in a new bike.

The first method for breaking in new pocket bikes is heat cycling. To start you would run the bike at idle or just above idle for five to ten minutes. Once the time is up your engine should be below normal operating temperature. Then, turn off the bike and let the engine cool down. Once the engine has cooled down, turn it back on for another ten minutes then turn it off. Do this three more times for a total of four cycles.

After the bike has cooled down for the last of the heat cycling, it is time to take it out for a ride. Start off at a slow and easy pace and ride it for the entire tank of gas. Do not ride too hard or rev the engine too much to keep the engine from stressing. After the tank has emptied then it is ok to refuel and take the bike for normal riding.

The second method is less used but some people think it is more fun since you actually get to ride the bike. Begin warming up the engine by letting it idle for about five minutes. After the five minutes is up, slowly and gently bring up the throttle to where the clutch engages. This will keep the bike from lurching and throwing you off if you apply too much throttle while riding.

When you take the bike for the ride, slowly break in the tires by running a lap at a very slow speed. On the second lap, speed up the bike and try to focus on hitting as wide a range of RPMs as possible by accelerating and decelerating frequently.

It is important that after the first lap you check that the engine is warmed up enough before beginning. During the fifteen minutes of riding remember not to push the engine too hard or too slow. To keep the clutch from burning you have to keep it from engaging completely. You will know if the clutch is fully engaged by the bucking feel or the noise of the engine.

There are other methods of breaking in the pocket bikes but these two are the most common and standard. Once the bike is properly warmed up you are ready to hit the tracks, just remember to follow safety rules and wear proper safety gear when riding.