I took delivery of Rocinante on July 2nd with 15 miles on the clock and a full tank of gas. The dealership was kind enough to isolate the side stand switch for me.
The first weekend, the Bosch plug was swapped out for the NGK iridium, the headlamp jumper was removed, and nuts and bolts tightened. All's right with the world - Time on Rocinante is idyllic.
The second weekend was the first service at the dealership. When I picked up my charger, the service department explained that when I look in the sight glass, I will not see oil, but when I tilted slightly, oil appeared to fill the sight glass completely. That's the way Bullets like it. -Okay...
The third weekend all major nuts and bolts were checked and tightened.
Last weekend major nuts and bolts were checked - none needed attention.
On August 2nd, Rocinante was refueled with 776 miles on the clock. She is averaging 58.87mpg. Most of the miles is my commute, some are from running chores. I started the break-in low and slow, staying under 45 mph. After the 300 mile service, steadily picked up speed. Most of the commute is 40-45 mph. There is a 2 to 3 mile stretch where I have gotten up to 55 to 60 mph - indicated (I believe the speedometer is 2-3mph high). The engine has smoothed out remarkably.
But after the first service, I have detected a change is Rocinante's reaction to afternoon traffic:
During the morning commute (around 4:30, 65 degree Fahrenheit, approximately 16 miles), traffic is light to nonexistent, and the thump is crisp and throttle response is beautiful. My steed seems ready and more than willing to go the max.
However, during the afternoon commute (around 2:00, 85+ degrees Fahrenheit) traffic is moderate to heavy, and the thump is softer and a chuff - not cough, but a seeming compression release with each cylinder detonation - develops and idle becomes erratic - somewhere between normal, accelerated, high, and 'oh, my gosh I should shift up' even though I'm standing still at a stoplight. The heat from the cylinder is anywhere between normal, hot, and so hot I can feel it rising through the unlined denim jacket I wear. When the cylinder is at its hottest, the idle could be from high to 'oh, my gosh'.
Yesterday, I addressed my concern with the service department. I was told that the first thing I should do is upgrade the fuel to premium and see if the characteristics of the engine changes. - huhh???
Please advise. Could the oil too low? Could the ECU still be learning? Could there be some other problem?