View Full Version : ENGINE WARM UP, HOW LONG ???


city worker
05-19-2006, 12:57 PM
Ok here's a burnin qeustion, how long do you warm up the bike and how much choke do you guy's use...?? It still get's in the 40 's here at night, so when I go to warm up the bike in the morning for my ride to work I start at full choke for about 30second's then back it off to run it for any where from 10 to 15 minute's on may be 1/2 or 1/4 choke just so it run's at about 2000 rpm's or hair under. It doesn't like to run very good when it's not good and warm ;). even on warm day's at the end of work i'll still warm it up for a couple of minute's, after sittin all day

rrasco
05-19-2006, 01:27 PM
me too, i always let it warm up, even when its 100 degrees outside and been in the sun all day. i normally just smoke a cig while i wait, so about 5 minutes. unless its cold outside i will let it sit for up to 15 minutes.

05Tribal
05-19-2006, 01:41 PM
How long have you owned your 600? Has it started and ran like that since you’ve owned it or has it gotten worse over time. It seems to me that your bike is need of a thorough tune up. To the best of my knowledge it should not take 15 minutes for the bike to warm up to the point it runs good with the choke all the way off. I now own FI bikes but when I had my CB400F years back I only had to use the choke when it was cold out and then only for a couple of minutes until the engine warmed up.

Do you still have the owners manual? It might address cold weather starting. If you can verify what you are experiencing is not normal you might consider calling a Honda service department at your local dealer. Tell them is going on with the hope they will tell you in detail what they can do for you to fix the problem. After hearing what they have to say you can assess if you can do the work yourself or take it to them. I also recommend buying the service manual or downloading it to see if the trouble shooting section covers your problem.

05Tribal
05-19-2006, 01:52 PM
I missed rrasco's post posting just before mine but since his bike does the same thing maybe it is normal.

city worker
05-19-2006, 01:53 PM
I am 4th owner, the bike currently has 60.000 ish miles, did plug's and air filter plus flushed and filled the radiator. it run's good, alway's start's, just seem's to perfer be'in good and warm before riding.

rrasco
05-19-2006, 02:29 PM
on a warm day it will run without being warmed up(i just normally let it warm up a little anyway), but if its cold outside it wont run right unless it is warmed up for atleast 5-10 minutes. really depends, sometimes it warms up quicker and sometimes not. it is also in the shop having carbs cleaned and the charging system fixed, so some of the problems might have been credited to that. I will let you know after i get it back to see if the same conditions still exist.

rippn
05-20-2006, 12:20 AM
YIKES !!!!!!! 10 - 15 mins., of cyl. wash... no thanks !!!!!!!! Clean and sync those carbs!!!!!!!! clean and free, Ripp'n

Anubis
05-20-2006, 11:19 AM
The Digital Temp Gauge on mine is really a god send, you can tell exactly when your bikes upto temp, i usually wait until its at 75 degrees C which is about 3-mins on mine. It usually runs at around 80-90 C when riding.

Thor
05-21-2006, 10:20 AM
i warm it until I hit about 120 degrees.

x

gkotlin
05-25-2006, 01:59 AM
Only use the choke to keep the bike running. I start wide open, then for the first minute or two back it down. Only use as much as you need to keep it idleing. My F2 would over heat if the choke was used to long. Just let it run till when you blip the throttle quickly it doesn't lag off of idle.

thirdgenlxi
05-25-2006, 01:12 PM
I always let it run for at least 5 minutes before taking off, even more if it's cold out. I never run it hard either until it's been at normal operating temp for a good few mins. Glad I don't have to mess with a choke though.... gotta love EFI, heheh :D

slowpoke
05-25-2006, 01:37 PM
I think that running with the choke on is almost as bad as lugging the engine. I use full choke to start my engine, turn it down to 1,100, and ride off easy. Two blocks away, I turn the choke completely off. Five minutes or more is way too long to idle and engine, especially with the choke on. Fuel injected or carbed. But I'm old school.

mandosgreat
05-25-2006, 03:48 PM
I wait til about 115 - 120 on a warm day, and on a cold day til 135-145.

When I had a carburated bike, I'd put the choke on for like 15 seconds, then once I knew it wouldn't shut off, I'd take it off and let it idle until I heard the engine relax (and you see the RPM's go down). Usually took no more than a couple of minutes.

jjkukla
05-26-2006, 03:42 PM
I always let my bike warm up until it reaches it's idle RPMs - in cold and warm weather. 1,300 RPMs is about 110-120 degrees on my bike. By the time I put on my jacket, helmet, mp3 player and sunglasses, she's ready to ride. Normally takes about 3-5 minutes.

Don't have any experience with carbed bikes. Sorry.