My method to get my bike going is:

go full choke, press starter for 1 second, bike goes to around 3500 rpm, I back off the choke after 10 seconds
bike goes to about 2500 rpm, I back off the choke for about 10 more seconds
bike goes to about 1800 rpm, wait another 10 seconds
bike goes to about 1300 rpm and I keep the choke there for a minute
back the choke to off and let it run for a minute or two at which point when I give throttle, it responds.

The total time I'm out there warming up is probably 5 minutes. I think less than this and the bike will die. Is this typical?

After this, the bike seems to run just fine. It is just kind of annoying to need 5 minutes before taking off.

I remember riding to a restaurant, eating (1 hour elapses); I then go out and start the bike and I need to repeat the same procedure. The only difference is that at full choke, the bike does not immediately go to 3500 rpm. I have to give a little throttle and then it will. At this point, I can repeat the same procedure before going. During this time, it was maybe 50F outside. I would've thought that I'd need almost no choke. Again, is this typical?

Perhaps this is just part of the this bike model's personality.

I don't like the way my choke switch works -- seems that when I move it, there's some resistance and then I move it farther and then there's less resistance. I would think there'd be constant resistance. I'm going to have the cables checked, maybe lubed, and maybe replaced this weekend -- I'm guessing this would explain why I needed to give throttle to get it to 3500 rpm at full choke.

I have grown to really appreciate FI on my other bike.

Thanks,

Dennis

 

Dennis,

I live in Ohio and the temps have been somewhere around 45-55 the last 2 weeks or so. I put full choke on to start the bike then back of the choke till it idles around 1500rpm.......put my helmet, jacket and gloves on 2-3minutes........take choke off and bike idles around 1k enough to keep her running and take off........If i drive it till its in the normal operating temp and shut it off for a bit it typically doesn't i don't need to use choke again for it to start unless its a considerable amount of time....more than an hour.

every choke i've ever messed with has more resistance the further you turn it.......wouldn't worry about it

 

i go thru the same, i give her full choke for a few then adjust the choke so it stays around 1.5 to 2k while i gear up, by this time i kill the choke and just ride slow till she warms up. i dunno how true it is but someone told me running these bikes hard when cold is bad for them

 

running them cold is not bad in the sense that you will destroy your engine but bad in that it will build up more carbon on your valves, pistons, and in the combustion chambers because of the unburnt fuel. you should warm up whatever you drive/ride always to reduce this effect. running a cold engine under load wastes gas and builds that black, caked on soot **** on your engine internals ultimately hurting performance(makes ports smaller and causes crappier flow numbers).

I start mine with full choke, blip the throttle to initiate the whole warm up process. put my jacket, helmet, and gloves on and by the time I get out there which is about 2 minutes it's ready to idle down.

your carbs could need a good cleaning. I've cleaned mine three times(they were BAD when I got the bike...wouldn't even fire at all) and synced them once and I'd swear you wouldn't notice it was carbed except for the damn choke start sequence lol

 

Thanks folks. I'll continue to warm up the bike as I do. I'll just dismiss my issues as this being part of the bike's personality. I'm glad someone else revs a little to get the bike to go up in RPM on first starting.

I'm still going to get all the cables checked and/or lubed. It can't hurt.

It's funny, now that I warm up the bike more, I'm so conscious of warming up my cars too -- esp. when they are going to be driven on cold days.

It'll be interesting to experience this bike in temps. greater than 50F this Summer.

Dennis

 

Almost the same for me... I choke it up to 2000 rpm, suit up, and go, I turn the choke off after I get moving. My older bikes only seem to need the choke in the morning

 

Whoever had stated that it isn't bad for our bikes to be ran cold - I would think differently, I spoke to my manager (not bike related job) who went to school for streetbikes as a mechanic, he stated that its bad to run these bikes cold becuase the valves are somewhat oval when cold (until they heat up obviously), and the cylinders are obviously round and if you put the bike under load while their cold you can cause damage to the cylinder wall by doing so....

Just some food for thought, fact behind it unknown but it kind of makes sense...

 

yeah i was told by an old mechanic not to run them cold, ever since then i let all my cars/trucks/bikes warm up first. i think the main issue is oiling, i see alot of people just start up and race off but they dont realize the oil is cold and has to work its way up to the topend. just toss a guage on any car/bike and see how long it takes to build up oil pressure when its 40-50F outside

 

In addition, its also related to the cylinder heads as well. Motorcycle engines do not use bearings on their cams. they use the head, which is aluminum. its a steel cam direct to the aluminum cylinder head. As stated, they heat and contract at different rates. Excessive wear can happen while this process is happening. Letting your bike idle to warm up instead of jumping on it is the best way to avoid problems down the road. Sure, you can get away with it for awhile. But its not a good idea.

I read an article from I believe amsoil, ( can't remember now) that they suggest your bike be warmed up to 145 deg's before riding .this will ensure the engine is starting to normalize and the oil is curculating completely to the upper part of the engine.