fastbob Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 When you've got a Harley with drag pipes of course you let it warm up while you take your time putting your gloves on . All part of the ritual . If I didn't get disapproving scowls and slammed windows from the plebs I wouldn't have got the thing . I'm not worried about my neighbor because he's got a 1600 Marauder with no baffles . 1 2 Quote
rob m Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 I start my bike and I'm off right away. I do the same in the car and the bike is no different, bike engines are not made of marshmallow. It think it was more of a ritual to warm up the engine when bikes had manual chokes and it was always wise to let them warm up before closing the choke and riding off. Quote
Stu Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 usually start bike put lid and gloves on then ride unless I am leaving early and I kit up then start and ride Quote
skyrider Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 i always let the engine warm up before setting off on my bike ,car and van plus i always before switching the ignition off on the car and van (both turbo diesel's) let the turbos spin down Quote
husoi Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 Yes on both ST1300 and shadow. Usually I take either bike out the garage and leave the engine running while I get geared up. If waiting for the missus will turn the bike off or will be running for 1/2 hr I don't with the car, but is electric so no need Quote
Breezin Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 Never thought about it much with Japanese bikes, but the RE manual stipulates two minutes... time to put on gloves and an awkward backing out through a narrow gate. I'm no engineer, but it makes sense to let the oil thin a bit and get around the engine with minimum load and stress. Why would you not? Quote
elizabethf Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) Nope, but then my last two bikes were 2015 and this one is a 2020 so would expect them to be ready to go! I use mine nearly daily, so it's not like they have to sit about in the cold for weeks/months on end either. Might get a couple of mins on verrrry cold days though while I lock up/ gloves/ helmet/ comms on. Edited March 21, 2021 by elizabethf Only one helmet - I don't have two heads. 1 Quote
Gerontious Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Breezin said: Why would you not? Either because you never read the owners manual. Or, you think you know better than the designers. Quote
elizabethf Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 22 minutes ago, Gerontious said: Either because you never read the owners manual. Partially guilty. I skip to the things Im looking for specifically. Quote
S-Westerly Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 2 hours ago, elizabethf said: Partially guilty. I skip to the things Im looking for specifically. Usually a good idea to read the manual first. At least that's what I tell my engineers who sadly seem to believe that being super engineers and all that manuals are for us lesser mortals not blessed with their talent. Sadly often ends in tears with bits of metal where they aren't supposed to be. 1 Quote
Steve_M Posted March 22, 2021 Author Posted March 22, 2021 8 hours ago, S-Westerly said: Usually a good idea to read the manual first. At least that's what I tell my engineers who sadly seem to believe that being super engineers and all that manuals are for us lesser mortals not blessed with their talent. Sadly often ends in tears with bits of metal where they aren't supposed to be. Ah, the good old RTFM. Love it. 1 Quote
OldEssexMan Posted March 22, 2021 Posted March 22, 2021 The manual for my newly-acquired 1200 Triumph Explorer says the engine should be run for 30 seconds before moving off Quote
TimR Posted March 22, 2021 Posted March 22, 2021 How many of your bikes actually state in the owners manual that to check your oil the vehicle must be run for a defined period then the oil level checked ? And as part of your daily powder/flower check this would be part of your routine would it not ? Quote
Steve_M Posted March 22, 2021 Author Posted March 22, 2021 40 minutes ago, OldEssexMan said: The manual for my newly-acquired 1200 Triumph Explorer says the engine should be run for 30 seconds before moving off About how long it takes to put a pair of gloves on. 2 Quote
Fozzie Posted March 22, 2021 Posted March 22, 2021 If at a good time of day, let it idle while the gloves go on (maybe 10-20 seconds) and ride away. If at a bad time of day (early morning), I start it up and I usually am pulling away just on the clutch after a few seconds as it's quieter. I generally keep the load low on the engine until the coolant temp levels off at the usual operating temperature, after which I will use the whole rev range. Quote
Stu Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 How many of you jump straight in your car and drive off? Quote
Keeper96 Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 I always give the car 2 minutes before setting off while I sort out the radio, plug phone in etc. I run the bike engine in the garage on half choke until it smooths out and the revs pick up, some days that’s 30 seconds, other days it takes 2 minutes. this morning I pushed it to the front of the house then put my tank bag on and started it while I put my gloves on so it only had 30 seconds idling before moving away and it was very hesitant to accelerate until I was about 2 minutes from home so for my bike it definitely seems to be necessary to warm it up Quote
Bender Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 7 minutes ago, Stu said: How many of you jump straight in your car and drive off? Not you 1 Quote
James in Brum Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 I’m worried now that I am doing the wrong thing. my choke/enricher raises the revs to 5-6000 so it is unreasonably noisy, this mean that I tend to start it, after a few seconds tail the enricher down to half hop on and go and then when I am moving properly take it off. I tend not to stress the engine very much anyway, I am a bit of a taxi driver when it comes to commuting. Quote
fastbob Posted March 23, 2021 Posted March 23, 2021 13 minutes ago, James in Brum said: I’m worried now that I am doing the wrong thing. my choke/enricher raises the revs to 5-6000 so it is unreasonably noisy, this mean that I tend to start it, after a few seconds tail the enricher down to half hop on and go and then when I am moving properly take it off. I tend not to stress the engine very much anyway, I am a bit of a taxi driver when it comes to commuting. So why not set it to half in the first place ? Quote
James in Brum Posted March 24, 2021 Posted March 24, 2021 If I do it won’t stay started, it seems to need to Rev up that much for a about ten seconds or it won’t keep on keeping on. Quote
JRH Posted March 24, 2021 Posted March 24, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, fastbob said: So why not set it to half in the first place ? As @James in Brum said. My kwak would only start from cold with full choke then after a few seconds choke could be reduces. Probably an age thing with the bikes. Edited March 24, 2021 by JRH Quote
SometimesSansEngine Posted March 27, 2021 Posted March 27, 2021 When I picked my first 125 up (a couple of days after my CBT) I asked the sales guy if I was meant to warm the engine up as I realised I didn't know. He responded that my Honda didn't need it. Fast forward to my BMW now and the manual specifically says "Ride away immediately after starting the engine." I'm happy to go with whatever the manual says. On the topic of cars, I've long said if you want to nick a car just go for a walk early morning in the winter. The number of people who are happy to start their car and go back into their house leaving the car completely unattended is bonkers 3 Quote
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