Starting your bike. What is your approach?

How do you start your bike? Im wondering if my technique is lacking.

For the past few months I would use the choke, use electric start, leave the bike running with choke until it warmed up.

Im thinking this is not the smartest move as Ive been running through spark plugs.

Now I start the bike choked for like 5 seconds, turn off the choke and the hold the throttle until she warms up.

Sound like a plan?

You had the right idea. Some carbs run very lean at startup.
Steve

SWest wrote: You had the right idea. Some carbs run very lean at startup.
Steve

Nice video. Youre bike sounds strong. Love that exhaust sound!

I start my bike. Let it warm up while I'm backing it out of the garage and turning around. Then in gear and out the driveway. It stumbles some when cold but I just deal with it and back off the choke as early as possible, first half way and then the rest. I see no reason to let the bike warm up in the garage unless it's really cold outside. Warm up while driving.

I'm similar. I'll start it with full choke, but back the choke off as soon as possible. If it's particularly cool out, I might drive half a k with maybe 20% choke. You can usually feel when the fueling is correct with regard to the choke.

I think that the 650 is a little more cold blooded then the 1000
When I fire my bike up on cold days it is with a full choke, then I do like Nessism and get ready, zip up, helmet on , etc......
as the rpm's go up I back off the on the choke and try to keep it below 2500 rpm's , I never touch the throttle with the choke on, after 2-3 mins I take the choke off completely and give her a couple shots of the throttle to blow any raw gas out and completely wake her up.
At that point she usually idles happily at 11-1200 rpm's

Nessism wrote: I start my bike. Let it warm up while I'm backing it out of the garage and turning around. Then in gear and out the driveway. It stumbles some when cold but I just deal with it and back off the choke as early as possible, first half way and then the rest. I see no reason to let the bike warm up in the garage unless it's really cold outside. Warm up while driving.

That's exactly what we do with our Z1's and 750 Nighthawks. Use enough choke to accept throttle under load, then choke off as early as possible. Our ST1300 is fuel injected, and will accept throttle almost immediately on a cold start. We just let it come down from the ~2000 RPM high idle before riding, which takes about 30 - 45 seconds.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

The Starting-the-Engine section in the owner's manual is a useful guide.
Depending upon the ambient temps when the engine is cold, I use 1/2 to full choke at startup, then adjust it down as the motorcycle warms up.
When the engine is already warmed up to full operating temperature, I don't use the choke, but crack the throttle open >> as per the manual.
The om for my bike says to keep the engine below 2000 rpms during warmup >> I adjust the choke so that it stays around 1500 rpms.
After warmup, the idle is between 1100 to 1200 rpms. Any lower & the engine sounds like it's stumbling.
Also, when the bike has been sitting a while, prior to starting, I turn the petcock to PRI for a minute or two to prime the float bowls.
1981 KZ650-CSR w VM24 carburetors.

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From cold, fuel on, lift choke, press button, vroom! hat on ride away choke off within 1/4 mile.
From warm, fuel on, press button, vroom! ride away.

First thing I did was disable the clutch safety. Much easier the adjust the choke instead of the cold idle going to the moon upon start.

Zeerx,
The o..p. has been banned.

I wouldn't disable the clutch lockout switch >> that could lead to an embarrassing situation if you hit the start button with the motorcycle in gear without the clutch lever pulled in.



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