How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

classic Classic list List threaded Threaded
10 messages Options
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

Butcherblock
Hi guys. I am curious as to how long it takes to start your bike cold. I am also interested in the best way to make your bike start the easiest. Any tips and tricks to getting a good solid start would be appreciated.

The things I know will help so far are: clean carbs, iridium spark plugs, choke pulled out.

I have a dohc (vc carbs). It probably takes 6 or 7 turns with the starter before a single cylinder will start firing, and then rough idle for about 20 seconds, then 2 or 3 will start firing, before the last starts up. I would love my bike to start on the first push in the morning, am I asking to much of this 30 year old bike?
1982 cb750k 1982 cm200
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

seestheday
It's not too much to ask of your bike but there may be a big list of things to go through
1981 CB750K with 900 cams
90K KM's, rebuilt head, rebuilt carbs, upgraded valve stem seals

My wife's recipe website that I'm trying to help promote: Strawberries for supper. Yes, I am a lucky man.

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

shinyribs
Administrator
In reply to this post by Butcherblock
Butcher, what you described sounds like my bike if I rush to start it. I've found that if I turn the fuel on and wait a few moments that it gives the bowls time to fill. Mine old roundtop carbs don't have an accelerator pump so I can't prime the engine that way. If mine has sat for a few days it wont fire at the touch of the button. I turn the kill switch off and crank the engine a few turns, then flip the kill switch back to on. Usually fires up right away that way. Takes several minutes before it'll idle normally, but my driveway is half a mile long. I just hop on the bike and ease out my road. By the end she's ready to rock.
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

cdaiscool
That's a long driveway!

My '81 DOHC, when it was running, would fire up within probably 5, 10 seconds. I would ride slowly out of the trailer park, and have most of the power by the end.

If its seriously taking that long to even start and idle, then something sounds amiss. But it won't run on only 1 or even 2 cylinders firing; it needs 3 to run. If it were my bike, I would find which cylinder isn't firing and look into the carb. If its the same cylinder every time, likely carb. If its different, perhaps gas? Or dirty bowls fouling up the jets?
Turbos, Hondas, 4-bangers, what could go wrong?

Fuelly

Shiny: [...] Considering the weather you've had to put up with I'd say you get an Iron Butt award and a Frozen Nipple trophy to go along with it. First time I've ever posted the word nipple... it ends here.
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

seestheday
It could be a lot of different things.

Compression, vacuum leaks, exhaust could need some tightening, are the valves perfect, is the spark nice and strong....
1981 CB750K with 900 cams
90K KM's, rebuilt head, rebuilt carbs, upgraded valve stem seals

My wife's recipe website that I'm trying to help promote: Strawberries for supper. Yes, I am a lucky man.

Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

Lucky 1
In reply to this post by Butcherblock
If the motorcycle is well tuned by someone who knows what they are doing,
The bike should start right up with full choke.

Then with adjustment of the choke (1/2-then 3/4 then off ,it should
be warmed up in about 5 minutes depending on the weather.

You cannot just put the choke full on hit the button and walk away.
You need to stay with it until it is fully warmed up.

You should never leave an air cooled motorcycle idling for a long period of time.
It is not a car.
On a Roadstar Adventure.
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

barelycompetent
In reply to this post by Butcherblock
I found with mine, the iridium plugs, and removing the spawn of satan have dramatically decreased my start up time.  I full choke it, turn the gas on, press the button and bang it starts right up, drop the choke down, bump the throttle a few times, drop it in gear and take off.
I know enough to get me in trouble.

1981 Yamaha XS650 Special(current cafe, code name El Diablo Rojo)

1981 CM400C, completed project (code name Home Wrecker)

1981 CB750K, completed project (code name Winter Blues)
SOLD 9-21-2013 gone but certainly not forgotten.

2009 USA Choppers Bad Boy, rigid frame custom chopper.
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

Butcherblock
In reply to this post by shinyribs
Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm sure quite a few new people have similar questions, hopefully this helps them to.

As for me,I have pulled the carbs again, and am going through them a bit more meticulously. Then I will bypass the air cutoffs, and make sure the carbs are firmly seated. We will see what happens after that!

Side note:
I remember reading something about cbr coils directly replacing ours. Might be a good way for people with week coils to replace theirs on the cheap.
1982 cb750k 1982 cm200
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

MarkPBG
In reply to this post by Butcherblock
Mine recently got a good working over by a racing shop. It starts right up without the choke if it's above 50 degrees. Warms up and runs fine in less than 2 minutes. I only need the choke when it's very cold out. Idles at 1250 RPM. Lately idle has been creeping down and now idles around 950 RPM, so I think things are "breaking in" and I'll get a re-tune done. Lots of new parts on mine.
Iridium plugs, (already had a Dyna ignition in it) new synthetic oil and new oil filter, new (rebuilt) carbs...first set was trash, new air boots, new air cleaner, all new control cables, new regulator and reluctor, new ATO fuse panel, new ground cable, oiled chain and set proper tension, new handlebar controls, new master cylinder resevoir gasket, flushed and cleaned brake system, new pads and shoes, new ss brake lines, new muffler and ceramic coated headers. I think the biggest benefit was the new carbs, it just would not idle or run smooth with them. The old ones ended up being bad, but a new set, rebuilt, and it runs like new.

I think the carb tuning and iridium plugs are probably the best two things to do to get easier starting. I'm sure you've heard the stories about how poorly tuned carbs on these SOHC engines can sound like a stretched cam chain or timing being way out and the whole thing sounding like it's about to blow. lol
Mark Davis
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
amateur photographer, hot rodder, motorcyclist, adventurer
"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul."
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Re: How long does it take to start/warm up your ride?

free2ride
for me full choke, three twists of the throttle, starts right up, idles @ 3,000 rmp for a minute or so, choke slowly off, idles @ 1,000 and I'm off.
"The thing about quotes on the Internet is you cannot confirm their validity" - Abraham Lincoln

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." - Winston S. Churchill

Most motorcyclists live more in five minutes than other people do in their entire lives.

when you mix religion with politics you get politics

people say I'm condescending (that means I talk down to people)