Author Topic: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?  (Read 5019 times)

Offline spanner

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How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« on: September 04, 2015, 12:53:03 PM »
Soooo we all hear about the fact that you 'should' let the bike warm up the cockles before riding off into the big blue yonder.......but do you? Really? How long do you let the old girl/boy sit there gurgleing away like a happy baby before you thrash the backside off some boy racer in his little tin top at the lights?

Do we need to warm the old girls up?

Should we warm them up?

Love to hear your thoughts and see what you do.
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Offline Nigel

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2015, 12:58:13 PM »
Good question.............................always at least 5 mins..where I can ,,,,helps stop clutch growl.... :wht11
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Offline Shiney

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2015, 01:45:46 PM »
I let the beast warm up until the first bar on the temperature display lights up and the revs drop back to normal :thumbs

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Offline tding

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2015, 01:59:12 PM »
What Shiney said.
 

Offline ST2UP

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2015, 02:11:17 PM »
About a minute does me.....but I only poke along in the 50 KPH zone under 1500 rpm until bike comes up to 3 bars......then  :thumbs
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Offline StinkyPete

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2015, 02:44:40 PM »
The book says to warm up to the first bar.   I usually start the engine and then put on my jacket, helmet etc, and  take if quite easy for the first few minutes of riding.
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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2015, 04:12:18 PM »
Only in winter when the battery is iffy (like right now) but only if the bike has been sitting idle for a couple of days. As it takes 5-10 min to get to the freeway of a morning, the bike is barely above idle any way.  !0 min idling a day = about 50 ks you havent ridden
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Offline alans1100

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2015, 05:27:33 PM »
Generally I start up once I've done the jacket up and it idles on choke (use most times in winter around here) while I put helmet and gloves on; choke off and away. With our 50 k/h limit in town I can keep under 2000 rpm (choke idle) in gears 1-4.

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Offline Gadget

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2015, 08:51:23 PM »
Most days, 'cause it is already warm here, I suit up, glove up, and then start up just before backing or of the drive way. Then I pass the button to close the garage door, turn on the CB, turn on the Sena SR10 and then turn on the helmet. Once that is done I ride up the gentle slope which is the drive way, and isle down to the bottom of the hill in 2nd gear. Then it is 50 km and then 60 zones for 5 minutes before hitting a usually congrats highway and doing 30 km lane filtering.

Away from home, with an open road not far away, I run Pan until the auto choke cuts out and the revs drop back before taking off.

Earning up is to get the oil thin enough to lubricate all the moving bits and in a bygone Era, it was also to warm up the plugs and fuel components.  EFI and better plugs and synthetic oils have reduced that need.
Cheers,
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Offline Me_3

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2015, 09:50:19 PM »
I just start it and ride out of the driveway... Its downhill first thing in the morning and by the time I get 1/2 way through town the temp is up to normal.. and it doesn't see above 1500rpm anyway.

If its really really cold i'll start it and let it sit for a bit until I get my gloves and everything sorted, then just ride off under 1500-2000 until I see the temp bar move..

Its a modern engine, with modern oils.. no use letting it sit around waste time & fuel... even the dinosaur engines I work on during the day are fine to start up and bring up to 1000rpm to warm them up.. and they run a straight 50wt oil...
 

Offline Cerebral Knievel

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2015, 07:26:18 AM »
What tding said  :grin

When leaving work in winter in the wee hours i will let it warm up to 2 bars  :thumbsup
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Offline ST.George

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2015, 09:45:34 AM »

The letterbox run...


"Good morn' Master"; "Morning Wyvern - How goes it?"; "Cold, sire - very cold";
"Wyvern, this is Wollongong - we've only had 2 morning frosts in the last 22 years";
"Master, I m a red-blooded dragon, I m always cold b4 entering the fray - please light my fires now."
Open garage door. Ignition. Push Wyvern out 2 get GPS signal and start warm-up. "Thanx muchly Sire".
"Your helmet liner Sir", "Got it", "Earbuds?", "Yes", "Fm radio on?", "Yes".
"How many temp' bars now Wyvern?", "Just 1 sir, my cockles r not yet warmed 2 my needs".
"Wyvern, do we have ample fuel?". "3 bars, my liege." "Plenty".
"Wyvern, I m now secure in the saddle and u have 2 temp' bars. U may now CHARGE!".
"VARoooooom".
"HALT". Check mailbox. "Good fortune Sire?". "Nothing 2day Wyvern".
"Master?". "Yes". "May we actually go somewhere 2moro?".
"Yes, Wyvern, definitely 2moro".

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Offline spanner

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #12 on: September 07, 2015, 10:00:29 AM »
 :rofl :-++ :-++ :beer :popcorn
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Offline WendyL

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2015, 10:03:02 AM »
I put my jacket on inside, but not done up, then head out to the bike.  Start bike, put ear buds in, do up jacket, helmet and gloves on, then off I go.  Not that it's ever really cold enough here to need warming up....
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Offline Gadget

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #14 on: September 07, 2015, 12:53:16 PM »
St George,

Sire, thou tale doth produce much mirth.

Obligatory plaudits applied.

Cheers,
Gary


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Offline Biggles

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #15 on: September 07, 2015, 01:23:14 PM »
What tding said  :grin

When leaving work in winter in the wee hours i will let it warm up to 2 bars  :thumbsup

Wow- that would take a long while. 
After my normal "put on the gear" warm-up (45 seconds approx) it takes about 500 metres of gentle riding to get one bar and another kilometer of normal "vigorous" riding to get the second bar!
And that's in an ambient 20o temp.
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

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Offline Cerebral Knievel

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #16 on: September 07, 2015, 02:20:55 PM »
What tding said  :grin

When leaving work in winter in the wee hours i will let it warm up to 2 bars  :thumbsup

Wow- that would take a long while. 
After my normal "put on the gear" warm-up (45 seconds approx) it takes about 500 metres of gentle riding to get one bar and another kilometer of normal "vigorous" riding to get the second bar!
And that's in an ambient 20o temp.


After work i remove all the gear from the bike, start it, then put it on whilst warming the bike up.
There is always a few chats to be had in the car park anyway as the bike parking area is closest to the entrance.
Before you can mutter it's  :cuss ing early i need some sleep,the bike is warmed up & ready to go !

Any other time i let it get to one bar then i'm on me way from misery to happiness  (Aha-aha-Aha-aha)
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Offline Shiney

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #17 on: September 07, 2015, 03:26:18 PM »

The letterbox run...


"Good morn' Master"; "Morning Wyvern - How goes it?"; "Cold, sire - very cold";
"Wyvern, this is Wollongong - we've only had 2 morning frosts in the last 22 years";
"Master, I m a red-blooded dragon, I m always cold b4 entering the fray - please light my fires now."
Open garage door. Ignition. Push Wyvern out 2 get GPS signal and start warm-up. "Thanx muchly Sire".
"Your helmet liner Sir", "Got it", "Earbuds?", "Yes", "Fm radio on?", "Yes".
"How many temp' bars now Wyvern?", "Just 1 sir, my cockles r not yet warmed 2 my needs".
"Wyvern, do we have ample fuel?". "3 bars, my liege." "Plenty".
"Wyvern, I m now secure in the saddle and u have 2 temp' bars. U may now CHARGE!".
"VARoooooom".
"HALT". Check mailbox. "Good fortune Sire?". "Nothing 2day Wyvern".
"Master?". "Yes". "May we actually go somewhere 2moro?".
"Yes, Wyvern, definitely 2moro".


That was awesome mate :grin :clap :clap :clap :thumbsup :thumbs :like

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Offline Biggles

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Re: How long do you warm up the engine prior to riding?
« Reply #18 on: September 07, 2015, 04:19:28 PM »
You're torturing your poor ST, St George!     :-(((
Give him a run around the block as a surprise occasionally!
You might enjoy it too.  But stay more than 5 kays from home, because that's where most accidents happen.
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

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