Warming up your engine: Difference between revisions

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One of the more enduring automotive myths is that you have to let a vehicle idle to warm up for a while. This is the worst way you can get your motorcycle (or car) to the proper operating temperature. Your bike should be under a load (moving) to get it warmed up well, and also to extend its life.

There is zero harm to starting a cold engine and putting it under a ''LIGHT'' load right away. On a bike this means [[What is the correct way to apply choke at startup?|choke it]], start it up, then as soon as you can give it throttle without dying (usually just several seconds) ride away. This does not mean ~~rod~~ the hell out of it as soon as you're out of the driveway.

There is zero harm to starting a cold engine and putting it under a ''LIGHT'' load right away. On a bike this means [[What is the correct way to apply choke at startup?|choke it]], start it up, then as soon as you can give it throttle without dying (usually just several seconds) ride away. This does not mean bash the hell out of it as soon as you're out of the driveway.

Close the [[How a carburetor works: Carbs explained|choke (enrichener)]] as soon as you can. There are lots of good reasons for this, but just do it. You may have to turn the choke down in increments during the first couple minutes of your ride before the bike will run fine without the choke. This can often mean having it applied halfway for the first few minutes, but '''if''' the bike is in a good state of tune you shouldn't need more than a few minutes before you can turn it off for good. Just remember that it is a manual choke and you have to remember to shut it off.

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 One of the more enduring automotive myths is that you have to let a vehicle idle to warm up for a while. This is the worst way you can get your motorcycle (or car) to the proper operating temperature. Your bike should be under a load (moving) to get it warmed up well, and also to extend its life.
-There is zero harm to starting a cold engine and putting it under a ''LIGHT'' load right away. On a bike this means [[What is the correct way to apply choke at startup?|choke it]], start it up, then as soon as you can give it throttle without dying (usually just several seconds) ride away. This does not mean rod the hell out of it as soon as you're out of the driveway.
+There is zero harm to starting a cold engine and putting it under a ''LIGHT'' load right away. On a bike this means [[What is the correct way to apply choke at startup?|choke it]], start it up, then as soon as you can give it throttle without dying (usually just several seconds) ride away. This does not mean bash the hell out of it as soon as you're out of the driveway.
 Close the [[How a carburetor works: Carbs explained|choke (enrichener)]] as soon as you can. There are lots of good reasons for this, but just do it. You may have to turn the choke down in increments during the first couple minutes of your ride before the bike will run fine without the choke. This can often mean having it applied halfway for the first few minutes, but '''if''' the bike is in a good state of tune you shouldn't need more than a few minutes before you can turn it off for good. Just remember that it is a manual choke and you have to remember to shut it off.