I disagree with the content of that pin up unless it is aimed at track bikes on tack days. Oil grades and levels requirements would be different. Like many others here I start the bike and let it idle for 5 sec to make sure oil has fully circulated and off I go. I keep the revs below 4k till the engine gets to 75 And keep my oil level at midway point on the stick
No sure what model you run mattie, but I don't recognise these symptoms. I was interested enough to make note today, When I did a cold start this morning the bike immediately idled at 1800 +/- 50 on the display, pulled away within 30 secs, first stop is a junction around 400 yds away, same idle, next stop is 3/4 mile away, thermostat had opened and idle was 1200 +/- 50 which is normal idle speed at operating temperature. I have never seen this blade idle at 3K at any time. In terms of your mileage life, this is my 5th blade in the last 16 years, all have covered high mileages, the highest being 95k, used 12 months a year in all temps, without any noticeable oil consumption and not one engine issue. Again as above, never had your symptoms, and no issue with controlling the machine at any stage.
slight confusion here: once I set off and start riding, I keep the revs blow 4k . good god this is not my idle speed (which is similar to what you mentioned)
Start bike, lid on, gloves on, throw leg over and ride and just don't pin it for a while and I am lucky as the nearest junction is over a mile away and so the bike is normally sorted by then. End of the day I get in the car, belt on, engine on and drive taking it steady for a while. Car is 13 years old, has nearly 110,000 miles on a 1.6l, and if it works for that why not for a bike?
Tbh with all the coatings and better materials that are used in engines today's you don't need to leave them idling away! And they certainly won't glaze up anymore like they used to years ago when they didn't have coatings and the materials weren't checked like they are today, also the oils have changed significantly since those days to which helps the engines stay in better conditions. I start mine and then don helmet and gloves by which time it's had enough to time to slosh oil where it needs it then I set off and keep the revs below 6k until the temperature get up to 70-75c then happy to give it full beans
Being one of the ( let's say) more senior members, I well remember manual chokes. On some bikes like the TZR250 I had years ago the choke was either on or off ( it flipped up for on, down for off). Now they were a pain. If you let them warm up at standstill being a 2 stroke they would load the crankcase with fuel so when you pulled away you kangaroo-ed down the road in a cloud of smoke until it cleared. Modern fuel injected bikes are brilliant in comparison, although my Triumph Tiger 800 had a stepper motor which had a habit of sticking ( lots did) which made it hunt at standstill whether the bike was hot or cold. Incidentally, I kart raced for a few years and my right hand was the choke then. You covered the carb with your hand at the end of fast straights etc to choke it to stop it seizing and to give you fuel for when you accelerated out of corners. Now that was a black art.
Agree with the choke, my NC30 takes a good 5 minutes before its rideable, trying to pull away on any choke is doomed to failure
In the very old days people used to warm up the engine. A number of reasons, single grade oil, manual chokes and production tolerances. When I started driving I did the same. I changed this habit to start and go many many years ago specially when I switched to full synthetic back it the late 80's. I remember a Fiat I had with manual choke was very reluctant and produced little power while warming up so driving it was a real pain. I also think that when the engine is under load, the piston rings work better at providing a seal, reducing oil burning and cylinder wall glazing
I wonder if we should really be worrying too much; Honda plainly doesn't? It is clear Honda has chosen to refrain to advise me on what should be done from what is likely to be a deliberate decision to supply any kind of advice on this subject within the manual. Paradoxically referenced therein, some seemingly pointless information gets mention! So am I to glean from Honda it is more important to be shown where the fuel filler cap is on a diagram and how to open and close it, than to be told about a potentially important (according to the general consensus of this thread) period of time concerning the engine after starting. I once owned a ST1300 and the manual specificied riding should only take place once one light bar had illuminated. This one light bar (usually three illuminated upon full engine temperature being reached) coincided with the bike returning to a settled idle speed of approx 1000rpm. Upon start up especially in very cold conditions the Pan would rev up to 3500rpm. So why advice for the Pan but not for the Fireblade from Honda...
Probably because the Pan is ridden by old men in flat caps whose nights entertainment is sitting down with a pint of mild and the owners manual Whereas the blade........well we all know the rest
