Blades a long way from being ready but my GSX-R 600 race bike I start it and let her idle until 70*c then turn it off about 20 mins before I go out on track then again about 5mins before. I think it allows some heat soak into the crankcases and warms the oil up too.
i wanted to add my personal 2 cents in with this discussion - when i first start the blade, the automatic choke is engaged "automatically" for good reason, it keeps the revs up to warm & run the oil pump which is circulating oil around the engine. you can tell the automatic choke is engaged by the higher engine revs immediately after starting - when the blade considers its engine warm enough to ride off, you hear a rev drop when the automatic choke disengages - this occurs on my blade, around 50C.
Whilst it would possibly great for my Blades engine, it would make me as popular as a turd in a swimming pool with my neighbours 5 days at week at 6am Start and go, thats the only way to stay friendly with them at that time of the day
thats actually the wrong way round, more engine wear happens when a bike is idling as the oil isnt being thrown around the whole of the engine. It was covered in an article by MCN tech chris dabbs who also went on to say this is why when you pack a bike away for winter its best not to start the bike weekly and warm it up as you are doing the engine no favors. every car on the road has an automatic choke as well..how many warm their cars up first?
hey phantom, hows it hanging - im always up to learn, have you got that article your talking about ? id like to read it if you could find it for me - yeah ... i agree, not many warm up their cars but that being said - how many cars are as high performance like a blade ? just had a thought - does formula one & motorgp warm up theirs ?
Well plenty of food for thought here. I have always warmed the bike to operating temperature before moving off after reading a article about this that I will need to find, I thought it was important to get the oil warm as well before you give it the beans so my first five miles have always been slow as well ie below 70.
F1 cars are such tight tolerances that cold, they are virtually seized. They pump boiling water around them before they'll even turn over. MotoGP bikes I don't know.
F1 and motoGp do an engine strip down every race so the engine wear argument is irrelevant lol. I'll check out there page when I get home later,dont think I have the magazine.but they basically said the main points are a bike takes longer to warm up idling than riding slow so the oil isnt preforming as quick, oil doest reach all of the engine so more wear occurs, the cat doest work until warm and the idle does not warm it so more harmfull co2 (do we care lol) the warming up idea cam from older bikes that liked to stall when cold and is no longer needed.,
I fire mine up then put jacket, lid and gloves on, fiddle with mirrors and then off I go. Probably anywhere between 60-70c. Still ride steady for a mile or so through 30mph village I live in.
I warm my Blade up while putting on jacket, gloves, lid etc; I guess the fast idle has usually slowed down by then; I find it doesn't seem to like having first gear engaged when fast idling. A few years ago, I had a 600RR. There were lots of tales about these being oil burners, & many were. I spoke with a Honda tech at the time & he told me that the bikes would burn oil on startup because they use forged lightweight pistons which didn't seal in the barrels until warm. I let mine warm gently after that & it never used a drop of oil between changes. My Thruxton has a 900cc air cooled engine; the handbook specifically states that you should not allow it it idle & begin riding straight away. This bike does have a fast idle but it works manually like a choke knob. I also suspect this is a measure to stop the downpipes turning blue with the heat. Who knows eh.....
hey phantom - is this the article your talking about ? FAQ: Should I warm up my bike before a ride? - | Motorcycle Safety | Motorbike Training | Bike Test | MCN
i just got off the phone from one of the crew chiefs for honda racing australia - about what oil is best for their blades, he said semi-sythetic not full synthetic because the full synthetics like motul 300v are too slippery and make their way past the rings, making the blade burn oil (not good) - he said the rings on the blade can be temperamental and need semi-synthetic - hence the reason honda recommends semi synthetics like their honda HP4 or alike - the next thing was warming up the blade - the honda team dont move their bikes till the auto choke disengages and they then take it easy for a lap before things are right - also while the blade is warming up with the auto choke on, they give the throttle a few bleeps to say 2000rpm to splash things around.
Got to agree with the semi syn, never seen an issue with it, and Honda UK techs state the same, its designed for semi syn. Now I need to come racing in Aus then, cos by the time they have gone through that mess around I am already 2 laps ahead , start and go , thats my motto, works at -10C, works at +30C Honda Aus claim to use the same stuff in their race bikes... http://www.hondacatalogue.com.au/products/Honda-HP4-1-Litre.html By the way Bladewitch did you see the cricket last night?.................................
Bladewitch it was an article by the same fella but it was about winter Storage, im having trouble finding it.but I was talking to a Malwakee yamaha tech who was the chief tech for hydrex honda When they were going.he said they couldn't let that blade idle For more than a couple of minute's as the way it was set up it Would boil over real quick.they said they start it, then start blipping The throttle until up to temp then knock it off until ready to go at The start line.
Have always started an engine and drove/rode easy until the engines at normal operating temp- was told this the best way to warm up any engine back in the day. Semi being the oil Honda recommend? Know some of the dealers do, but sure it's fully as far as Honda corp are concerned?
haha - dont follow the cricket, was doing a oil change on the blade but hey, i dont mind if you get your balls back, i mean, you got to play with something right ...
