Bike warm-up?

[gunrunner]

Iwas just wondering how long you guys warm up your bikes before take off:eek5:

[Anarkist]

Haven't had mine too long, but so far I start it before I go inside and get my gear on. Probably takes about 5 mins including the time it takes to remove the disc lock, back it out and close the garage behind me. Seems to do the trick.

I don't like riding or driving anything cold!

[hayd3n]

normally about 3 minutes then a cruise for a couple of minutes before i open her up

[chrispy121]

just warming up the engine is part of it. tyres are what keep you on the road

I warm up my bike for about three to 5 minutes then drive slowly weaving to warm up the tyres and the brakes also

[Meanie]

Always warm mine up until its at normal running temperature, the tryres should be warm enough by then too. I have always done this and never had trouble with my bikes or cars for that matter breaking down.
I am told that you do the most damage to a motor on start up before the oil gets a chance to be pumped around.

[NZsarge]

I have to ride a small stretch of metal road before hitting tarmac so I usually start the bike let it idle for about a minute, get on and basically idle in first gear to the tarmac then cruise to the main road which is a further 3 or so kilometers then ride pretty much as normal once i've been on the main drag for a km or so.

[Owl]

I used to let mine warm right up, but not any more! Now I just ride and keep it under 3000rpm until it reaches operating temp, which doesn't take long.

[Pascal]

Iwas just wondering how long you guys warm up your bikes before take off:eek5:

I get to the garage, put the keys in and back her out. Then start her, get off and start donning helmet and gloves and so forth. Walk down the drive to open the gate, walk back and by that time she's warm enough to ride.

[Jdogg]

I have always been told that you should not leave an engine to warm up on idle (leaves deposits etc) but you should use an oil that heats up quickly and just drive the bike gently until its up to operating temp....

[discotex]

just warming up the engine is part of it. tyres are what keep you on the road

I warm up my bike for about three to 5 minutes then drive slowly weaving to warm up the tyres and the brakes also

Weaving doesn't warm up your tyres much at all. Tyres generate most of their heat through carcass flex rather than friction on the road.

Best way to warm up your tyres is hard acceleration (rear) and braking (front).

[discotex]

Iwas just wondering how long you guys warm up your bikes before take off:eek5:

Just long enough to put my gloves and helmet on. My manual is very clear that you shouldn't warm up the bike when it's stationary. Apparently it's bad for the cats or something.

I personally believe warming up at idle is overrated. Best thing is to give it 15-30sec to get a little oil flowing then drive gently. You'll warm everything up that way gearbox/clutch/brakes/bearings/chain/etc. Once you're up to temp then you can let it rip.

[nico]

i gunually just push bike down drive start her up on choke let it idle wile i go close shead gate put gloves on by that time idle has raised choke off normal idle ride slow for a couple k then im on the highway let it rip

[madbikeboy]

Yeah, I'm not sure that I agree with your manual, here's why...

My GSXR has a motor finely stuffed with all sorts of nice exotic metallurgy - getting the motor up to temperature is partly about warming the oil, and getting stuff flowing - it's also about equalising all the tolerances of the individual components so that they fit and mesh correctly. I won't ride until Scoot is up to temperature correctly.

Then it's the turn of tires and brakes - riding in a straight line at 100kph will put heat in the tire from the carcass flex as stated above, you're trying to get heat into the tire, not just heating the surface, so starting with some heat is good, and then being timid and progressively pushing the tire rather than finding out the grip limit by accident...

[racerhead]

I do normally leave my bike at a high idle for the time it takes to put on my helmet and gloves and close up the garage after me. Then for the first couple of k's ride at low rpm until up to temperature and then work on getting tyres up to temp after this.

As was said before about tolerances of parts within the engine changing as an engine gets up to temp. This is where the most engine wear occurs as if an engine is put under load before being warmed up there will be alot more friction within the engine which leads to more wear. For example of this one of my race engines which is built to very tight clearances will barely idle when cold due to the friction but as it warms up and everything expands to its correct level it will idle about 2000rpm higher than when cold

[R1madness]

Hmm mine too but i just hit the button, snick it into gear and ride off (gently until at least 70deg showing). Warming up happens faster with the engine under load. Idling will not let the combustion temp reach the reqiured 450deg c to allow the combustion deposits to burn off. These will then form carbon deposits causing hot spots and detonation at low engine speeds.
I have never had an engine suffer from premature engine wear associated with

[wbks]

This 'warmup' buisness is PC crap. I just start my zx-r up let it idle for a minute or two then you have to work the redline- its the only way you can get it at full performance before you ride

[discotex]

Yeah, I'm not sure that I agree with your manual, here's why...

My GSXR has a motor finely stuffed with all sorts of nice exotic metallurgy - getting the motor up to temperature is partly about warming the oil, and getting stuff flowing - it's also about equalising all the tolerances of the individual components so that they fit and mesh correctly. I won't ride until Scoot is up to temperature correctly.

I think Honda of all people know how to treat an engine to make it last. Not suggesting you rape your bike straight out of the garage. Until you're at operating temp we're talking 1/4 throttle and half the redline max.

There are countless articles online that explain why idling a cold engine is bad but largely it comes down to contamination of the oil and wasting your time. In my case it can overheat the cats with exhaust full of unburnt fuel.

The tolerances aren't that tight that it's an issue in road engines. It's not like a rotang where you have steel and aluminium next to each other which can warp. And even rotaries are better warmed up while driven gently.



Then it's the turn of tires and brakes - riding in a straight line at 100kph will put heat in the tire from the carcass flex as stated above, you're trying to get heat into the tire, not just heating the surface, so starting with some heat is good, and then being timid and progressively pushing the tire rather than finding out the grip limit by accident...

Yep riding at 100km/h will eventually heat the tyre. Having done warmup laps at Taupo just waiting for the tyres to get warm vs actively using gas/brake I can say the difference is night and day tho.

If you do 0-80-20-80-20-80-20 in a straight line your tyres will be warmer than 15 mins of motorway riding.

[Motig]

Yep, let the bike warm up while putting gear on- I'm fine with that. BUT all this paranoia about warming the tyres up. Good grief, race track yes but arn't the majority of you just riding to work for gods sake next it'll be changing the oil, brake fluid, checking valve clearance etc before you push it out to the driveway for a wash:baby:

[wbks]

Even on the road you can get the front washing out on a cold sharp turn when you are taking it easy. I remember someone on this site, specifically, scratched their new paint job on their bike when they went to ride the bike at full lock out of the shed or something like it and the front tire being stone cold just drove forward and down she went!

[Headbanger]

Even on the road you can get the front washing out on a cold sharp turn when you are taking it easy. I remember someone on this site, specifically, scratched their new paint job on their bike when they went to ride the bike at full lock out of the shed or something like it and the front tire being stone cold just drove forward and down she went!

I wouldn't be blaming that cunning stunt on the font tire, I'd be looking a little further back, Around the seat area, Probably a direct connection from that area to the throttle hand.

[Headbanger]

Engine warm-up.

Since I had the cam fitted to my bike it seems impossible to bring her up to anything close to a good operating temperature by just letting her run.

Whether I leave her for 3 minutes of 10 she still runs like a bitch until she has a few minutes of road use under her belt, And by then (unless Im heading out of town) I'm usually wherever I was heading to.....

[wbks]

lol sure but you can't say you haven't noticed the difference in response from the front from when you ride out of your driveway onto the road and after 30 mins of hard accel or breaking

[Headbanger]

Never noticed because I'm so skilful that those low level computations are performed by my subconscious, and I fine-tune my riding accordingly.:crazy:

[Headbanger]

Thought I would have a look into Harley engine warm up,found this article.

http://www.americanrider.com/output.cfm?id=1021933


So, what is a person to do to properly warm-up the engine? Basically, give the motor a chance swell up and get its clearances act together. The bit of extra piston/cylinder clearance or piston ring end gap won't matter if you keep the loads and rpm moderate during warm-up. The lower clamping pressure holding the heads in close proximity to the cylinders aren't so important at half-throttle.

Why not just let the engine idle until it is warm? This is important. A cold engine generally needs the choke to run at all. Chokes are relatively crude devices and dump too much fuel into the engine, more than it needs. This extra fuel washes oil off cylinder walls, finds its way past loose pistons (and ring gaps) and down into the oil. Other byproducts of combustion find their way into the crankcase and engine oil as well. These include: water, acids and carbon particles.

The best way to minimize all this contamination is to warm the engine as quickly as is reasonably possible. "Reasonably possible" includes placing a load on the engine by actually riding the bike. One or two horsepower are needed to idle an engine, but it takes 10 or so to go down the road. More horsepower develops more heat, hence, the heat from the 10 warms the motor faster, reducing corrosive oil and engine contamination.

If you keep revs below half-way to redline and the throttle below one-half, you'll have no trouble with blow-by or overstressing cold and still loose parts. Long ago, before emissions standards and too many lawyers with time on their hands, General Motors learned that engines lasted longer if they were warmed by driving the car. I have ridden with that recommendation in mind for 40-plus years and preached it to thousands. It makes sense and seems to work.

But please, never "drop the hammer" on your cold Harley motor and never red-line it until fully warm. By "fully warm" I mean that the oil, all of it, engine, gearbox and primary are up to operating temperature. This usually requires about 12 miles at 65 mph. Warm oil is a reliable sign that all the parts are well lubed and that all clearances are within the tolerances of what Harley-Davidson intended.

So, I recommend that you ride your bike moderately just as soon as it is safe to do so. If the engine warms enough to reliably respond to the throttle, ride.

[discotex]

Good grief, race track yes but arn't the majority of you just riding to work for gods sake next it'll be changing the oil, brake fluid, checking valve clearance etc before you push it out to the driveway for a wash:baby:

You mean I'm not supposed to do all that? :blink:

[Taz]

I also just start up. Idle for 30secs or so and then ride off. Both on the duke and the Beemer. I run the kdx til it'll run ok when the choke is turned off. Doesn't take long.

[piston broke]

i also only idle for a few seconds.

[Maha]

I just give the wild bitch a good tight hug and that seems to be suffice...

[piston broke]

I just give the wild bitch a good tight hug and that seems to be suffice...

wow gotta find myself one of those.
just a quick hug then off for a wild ride,cool

[Maha]

wow gotta find myself one of those.
just a quick hug then off for a wild ride,cool

And they say Honda riders are not in touch with good lovin'???....:niceone:

[klingon]

Oh all you posh people with your fancy things like rev counters and temperature gauges! They make your lives far too complicated! I just run the Volty until I can safely push the clutch in without stalling her, then ride off.

Although now you mention it I should probably warm up the tyres before attempting high-performance manoeuvres. Maybe I should buy her a set of tyre warmers for Christmas.

My brother (who lives in Calgary, Canada) has a sump-warmer - he plugs his vehicles in overnight so the oil doesn't freeze. I might get one of those for the Volty too. (It gets pretty chilly in Auckland in the winter.) :cold:

[rocketman1]

Normally I start her up keep it above idle say 2500-3000rpm for 10-15 secs, then let it idle till the temp shows about 25-30 deg then ride off slowly
Big V twins are harder on the motor when idling cold than inline 4 etc, thats my opinion, so I dont let it idle at 1200 rpm when cold I think that it is stressing the motor too much, 2500-3000rpm feels better for the motor
I never go hard until its at its normal operating temp of 86-87 deg
that also allows the tyres to warm up a bit
Takes longer in winter of course

[AllanB]

Long enough to get a jacket, helmet and gloves on - say 2 minutes max. Any more is unnecessary and possibly harming in the long term. Then more importantly I'm gentle on the bike until the temp needle moves to the 'warmed' mark. This also gives the tyres a chance to warm up.
Tyres are designed to stick their best when warm, I never 'get it on' until they have a few kms under them.

Also note at least with my Honda the 'choke' is not actually such, it is no more than a idle increase knob- the computer takes care of the injectors mixture when its cold.

[AllanB]

Normally I start her up keep it above idle say 2500-3000rpm for 10-15 secs, then let it idle till the temp shows about 25-30 deg then ride off slowly
Big V twins are harder on the motor when idling cold than inline 4 etc, thats my opinion, so I dont let it idle at 1200 rpm when cold I think that it is stressing the motor too much, 2500-3000rpm feels better for the motor
I never go hard until its at its normal operating temp of 86-87 deg
that also allows the tyres to warm up a bit
Takes longer in winter of course

Ah you reminded me of a test ride I did a couple of years ago on a SV1000 at the local dealer - he said 'I'll get the bike warmed before you take off'. It was promptly started and reved back and forth between about 3-5,000 rpm -for a couple of minutes all this with open Yoshi mufflers :lol:. I believe I had permanent hearing loss by the time I rode off and killed a bit more on the test ride. :whistle: I personally do not recommend warming a SV1000 in this manner!

[The Stranger]

but you should use an oil that heats up quickly


Some oils heat up quicker than other oils?
Which ones?

[AD345]

Some oils heat up quicker than other oils?
Which ones?

This one:

http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2007/181/23/1183263253-91382_full.jpg

[AllanB]

Some oils heat up quicker than other oils?
Which ones?

Peanut oil - lets start a 'what oil thread' :crazy:

[dipshit]

Thought I would have a look into Harley engine warm up,found this article.

"The best way to minimize all this contamination is to warm the engine as quickly as is reasonably possible. "Reasonably possible" includes placing a load on the engine by actually riding the bike. One or two horsepower are needed to idle an engine, but it takes 10 or so to go down the road. More horsepower develops more heat, hence, the heat from the 10 warms the motor faster, reducing corrosive oil and engine contamination."

Not only that, but a bike ticking over at idle with cold thick oil is the worst scenario for getting good oil circulation around the engine - particularly to the top end. Oil pumps don't give as much pressure and flow at idle.

20 to 30 seconds fast idle then gently and quietly riding down the street with minimal throttle openings and low 3000 to 4000 RPM is warming up the oil quicker because the gearbox is turning and you have better oil flow at 3000 RPM... and the small amount of load gives better ring seal so less fuel contamination of your oil.

Letting your bike idle for 5 minutes from cold isn't necessarily the best thing you can do for it.

[98tls]

Simply put,work out how your oil pump is driven then decide how long you want to wait and listen to your cold motor and overworked oil pump achieving bugger all at idle.

[Headbanger]

3000 to 4000?

Stock HD redline is 5000........:eek:

Pretty sure I'm doing 120 at 2500rpm.....

Jesus, Hope my tires are warmed up by the time I get to the end of the street, Dunno if I can get around that corner at 140Km/h.....

[98tls]

3000 to 4000?

Stock HD redline is 5000........:eek:

Pretty sure I'm doing 120 at 2500rpm.....

Jesus, Hope my tires are warmed up by the time I get to the end of the street, Dunno if I can get around that corner at 140Km/h..... LOL....wave as you go round just to make sure.:jerry:

[dipshit]

3000 to 4000?

Stock HD redline is 5000........:eek:

Pretty sure I'm doing 120 at 2500rpm.....

And here was me thinking I was going to get complaints from people with 17000rpm red-lines saying 3000rpm is idle..!!

[Macontour]

I sit on my bike so it is vertical before starting it. I am sure that some bikes may have problems with oil pickup/delivery of oil to various parts of engine with it idling on its side stand. For those with centre stands, I guess its not an issue. I start the bike without choke and just use the throttle to keep it idling until it will idle by itself, maybe only 20-30 seconds. I then put on helmet and gloves,get out of the garage anbd close the door and gently ride to the road. I then take it easy until oil temp is 70-80 degrees.

[normajeane]

Just long enough to put my gloves and helmet on. My manual is very clear that you shouldn't warm up the bike when it's stationary. Apparently it's bad for the cats or something.

I personally believe warming up at idle is overrated. Best thing is to give it 15-30sec to get a little oil flowing then drive gently. You'll warm everything up that way gearbox/clutch/brakes/bearings/chain/etc. Once you're up to temp then you can let it rip.

Surely you will get to know when your bike stops put put putting and gets that vroom sound by trying it out a few times.
Personally i pull the chokey thing out to start from cold, sit for a bit while waiting for SD to get his gear on (could be 5 mins!) then off we go and the choke gets pushed in. I know then the bike will not stall when I stop and i won't have to pick it up off the road. Experience!:msn-wink:

[BMWST?]

use the correct oil ...the most waer occurs straight after start up..ie the first few revolutions as the cold thick oil "doesnt" flow through the engine"One of the main advantages of the thinner synthetics....and no downside cos the thin synthetics dont break down at the temps the thin dino oils do...

[Armitage Shanks]

Start it up then put Helmet and gloves on and go, don't believe in waiting for minutes till the needle's on warm. Then ride gently for a few minutes,the 'Busa warms up very quickly anyway but I'm also mindful of the cold tyres. My Bandit 1200 on the other hand needed the choke on for at least 5 minutes - recalcitrant bitch.:cool:

[Manxman]

i gunually just push bike down drive start her up on choke let it idle wile i go close shead gate put gloves on by that time idle has raised choke off normal idle ride slow for a couple k then im on the highway let it rip

Ditto. Takes just under 5 mins to get out of Fitby, which is long enough on low revs to be good to go soon as I hit SH58.

[dipshit]

use the correct oil ...the most waer occurs straight after start up..ie the first few revolutions as the cold thick oil "doesnt" flow through the engine"One of the main advantages of the thinner synthetics....and no downside cos the thin synthetics dont break down at the temps the thin dino oils do...

This is my thinking too and is partly why I went to a Amsoil synthetic 10w-40. So it cost an extra $50... big deal. :whocares:

[_STAIN_]

Simply put,work out how your oil pump is driven then decide how long you want to wait and listen to your cold motor and overworked oil pump achieving bugger all at idle.

+1 only warm long enough that you can safely pull out into traffic and bike won't bog down. It is far more important to get that oil pump spinning in normal operating range so motor gets good oil pressure around 50psi. Idle = 5-10psi...not good for motor especially when cold. Very old skool motors need extended metal warm up.

[98tls]

+1 only warm long enough that you can safely pull out into traffic and bike won't bog down. It is far more important to get that oil pump spinning in normal operating range so motor gets good oil pressure around 50psi. Idle = 5-10psi...not good for motor especially when cold. Very old skool motors need extended metal warm up. :confused:Stop making sense,this is Kiwi biker.

[Forest]

I generally follow the instructions in the owners manual.

Almost every bike manual I have read says:

(a) Avoid extended idling.
(b) The best way to warm the engine is to ride with light use of the throttle.
(c) Don't use the engine's full rpm range until the engine has warmed up.

[Swoop]

Start.
Put glubs on.
Pootle off down street.
Done.


In my case it can overheat the cats with exhaust full of unburnt fuel.
Best get rid of that silly item then...:whistle::blip: