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Thread: Bike starting habits?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    26th March 2009 - 11:46
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    1988 Suzuki GSX-R
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    Tauranga
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    Bike starting habits?

    Im guessing when bikes are new that they start each and everytime you press the starter no matter how cold? or do bikes need choke even if new?


    I love my bike, my only gripe is, on cold mornings, even with full choke...it take 10 goes to get her started.... i.e the bike turns over and slowly idles down and dies.... does this 10 or so times and then finally she is away.... I have to ride off with the choke on.... which i dont like cause being a newbie makes it harder to pull away nicely cause the revs are all screwy.

    Have to use full choke to start it when I finish work at 3 also. Is it normal to ve such a difficult cold start? what can I do to improve it? my carbs are clean, my plugs are fine, the battery is sweet....can anything be dont to make sure it starts after only a couple of goes? I was thinking raising the idle might help? (It is kinda low but have no idea how to change it)

    Let me know your thoughts as we roll into colder and colder mornings....

  2. #2
    Join Date
    11th March 2009 - 20:39
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    1986 Honda GB 400F
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    1,492
    I dunno about your predicament as I don't even own a bike (yet)

    But it's been so frekkin cold lately my scooter won't start at all, I have to kickstart it. Works every time tho

  3. #3
    Join Date
    13th April 2007 - 17:09
    Bike
    18 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport
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    UK
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    Manual chokes need a knack to get them to do thier job.

    This is what I used to do (pre-auto choke): Start with full choke and push it in slowly until it fires. If you find it fires at about half way in, try the next day with the choke at just over half.

    Trial and error will show you the best way to start your bike.

    Good luck.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    15th March 2004 - 13:00
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    Austrian and Italian
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    Glenfield, Auckland
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    Most new bikes dont have chokes (or manual fast idles).

    You could get your carbs reset by a mechanic. They can be fiddly at best. Some are easy to start some aren't.

  5. #5
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    4th February 2007 - 19:23
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    None - s'fucked
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    A lot of new bikes are injected and have an autochoke.

    With the RF, when it's cold, I need full choke and NO throttle. Generally takes a couple of seconds to catch. Then it's half choke (till idle revs are about 3kish while I finish putting on my gear. Usually once I start moving, I can turn the choke off as I go down the road.
    Quote Originally Posted by rachprice View Post
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  6. #6
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    29th March 2006 - 18:06
    Bike
    XJR 1300
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    Hawkes Bay
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    yup a idle above 1000 should still warm it up...surpised that even at 3pm you still gota use full choke...however old things take more time to warm up lol how ever long it takes.. could be also them old days where the zap to the plugs aren't as good as these newer bikes electrical systems
    .xjr....."What's with all the lights"..officer..

  7. #7
    Join Date
    21st July 2008 - 15:18
    Bike
    1996 KLR 250
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    Auckland
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    481
    Once I was told to rock the bike side to side to help the bike get going.
    This apparently helps do something to the fuel in the carburetor.

    I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this advice. Or even it's relevance to this issue.

    Actually your best bet is probably to ignore this post.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    26th March 2009 - 11:46
    Bike
    1988 Suzuki GSX-R
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    Tauranga
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    I give it full choke.... and it starts but dies with in seconds.... each time i try it idles a bit longer then dies.... finally when i have tried about 10 times i give it just a little throttle and it finally jumps into life. if I take choke off it dies so I ride off with it on. But I put her in first and its reving quite hard so makes taking off a little strange....

    Do you guys need to use the choke when you finish worK and come home etc? or just first thing in the morning?.....

    oh and a little off topic but.... my fuel gauge can vary by 1/4 of a tank depending if the bike is upright or on the sidestand. i.e say I have half a tank on the gauge when im riding.... I finish my ride and leave the bike, it drops to 1/4 of a tank. ride again later and after 3 mins of riding it rises back to halk a tank again. which do you think is the closest to the real fuel level....upright and riding or after 20mins on side stand?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    1st December 2004 - 12:27
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    Remind your self you are lucky to have a push button. You could be jumping up and down on a kick start!

    You could get a hot chick to warm up your motor before you ride

    Or you could get one of these... http://www.reiffpreheat.com/Motorcycle.htm

    Throw a cover over it, it will be a couple of degrees warmer.
    Motorbike only search
    YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - CRC AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE CRC. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE

  10. #10
    Join Date
    7th November 2008 - 13:30
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    2007 GSX1000R
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    Hastings
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    Quote Originally Posted by Breed777 View Post
    Im guessing when bikes are new that they start each and everytime you press the starter no matter how cold? or do bikes need choke even if new?


    I love my bike, my only gripe is, on cold mornings, even with full choke...it take 10 goes to get her started.... i.e the bike turns over and slowly idles down and dies.... does this 10 or so times and then finally she is away.... I have to ride off with the choke on.... which i dont like cause being a newbie makes it harder to pull away nicely cause the revs are all screwy.

    Have to use full choke to start it when I finish work at 3 also. Is it normal to ve such a difficult cold start? what can I do to improve it? my carbs are clean, my plugs are fine, the battery is sweet....can anything be dont to make sure it starts after only a couple of goes? I was thinking raising the idle might help? (It is kinda low but have no idea how to change it)

    Let me know your thoughts as we roll into colder and colder mornings....
    As you have an older bike - I would wonder if you have it serviced lately. Perhaps that would help. And as it is not fuel injected - I would think it obvious that you would need to use the choke. That's like getting into an old car and trying to start it when cold. And I hope that when you do get the bike started on half to full choke (depending on the temp and situation) - that you let it idle and warm up prior to jumping on it and riding off......? My bike, although newer than yours, lives outside and is no trouble to start - without the choke - although in a frost, I would put the choke on ever so slightly. Good luck

  11. #11
    Join Date
    26th March 2009 - 11:46
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    1988 Suzuki GSX-R
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    Tauranga
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    Quote Originally Posted by XP@ View Post
    Remind your self you are lucky to have a push button. You could be jumping up and down on a kick start!

    You could get a hot chick to warm up your motor before you ride

    Or you could get one of these... http://www.reiffpreheat.com/Motorcycle.htm

    Throw a cover over it, it will be a couple of degrees warmer.
    Id like to order the first option please....

  12. #12
    Join Date
    10th November 2008 - 18:49
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    2nd ZXR250 A
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    Auckland
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    yeah it is a bit more difficult to start cold mornings, i have to turn my lights off and give it full choke then take it down to about half way to take off otherwise it dies on me. it is weird riding with the choke, but i dnt have to for very long before she decides to work fine again. when it isnt cold/ not morning it starts with lights on and a third choke.

    on your other question. YOU HAVE A FUEL GAUGE!? thats fancy equipment right there..

  13. #13
    Join Date
    1st February 2008 - 14:20
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    2004 Yamaha YZFR6
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    Rotorua
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    If you wont to play with the idle only do it when the bike is warm (even better is to have gone for a little ride). If you adjust it when it is cold, then as the bike warms up the revs will get faster and faster causing other problems. But having said that I like the idea of option 1 too, so try that first. Good luck on these (ever increasingly)cold days.
    I may be slow at getting things but..... no wait I'm just slow.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    26th March 2009 - 11:46
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    1988 Suzuki GSX-R
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    Tauranga
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    Quote Originally Posted by macros87 View Post

    on your other question. YOU HAVE A FUEL GAUGE!? thats fancy equipment right there..
    Yeah...read more like a Temp gauge...up...down...up...down...

    So how long do you warm up a bike? Once I ride off I can take choke off pretty quickly. My Temp Guage only move from C to H after about 10 mins of riding.

    (Oh and I had it serviced 2 weeks ago)

    Cheers

  15. #15
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    18th September 2007 - 12:14
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    VFR400, ZX9R, GSXR750, ZXR750, TRX850
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    You say it starts on full choke then dies, well when it start see if you can blip the throttle just to give the revs a kick and then the choke should kick in and will hold the revs up high.

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