New biker and using the choke

[re_animate]

Hey guys, what's the deal with the choke?

I read that it's used to warm the bike up when it's cold, so i try starting my bike with it on and all that happens is it idles real high.

I have a virago 250. it starts fine without the choke on. Seeing as the choke bumps the revs up, wouldn't the higher revs damage the bike on a cold start?

[vifferman]

It does two things: richens the idle mixture, and slighlty raises the revs. No, it won't hurt your bike. Nor will starting it without the choke, if it's happy doing that. Just don't idle it excessively on the sidestand, no matter how you start it. Crank it up, idle it long enough that you're sure it's not going to stall, ride off.

[bogan]

Older bikes had chokes, not so old ones have enricher circuits, which as vifferman says, add more fuel and air into the cylinders. A choke, iirc, blocks air flow, and creates a higher vacuum before the slide to draw more feul, and less air through.

[Captain_Salty]

You might find you need the choke to get it started in winter. Perhaps not in Auckland though.

[Fast Eddie]

yea, helps when the ambient air temp is really cold as it is denser etc etc.. its for cold starts. I need mine every start down here in Dunedin hehe..

And depending on manufacturer but my manual states do not leave choke on for more than 30 seconds