Do you warm your bike up before heading off?

[marioc]

Yep warm it up in the time it takes to have a ciggy

[Coyote]

I used to warm it up when I first got the bike, when I cared about it

[cowboyz]

Not a mechanic but a bit of temperature lowers the viscosity of the oil and lets it get in the nooks & crannies a bit easier. Modern oils are supposed to provide a more uniform viscosity over a wider range of temperatures though...

Maybe tommorrow morning you could try a 10,000rpm take off from cold and see what happens...

No. Because that would just be silly. Quite different to running up the road at 3000 though.

Heres a thought. At what (low) temp does 10-40W become too thick to move round the engine? Does it really get cold enough that the pump has trouble getting the oil to the top of the engine? When was the last time anyone pulled a sitting engine apart - even sitting for a long time - to find it dry at the top?

[Grub]

Heres a thought. At what (low) temp does 10-40W become too thick to move round the engine?

The internet is your friend Here is a chart and full explanation

This is the bit just above the chart which has the exact temp for each rating

"MULTI-VISCOSITY OILS

Most modern motor oils are formulated from various grades of oil so the oil will have the best characteristics of both thick and thin viscosity oils. Multi-viscosity oils flow well at low temperature for easier starting yet retain enough thickness and film strength at high temperature to provide adequate film strength and lubrication.

A thin oil such as a straight 10W or even a 20W oil designed for cold weather use would probably not provide adequate lubrication for hot weather, high speed driving. Likewise, a thicker high temperature oil such as SAE 30 or 40 would probably become so stiff at sub-zero temperatures the engine might not crank fast enough to start.

Multi-viscosity grade oils have a wide viscosity range which is indicated by a two-number rating. Popular multi-viscosity grades today include 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30, 10W-40 and 20W-50. The first number with the "W" refers to the oil's cold temperature viscosity, while the second number refers to its high temperature viscosity."

[duckonin]

Yep have always let any motor run for a bit before putting under load, chainsaw's, diggers cars, your motor tell's you when it is ready to work, had a small 409 trader diesel she did 675,000 k's and still goes well today, motor never touched just plain old oil changes, in fact I have never had to do any work on a motor I have owned except plugs oil or basic stuff...

Two of my chainsaws are over twenty years and go as well today as when they were first made..Warming up seem's to work for me....

[Kittyhawk]

if not done properly you can crak parts on and within an engine. Because the adjustment for cold metals to hot , expansion and contraction plays a major role in warming up your bike. also effects different types of fabrics on the bike and therefore react differently from a standing cold start to being hot and ready to ride.

warm up - think of it like sex get the circulation of ya lubes flowing to various areas of the engine, up and down pulsating pistions need it. *please note diagram on left is a horozintal sliding piston

Its a must with any engine.....warm up ya bike, car or anything with an engine, flow those lubes for a couple of mins slide onto you bike and ride!! it takes a couple of mins to respect an engine with doing a simple warm up it will last good and proper for many years to come

[HRT]

Fire mine up while I'm getting the lid and things on, close the garage etc. Usually bugger all warm up time but just take it nicely for a bit until temp is starting to come up

[yod]

......Older carbed stuff has more character...which can leak and stuff.

nice...i like it

[madmal64]

Yep I do.
The dash on the Ape flashes "cold" until it reaches 35c. I usually leave it until it reaches at least 50c. Thats only a couple of minutes from the 35c mark. It just doesnt seem fair to pull my bike out of the garage and give it heaps without the chance to wake up and warm up.

[cowboyz]

The internet is your friend Here is a chart and full explanation

This is the bit just above the chart which has the exact temp for each rating

cheers. it was a bit of a "homework" question if you like. And by your research 10W40 is effective from -10F (thats about -20degrees). Certainly wouldnt get anywhere close to that round here.

So. How long do your surpose it takes to pump oil from the sump to sump then? (in seconds)

Yep have always let any motor run for a bit before putting under load, chainsaw's, diggers cars, your motor tell's you when it is ready to work, had a small 409 trader diesel she did 675,000 k's and still goes well today, motor never touched just plain old oil changes, in fact I have never had to do any work on a motor I have owned except plugs oil or basic stuff...

Two of my chainsaws are over twenty years and go as well today as when they were first made..Warming up seem's to work for me....

good o . I have run my last bike, and current bike over 100,000km. Never sat there and warmed them up. Never had any motor problems. reg service with oil/filters/plugs. So we are even there.

And then motors are getting more and more realiable.

Whats the difference in the bike sitting still and motor doing 2000rpm (choke on) and the wheels going round and the bike doing 3000prm?

[cowboyz]

Yep I do.
The dash on the Ape flashes "cold" until it reaches 35c. I usually leave it until it reaches at least 50c. Thats only a couple of minutes from the 35c mark. It just doesnt seem fair to pull my bike out of the garage and give it heaps without the chance to wake up and warm up.

Interesting.

Funny how one thinks if the bike is moving that equates to the bke being thrashed.

[ZK-Awesome]

I make sure my SJ50 scooter warms up for a few minutes at the start of the day. Get my helmet out, start it up, and then sort my shit out for a fewmins (helmet on, gate open, gloves on, shoes tied...) Once I get out the gate and onto the road I take it easy for the next k or so. I find that if I don't warm it up and be aggressive with the power, the engine jerks as I throttle up.

I've got used to warming up engines from flying though

[P38]

I always leave the C50T idling until it comes off the fast idle mode before riding anywhere.

Usually about 3-5mins from cold.

I believe it's a good habit to get into to preserve the longivity and reliabilityof the engine.

As well as changing the oil religiously at the prescribed periods with a high quality lubricant and filter.

[cowboyz]

find myself thinking that with the constant comments on "wouldnt buy that bike - ks are too high at 40k? 50k?" at over 100k without leaving the bike sitting to warm up one would think it is a testament to longivity and reliability?

[Chrislost]

Am interested to see already 6 people say it is a must do and yet no comment on why. Is there a secret I am missing?

1) oil viscosity...
2) the pistons expand at a diferent rate cos their diferent metals to the bores/block and therefore while everythings cold their rattling around in the bores etc etc.(at least on the modern "hyperbikes")

cant say that a 10k launch dead cold would be much good for anything....