Start up rituals.

[Quasievil]

Walk around the bike to check every thing is secure and nothing is comming loose, check all of my safety gear is done properly.

And the balls ??? what of them ???
Come on weve seen ya

[avgas]

How to start the KX: Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, break your leg, curse, kick, kick, it starts, you stall it, curse, kick, kick, it starts, you tug to hard on the throttle, you wheelie, you stall it, curse, kick, kick, it starts, it goes, much jubilation, crash

Yeh thats what my TS185 was like till i fixed her.
Hehe reminds me of the old Pugeot 405 my folks had. When we were kids we used to get in the car with mum and dad and say "Please go car" as dad turned the key.

[vifferman]

And the balls ??? what of them ???
Come on weve seen ya

Crikey, you almost sounded like Quasimodo, instead of Quasievil. :spudwhat:

"The balls! The balls!"

[Coyote]

I check all necessary reciprocating flux capacitors, make sure the handle bar mounted death ray is warmed up, add I few gallons of Nitro Methane, make sure the antifreeze is red (when its blue, you have trouble), kick the tank to activate fuel absorbinating parameter transmission, then make sure those damned headlights aren’t messing up the electrical circuits heading toward the battery kompressor, then I hop onto the bike, start it, and I’m off!

[Motoracer]

And the balls ??? what of them ???
Come on weve seen ya

Eh? What? You guys have seen my balls??

Hmmm, I better patch up that hole in my leathers soon!

[vifferman]

I check all necessary reciprocating flux capacitors, make sure the handle bar mounted death ray is warmed up, add I few gallons of Nitro Methane, make sure the antifreeze is red (when its blue, you have trouble), kick the tank to activate fuel absorbinating parameter transmission, then make sure those damned headlights aren’t messing up the electrical circuits heading toward the battery kompressor, then I hop onto the bike, start it, and I’m off!

Then you're in trouble, as you didn't include lubricating the muffler bearing or checking the hydrocillator in your pre-flight checklist.

[Coyote]

Then you're in trouble, as you didn't include lubricating the muffler bearing or checking the hydrocillator in your pre-flight checklist.

Shit! I've been riding on borrowed time!!!

[Yokai]

Jealous much????

[PZR]

You guys are all weird.

I turn the key, wait for the fuel pump to prime the injectors, and press the starter.

That's it.

Sometimes I make sure there's still some air in the tyres or summat sensible like that, but otherwise I just take it off the stand, wheel it out, and ride. But then, I'm not really into rituals, apart from the daily ritual at work of turning on the PC, logging on, checking my (private) email, then coming on here to see what the day's offering of bullshit and tales of woe is. Are. Is are is.

I'm with you on this Vifferman except I resort to the labourious extra task of pulling up the fast idle lever. Its a tough job but someone has to do it.

Ah how well I remember those halcyon fun filled action packed days of youth gone by, of turning on the petrol, priming the carbs, turn on the ignition, kicking the crap out of my old two stroke then actually getting on the bike and kicking the kick start to hopefully make it go. Then have it stop every time it rained.
Gimmee late model trouble free machinery any day.

This has to be the saddest thread I have read for a while (did'nt stop me reading it all though). Some of you guys are really weird

[Motu]

Open gas cap,shake and peer inside
Open oil tank filler and check oil
Turn on gas
Tickle carb
Set choke to 3/4
Set timing lever to half retard
Pull in clutch and stroke kickstart 3 or 4 times to free the plates
Bring motor up on compression and ease over with the valve lifter,if fitted
Open throttle to just lift the slide off it's seat,grab rear guard or other conveient hand hold with left hand - leap into air...then using your right leg,left arm,right arm and your back put every fucking ounce of energy into starting the 300mm cast iron flywheels moving,sending the 85mm piston down and up it's 88mm stroke,hoping you've put enough of your essence into getting it over the 9:1 compression without getting sent back the way you've just come.After a couple of atempts the weak spark from the magneto will get it running - if not,pull the plug and clean....just an excuse really,you need to recover your energy for the next attempt.

I'd love another real single...

[TwoSeven]

I do the zulu witch doctor dance around the bike for 20 mins.

Nah, I just do a P.R.I (pre ride inspection) - all the things required for a warrent (chain, sprockets, tires, oil, etc). Its an automatic thing just to make sure nothing is about to go bang - only takes 30 secs.

Dont check the bike when I get off, unless something has been annoying me, then it will get fixed.

[Coyote]

Some of you guys are really weird

Some of us, but not all. I'm certainly not

[vifferman]

I'm with you on this Vifferman except I resort to the labourious extra task of pulling up the fast idle lever. Its a tough job but someone has to do it.

"Fast idle lever"? What the hell is that? Doesn't your EFI have an automatic enrichment circuit/function?

Ah how well I remember those halcyon fun filled action packed days of youth gone by, of turning on the petrol, priming the carbs, turn on the ignition, kicking the crap out of my old two stroke then actually getting on the bike and kicking the kick start to hopefully make it go. Then have it stop every time it rained.

Maybe my old 2-smoke wasn't old enough. Turn it on, then first or second kick every time. (Even my old 500 Mutant was mostly trouble-free to start, even without either the automatic or manual compression release systems being installed).
Apart from that one time, at band camp, when I didn't notice the kill-switch was off, and kicked it about 15 times, then noticed, flicked it back on, kicked it, it had had enough of being kicked, and kicked back.
Bloody thing just about wrecked my knee: it shot it up into the bolt on the bottom of the mirror. After much cursing, rubbing, hopping around in circles with my eyes watering, I was almost able to hobble...

Actually, in some ways, the days of getting the whole starting ritual just right or the bike wouldn't go, were a bit special. Yeah, the sometimes unreliable bikes could be a worry, but motorcycling was raw and exciting in them days.

[Ghost Lemur]

Some of us, but not all. I'm certainly not

You're right, you're not. You are just young, impressionable and spending way to much time on here.

[Coyote]

You're right, you're not. You are just young, impressionable and spending way to much time on here.

Rather be riding