Do you have to let it warm up?

I've heard a lot of guys talk about letting their bike (non-veefers) warm up before riding. However, in the MOM, no mention of letting the bike warm up is made. Further, when setting the idle speed, it suggests some stop and go riding to warm it up.

To warm or not to warm?

 

My rule is to not hop on and place her in gear til the digital temp gauge registers.
A wrench friend of mine told me that is a good practice. Not sure how necessary it is. Can't hurt i guess. Gives "the juices" time to get flowing.

 

Well good question, my take on it is if you are in the south part of the states where it rarely gets below 50 and you have a 6th gen. nothing wrong with hop on and go. I say that due in part to how the new machines are being made. Now for my 4thG I warm her up a bit when I see the needle in my case come off the stop I feel things are okay to go. Being one who flies helicopters, I'm one that makes sure things are in the green. But again with the new machines And I've received this info from shop techs it's okay to start right out of the gate. New metals and oil alonfgwith better FI systems is a big part, plus there's a move in thinking the less you run an engine the better for the environment. I'll warm mine up most of the time, in the summer and lets say it sat for 3-4 hours luke warm to the touch. I'll still just jump on and go, I'd say any thing over a 10 hour period then I give her a minute before I take off.

 

When the air temperature is right down I let her warm up, ride off and keep the revs moderate for a few more minutes before having fun. Summer time and the warm up is the same routine just a tad shorter in the time taken.

 

I am a noob here, but in my experience with computer controlled fuel inj. you should let it come off fast idle before driving off. That allows enough time for the oils and coolant to start flowing and doing what they are supposed to do.

 

Just ride but

My thoughts are - just ride, but quietly until at least the engine temperature reaches its normal operating temp.

If you let it idle, you're only warming up the motor.

If you ride, you're warming up tyres, gearbox brakes etc

 

Pretty much what I do, mind its also to not annoy my neighbours too much with my Carbon ARROW. :wink:

 

this is one that gets posted often. do we have an FAQ section?

you'll probably never ride your bike into the ground anyway, so i say do what you want. if you're still riding this bike in 10 years, then MAYBE you'll see negative effects of cold riding.

i say start her up, giver her a minute and ride out. keep it moderate for a few minutes, then enjoy.

 

I'm usually running late. So its a jump on and go. Don't seem to get full power when engine is cold so I trickle around for a couple miles first.
Glad to hear I won't kill the engine. thanks for the tips on a redundant post.

 

Oil is the life blood of all internal combustion engines made from metal. I always crank my babies up and let the oil circulate. my dad always told me that there is more engine wear occurring within the first minute of starting then any other time. usually by the time i get my helmet fastened and and gloves, stereo/2-wayradio on
temp is usually over 140

 

This is one of those things, like oil, break in and tires, that you will hear very vehement responses and that don't match each other. I can only tell you what I do. This is from reading opinions on the subject and talking to many people who know more than I and that I trust. I don't necessarily let it warm up usually, but until the temp shows in normal operating range, I do ride it more gently. From shifting to throttle control, I just take it down a notch and keep the revs below 5 or 6 grand. This is also the advice you get in most if not all, of the moto mags when someone writes in to their help/advice column with the same question.

Letting the engine sit in your driveway just running is thought to be potentially bad, and we aren't talking catastrophic here, for the exact reasons I can't remember, but something about the build up of bad gasses in the combustion chamber? anyone?

The strong general consensous (sp?) is what ever you do, don't just start it and ride it hard right out of the gate -- although there are some who advocate that, they are greatly in the minority (not that that would nec. make them wrong, but...).

 

For better gas mileage/performance its best to let it warm up to at least 130F on the temp gauge and ride easy until it reaches 170F on the temp gauge...Honda manual says operating temp is 170f and if i rcall it right the oil pump routes the oil thru a bypass system until the motor reaches operating temp. Need to find my factory shop service manual....FRICK where did i put it !!!

Oh well, I let my VFR warm up as i am doing my pre ride inspection so to me its no big deal to wait a extra 4 minutes...

 

And you are not getting 0 mpg like you get when it is idling.

I drive like grandpa until it reaches 150+ which doesn't take very long and never "get on it" untill it is up to operating temps.

If the oil is indeed being bypassed until the engine reaches 170 degrees it is still being circulated, just not through the filter/cooler.

 

Yep, fast idle until the temp. registers, usually around 100F, then keep it easy until 150+, which takes hardly no time at all.

 

Let it warm...doesn't hurt!

If it is a first gen, you do have to let it warm up!
(Correct me if I am wrong 1st gen owners!)

 

1st gen owner here...

Warm up is a must! You will get nowhere mighty fast... My general morning ritual to go to work is Go outside start the machine with full choke...Will not start without choke especially in New England till about June....

Once it's started I walk around the bike for a visual inspection. Found a sliver of steal in my tire last year and I caught it before it worked in... I will even sometimes do a blinker check as the Amherst PD will pull you over for looking funny...

I will then make sure my Jacket is zipped, do a crotch check for the riding pants, put on helmet and any additional cold weather gear for colder months and then gloves....

By that time I'm usually able to remove some choke and do a throttle twist and not stall it... Then it's a slow ride to the end of my street to the main road till I can verify full removal of choke. Speed of traffic ride for 1 mile then it's pour on the fun!

 

One of the many things I liked about my 2k VFR was the Fuel Injection. I still think it is a good idea to let the bike warm up a little before takin off. I usually start the bike up and then put on my helmet and glove. If it is below 50 degrees I let the bike warm up while I smoke a cigarette - if the temp is above 50 degrees, then I usually take off after getting geared up. It is important to let the oil get to everything when you first start up an engine.

 

My warm-up consist of backing the bike out of the garage, down the drive way, and a quick pause to make sure I've got everything and get situated. Maybe 2 minutes total. However, I take it slow until I the bike and tires get up to temp. This also gets me out of my housing area.

 

Let the oil circulate in the engine before you go. If you hear a ticking sound the lifters are not oiled yet. Wait for the ticking to stop then start off on your trip. If it takes a while for it to stop or it doesn't stop check the oil level. But it will get warmer the more you run it. And the bigger load on the bike will warm it up faster. When I can rev it the bike up with the choke off its considered warm to me. But the manual says wait for the temp gauge to start registering then you can go. my 2 cents worth.