I have a coworker that rides his motorcycle to work nearly every day. He rides some sort of Ducati. Every afternoon before he leaves, he starts the bike and lets it warm up for about 3-5 minutes before he rides off. He does this in all temperatures.

Is warmup a recommended procedure for motorcycles? I can imagine something brief, like 60 seconds, just to get the oil flowing. How many of you guys do this?

 

let it warm up before riding is nice - but not really necessary unless you are in REALLY cold climae and are crazy enough to ride. the warmup IS however important before you really push the bike because the warm up affects the piston gap and other internal tolerances.

my normal proceedure (i ride down to 33* i won't ride if its cold enough to form ice) is to start the bike then let it warm up just as long as it takes me to get my helmet and gloves on. then i take it easy for the first couple miles, it should be warmed up by mile 2 in most weather.

 

oh yes - the engine temp also affects oil viscosity, ie lubrication of the engine. thick oil is not going to want to pump well at high RPM - this is another reason to take it easy and keep the engine in the lower rpm (<6000) untill its warmed up some.

 

I already apply this knowledge to the way I drive my car. I don't start "pushing it" just when the temp gauge is warm, I give it a couple more minutes on top of that because the oil takes longer to reach full operating temps.

The reason for my post isthat I was wondering if there is anything special about motorcycle engines that would makethem more susceptible to cold oprating temps than car engines.

 

not really - they all operate on the same principals. but motorcycle engines usually warm up faster due to smaller engine being less mass to heat. only other variable (but applies to cars also) is if your bike is carbed.

 

i wait til my temp gauge says atleast 120 before i take off.

 

I just bounce the rev limiter for about 30 seconds after start up. It really helps in the cold!

 

lol mark

 

+1

 

My bike is older and age and lack of maintenance by its P.O.s probably causes it's behavior, but unless I keep the choke at least halfway open for a few minutes, the bike won't idle on its own until it starts getting warm. I tried riding with the choke still on but I don't like the feeling that the bike is fighting the brakes. Riding the bike cold with the choke off causes lack of idle at every stop. I pretty much have to warm it up before I leave the house. Hopefully my next bike is F.I.