choking bike during traffic

[Sev]

Quit using the choke while you ride. Go take a Rider Course. You bought too much bike. Read the beginner stickies.

What he said.

You can foul the sparkplugs if you leave the choke out all the time.

Not to mention cooking the engine by running a far too rich mixture.......

Can't cook an engine with a rich mixture. It just carbons up then fouls the plugs.

[ceemes]

Quit using the choke while you ride. Go take a Rider Course. You bought too much bike. Read the beginner stickies.

What he said.

You can foul the sparkplugs if you leave the choke out all the time.

Not to mention cooking the engine by running a far too rich mixture.......

Can't cook an engine with a rich mixture. It just carbons up then fouls the plugs.

Running with you choke on can cause your engine to over rev and overheat...that is what I meant by cooking his engine.

[Lion_Lady]

this is my 1st week on my used 2002 gxr600. i live in south florida in between retirement communities. so in other words i have seen some pretty impaired driving. understanding my worries. when i take my bike out during traffic. i keep the choke half way cause im not yet skilled in easing on the trottle under 4 rpms or such. any experiences or suggestions? or does everyone ride with the choke on a little?

The choke is an aid in starting a cold engine. It really has nothing to do with running a warmed up engine, except to foul the plugs. You're probably making it harder to control the throttle by leaving the choke on.

Since you've already bought the bike. And I see that you've been lurking here on TMC since August, I presume you know that you've probably bought a bit too much bike. Water under the bridge now... (and you see NOW why we so adamantly recommend AGAINST the race-tuned machines).

Anyway, if you haven't, please do sign up for the MSF Basic Rider's Course. It will help a lot with traffic management and slow speed control. Trust me.

What helmet did you end up getting?

P

[ceemes]

What helmet did you end up getting?

P

My guess, probably one of these

[Kibagari]

What helmet did you end up getting?

P

My guess, probably one of these

That's probably slightly better than a baseball cap.

[Skier]

One of my previous places of employment had a collection of goofy stuff around, including those propeller beanies. More than a few times I would wander around in my full riding gear and that hat on my head.

[DireWolf]

I'd sign up for the course, if you can get it.......meantime - I'd see if I could find a nice open parking lot that you can get to without exposing yourself to much danger.....

Do as much low-speed drilling as you can stand until your confidence comes up. I'm talking hours, but not all in a day. Figure-8's, tight turns, swerving, stop & go's, etc. Search the net for drills. If you're afraid of dropping the bike, see if somebody's got a smaller one you can practice on for a bit.

Don't pay any attention to the whole "sell your bike and kill yourself " vibe... I guess everybody popped out of the womb expert riders.

Let us know how it's going.

[Kal]

There is a lever on the left, we call it the clutch.

No matter how far you twist your right wrist no more power goes to the rear wheel than that lever allows.

With the bike at a stop in first slowly release the clutch until you find the bike pull forwards.

Keep doing this until you KNOW where the bite point is. Once you know where the bite point is you can 'feather' the clutch to llimit the power ging to the rear wheel.

Which means what you are doing with the right fist dosn't matter so mcuh.

Oh and the choke is for when it is difficult to start. You should never need it in Florida, it just dosn't get cold enough.

You, as noted earlier, have chosen one of the worst bikes to learn on so the aim of the game is to keep you and the bike in one piece long enough for you to know what you are doing.

For now that means getting yourself some training, some practise and wearing real motorbike gear all of the time.

[DireWolf]

There is a lever on the left, we call it the clutch.

With the bike at a stop in first slowly release the clutch until you find the bike pull forwards.

After re-reading the initial post and reading Kal's response I now realize that the question is valid.....the terminology is not. The handle in your left hand is, indeed, the "Clutch".......not the "choke". And , yes, it is very much normal to ride it some at low speeds. Have fun - be careful.

[Skier]

Don't pay any attention to the whole "sell your bike and kill yourself " vibe... I guess everybody popped out of the womb expert riders.

Let us know how it's going.

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