Do you go to the "bar" before riding?

[eddd]

I've heard (from at least one person) that you should wait and idle bike until it shows a bar on the oil temp gauge before you take off. I've never done this on any vehicle, other than a minute or two in my Jeep when it was -25 F or there abouts.

 

Anyone let it "warm up"?

[BFish]

i take right off. my driveway is maybe 125 yards and upon exiting to the street i switch off the idle switch. not sure i'm even at 1 bar yet. keep it near 4k rpms until warmed up.

[smiller]

Anyone let it "warm up"?

Not necessary in any vehicle, and an especially poor idea for an oilhead/hexhead. Let the engine run for 15-30 seconds to get the oil pressure up and then ride off. I would try to keep the overall engine load low until I see a few bars, though.

[Boffin]

I've heard (from at least one person) that you should wait and idle bike until it shows a bar on the oil temp gauge before you take off. I've never done this on any vehicle, other than a minute or two in my Jeep when it was -25 F or there abouts.

 

Anyone let it "warm up"?

 

To quote the owners handbook for my 2004 RT, on Page 54 is the following warning.

Warning: Do not warm up the engine with the motorcycle at standstill - risk of overheating or fire!

Ride away immediately after starting the engine.

To avoid overheating the aircooled engine and possible damage as a result, avoid even short warm-up periods at a standstill.

Avoid high engine speeds after a cold start.

 

So no, I do not warm it up.

 

Andy

[OoPEZoO]

I start the bike, put it in gear, and down the road I go. I drive out of my development with it in fast idle, then turn it off right before I get on the highway (total distance is about .4 miles)

 

I do take it easy until it gets warmed up.

[smiller]

There you go Andy, reading the manual again...

[topdal46]

gee,, I heard of you run around the motorcycle in a clockwise direction, you'll get better gas mileage, who do you want to believe?

[eddd]

i take right off. my driveway is maybe 125 yards and upon exiting to the street i switch off the idle switch. not sure i'm even at 1 bar yet.

 

Actually, I do about the same myself: Start it in the garage, back out, do a 180, return the lever to normal, and ride off keeping the rpms down.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

To quote the owners handbook for my 2004 RT, on Page 54 is the following warning.

Warning: Do not warm up the engine with the motorcycle at standstill - risk of overheating or fire!

 

That ain't no urban legend, either: a few members have fallen victim to this phenomenon. The exhaust headers heat up rapidly on high idle, and if there's no air moving over them, they'll get red-hot before long. A mild case means bubbling of the paint on the tupperware immediately adjacent to the headers; a severe case means your bike burns to the ground.

 

Start the engine; let it stabilize for 15-20 seconds; then ride away. Keep RPM's moderate and loads light until you get a few bars on the temp gauge.

[Lester V]

I'm from the Richard D. Frantz school of thought. 1 bar and drive off slow until full temp reached. My plastic by the headers is as new.

Here is what RD had to say:

 

Warm Up

Typical advice about an air or oil cooled engine is to start it and drive off, then drive moderately until operating temperature is reached. That's supposed to get the engine to operating temperature most quickly, and thus expand things to their best tolerances. Less wear that way.

 

Crap!!!

 

Tests show that running an engine at about 1250 rpm, with no forward (cooling) motion, warms it up fastest IN A MANNER that produces the LEAST WEAR. This is according to the engine builders for MG and Jaguar, circa 1968.

 

In 1982 I bought two Honda Civic CRX's, for my (ex)wife and myself. We drove the same route to work (a tough mountain commute), except for the last 7 miles. Hers needed an engine rebuild at 80,000 miles. Mine was traded-in at 125,000 miles with no rebuild.

 

Religiously, I warmed my engine up before driving off. She didn't.

 

Whether new, or mature, engines wear less destructively if warmed up properly before normal operation.

[Ken H.]

circa 1968

I think that pretty much tells that whole story right there.

 

Fortunately engine technology has advanced in the last 39 years!

[E30TECH]

BMW does not recommend warming up their cars either.

 

I always warm my vehicles before driving. Even the RT got warmed up, until I read some of the problems that people had.

 

I do the same as some of the others here, start, fast idle for a 1/2 mile or so, then flip the fast idle down.

[Firefight911]

circa 1968

I think that pretty much tells that whole story right there.

 

Fortunately engine technology has advanced in the last 39 years!

 

That and the idea of listening to two manufacturers who revered LUCAS ELECTRICS for crimeney sakes!!!!

[Paul Mihalka]

This is funny. Pretty much my first discussion on BMWRT.COM, many years ago, was with Dick Frantz about the starting up and warming of the oilhead engines. He was on the start and warm up before you ride side, I was on the start and ride side. We finally agreed to disagree

I sold my '99 RT two years ago with 170K miles in perfect no oil use condition and it is still running strong with it's current owner. That's good enough for me.

[AndyT]

I love Andy quoting directly from the manual. Puts everything into clear, simple and truthful perspective!

[Urban Surfer]

On a long trip in pouring rain my RT ran at two bars for several hours at 120 kmh. Was it warmed up?

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

On a long trip in pouring rain my RT ran at two bars for several hours at 120 kmh. Was it warmed up?

 

I'd say you've got a broken thermostat. Spring '05 I came home from El Paseo (600 miles); it was 33F (1C) most of the way, with snow and sleet for the final three hours. Engine stayed at five bars the whole time.

[Bob Palin]

On a long trip in pouring rain my RT ran at two bars for several hours at 120 kmh. Was it warmed up?

Mine does that too, I assume it's the rain keeping the sensor cool, the oil actually in the engine will be the normal temperature.

[dhb]

riding up here in the rain, even in the summer, usually results in 2 bars on my GS's RID.

Dave

[BUMWA]

Dunno from bars, but I have found that if got down near freezing overnight and the bike was left outside, it will stall when I release the clutch lever into Neutral. I asked service about this and they said that I should let it warm up a minute in Neutral to get the juices flowing--just long enough so that it doesn't stall...

[redryder]

On a long trip in pouring rain my RT ran at two bars for several hours at 120 kmh. Was it warmed up?

Mine does that too, I assume it's the rain keeping the sensor cool, the oil actually in the engine will be the normal temperature.

 

My RT always warmed right up to 5 bars. Then, last fall I switched over to Mobil 1 and took it to DV. The morning of the second day, in Arkansas, we started the day in the rain and temps around 50 degrees. My bike never got above 3 bars for over 60 miles. The the rain stopped, but with the roads still wet, the temp warmed to 4 bars. Finally, after 100 miles, the roads dried and I got my customary 5 bars. I figured it was the water on the cooler pulling the heat out of the synthetic oil better than with dino oil. Don't know, but that was just my guess. As for the sensor being cooled, I have always been under the impression that the sensor for the oil temp was in the side of the engine, where the oil returns from the block. I was under the (false?) impression that the temp sensor was internal and not capable of being cooled by water. And, to support my claim further, I have not had my oil temp drop after it's heated to 5 bars, even when driving in torrential rain or bitter cold. So, I throw myself at the mercy of the better informed to set me straight. Please be gentle on me though, I'm still recovering from an illness I've had since November, and in addition to being heavily medicated, I've also not been able to ride Artie for quite a spell now.

[Ken H.]

There have been a couple of different iterations of thermostat location from early R1100's to later R1100's to R1150's which may explain the different experiences in the rain.