I have a 2003 250R and in this cold Bay Area weather (55F ), startup is a pain. I give it half-choke for about 30 seconds, then pull the choke off and let it idle for a few minutes, then start riding.
But my neighborhood is full of stop signs. My first ride off is 1st/2nd gear for about 30 seconds @ ~25 mph, then I come to a stop sign. I downshift from 2nd to 1st to stop, then the engine stalls. I restart it (which happens quickly), turn right, go 100 ft till the next stop sign. Engine stalls. Restart it, turn right at a stop light. Go about 1000ft (3rd), and _maybe_ if I'm lucky the engine has warmed up enough that it won't stall when I'm idling. After this it generally behaves as the temperature bar is ~40%. Sometimes I have to rev the engine while I'm clutching and downshifting to 1st, to prevent the engine from stalling.
Anyone know what I should do to remedy this? Thanks.
Thanks, this seems like exactly what I need. Warm idle is at about 1krpm -- is that too low? Leaving the choke on while riding till warm does solve the problem, but I searched somewhere here where it said not to do that. Guess it's a matter of preference.
There is nothing wrong with leaving the choke on while riding until it is warm. Just don't forget to turn it off when up to operating temp. I grew up on a farm with old tractors and atv's and i have been doing this for years. Not one single problem from it. ever.
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There is nothing wrong with leaving the choke on while riding until it is warm. Just don't forget to turn it off when up to operating temp. I grew up on a farm with old tractors and atv's and i have been doing this for years. Not one single problem from it. ever.
Location: Chesapeake, VA '06 ZZR fighter, 05 VTX-1300
Posts: 14,613
A rejet won't hurt either, or at least get the idle mixture screws on the carbs turned out a couple of turns. This helps with cold start up as well. When you get those set correctly you shouldn't need the choke to start the bike until you get down to 50° or lower.
And yes, keep the choke on for about the first mile or so, or until you've gotten past all those pesky stop signs. Also, you're wasting time and fuel by letting the bike sit and warm up for several minutes at a time. Open the choke, start the bike, get your helmet and gloves on, take off, then shut off the choke as described earlier.
Now that it's cold, make sure your tire pressures are correct. A bit off topic, but it's something people tend to forget about when the temps dip down in the winter.
Personally I open the choke all the way while i put my jacket and gloves on. No need for any throttle, the revs will shoot up but as the bike gets up to running temp, the choke will pull back to about half way on its own. I slip the choke back another quarter and ride off.
Two advantages to this.
1. As i said in another post, by getting your jacket and gloves on outdoors you are acclimatising yourself to the outside temperature especially first thing in the morning when youve been tucked up in bed all night.
2. I'm the impatient type and hate standing around scratching my head waiting for the bike to get up to temp.
Not saying the others are wrong, just this is what I do.
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250R - Startup is a hassle
), startup is a pain. I give it half-choke for about 30 seconds, then pull the choke off and let it idle for a few minutes, then start riding. 
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