To Let Idle or Not?
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Okay, guess I have to believe you.. but, why?
I've always let my bikes warm up a couple mins. for first start of the day, after that I just start, gear up (helmet/gloves) and go. With the V2k the first start is a fairly longish idle just cause I've read my oil level cold and it sits well below the low line till it warms up.
Oil? Oil? Weeeee don neeeed no stikin oil! :tongue:maybe he forgot to mention he started it before adding the oil.
I get people who make excuses everyday
Friend took her new Ford Exploder in for an oil change. They changed the oil, but never put the drain plug back in! She got a new engine. :redface:
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Why on earth would you let a car idle overnight, and multiple times at that?
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Failed Suicide attempt. Garage was too leaky. None of these guys addressed if the bike was air cooled or water cooled. Funny about that. An air cooled bike, put your gear on, start the bike then go. Water cooled, not that much of an issue. This thread is so old it has a patina on it. 
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I know people in Minnesota that have plug in dip sticks. These things get really hot. Their cars turn right over, even when the cars are a a good 5 below zero. These cars are garaged though, and that makes a difference. At a Yamaha/Suzuki dealership I worked at the guy came into the shop, and left his on the centerstand idlingling. I believe it was a GS550. He was in there a really long time, and I remember him exclamating "I left my bike running!". He came back in saying it had shut off, and it wouldn't start. He seized the top end. The pipes went from chrome to blue. From what I remember, he went to a 1st overbore, new rings pistons, etc, and had rebuild the top end too. The bike was only a few weeks old. We gave him a litle break on the rebuild, he did buy the bike from us. It paid off though, a few years later, he purchased a GS750. I never let my bikes idle. The '83 GS750ES motorcycles were so cold blooded, you were supposed to start them and take off with the choke on, and just lower itadter a couple of miles. The temperature gauge on that bikes rarely gets past the middle, even on 100 degree days.
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Like I said "if you cannot plug in your car"... if a plug is available then there is no excuse for idling a car all night.
I am not surprised the guy on the GS550 ruined his air-cooled engine by letting it idle. If I am setting carbs and need to idle my air-cooled bikes for anything more than a minute or two, I put two large fans to blow air on the engine.
I am not surprised the guy on the GS550 ruined his air-cooled engine by letting it idle. If I am setting carbs and need to idle my air-cooled bikes for anything more than a minute or two, I put two large fans to blow air on the engine.
Actually, it can be. Both my water cooled in-line 4 bikes will overheat if left idling on an 85-90 degF day. The mfr went from a 1 fan straight radiator to a 2 fan curved radiator for more cooling in 2006 and in 2013 incorporated a 20 minute cutoff if left idling.Failed Suicide attempt. Garage was too leaky. None of these guys addressed if the bike was air cooled or water cooled. Funny about that. An air cooled bike, put your gear on, start the bike then go. Water cooled, not that much of an issue. This thread is so old it has a patina on it.
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My 1984 GPz900 liquid cooled does not like to idle or it will try to overheat on a hot day stuck in traffic.
A manual fan switch override fixed it.
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