Simple Q : CBR600

Hello people,

I have been a long time lerker, first time poster, well in the last 2 years
anyway.

I have purchased a 2nd hand cbr600f4 - 1999 model.

I have some newbie questions which hopefully you can assist with:

q1. When I start the bike in the morning (I use it to commute in Sydney),
the bike will start with the choke on or off.
Although it's a bit rough without the use of the choke. So should I start it
with the choke ?

q2. If I start the bike with the choke on, how long should I leave it on ?
The manual says for 20 seconds from memory, is this enough ?

q3. Once the bike is started, how long should I wait for it to warm up
before I ride it ? At the moment, it takes about a minute to put my gear on,
and I'll keep it under 6000 rpms until the temp needle moves up.

q4. When riding on the highway, i.e. straight 80 km/h section, what is the
ideal rpm ? I have been in 6th gear and the bike is sitting on 4000-5000
rpms, is this o.k or should I only use 6th gear when going over 100 km/h ?

Thanks,

Aaron

 

Use the choke only long enough to obtain a smooth idle. If after 20 seconds
the bike will idle ok by itself, then turn it off, there's no need.

Refer to previous answer, when it's smooth will be fine.

Atleast a few minutes in winter while you are putting your gear on. Around
60 deg C is a general concensus before riding off. Just give it a few
minutes to let things come up to temp, then take it easy for 5 minutes after
you take off.

4 to 5k rpm is fine. You don't want to be sitting under 3k rpm etc. Most of
this is usually done by sound, and the natural happy spot of your motor. If
you think it's struggling, or just doesn't sound like a nice cacophony of
mechanical bliss, then change it down a gear and make it a bit happier. You
should be quite ok though.

 

I'm a lurker personally

Congrats nice bike.

Got your asbestos suit on?

In the summer I don't think you would really need to but definitely in
the winter as it makes it easier to start and I suppose slightly less
draining on the battery.

Seems about right maybe longer if it's really cold. Try a few different
times and see what's good for you.

No need.
Ride it as normal after a minute.

Ride it as you feel comfortab;e.
Ask yourself "do I have to chnage up/down often?
Do in need to quickly squirt away in heavy traffic?
If not the taller gears would be fine.
Again it's all about how you feel comfortable.

 

X-No-archive: yes
aaron wrote in message

Congratulations aaron; those are the stupidest set of questions I've ever
seen posted!
In the very very faint chance that you're actually serious then I'm sure
"use your own common sense" satisfactorially answers them.
Clem
(PS. Welcome to harsh week)

 

umm...they were serious...

thanks for the warm welcome

Aaron

 

Get yourself a copy of the owner's manual and see what Honda say.

Oh, you've got a copy of the owner's manual and it says how to use the choke
but you think that the collective brains trust of aus.moto is more
knowledgeable than a manufacturer who has been making petrol powered vehicles
for decades. We're flattered

Does the owners manual give some advice? You should be able to start riding
as soon as the engine is warm enough that it won't stall.. because at low
speed that may land you on your arse. 6000RPM sounds like a lot... it'll be
screaming it's tits off... back the choke off till it's idling at 2-2500 rpm
and see if it will idle there. Running a cold engine at 6000 rpm without load
isn't going to make it last any longer.

Use the highest gear the bike is happy cruising along at without labouring.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

Get used to it.

Boxer

 

So, your "common sense" cant work out whether your bikes owners manual
recommendation of using the choke for about 20 seconds is likely to be
right, or if perhaps the unwashed throng on usenet has done more testing
on the matter than Honda ever did and they might have some much better
answers to that question which Honda never realised?

Well, it _is_ harsh week, after all...

My answers (FWIW as a non-cbr600 owner):

1) use the choke if it needs it - if it starts and idles without it, it
doesn't need it. If it runs a little rough while its warming up, thats
cause its warming up, and they run a little rough when cold.

2) use the choke if it needs it - if it'll idle without it it doesn't
need it.

3) you'll get almost as many answers to this question as there are bike
owners. I'm in the "let it idle for 90 seconds or so while I put my gear
on, then ride _very_ gently for the first couple of minutes, and give it
5 or so mins before you _really_ get on it" camp, but thats at least as
much about getting your tires warm and your head into gear as it is
about "warming the bike up". Some people have a set temperature below
which they won't let the bike move. The _real_ inpoerant thing is don't
just jump on it and redline it down the street, but theres many shades
of grey there, do what _you_ feel comfortable with - if you've got 5
mins to spare warming it up on the sidestand, it can't _hurt_...

4) you always want to be sitting in the gear that gives you the best
compromise between low-ish revs and required acceleration - if you're
stooging along the freeway in traffic, you _aren't_ going to need to
accelerate quickly, so 6th is probably fine. If you're zipping through
the traffic running late for work, and are likely to want to zoom around
that taxi as soon as he's clear of that truck, you probably want to be
in 4th. When you're braking for turn 2 you _really_ want to be
accelerating hard on the way out up the hill into turn 3, so you're
likely to be doing 100kmh in 2nd. The important bit is that "required
acceleration" - it always changes depending on the circumstances - you
need to make sure you change with them.


big

 

But Nev, we _are_ smarter than Mr Honda!

(except you - you're a fuckwit, and Conehead - no-ones ever heard of
him, and Clem - he was wrong once, and Pat - he _never_ turns up, and
BTH - he drinks those poofter drinks, and Hammo - well, he's just Hammo,
and BVR - hes just a spamming bitch, and and and...)

big

 

Still no buyers eh!
Why not organise aus.moto bbq on footpath at next open house.

 

X-No-archive: yes
Iain Chalmers wrote in message ...

Well none of US ever designed the CX500!!
Clem

 

X-No-archive: yes

Heh heh; but I was being NICE Mike! (You should see the replies I send when
I'm being nasty!)
Clem

 

Someone DESIGNED the CX?

Gary

--
Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice

The Seven Deadly Sins of M.K. Gandhi

 

No worries. Now it's warm, shut the damn choke.


Clem's universal answer was pretty accurate: use your common
sense. Listen to the bike, does it sound happy? When you try
and accelerate, does it feel happy?

As for the 'correct' rpm at a given speed, it depends on road
conditions. If you're in a situation where you might want to
open it up and have it accelerate quickly, keep the revs up,
eg: a lower gear, but not so low as it's screaming its tits
off. Otherwise, pick whichever gear the bike will roll along
in without 'hunting'.

-----sharks

 

I'm hurt. I always get left off these lists.

-----sharks

 

BTH will gladly let you have the poofta drink position

 

You're a clever ****.

 

Yeah, its just over there, in the booth...

big (oh yeah, and that Sharkey - he's a clever ****...)

 

not so much the clever......

 

CBR600's do the most magnificent backfires. Too bad they're fuel injected
and people get a bit jumpy with the terrorist thing nowdays.