How long should it take for an 11 to warm up?

[planedick]

Just

About the time I need to get my helmet and gloves on. Starts with no choke, throttle lock holding at 1500 rpm while backing out of the garage, then I just go.

[Ken Talbot]

Could also be that the spring failed and the ball is still in there JAT

Much more likely that the ball is rolling around on the PO's workshop floor. The good part is this size of ball bearing is readily available as they are used in all kinds of things. My stock of spares cames from some low-budget drawer slides.

[Larrym]

Extended ForePlay or Ready-to-Go.

My regular practice:

If the bike engine is cold to the touch (no gloves...) like the initial start-up after sitting overnight I pull the lever out to full, turn on the petcocks, check the kill switch position is in the on/run position, turn on the key, and hit the starter button. Fires right up. (Won't start without full choke...)

I put my hand in front of the head light to make sure it's on, pull the front brake to check it feels firm and turn around to see if the brake light went on. Then I do the same to the rear brake. I then get off the bike and close/lock the garage door. (Less than a minute total...) Get back on the bike and push the lever in to half-way. This drops the idle down so when I pull in the clutch and hit first gear it won't chatter or CLUNK severely.

I drive less than 500 feet like that until I hit the main roadway. After I get out of first gear I push the lever all the way in. Easey-peasey-Japanesey for the first Mile.

I kinda use the full choke only to start from "cold-as-a-frog" and then as soon as possible get underway. (Less than a minute...) As soon as I'm actually moving the bike I'll switch to the half-way position. With no choke at all and not fully up to temp the bike still has enough grunt to do what it needs to do to move down the road. If I stop and idle before going a mile then the idle is a little low and rough.

Also, if I let the bike cool down to the point of being able to touch the cooling fins without saying "Ouch!!" I usually use the half-choke as a guarantee that it'll start/run. Without that Half-way choke the odds are 50/50 that I'll have to hit the starter button twice.

[bikerphil]

My 79F: Start on full choke if below 70F, half choke above 70F. Let her idle for about 20 sec. then choke all the way off and let her run for about a minute with throttle held open a bit with throttle thumbscrew (custom).

My 79SF: Will not start on anything other than full choke regardless of temperature. Let her run on full choke for 30 sec. then choke off, throttle open a bit held with custom throttle lock.

Every 11 I have ever started and ridden has had it's own distinct personality.

[cywelchjr]

The only time I ever use full choke on mine is in the winter, and then its usually for about 30 seconds or so, then to half choke. By the time I get the half block to the stop sign, I turn the choke off. The rest of the day I generally never use the choke, although it won't idle on it's own for about 45 seconds or so. This is the way both my Yamaha's have been unless there was something wrong, and I've had my XS400 since it was just a few years old, and I got it from my Uncle, and it worked the same for him right from new.

Now in winter, if it's gotten cooled off, then I have to use half choke all the time, but even in the morning during the summer I never use more than half choke.

[ManagerMike]

Quick question.....

After going to/from work yesterday bike ran fine. Let it sit about 3 hours...then went to get gas for today.... pulled the choke out, hit the starter and it fired right up....let it sit about 15 seconds (due to being about 65-70 degrees out), snapped the choke back in and it idled just at 1000 rpms....usually idles about 1200....took off to gas station.

i noticed the choke went in rather hard, and now the bike is weak on the low end...after 3000 on the tach, lurches like it was shot out of a cannon.... then on decel, starts running ragged again below 2500 rpms....and will barely idle at 1000.....in neutral, rev it, and it pops on decel like its starving for go-juice....

Any thoughts????

Sorry, just can't concenter...conceiet.....concentrate...looking at your avatar

[Larrym]

Set Screws: Set till they're Not Set...

Quick question.....

After going to/from work yesterday bike ran fine. Let it sit about 3 hours...then went to get gas for today.... pulled the choke out, hit the starter and it fired right up....let it sit about 15 seconds (due to being about 65-70 degrees out), snapped the choke back in and it idled just at 1000 rpms....usually idles about 1200....took off to gas station.

i noticed the choke went in rather hard, and now the bike is weak on the low end...after 3000 on the tach, lurches like it was shot out of a cannon.... then on decel, starts running ragged again below 2500 rpms....and will barely idle at 1000.....in neutral, rev it, and it pops on decel like its starving for go-juice....

Any thoughts????

Tom,

Possible that one (or more...) of the teeny levers that move the choke plungers has bent itself or slipped out of position??? They're only secured to the main rod/slider with a set screw.

Prob'ly have to remove the tank at least to get a good view and/or get a flathead screwdriver in there...

[yamtom]

balls n the lack of them

Hi ,

The OP seems to have missing choke balls, I recall them being one eighth of an inch,if I remember correctly. Just get one from a pro bicycle dealer and try it. In my area, loose balls arent avaialble at all at auto parts stores. If you have an industrial supply store in your area, they should have them. If your springs are missing, I believe it may be possible to use one from a ball point pen if its cut down, other wise you could check a full service hardware store.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Hi guys, my 11 takes a few minutes warming up before I can turn the choke off and even then it takes a mile or two to really warm up and run completely normally. I know these bikes were built during the beginning of the emissions crack down and are jetted lean, but is this normal? Your thoughts/experiences?

1st, click on user CP (upper left tool bar) and add your bike info please Next, don't care what heat I take, as a XS owner in 1979, I might know something as to how they start/run. Like I said, if all is right, "full choke" start, glasses on, bike upright and choke to 2nd, rev, pull in kick stand, the choke off (less then 2 min's so far) Quick rev and off you go This is how they worked new and this is how they should work now (cool to warm weather) All this "each bike is diff. stuff" just means someones bike is not running right, they "ALL" ran like I am telling you back in 1979, I know, was on more of these new back then then almost anyone

[Welsh1100]

Warm-up

My 79 xs1100 standard (52k original miles now) fires up nicely with half choke. After 1/2 block I go "normal" choke. I run NGK bp6es plugs. While full choke makes it fire up quicker...it takes only moments for the rpm's to climb to high revs. My concern for "spinning" bearings...running a cold engine at high "R"s causes me to se this start-up echnique.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Ok

My 79 xs1100 standard (52k original miles now) fires up nicely with half choke. After 1/2 block I go "normal" choke. I run NGK bp6es plugs. While full choke makes it fire up quicker...it takes only moments for the rpm's to climb to high revs. My concern for "spinning" bearings...running a cold engine at high "R"s causes me to se this start-up echnique.

OK, just me again, but i have read many who say their bikes rev to 4000 rpm with the choke on full I am saying, from starting many of these bikes back in 1979-80, that is not right (mine did the same when I got it with Mac exaust and PO's handy work. After re-build of carbs and install of OEM exaust, it starts on full chock, rev's to 2000 or so and kicks down to 1300 rpm on 2nd choke, this all takes about 1 min. From there it is off to the races ALL the XS bikes I have rode (and ther have been some) worked this way then and mine works this way now