Re: syncing carbies!

> So I can ride with the choke in, untill=20
> it gets warmed up??  That would be
> awesome news!!

You CAN do that, but just because you can do something doesn't always
make it a good idea.  The biggest problem I would see with this is the
likelihood of forgetting the choke entirely, since the bike generally
WILL run OK (apparently) with it in at least partway.

The choke does just what the name says - it's "choking" the carburetor
for air, or in other words forcing the mixture to be very rich (more gas
relative to the amount of air).  There's an ideal ratio of air to gas
(at sea level, 14.7:1 by weight), which is in a carbureted system
usually achieved over only a very narrow range of operating speeds
(actually, almost all engines are run a bit on the rich side of this
ideal).  Idling engines need to run a bit richer, as does full-throttle
acceleration - but at cruise, running too rich isn't a good thing to be
doing for long periods of time. At the very least, you're literally
throwing away gasoline, which has the additional unwanted effects of a
dirtier exhaust and possibly fouling the plugs, and just overall isn't
the greatest thing for the life of the engine.  See:=20

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=3Dquestion377.htm&url=3Dh=
ttp
://204.71.0.3/motoprof/moto/mcycle/carb101/carb101.html

...for the details.

Still, I have to admit that, in cold weather (when I have to use at
least half or more choke on the SV to get the thing started), I've
ridden off with the choke still in and not noticed a thing until I shut
'er down at work 15-20 minutes later.  Ooops.

My usual morning routine, though, is to get the bike started (with
whatever choke is needed to start and maintain a reasonable idle), and
then let it idle while putting on helmet, gloves, etc., and otherwise
Getting Ready To Face The World.  Keeping an ear on the bike lets me
gradually lean it out during this period, and I like the fact that I'm
giving it a couple of minutes to warm up and get its circulation going
(i.e., getting oil into places besides the bottom of the engine) before
I take off and start putting some faster revs on it.  By the time I
leave, I'll pretty much always have the choke all the way off.  Maybe
2-3 minutes from pressing the starter.  Who's in THAT big a hurry to
leave, anyway?

Maybe I'm being paranoid about this, but I'm coming from a background
which included some time with a flight instructor who wouldn't let you
even THINK about taxiing the plane until you'd given the engine a chance
to warm up and had properly leaned it out.


Bob M.

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