FAO: Those who have disconnected the choke

[chronyx]

How well do you find your bike starts now?

I ask as before I stripped mine down, it started pretty well, with the choke disconnected.

Now, I start it, it takes a good few failed cranking attempts before one cylinder coughs. Then keep trying, that one cylinder will always cough once, and eventually catch, then the other cylinder fires, and it runs lumpily for a bit, and eventually settles down to a pretty nice even tickover.

I'll put a vid up, but that's a pretty accurate description. It's suprisingly consistent actually. Always starts, eventually. This can take around 5 minutes.

Have tried pilot screws every bloody which way. On 2¾ turns now and it stalls every third time you blip the throttle(??!!!)

Float heights? I really have no idea. Getting fed up with it now, I want to put the fairings back on but pointless when I keep taking the tank on and off...

[AIRWOLF]

My RD07a with chokes disconnected starts like your's. I don't use it in winter so can't say if it's worse in the cold, but i expect it would be. ( I find it better if i leave the fuel tap in on position. )

RD04 still has chokes connected and starts very easily, but only does about 35 to 40 mpg.

[chronyx]

Hmmm, well it's good to know someone else's does the same! Cheers

[angelo]

Hi
I just disconnected the frotnt cylinder choke. It starts easy and ticks over a bit slow on choke but does not stall even in cold Welsh winter temps.

It is infortant that any disconected choke is pushed fully in and a suitable bolt used to keep it there - all the way in is choke off.

[YEN_POWELL]

Mine's still good whatever the weather and with a battery that is at least three and a half years old if not older. That's with it running at least 4 days a week though, don't know how it would be in the cold with less frequent use.

Why don't you take it to someone with a dyno and get them to test the exhaust gases and set the pilot screws?

[JB1]

I bought my bike a 98 model 4 yrs ago so it was 7 yrs old when i bought it with 6000 miles on the clock. All the parts were still original but unsure about the battery. Anyway, I've had the bike 4 yrs and still on the same battery. Last year I cleaned the choke plungers and removed the cables. Fuel went from 180miles to a tank to hitting reserve at just over 220miles. My bike sometimes doesn't get started for anything upto 3 weeks and starts no problem. Not lumpy and fires evenly from the outset. Only problem is it doesn't tick over for about 2 mins. It is garaged though.
Hope this helps
JB1

[YEN_POWELL]

I bought my bike a 98 model 4 yrs ago so it was 7 yrs old when i bought it with 6000 miles on the clock. All the parts were still original but unsure about the battery. Anyway, I've had the bike 4 yrs and still on the same battery. Last year I cleaned the choke plungers and removed the cables. Fuel went from 180miles to a tank to hitting reserve at just over 220miles. My bike sometimes doesn't get started for anything upto 3 weeks and starts no problem. Not lumpy and fires evenly from the outset. Only problem is it doesn't tick over for about 2 mins. It is garaged though.
Hope this helps
JB1

I start and ride off straight away. The bike will tickover without stalling after about 500 yards. If I start it and don't ride off, it will take about 2 mins to tickover cleanly.

[GSPD750]

Question for people who have disconnected their choke.

WHY would you NOT want a normal operating choke on your AT?

Is it about $ or is it the grief they cause?
I realize the cable and plungers can stick..but geez..it's really quite a
simple system with a cable that splits to a couple of plungers in a bore. Remove tank..clean and lubricate.
Parts are readily available (albiet a bit pricey), but it's a small price to pay on a chilly morning when your cranking and cranking until that sound of a battery going dead.

[StumpyFingers]

Surely the engine runs rich enough to start without the choke, therefore remove it to save aggro at a later date.

[Mutley]

My chokes were put on the shelf last year and although I am lucky enough to keep the bike in the garage it always starts

I always do a bit of a ritual for what ever reason, just like I used to do with the crossers...B4 cranking it over when cold in a morning I put it in high gear, pull in the clutch and rock the bike back & forth to 'release' the clutch. Then I push it forward & let go of the clutch 2 or 3 times to actually turn the engine over. Put it back into neutral & fire it up.

Without the chokes it'll need a few revs for a minute or so then it'll idle, no problem. Running the bike out of the shed up on to the top of the garden helps to warm it up enough to then idle.

And, as Stumpy says, it runs rich anyway, even with a race pipe on.