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10K views 36 replies 10 participants last post by  chronyx 
#1 ·
I had a bit of a sticky choke syndrome again, which only began in the last mile of my journey home on Friday night. As soon as I slowed from motorway speeds to a roundabout I noticed it didn't really want to tickover although the rest of the rev range seemed fine.

Due to family trouble I didn't get to have a look till just now. Anyway, I have removed the cable completely, put the plungers and springs into their holes and used the blanking plugs from the calipers as described here (by Maverick I think). It's ticking over properly again, now I'm off for a few trips round the block to see how it behaves when warmed up.
 
#3 ·
The hardest bit is not losing the spring or plunger into the belly pan when removing the choke or squeezing them back in.....

Did about 2 miles in the dark and it seemed okay. Off to ride to work on it in a little while.
 
#4 ·
I had to use the choke while I was away, must have been the petrol out there. It wouldn't start in the mornings without some choke. Fine once warm though.

Is there a throttle setting that emulates the choke? Or if you needed to use it would you be stuffed?
 
#5 ·
Well the 52 mile trip to work went well, the tickover is much steadier as is very low speed running.
 
#7 ·
No fear of that, the salt will hold them in. Actually you forget I have practically got a whole 2nd Africa twin in a box (except the engine, frame and forks, the remains of my 130,000 miler) so I have spare blanking plugs
 
#8 ·
Well seems okay so far, 120 miles up now. I was racking my brains wondering how the choke could possibly move between the start of my journey and the end of it, especially as I never touch the thing. This morning it came to me in the middle of my ride to work.

Just before the bike started misbehaving my left hand lever/mirror mount had loosened slightly, not enough to move in normal use but at 80mph on a windy day the mirror was acting like a sail. As I went to look in my mirror on that side I noticed it pointing slightly downward and my clutch lever pointing a little upward. I pushed the thing straight but it kept moving every few minutes, I ended up riding with my left index finger pushing gently on top of the clutch lever.

I reckon the movement put a bit of strain on the choke cable. It's a collection of loosely connected joints, any of which can be pulled apart enough to totally change the ration of inner and outer cable as anyone who's removed one will know.
 
#11 ·
Dya know, cos I wasn't worried about damaging the bloody things coming out they stayed in one piece. I still have a brand new genuine choke cable knocking about that I bought by accident in 2000 (thought for 40 quid it'd have the complete choke bodies on the end), saw it in it's wrapper the other day. I'll save that for if we have another ice age.
 
#12 ·
I've been riding with that fix for a while now, and it works very well - absolutely no complaints. Lovely smooth tickover and better ridability than when I first got the bike, which makes me wonder if those plungers really do move around even without tensioning the cable. I notice that Wemoto have those blanking plates now by the way.

The only downside is that I'm now seriously contemplating selling the bike and becoming bikeless for a while (money and lack of use), and (in addition to the mileage) I suspect having no choke would put people off, even though it doesn't need it and is better off without.
 
#14 ·
Unscrew the plastic choke bits that holds the little valve and spring in the choke bodies of the carburettor very VERY carefully. You should be able to unclip the valve and spring from the choke cable. Place these back in the choke body and screw in a blanking plug or if you have caliper pins spare their thread is the same - voila. No more choke no more problem :D Keep those plastic bits spare somewhere for one rainy day when you decide to make your life miserable again :cool:
 
#16 ·
leave the cable in place, put the plastic bits in your bike jacket pocket and take a 10mm open ended spanner everywhere if you're worried, the only time I've used the choke is when the bike's been stood for 3 months, or when the temperature dipped below -2°C :glasses1:
 
#17 ·
Wow, what a difference clean chokes makes. My AT's sooooo much smoother, idles sooo much better, so much better on petrol too. I would recomend cleaning them every time you have the tank off.
I found quite a bit of dirt in there so i asume once dirt gets past the rubber sleave, every time you pull the plungers out, a bit of dirt falls in. I would recomend not to use it unless it gets really cold.
The blanking scrues trick doesn't seem to work on my RD04, the thread is much bigger.
Anyway, me happy now.
Except for the brakes starting to play up now.
 
#20 ·
Are the 2 choke mechanisms at the side of the carbs?

I have the tank etc removed and all I can say is those of you who have done this easily must have 20 fingers as they look like a nightmare to get at with a spanner and then to work on!
Yes, you generally need to take the tank off, you only need the spanner to unfasten the first 1/4 turn, then use your thumb and forefinger to undo, don't use twenty fingers, there isn't enough room, you must have super-inbreds round your way the locals round here only have six fingers (although some are reputed to be webbed) :D :D
 
#22 ·
Well it all looks OK. All I can say to anyone who has attempted the offside choke plunger is ':eek::cool:' as you must have blessed hands. Nowhere to get a spanner in, and you can't even see it. That had to make do with a wiggle and the assumption that as the other one was pretty much OK this would be too. :D
 
#23 ·
Well, having read this thread I've recently been starting the @ without the choke....and indeed it works fine :cool: .....that is, after using it every time for the last 5 yrs. How is it that no choke is needed, is the pilot jet mixture naturally rich??
 
#24 ·
All Hondas seem to be very slightly on the rich side and always have been, if your bike is garaged, nice and cosilly with the central heating boiler and doesn't go out in that horrible cold winterish stuff, then my bet is you'll never use the choke again :cool:
 
#25 ·
instead of disconnecting both chokes, just disconnect one cable. that way, if you need choke on a cold day or after a period of non-use, you still have the bike starting on one cylinder. halves the chances of this problem happening.

you could even completely remove one of the choke cables from the splitter downwards, which will leave you a hole in the splitter to squirt in lubricant for time to time, to help the remaining cable stay nice and slippy.

thinking about it, you could even just run a brand new single cable all the way down from the handle bars to the carb which has the choke, using bicycle cable and stainless steel inner, and solder on a nipple.
 
#29 ·
You have to sort of lower the spring back then the cable will slip out from inside the plunger.

Got 'em both in now. :thumbup: Cheers for taking the time to reply :D
I will be disappointed if you don't manage to fire the springs across the air a few times before getting them secured in the carb, don't let me down now!:thumbright:
 
#32 ·
Just noticed you have a CRM250, did I miss that or is it a recent aqui akwi aquisi.....purchase?
 
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