Well it was 8 degrees yesterday near me...but bright and blue, i couldn't resist. As my old grandad used to say "theres no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" so i wrapped up and had a fun few hours! There was a bit of salt n shite on the roads so it was a 3.5 hour deep clean(or meditation as i like to call it) when i got back!
Start mine for one reason only - to ride them. Occasionally put them (sequentially) on the charger - but we haven't had that thread as yet?
Imho, running up to normal operating temp may still be promoting condensation and mayonnaise inside the engine. If you are going to run the engine, it might be an idea to allow the engine to run till the fans cut in and let it run at that temp for a few minutes and then cut the motor and remove the oil filler cap to allow water vapour to escape.
Yep that's what I do, apart from taking the oil filler off. As the oil is also hot. It's what I used to do with my methanol burning race motor. Just got the oil up to temp and all the moisture came out the vents. Never had 'frothy' Oil.
Why? Fuel is running though the system, everything is up to temp battery is alway fully charged. Rings won't get a chance to take a set, the bores are getting worked. The bikes live in a heated garage so nothing gets cold.
The most wear to an engine is starting from cold. There is plenty of information about on this. How hot is your garage? 100 degrees? Having your bike sitting outside in the summer would be the same or warmer than a heated garage. You are still starting it up from "COLD". My garage is heated to 18 degrees. At this point I have no condensation. I don't start any of them until I want to ride them. But it's your bike mate, do what you want with it.
Yer it does them no good. Oil takes absolutely ages to warm properly without any load on it and engines aren't designed to sit idling either. There's various issues but oil pressure is one, bore wash is another. Condensation etc etc. Widely recognised as not being a good idea
That's absolutely right, the general consensus is indeed that most wear results from cold starts. The oil is still much thicker than it is when at operating temperature and takes time to reach camshafts and to be thin enough to squirt through oil galleries. This is why modern multigrade oils often have very low cold viscosities. That and fuel consumption. However, I would agree that a cold start from 18 degrees is much better than a cold start from zero degrees, when the oil will be even thicker. Wish I had a heated garage, I've had to resort to keeping my bike in a winter cocoon. I have a polythene membrane over the bike with fleece blankets over that. Underneath I have a little dehumidifier to keep it warm and dry.
I cannot believe this question has such stamina, really. Has anyone mechanically expert, here and beyond, asked the question "is it a good idea to start the bike over winter layup", ever said anything other than "no, it does more harm than good"?
I'm able to get to the battery quite easily on mine,plus it doesn't have an alarm. I always take the battery off and bring it indoors til spring. Try to run down the fuel as much as possible, then when it's ready to make an appearance I'll put fresh fuel in with a double-dose of FST for a few tankfuls.
I wish. Everyone seems stir crazy at the moment. I noticed it a t work before xmas, everyone was ready for a holiday. Everyone on here needs to get out on their bikes.
