I'm looking at a '05 500, to buy, and the owner tells me that it takes 15 minutes to warm-up per the temp gauge. Is this typical? Does it reflect a problem?

 

depends on how long it hasn't been started and the weather. with my bike anyways. i usually get impatient and don't wait til it's completely warmed up. but in the cold, mind takes close to if not 10 minutes or more, and when it's summer/warm out just about 4-5 minutes. i dunno that's my experience

 

It does indeed reflect a problem! Depending on how long he's owned the bike, I would not buy it from this guy.
15 minutes is WAY TOO LONG to warm up any bike. One should start the bike, using the choke, then ride immediately (but gently) away. Then just keep the rpms low for the first two miles.
If you let a bike sit and idle for several minutes after starting, several very bad things happen:
~the bike will be running rich for a prolonged period of time, which both fouls plugs (shortening the life of the battery when you keep trying to restart it), but even worse, the rich condition will rinse/burn away the oil film on your cylinder walls. When you loose this oil film, the piston rings will come into contact with the cylinder walls, which is a terrific way to prematurely wear out an engine.
~running a cold engine at low-rpm also introduces pre-combustive acids to collect in the chamber which will then etch your cylinder walls, causing further damage.

I suspect the seller is simply trying to appear to have been very gentle with the engine, but if the seller has had this bike for many miles and has really been doing this for very long, this bike will have a shorter lifespan than most. If you want to have some fun with this seller, you can ask him/her if he's ever had any trouble with the bike starting (then watch his eyes very closely.) He/She has probably fouled more than his share of sparkplugs.

When you get your 500, start it and ride away immediately, but gently and at lower-rpm for the first two miles. I never let a cold engine idle longer than it takes me to put on a helmet and gloves.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
-CCinC

 

I put the choke on, start the bike, put on my jacket, helmet and gloves, get on the bike and go. Like chris, I take it easy the first bit. This is the procedure I've followed for the last two years and I've never had a problem (at least I haven't had to replace any plugs and my battery is still holding up great!)

 

Where do you live? Im in Louisiana and never get freezing temperatures............the only thing I would say to be careful for is what Chris said, be careful at first. I have noticed on some bikes that you really just need to get the carbs running smooth........engine temp doesnt really matter unless youre overheating right??

I got to ride my moron roommates SV 1000 the other day and got to power wheelie it up weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee such a rush I couldnt stop doing it after every stoplight, just wish I could ride them out

 

A lot of times your problem has a real easy solution.

The bike may just have a stuck (open) thermostat, or a bad temp sender/gauge. Of course it could be something else, but start simple.

Taking 10-15 minutes for the engine to COMPLETELY warm up DOES sound normal to me. But I am talking of ALL the parts of the engine to fully expand. The coolant alone being warmed up does not specifically mean the engine has completely warmed up.

 

i don't know where anyone would get the idea motorcycles don't need to warm up or that they warm up in seconds... 10 to 15 minutes is somewhat excessive but, they were probably telling you this not so much becuz it takes exactly 15 minutes but because they want you to TAKE CARE OF YOUR ENGINE.

if you've never been inside an engine to see what cold starts and running an improperly warmed engine can do then i don't think you should be posting on this thread... you know who you are

 

i don't think you should be posting on this forum if your going to be an A-hole about it. not everyone has seen the inside of a motor. we are here to learn part of learning is being wrong also and learning from other peoples comments. opinion's are like a$$holes everyone's got one.......

 

I disagree with your statement about letting a bike idle for 15 minutes to TAKE CARE OF YOUR ENGINE for the reasons stated in my previous post.
An engine may indeed take 15 minutes to warm up completely, but the best way to accomplish this with minimal damage to an engine is certainly not to let it idle for 15 minutes, but with gentle operation at varied throttle settings to vacate precombustive acids and large, unburnt globs of fuel resulting from the enrichener, from the chamber.
I have indeed seen the inside of a few engines. But I've seen a lot more engines damaged or destroyed from carbon build-up than I have from cold-starting. How does carbon build-up occur? Richness from overuse of the choke and from jet-kits are one way.

Are you referring to me when you say 'you know who you are.'?

 

Dang, this may become interesting....

Gotta love it when opinions become fighting words!


I know 15 minutes can be excessive for a complete warm up, but I am talking about the total possible time it takes for the block and head to expand to their operating tolerances. And no, I don't stare at my motorcycle for 15 minutes while it warms up. but I'm also thinking about the fact it's November, and in many places, it is getting cold now. Many engines will take a while to warm up in this type of weather (mine does). Of course I'm only making a generalization since I do not know what type of climate LeftyS7 lives, and I have no idea if the seller of the bike saying it takes 15 minutes to warm up is referring to the cold weather.

Heffy, I don't think any of us know exactly who you're talking about, but I remember not too long ago you commented on Notstock's avatar, saying it's too offensive, and you wouldn't be posting on this forum because of it. Now you're back, and offending everybody else for their opinion.

What gives?