Sounds like the same excuses Harley riders use for constantly rapping the throttle........(ducking for cover).
Yes, and yes. It was an air cooled bike. You might say air cooled engines are also liquid cooled, with the liquid being premix, which is why they usually are made not to idle. They will often tie up just as you roll them shut at the end of a straight as the big charge of gas goes away, and it helps to have the slides come all the way down to pull gas through the pilot. They are especially prone to doing that if the slides and pilots are off. Us old guys also may have a hand over the clutch lever right then. And water cooled two strokes are completely different in terms of the ease of keeping them alive, and in terms of tuning them more razor sharp, and less conservatively.
Another aspect is the air entering the crankcase. This provides a lot of cooling. There is a lot more air than premix in every WOT intake stroke.
Save it for important functions like weddings and such. Question: 125s with sealed airbox means one hand maintaining throttle and the other lifting the half-full tank, fumbling around in there for the choke button without yanking the breather line off the cap or erupting in flames. Any good techniques for making this work? I know about starter tools but there are drawbacks with those namely thread pitch, under load starting a bike the starter adapter can detach. PIA.
For me, choke is only the first start of the morning. My starter tool is the larger diameter, no need for the reverse thread starter nut If all else fails, or to be extremely lazy: Doc-Z Rolling starter was purchased because I'm too lazy to push a big 650 air cooled twin. Will use it for the 125 as well. However, for that original morning start: Lift tank, pull choke Insert lock pin so when you rest the tank it has a nice gap to slide your hand in later throttle with right hand Stand on left side of bike with starter drill (bike is on stands with warmers) Start bike Place drill on the ground slide hand under tank and depress choke Warm up and don't bother securing the tank until I shut the bike off. Restart after 20-30 min to make sure it's warm enough to start without choke. I'm almost always by myself with no help. Edit: On a bump start, I personally wouldn't do it with gloves and I would make sure I have room to slide my hand under the tank to depress the choke once it starts, also not mess with securing the tank until I'm done warming up
Much appreciated! I'm guessing the starting tool you mention fits the 30mm hex and is also a sprag-clutch kind of thing? Who sells that version if still available? I am obliged to start on choke once or twice on race day so I will check on my jetting, yours may be one size richer pilot or such. Thanks!
The nicest 2 stroke guy you will ever meet. Leonard http://www.tso.us.com/ http://www.tso.us.com/parts-book/honda/0125rs125/amp/starter/starter.asp
How about a temporary gas tank just for warming the motor up ? Plan B. Custom fitted plug for the air inlets in the fairing ? Think: holding your hand over the mouth of a carb to choke it.
If you want to save a few bucks, buy dieterly's tool....LOL Those things don't wear out, in my experience, and it will make your life so much better. @Algonquin how old are you and how long have you raced?
Rob I am fairly new to 2-strokes last season was my first but better late than never, I love it! Raced since 1982 and just turned 68. Why not I ask...
Awesome!!!! That is so cool. I will PM you my phone number. I'm not as knowledgeable as some, and I'm sure I forgot a bit, but my son raced a RS125 for 3 years and at the end I taught him how to rebuild the motors, because I was getting tired of working on it. So, I'm sure I can help you too, if you like.
Our 2 stroke Minis idle just like a boat engine. They are basically stock though I alway use a wiseco RC piston. I had an 85 this year that did not idle and went through many paths until I found the true culprit which apparently was the hidden o-ring under the Jet holder,; I confirmed this by swapping carbs finally and was rewarded by a bike that now idles. this is the second time I have "fixed" the idle problem on a bike by replacing carbs the other being a KDX 200. All I am saying is keep looking for fault through all means necessary including doing what seems crazy sometimes.