Far too many serious and meaningful discussions being posted of late so please let me pose a truly dumb question now: How do we reach the fuel tap and the choke when the airbox is pretty much sealed by carbon fibre panels and snorkel tube or two while we are at the track? Screen door hinges and a long spring come to mind but I suspect that isn't the popular setup... Cheers, fmcd
I'm pretty new to this but if you're asking how you choke the bike for a morning start, pop the tank, start it, fasten the tank back down. Seriously, get a starter tool. Start the bike while the warmers are still on, no bump starting. I'm always on my own so it was a must.
Yes, RS125 looking for a manageable way to do that with gloves and one-handed so I don't need to set the carby up with a high idle like a street bike. I typically just bump start but maybe starting on the rear stand would be the ticket. Thank you. I have that starter tool but the installed nut loosens off too easily, do people loctite them in place?
My starter tool is the larger size, don't need the starter nut. Previous owner showed be how to do it with bump start but damn what a circus. Pin that holds tank down out Lift tank, choke Bump start Choke down Left elbow across tank while blipping throttle with left hand Tank clip in with right hand Assuming you're right handed. Then I just bought the tool.
So it can be a little tricky by yourself in the morning when you need to turn the choke off, but I do it all the time by myself. And this is with the starter tool and only needing the choke in the morning when you first warm it up. You don't need the choke any other time. And I turn on the gas in the morning and leave it on all day unless pulling tank for draining and measuring gas (never got a scale to weigh) or changing jet or cleaning out sand (I hate CMP). Tank pin pulled and choke on. Left hand reached across to throttle, brace drill against right leg and start. Put drill down after it stops spinning and switch hands so that right hand is on throttle. Pull up tank with left hand and put the front end of the tank under chin. Push down/turn off choke with left hand. Put tank back down and put in pin with left hand. Stand there and let warm up and blip throttle to piss off Broome. Depending on ambient temp, you might want to warm it up some at the beginning of the race before the one you are in. That's just throttle with left hand, starter with right against leg, then switch to right hand on throttle. Warm it up a little (about 40C) and let it die so you can hear the race calls (and so your neighbors can hear them also). Then if you are by yourself, it's probably easier to just bump it off for the race (it's always been pretty easy to push just a little bit in neutral and then I use first gear to bump it off). You can strip off warmers, take it off front stand, start with starter and then push it off the rear stand if you want to...
Never did this myself but I had a friend who had a TZ250 w/o chokes. It seemed to be considered a 'Go Fast' idea from a previous owner. As a remedy when the bike was cold, he would tip the bike so the float bowls would leak into the venturi and then just push start. If it doesn't start within three steps, something isn't right....
You need to put a little door on the left side of your airbox that allowed access to the carb. Mine had one and I can't imagine starting that bike up without it.
My 98 has a Sebimoto carbon airbox with a side panel held in place with two little-wee screws. If I can find a near-perfect hinge setup then maybe as a spring closure reminiscent of yo screen door to eliminate the PIA of a dzus closure. Yet more elegant may be a cable choke. Matters not whether such a cable choke is from a snowmobile or whatever as long as it's from a Keihin-equipped whatever and fits the RS carbie.
People pulled the chokes off because it made jetting changes easy... less cables to deal with. Plus you very rarely used them.