choke on and idling a katana 600

[niko44]

Hey I have a katana 600 2003 I recently bought.to get it to run I have to leave it on with the choke on for about 5 mins till it goes to around 6k rpm and then I can turn off the choke and it will idle once warmed it idles fine at 1.2k rpm.is this too high(the rpm) or too long(the time it takes to warm up)?I feel like 5 min of full choke is probably too much and something needs replacing.am I doing the proper procedure to start up this bike?and if anybody knows whether this is a.sign of trouble and what it could possibly mean(as in what I have to replace) I'd be really grateful for the information.thanks

[arsenic]

Yes, 5 minutes is WAY too long for a warm up time. You're carbs are dirty, in particular, the pilot jets. They aren't allowing the full amount of fuel too pass at idle. So, you need to clean your carbs.

[niko44]

Yes, 5 minutes is WAY too long for a warm up time. You're carbs are dirty, in particular, the pilot jets. They aren't allowing the full amount of fuel too pass at idle. So, you need to clean your carbs.

Interesting.bike runs fine after its warm however.after those 5 mins, it will idle with choke off.

[arsenic]

The 5 minutes is the problem. Unless it takes you that long to put you're jacket, helmet, and gloves on. That's how I always did it. Started the engine, threw my gear on, turn the choke off, left.

[niko44]

The 5 minutes is the problem. Unless it takes you that long to put you're jacket, helmet, and gloves on. That's how I always did it. Started the engine, threw my gear on, turn the choke off, left.

True.I don't mind the waiting time but if its harmful to the bike I definitely will fix it.so I definitely plan on cleaning them next week.do i need any specialized tools to do the carbs cleaning?(ill read up a lot before i do it)do you think it will be a great time to replace spark plugs as well, I ask because I heard this could also be the problem, if so what spark plugs are best for an 03 katana used for commuting.any other TuneUp or tweak that I could do while cleaning the carbs to save time?thanks for your help you have been really helpful.

[ofb]

Whilst you're in there..........check condition of the air filter ...and if you don't know the service history of the bike.........you might as well do oil and filter change too

[PAIN]

I choke mine for about a minute. When I turn the choke off it usually idles at about 1200. I hold the throttle at 1500 till it revs itself to about 3000. 1500 is normal idle at operating temp on mine, or just a bit below that... When it revs to 3000, I know the cylinder temp is high enough that the fuel isn't sticking to the cylinders anymore and is burning completely. My thought is dumping more gas into cold cylinders is just going to wear the cylinders faster. Gas dilutes oil and washes it off. My engine never gets really run till it hits a decent temp, but that's just me. This time varies with the ambient temperature. On a hot day it might take 1 minute, on a cold day it might take 5.

[niko44]

It's not too cold around here at this time in south florida so i don't think i should be taking 5 mins to get warm from FULL choke.I'm also getting terrible mpg...gonna have to turn reserve on at 80 miles after i filled.That's like 20 MPG.I'm thinking thats another thing pointing to dirty carbs and needing new spark plugs or maybe its just the fact that i have to choke it for so long for it to warm.Just need some reaffirmation but i do plan on cleaning carbs,replacing spark plugs, filter and oil.And another question i would have is...you don't think it'd be too hard for a motorcycle noob such as me to do all 4 of these things?I plan on doing them myself but i do plan on reading up a lot on it before i attempt it.

[niko44]

Hey im still looking to know if anybody could spare the knowledge!

I was also wondering if somebody could recommend a specific oil filter that works well.

[WebDevDan]

I'm in Lauderdale and my '06 750 is ready to ride after about 30 seconds. If you're further south than me and taking that long to warm up, yeeeeeeeeeah carbs. My Virago was having some personal issues like that before I sold it back in December.

I've never done the carbs on a bike before, but I had a guy do my girlfriend's XJ600 for $250 (and he came to me, and did them in the parking lot on a sunday morning).

Aside from the colossal pain in the butt the fairings are, the oil, plugs, and air filter shouldn't be too hard. I've not changed my own filter yet (only had the bike a month) so I can't make any recommendations (sorry). The only thing I find annoying about doing the air filter is having to lift the tank.

[Wild-Bill]

EMGO works for me but do a search on "oil filter" There's a NAPA filter that fits and apparently works pretty well.