smoken!!!

[nhcop]

So I fired her up today. She sounds good but she is smoking quite a bit. Is this normal for it to do after it has sat a few years? Also I am getting some smoke from the engine iteself. How do I know if the bike is overheating?

[JWR]

It is an air cooled engine, the only way for it to overheat is to set and idle for a long period of time.

Ride it and see if the smoke goes away.

[Easy Rider]

So I fired her up today. She sounds good but she is smoking quite a bit. Is this normal for it to do after it has sat a few years? Also I am getting some smoke from the engine iteself. How do I know if the bike is overheating?

I doubt that it is overheating but all that smoke certainly would make ME nervous.
Both probably will disappear with a good ride or two.......we hope.
Just keep an eye on it, especially the oil level. It might use some for a while until the rings get seated again and the seals plump up.

[Water Warrior 2]

I would think fresh oil and a filter would be in order if the bike sat for a long time.

[Easy Rider]

I would think fresh oil and a filter would be in order if the bike sat for a long time.

Oh my.
I ASSumed that he would have done that already.
Maybe I assumed too much.
And fresh GAS too.

[alanmcorcoran]

I should leave this to the real mechanics, but I have had many old Toyota's and they mostly all have a tendency to blow smoke out the exhaust (I assume that's where the smoke is coming out?) In the case of Toyota, it is common for the engines to outlast the rings (piston seals.) I've never had the head off my GZ but I am assuming that the piston has at least one or two compression rings and a oil ring or some combination thereof. Once the rings are worn, the oil tends to leak into the cylinder when it sits and accumulates in there. When you first fire it up, there is a cloud of bluish-white smoke (that smells like burnt oil.) After the initial burn the smoke subsides substantially. Most owners of Toyota beaters don't bother having the rings replaced as it doesn't tend to get much worse over time. If you have a lot of smoke all of the time, you may have a more serious problem. As others have said above - keep a close eye on your oil levels and get familiar with the differences in levels before and after riding as well as checking it when the bike is level (you can cheat a bit by shimming the side stand with a properly sized piece of scrap wood.) I don't know if you posted how old the bike is or how many miles, but if it's oldish or has more than 30K on it, it may just be normal wear. Others on here may weigh in about the merits of using a heavier viscosity in an older engine. I once had a Corolla (in the late seventies) that burned about a quart a week and I used to have a case of cheap oil in the trunk (I added about a quart every time I put gas in it.) They've gotten better since then, but it's still a hallmark of the brand.

[nhcop]

Thanks for all the advise. The bike is a 1999 and it has 3700 miles on it. It was owned by the DMV and never has seen anything but a parking lot. I have changed the oil. I will ride it for a while, monitor the oil, and hope it goes away.

[blaine]

Once it is driven for awhile the smoking should stop once the rings get worked back in.The rings get stuck from sitting around with no lubrication.I have seen this many times in the past.
Most times they will work free,especially in a low mileage engine.