When to use the choke

[Dave Dark]

Hi Forum!

I've had my 2010 since April and gone about 3500km. I had hoped to have driven more by this time but there is still plenty of season left if the weather keeps being this good.

I have a question about the choke. As you know it is a new bike and I wasn't expecting to have any problems with it. When I start a day of riding I'll turn the choke on all the way and then start it and it warms up fine. I got used to using the choke all the time, even when I was restarting it after I had only parked it for about 20 minutes. Eventually, if I started the bike with the choke on and I had been riding it an hour before it wouldn't start so I began starting it as the manual said - no choke but an 1/8 of throttle. That worked fine for awhile but I went to a meeting around 7 in the evening and came out around 9 and tried to start the engine without any choke and it didn't turn over. It was strange because earlier in the day I left it for about 3 and 1/2 hours and it started with just a little throttle. I ended up putting on some choke and it worked fine. The temperature has also been fluctuating widely. Some days this month were scorching 35 Celsius plus and some days were downright cool 13 Celsius. That particular evening it was quite cool. Could weather be affecting the bike in this way?

All your expert advice would be appreciated. Is this a common issue with all bikes? Is there something I should be checking out or maintaining an eye on? Am I just being a tad too anal about my bike?

All comments will be appreciated!

[blaine]

Sounds perfectly normal.As the evenings get cooler,you will need more choke,at shorter intervals.These bikes are set very lean from the factory,and need a lot of choke when it starts to get cooler.Also wouldn't hurt to put some Sea Foam in a tank of fuel.
:cool:

[Water Warrior 2]

Think of it this way. Lay out in the driveway with your bike as the sun goes down. Betcha you will need a little help(choke) to get up and running.

[alantf]

Don't forget that if your bike has the big, plastic, 3D, Marauder logo on the tank, instead of the flat Suzuki "S", then it's the Canadian/European version (like mine). This means that the carb is set up richer than the American bikes. They run weak to comply with the American nanny laws, so ignore anything on here about carb mods. I find that I rarely need the choke, but the rule of thumb is - if it needs choke to start, then use it. You're not going to do any harm either way.

[Dave Dark]

Thanks a lot to everyone who answered. I truly appreciate it! I think I'm just a little too anal about my bike and consistently worry that something is wrong with it when everything is actually alright. Oh well! Better safe then sorry I guess! :tongue:

On another note - I just took an experienced rider course today and learned a ton. I would recommend it to anyone. The piece de resistance was that they got us to jump a two by four. I was worried the GZ250 wouldn't be able to do it but it was awesome! It made me more confident in my skills in case I meet some road debris I have no other choice but to go over!

Thanks again!

[Water Warrior 2]

I will assume the 2x4 was crossways on the road. Lengthways would be a supreme pucker moment. Just the other day at highway speeds I managed to target fixate on a piece of firewood lying lengthways. Not one of my better moments but stayed upright. The wood tried to roll as I hit it so things were a little dicey for a second. Yup, you will go exactly where you look and I do know better.