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I let my 99 EVO warm up till the rocker covers are starting to get warm. Then ride slow in first gear the 1/2 mile to the highway. I have 23,000 on it without any leaks or seeps anywhere. Its working for me.
When new I was told to wait till the rocker boxes start to warm, use finger to touch and feel...
Then ride normal for 10miles or 10 minutes before U nail it, that will give all the different metals of the engine time to reach temp....
Our local Indy said that its really hard on the top end, (specially head gaskets), to wind out a cold motor...
I usually idle just maybe a minute, start her up, wife gets on, close garage door, time she's settled in I ride out of addition, in 2nd.. but 4-5 minutes... then ride normal. we live in town so can't really nail it anyway. but wouldn't if I could for another 5 min or so.
Hey guys, my garage stays about 60-65 degrees year round. How long would you all suggest I run it to warm up to operating temp? It feels pretty warm after just a couple of minutes, but I don't want to ride it too soon and cause any premature damage.
Thanks for the insight.
You have neglected to tell us what your bike is , so it is pretty hard to give you sound advice
I started off letting it run for about 5 minutes cause it was wintertime, but now I let it run for just about a minute for the idle to come down, then it's off I go!!
Your pretty much good to go unless you are shifting above 4,000 rpm. Then you need to warm it up. The stock valve springs are the weak point when cold. Same with most types of engines with stock valve springs.
I crank it up and put on my helmet and gloves (1 minute to 2 minutes) and I'm gone. If I don't let mine warm up a little the cold engine blows soot on my white walls from the exaust.
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