Stalling in the cold - any advice?
 

Right, it's getting a bit colder in the AM.

Got up this morning, started the bike & left it for 5 mins to warm up, full choke.

Bike seemed fine - but had it idling with choke at about 2-2500.

For some reason my choke even though it's on seems to disengage after having ridden the bike for a short amount of time. Really annoyngi as my bike cut out as I was traversing a junction. Um, I sort of remained calm & hit the ignition button (okay, got the wrong button & hit the horn.....!)

Adjusted my idle to 1500, but in the cold it only got to 1500 idle after I arrived at work.


Any thing I can do, to avoid the engine cutting out again: I don't want to be somewhere dangerous & have it happen again i.e. Traversing the Elephant & Castle!


Kinvig

I know jack about the curvies (it is a curvy you ride isn't it? choke, so I'm guessing), but thoughts:

Carb heaters and carb icing?
Loose low speed jet? Or contaminated (water?) or blocked low speed system?
Enrichment valve not seated/leaking?

If i were you, I'd strip the carbs, clean them, re-seat everything, tighten it all up properly, and see how that fairs you.

Does it definately only happen in the cold, or when the bike's warmed up as well?

Ypu curvey - just cold.

Ever since buying the bike I've started it up & used the choke for less than a minute - even in sunmer other wise it would cut out. But I figure that they all do that. But it's only now that it's cold that the little booger wants to stall. When cold the idling speed drops to 1000rpm and it stalls. Once it's warmed up then the idling goes back up to 1500 & stays there.

It might possibly be that your choke cable or the choke plungers on both or one of the carbs is stuck / seized up.

Whats the choke lever like to move, does it move nice and freely or is it stiff and hard to move ?

Moves pretty easily - but not loose.

Noticed that if the revs dip i.e. the choke stops choking then sometimes if I rev the engine back up a bit the choke then kicks in again.

I'm not really sure. I'm not expert about this kind of thing. But when I had problems with bad idling a while back they were closely followed by the choke sticking on all the time. Now I've fitted a new choke cable and cleaned and the choke plungers it idles properly and my idling problems have gone away.

The plungers have a little brass barrel that slides in the carb body and on my bike these were seized in the body of the carb and wouldnt slide.

It might be whats causing your problem.

Definately sounds like something is sticking when cold. Giving it some fist seems to temporarily unstick it. (Or that's what I'm reading anyhow).

sounds like one for the garage then.

Ta for your input!

TBH with a Haynes Manual and some patience you could probably do it yourself.

If it is this, the screws that hold the choke plungers in though will probably be rusted up and be a total b*stard to get out.

so to clarify:

The choke shouldn't just cut out for no reason when I'm on the bike. If I stick it on, it stays on until I turn it off?