Should You Warm Up Your Bike Before Riding?

Many of us are in the habit of irritating our neighbors by warming up our engines before we leave for a ride. Much like an athlete warming up before competition, it only makes sense that our engines require the same treatment.

Allowing the engine components to heat up and oil to reach the ideal viscosity is good for our bikes, right?

In some cases, slightly warming the engine is required, but for the most part, it’s an antiquated practice. Let’s dive into the technical aspects of engine warming.

Where Does it Come From?

Warming the engine has been standard practice for decades. It was born before we reached a more comprehensive understanding of metallurgy, the development of synthetic multi-viscosity oils and other modern technical fluids, and sophisticated electronic fuel injection.

Before modern fuel systems, it was a good idea to let your engine run for a bit. This allowed some heat to build in the engine to facilitate combustion and ensure that it would run properly.

In this era, fluids were not as advanced, tolerances were not as tight, and fuel systems were much more temperamental.