how long to thaw out bike?

[newkid]

i live in central canada and its slowly starting to warm up. Im itching to get back on the gs!  So, when is it best to get her up n running...should I wait til the temp rises above 0 deg celcius?  Or just ride her if it starts up. Any tricks to starting it up after sitting for a winter?

[weaselnoze]

there's no need to wait till its above freezing.  shaZam! i rode mine thru winter! there are some things u should go over before u get out and ride.  a big one of those things is saftey check.  tires, brakes etc.  check ur oil.  change gas if neccesary. 

[RedShift]

i live in central canada and its slowly starting to warm up. Im itching to get back on the gs!  So, when is it best to get her up n running...should I wait til the temp rises above 0 deg celcius?  Or just ride her if it starts up. Any tricks to starting it up after sitting for a winter?

I'd say that getting the bike up and running depends on how it was put to bed.  Remove all restrictions (bagged exhaust or intake).  As WeaselNose says, check the obvious (tire pressure, brake fluid level), consider replacing the engine oil (if you think it's absorbed moisture over the winter), and make sure you have a fully charged batter and fluids are up over the plates.

Before starting up, set the petcock to PRIme.  This will fill the carburetor bowls and tends to prevent flooding.  Make sure the bike is in Neutral, put the choke to full, kill switch to ON, key to ON, pull in the clutch and thumb the start button.

You should hear beautiful music from the muffler shortly there after.

As for when to ride, it's your call.  I will ride at any temperature in town -- Monday I went to work and it was -6°C, the roads were dry (no ice) and the sun shining.  But watch out for the sand, salt, and other crap near the curb.  Ride into that and you'll have what they call a "moment" and the potential is all bad.

If it's below 8°C I won't ride above 70 KPH anywhere distant-- the Wind Chill will quickly suck the little heat my fingers have inside my PolarTec gloves, and I'd otherwise have to dress like the Michelin Tire Man to keep the rest of my heat.

Dress warmly.  It may be spring, but it's not warm yet...