The Honda Rebel FAQ - The five questions posted most recently:

Why does my Rebel always need the choke on a cold start?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:10:00 GMT

garbagegirl asked:

Anyhow, I started the bike and started the close the choke and the bike shut off. I left it on and ran the bike but kept stalling out at stops signs and the bike was very jerky.

original post

crtrue asked:

I've begun to notice that on cold starts, the engine sounds like it's struggling to stay alive ... it improves once the engine warms up, but this usually takes a few minutes to completely eliminate the problem.

original post

Congratulations! You've discovered one of the most common Rebel quirks: they are cold blooded little beasties! Don't believe us? Try this on for size:

TheReaper! found:

So today I decided to take my trusty electronic temperature gun and a kitchen timer to the garage , and see first hand with my own 2 eyes , what was actually taking place . The following are the results . Keep in mind that the temp here got down into the fifties last night . The results are from temps taken all around the engine area including the exhaust pipes . I was quite surprised at the findings .

After 1 minute 75 to 80

After 2 minutes 80 to 85

After 3 minutes 85 to 100

After 4 minutes 88 to 116

After 5 minutes 108 121

original post

What this means is that like it or not, you're going to have to use the choke (which is actually an enrichener, but we'll leave that for another entry in this FAQ.)

So, how long do I need to keep the choke on?

Warming up the Rebel is a dark art: not enough choke or not enough warmth and the Rebel stalls and dies. Too much choke and the Rebel floods and dies. Too much choke over a long period of time and you're looking at carbon fouled spark plugs in addition to a poor-running Rebel.

The very first thing is to make sure your idle is adjusted correctly. Here's how to do that: How do I set the idle speed?

There are two schools of thought to using the choke. One suggests warming up the bike by idling with the choke on for a short period of time. Others ride off with the choke on and no warm-up time, making sure to ride gently until the bike is fully warm and turning the choke off when that point is reached. Both methods are valid. You will need to experiment to find what works for you and your routine.

Warm Up By Idling

This is the method that worked best for me. Here's my typical January morning routine:

Turn choke fully on.
Start Rebel and run for 2 minutes. (While waiting, put on gear and do visual check of bike.)
Turn choke down to 3/4 and run for 45 to 60 seconds until you can hear the engine "settle down" into a nice purr.
Turn choke off. The bike should now be ridable without the choke.

The trick is figuring out how long to run the choke depending on the outside temperature. In the summertime, for example, I hardly needed more than a touch of choke to get the bike running.

Warm Up By Riding

wheezeburnt said:

Rebels can be very cold-hearted, and its not unusual to have to run them for 10 minutes or more before they will run with the choke off. You might, after you pull away and start riding, first try easing the choke off (as in, close it a bit, run for five minutes, close it a bit more, run for 5 more minutes, then close completely.)

If, after say, 10 or 15 minutes of running, the bike will still not idle with the choke off, try increasing the idle speed using the large, black knurled knob under the carb (MR, can you show her this?)

If you are still having problems, a bike that needs the choke to idle usually has a dirty low-speed circuit in the carb (running too lean). Try running some Seafoam (1/3 can to a tankful) for three tanksful, and see if that solves your problem.

Another way to diagnose a lean running condition in your carb is, once the engine is warmed up and you are running at, say, mid throttle, pull the choke on. If the bike suddenly seems to be running better, you likely have a dirty carb, causing a lean mixture. If adding the choke makes it worse or no change, you're likely ok.

original post

Here are some more discussions on this very topic:

What manuals are available and where can I find them?

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:21:00 GMT

The big three are

The Owner's Manual

See Where is the owner's manual?

If you don't have any luck looking under the air cover, a replacement manual can be purchased from HelmInc for $20.

2002 Rebel Owner's Manual: download

The Official Honda Service Manual

The official service manual for the 250 and 450 Rebels can be had from a dealership for around $70. You can also purchase the service manual online from HelmInc for $30, but I believe it's a download-only version (not printed on paper). However, here's a tip for a cheaper online version:

ethos42 said:

If you join the Honda Riders Club of America for their cheapest option, it's only $7.00 and you get to choose 1 vehical to view the manual for.

http://hrca.honda.com/

The manual will be a bunch of images, but I just downloaded them and created a bunch of folders on my harddrive to hold them in.
	Honda Rebel CMX450c
	----Introduction
	--------Image1
	--------Image2
	--------Image3
	----GeneralInformation
	--------Image4
	--------Image5
	--------Image6
	----Chaper 1
	--------Image7
	--------Image8
	--------Image9
	
Pretty cheap, nice to have the factory service manual, and if you print out all the images you can just stuff em in a 3 ring binder.

BTW, I have both that manual and the Clymers. The Clymers has some stuff that the factory manual does not cover, so having both really helped.

original post

Here are some downloadable versions of the service manual:

Model	Download	Thanks!
250	html Word .doc PDF	skel3tor1 and other contributors
450	.zip Word .doc	ethos42 and chadly187

Clymer's Manual

The Clymer's Manual can be found in most good motorcycle shops, Honda dealerships, and thousands of places online. Prices range from $30 at a retail location to sub-$20 depending on where you look online. eBay is occasionally a good source for very cheap (sub-$10) deals if you're lucky.

Title: Honda Rebel CMX250, Twinstar CM185, CM250, Nighthawk CB250 Repair Manual 1978-2003
Publisher: Clymer
ISBN: 0892878495

Even though the title says 1978-2003, there are few differences between 2003 Rebels and newer models.

Title: Honda CM400, CB400, CMX450 Rebel, CB450 Nighthawk, Hondamatic Repair Manual 1978-1987
Publisher: Clymer
ISBN: 0892872349

What is the correct headlight bulb for the Rebel?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:55:00 GMT

250

pre-2002: sealed beam unit (no longer in production, see below)
2002-present: H4 bulb (12V - 60/55W)

If you own a Rebel with a sealed beam headlight, it's very easy to upgrade to the newer style headlight that uses H4 bulbs and is much brighter.

As you can see, this question gets asked a lot. :)

450

H4 bulb (12V - 60/55W)

What grade of gas should I use in my Rebel?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:26:00 GMT

kansasrebel asked:

As a side note, is there any advantage or disadvantage to using a higher octane gas such as 91 in a motorcycle?

original post

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The owner's manual recommends gas with an octane rating of 87.

High-octane gas actually burns slower than regular gas. High performance, high compression engines require high-octane gas because regular gas can cause knock in such engines. The Rebel does not have a high performance, high compression engine, I'm afraid, so regular gas will do just fine.

Check out these links for more on this subject:

The Straight Dope: What's the difference between premium and regular gas?
GASOLINE OCTANE mega thread on the Rebel Forum
Premium gas??? asked on the Rebel Forum

What windshield is the best for the Rebel?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:37:00 GMT

There is no "best" windshield for the Rebel. There are many that will work, and nicely at that, but it's really a matter of riding style and personal preference.

Here are a few good starting places for your search:

Duke's article on "Choosing a Windscreen"
"Screens on a Rebel" by Pete Buckingham, founder of the UK Honda Rebel Owners Club

Commonly Used Windshields

Type	Mentions
Spitfire	1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
National Cycle Deflector Screen	1, 7
National Cycle Dakota Windshield	3, 7, 8, 11
National Cycle Heavy Duty Custom	12
National Cycle Plexifairing Windshield	15
National Cycle Street Shield	11
Memphis Shades Shooter	11