First Start Highs and Low!

[deltarider]

You need to keep some choke on for a couple of minutes until the engine warms up enough to run without it. It will stall without any choke when cold. Gradually reduce the choke to keep the revs from rising as the engine warms.

This is only true for models that have the PD carbs. The older models with 069A carbs are not supposed to start riding with the chokes partially closed. A raised idle enough. That's why the K3 had the choke knob positioned at the handlebar in the view of the rider. Earlier models had a choke lever on the left side of the carbs and Honda did not intend you to take your left hand from the handlebar to feel around for and fiddle with a lever somewhere below. Honda's idea for safety first and hence it is in the starting procedure in the Owner's Manual.

[taysidedragon]

You need to keep some choke on for a couple of minutes until the engine warms up enough to run without it. It will stall without any choke when cold. Gradually reduce the choke to keep the revs from rising as the engine warms.

This is only true for models that have the PD carbs. The older models with 069A carbs are not supposed to start riding with the chokes partially closed. A raised idle enough. That's why the K3 had the choke knob positioned at the handlebar in the view of the rider. Earlier models had a choke lever on the left side of the carbs and Honda did not intend you to take your left hand from the handlebar to feel around for and fiddle with a lever somewhere below. Honda's idea for safety first and hence it is in the starting procedure in the Owner's Manual.

The choke is not an on/off switch.
The fuel tap is down on the left hand side of my bike and I  have no problem turning it to reserve while riding.

[deltarider]

You need to keep some choke on for a couple of minutes until the engine warms up enough to run without it. It will stall without any choke when cold. Gradually reduce the choke to keep the revs from rising as the engine warms.

This is only true for models that have the PD carbs. The older models with 069A carbs are not supposed to start riding with the chokes partially closed. A raised idle enough. That's why the K3 had the choke knob positioned at the handlebar in the view of the rider. Earlier models had a choke lever on the left side of the carbs and Honda did not intend you to take your left hand from the handlebar to feel around for and fiddle with a lever somewhere below. Honda's idea for safety first and hence it is in the starting procedure in the Owner's Manual.

The choke is not an on/off switch.

But... it almost is. On the oldstyle carbs chokes can gradually be opened within 8 seconds. Has to do with the settings of oldstyle carbs, which were set quite rich. You need a slightly raised idle though as suggested by the Owner's Manual. If you need the chokes for longer, it indicates your carbs are set too lean. Sorry, but this has been my experience with these models over 46 years. I've helped with quite a few bikes where the owner had been tempted to set the airscrews too lean, because they liked to have the engine purr like a kitten. The PD carbs are a different category.

The fuel tap is down on the left hand side of my bike and I  have no problem turning it to reserve while riding.

Your choice. Some choose to switch to reserve prior to taking of. Both hands at the handlebars at all times is the safest strategy. Honda must have realised this so headlight switches positioned on top of the bucket on older Honda's have been abandoned. Far out the most dangerous a rider can do, is adjusting the mirrors whilst riding. Don't!

[florence]

On my 500, it has always been full choke to start from cold.  One kick of the starter, away it goes and then after a few seconds with the choke in this position, the revs drop slightly, then flip to fully open and it's ready to go.

[Oddjob]

You seem to forget that the K0 version had different switchgear DR. They got slated in the UK bike mags for all the lights going out accidentally when switching from high to low so Honda altered that by fitting a separate light switch and calling it the K1. To operate that light switch needed you to remove your left hand off the bars, now don’t say ride with the lights on even during daylight as that just wasn’t done back then, in fact I’m fairly sure the police would have pulled you over and other motorists would have been flashing you to let you know they were on back then.

We also would NEVER had switched to reserve before it started hicupping as that was your warning to start looking for somewhere to fill up. Never run out of fuel on a bike with reserve but done it a couple of times with ones with a fuel gauge, even one that flashed to let you know.

As for choke, full choke to start in the winter or early morning and then half choke till the end of the street before dumping it off as I rode. Quite a few one armed riders around, you are safer with two hands but it’s not essential all the time. Ever scratched yourself riding? Or altered your visor? Or even just wiped water off your visor so you can see? All done one handed.