Advice

[Fraggz]

Hi, not had my vtr long and now find that in the cooler damper mornings bike can be a bit of a bugger to get started. Unfortunately dont own a garage to store bike, only a bike cover and a gazebo.
Any advice on how to remedie this would be greatly appeciated bearing in mind i have no technical knowledge of bikes. Thanks.

[Fireman on a Storm]

Sounds like a cold night and thick oil.
It needs a good batery to start a storm when it's been cold.
I'm on my second storm. This one is behaving the same as the forst one. As soon as it has got cold it is very slow to turn over and start, exactly the same as the last one.
I cured the problem on the last one by keeping the bike plugged into an "optimate" type of batery charger.
As soon as this one started being slow tio turn over in the cold mornings I plugged it in and problem solved.

I think the V twin has got so much compresion it makes it hard work for the batery to turn it over.

[Fraggz]

Many thanks for the advice, will try them all.

[Stratman]

best way to start it also:-

hit the starter button and let it try and turn over for about 3 or 4 seconds..... do not pull out the choke before you do this!
after the few seconds of turn over, stop and then pull out the choke... then hit the starter again. she should fire up relatively easily.. thats if your battery has a good charge!

I'll second that - I used to flood it before I used that method!

[stevieVTR]

Have to agree too... mines outside and is a b*tch to start (and the battery goes flat v v quick!) Never use the choke on mine until the engine fires up or as said above, it floods.
Also it's more of a problem with the baffles out of the cans, feels like theres no back pressure and bike sounds like an asthmatic after running a marathon!!
Was never this hard when I had a nice warm garage!!!!

[Squiffythewombat]

Think Kaz has it right:


how to start your VTR from cold:

1) coke off, thumb the starter twice
2) coke on, thumb the starter twice
3) coke off, thumb the starter and it should fire :-)

Get some irriduim plugs, since i put mine in it starts first time, every time despite the cold mornings!

[Pete.L]

Another method which works well is to press the starter with no choke and let the engine turn over a couple of revolutions and then pull the choke out whilst still holding the starter button on.
Try a few ways and see which works best for you. Keep the battery topped up as they loose their efficiency in the cold.

Pete.l

[Nogin]

I'd reccomend one of these to keep your battery up to it! Especially if you have no garage as it's waterproof!

http://www.batterytender.net

[LotusSevenMan]

I used to use this on my Suzuki and it seemed to help. Good price at the moment too. Before anyone says anything it works even on cloudy days as long as there is light. I took off the cigarette lighter bit and fitted ring terminals to it for connection to the battery. The actual solar panel is screwed to the side of a wooden fence post.
I will be fitting the pickup connection removed from the Suzuki to the battery on the 'Storm at the w/e.


http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... &doy=15m11

[sirch345]

I used to use this on my Suzuki and it seemed to help. Good price at the moment too. Before anyone says anything it works even on cloudy days as long as there is light. I took off the cigarette lighter bit and fitted ring terminals to it for connection to the battery. The actual solar panel is screwed to the side of a wooden fence post.
I will be fitting the pickup connection removed from the Suzuki to the battery on the 'Storm at the w/e.


http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... &doy=15m11

I like that idea very handy if you've not got electricity where you keep your bike

[Squiffythewombat]

I'd reccomend one of these to keep your battery up to it! Especially if you have no garage as it's waterproof!

http://www.batterytender.net

you on commision? lol