cold starting issues
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- Posts: 9
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:05 pm
cold starting issues
I have a problem where when i try starting from cold it takes quite a few turns before it will fire.
It sounds like the battery is rather flat but ive checked that.
It starts first turn when hot!!
Sometimes it will backfire after a few attempts at starting!
Any ideas would be most appreciated....
It sounds like the battery is rather flat but ive checked that.
It starts first turn when hot!!
Sometimes it will backfire after a few attempts at starting!
Any ideas would be most appreciated....
- lloydie
- Posts: 20928
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:16 pm
- Location: In the garage somewhere in Coventry
Re: cold starting issues
Get it cranking then pull the choke out .
Clean starter motor bolt and grease .
Clean starter motor bolt and grease .
Re: cold starting issues
Backfire or spit through the carbs/airboxSometimes it will backfire after a few attempts at starting!

As long as the battery and charging system are working fine, including earth's, then the starter motor is the next thing to look at, as these are known to corrode with being at the front of engine, which inhibits starting.
You will find a link to this issue in the New Member Read Me in my signature below.
(:-})
==============================Enter the Darkside
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- Posts: 9
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:05 pm
Re: cold starting issues
Ok thanks guys i will check starter motor
Re: cold starting issues
Sounds similar to some of the starting issues I've been having. Over the past week I've thought sod it, spend some cash and give the bike some much needed attention so here's what I did...
Bought genuine CCT's (don't shout at me, my training engineers mind made me do it!!) and replaced accordingly whilst replacing the two inspection cover bolts.
Oil and filter change with some Motul 5100 series 10/30 (I've been told by many boffins that Motul is the best out there for the money).
Put some Delkevic cans on (which may be a bit loud even with the baffles they supplied in)
Stripped and cleaned carbs which I pre-balanced with a vernier (and coincidentally managed to get spot on) turning from pilot 2.5 times and the rear 2.75 times... The manual suggests 2.5 front and rear but have read the rear benefits from that little more.
Even after all this, it was still grumping starting unless I put the optimate on it for a few hours. A fully charged battery helped start it after a few attempts but if it didn't start after say four attempts, the battery starts to lose power to turn the lump over so yesterday I decided to look at what battery was in it - some power thunder made in china crap (nice one previous owner!!!). Straight over to M&P's I trotted and bought a Yuasa to put in it which is now fully charged and will be going in this morning.
The thing with cheap/ budget batteries is their ability to deliver the amps required consistently and at colder weather and their ability to hold a good charge. Basically they're pants and best avoided like the plague. When you're expecting the battery to not only deliver enough power to turn over your large twin but also feed the coils and convert to an extremely large number of volts to the spark plugs, you should use a quality battery to do it with...
I've tried using two budget batteries in the past, firstly on my mk1 TDM 850 (how I miss that bike
) and had nothing but trouble with it. If I didn't use the bike for three days, you could almost guarantee to have problems starting/ charging/ holding charge and didn't last 5 months even. And again on my CBR street/ ratfighter. Not as many issues as with the TDM but had to put it on the optimate on an every other day basis at least. It lasted about 8 months before it just wouldn't hold charge anymore so a trip out for a meal would put doubt in your mind if it would start afterwards.
Anyway, after all that blabbing, I really hope that I see an instant benefit from putting a reputable battery in it...
Bought genuine CCT's (don't shout at me, my training engineers mind made me do it!!) and replaced accordingly whilst replacing the two inspection cover bolts.
Oil and filter change with some Motul 5100 series 10/30 (I've been told by many boffins that Motul is the best out there for the money).
Put some Delkevic cans on (which may be a bit loud even with the baffles they supplied in)
Stripped and cleaned carbs which I pre-balanced with a vernier (and coincidentally managed to get spot on) turning from pilot 2.5 times and the rear 2.75 times... The manual suggests 2.5 front and rear but have read the rear benefits from that little more.
Even after all this, it was still grumping starting unless I put the optimate on it for a few hours. A fully charged battery helped start it after a few attempts but if it didn't start after say four attempts, the battery starts to lose power to turn the lump over so yesterday I decided to look at what battery was in it - some power thunder made in china crap (nice one previous owner!!!). Straight over to M&P's I trotted and bought a Yuasa to put in it which is now fully charged and will be going in this morning.
The thing with cheap/ budget batteries is their ability to deliver the amps required consistently and at colder weather and their ability to hold a good charge. Basically they're pants and best avoided like the plague. When you're expecting the battery to not only deliver enough power to turn over your large twin but also feed the coils and convert to an extremely large number of volts to the spark plugs, you should use a quality battery to do it with...
I've tried using two budget batteries in the past, firstly on my mk1 TDM 850 (how I miss that bike

Anyway, after all that blabbing, I really hope that I see an instant benefit from putting a reputable battery in it...
I'm not death to power tools... If it breaks, it's obviously NOT a power tool!!!
Re: cold starting issues
Did you stopper mod the replacement cct's? 

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
F3, 954 USD front, K Tech springs, Braced swinger, Ohlins shock, Six spoke Mockesini wheels, Harris rearsets, QaT, Flywheel diet!, A&L stacks, stick coils, K&N, FP Ti jets, Mori pipe's [colour]
F3, 954 USD front, K Tech springs, Braced swinger, Ohlins shock, Six spoke Mockesini wheels, Harris rearsets, QaT, Flywheel diet!, A&L stacks, stick coils, K&N, FP Ti jets, Mori pipe's [colour]
Re: cold starting issues
Considered it but no I didn't... I like living on the edgeKev L wrote:Did you stopper mod the replacement cct's?

I'm not death to power tools... If it breaks, it's obviously NOT a power tool!!!
Re: cold starting issues
You're crazy man, new standard cct's are no better than old standard cct's
Get that trainee engineer mind ticking and pop some 8mm ally rod in them.

Get that trainee engineer mind ticking and pop some 8mm ally rod in them.
Jamie 

Re: cold starting issues
Best get some valves ordered ready for the inevitable
Live on the edge indeedy




SH#T HAPPENS!!!!!!!!
- lloydie
- Posts: 20928
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:16 pm
- Location: In the garage somewhere in Coventry
Re: cold starting issues
"I pre-balanced with a vernier (and coincidentally managed to get spot on) "
How ?
I thought you balanced the vacuum on the carbs so that they both pulled the same .
How ?
I thought you balanced the vacuum on the carbs so that they both pulled the same .
Re: cold starting issues
I would reiterate what Jamie says, do yourself a favour and add some bar to the standard CCT's. It would be a real shame if you suffered the fate of many who come on here looking for answers as to why their bike went pop and how to repair it. Particularly when you have been forewarned.
Good luck ,whatever you choose to do.
Good luck ,whatever you choose to do.
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
F3, 954 USD front, K Tech springs, Braced swinger, Ohlins shock, Six spoke Mockesini wheels, Harris rearsets, QaT, Flywheel diet!, A&L stacks, stick coils, K&N, FP Ti jets, Mori pipe's [colour]
F3, 954 USD front, K Tech springs, Braced swinger, Ohlins shock, Six spoke Mockesini wheels, Harris rearsets, QaT, Flywheel diet!, A&L stacks, stick coils, K&N, FP Ti jets, Mori pipe's [colour]
Re: cold starting issues
For anyone interested, putting a tidy battery in it seems to have made all the difference. Starts properly now!
For the carbs, I turned the advance all the way off, used a vernier to measure the distance between and made it match with the rear carb. When I said coincidentally, it may have been worth adding that when I checked with with the vacuum gauges they were spot on (otherwise there would've been no way of knowing, eh?!).
I have no excuses for not putting a stopper mod in and would be wise to do so, I maybe should get on to it sooner rather than later but truth be told, I probably wont for a while. At least if I drop a valve, I have the perfect excuse to carry out my cylinder head improvements sooner rather than later 'without' the worry of the misses having a go because it would HAVE to be done
For the carbs, I turned the advance all the way off, used a vernier to measure the distance between and made it match with the rear carb. When I said coincidentally, it may have been worth adding that when I checked with with the vacuum gauges they were spot on (otherwise there would've been no way of knowing, eh?!).
I have no excuses for not putting a stopper mod in and would be wise to do so, I maybe should get on to it sooner rather than later but truth be told, I probably wont for a while. At least if I drop a valve, I have the perfect excuse to carry out my cylinder head improvements sooner rather than later 'without' the worry of the misses having a go because it would HAVE to be done

I'm not death to power tools... If it breaks, it's obviously NOT a power tool!!!
- lloydie
- Posts: 20928
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:16 pm
- Location: In the garage somewhere in Coventry
Re: cold starting issues
"For the carbs, I turned the advance all the way off, used a vernier to measure the distance between and made it match with the rear carb. When I said coincidentally, it may have been worth adding that when I checked with with the vacuum gauges they were spot on (otherwise there would've been no way of knowing, eh?!)."
Thank god I was wAinting for a thread saying bike runs like crap
I used to set them by feel before I got guauges and I did manage to get them to sing together very well :-) but using the correct tools makes life a lot easier
Thank god I was wAinting for a thread saying bike runs like crap

I used to set them by feel before I got guauges and I did manage to get them to sing together very well :-) but using the correct tools makes life a lot easier

Re: cold starting issues
Static and dynamic syncing
(:-})

(:-})
==============================Enter the Darkside
Re: cold starting issues
In fairness, she running the so much sweeter than when I first picked her up. Only ridden it up and down the road and you can feel the delivery is so much better, obviously the cans have made a difference but at least she appears to be running right now.
Rectifier next... Actually saw the result of a YTX 12 that was over-charged on a VTR over M&P's on the counter yesterday and it was not good. The battery looked like someone has hit it with a hammer, bits missing from the front and each side. My immediate thought was about the person possibly sitting on the bike when it went and what a mess the battery would've made... Next time I'm over there, I'll try and remember to take a picture and put it up.
Anyone played about with velocity stacks on here?
Actually, may be worth a thread and see what comes about...
Rectifier next... Actually saw the result of a YTX 12 that was over-charged on a VTR over M&P's on the counter yesterday and it was not good. The battery looked like someone has hit it with a hammer, bits missing from the front and each side. My immediate thought was about the person possibly sitting on the bike when it went and what a mess the battery would've made... Next time I'm over there, I'll try and remember to take a picture and put it up.
Anyone played about with velocity stacks on here?
Actually, may be worth a thread and see what comes about...
I'm not death to power tools... If it breaks, it's obviously NOT a power tool!!!