So its freezing out and im riding, why so hard to start?

[GabrielGoes]

Hey guys i was riding today it was 30 degrees, bike started up first kick on out the garage... so when i parked at school and wanted to go home the bike wouldnt start right away... i had to kick start about 6 times and than i had to play with everything to get her started, the electric starter turns the motor over like a beast too... i didnt like how she struggled to get going... is there a reason for all this and is there anything we can do to solve this? im stumped, carbs were full with fuel, 93 octane always, usually starts the second i touch the button or kickstart it even in the cold..

 

[1948man]

I would think 87 octane would be fine although I can't see that causing the starting problem. Do u have to choke much when cold starting? If it starts easy without choke when cold maybe it's a little rich.

 

[bobthebiker88]

colder weather leans out the fuel mixture. also how old is your battery and is it topped up with fluid? if no that can contribute.

93 is totally unnecessary. regular unleaded would be just fine n your bike its not a high compression racing machine like the GSXR.

 

[GabrielGoes]

colder weather leans out the fuel mixture. also how old is your battery and is it topped up with fluid? if no that can contribute.

93 is totally unnecessary. regular unleaded would be just fine n your bike its not a high compression racing machine like the GSXR.

battery is about 3 months old, check it regularly with the volt meter its doing fine now, and are u sure about 87 gas being good? i just might start putting that in it would save me a TON of money but all my life i hear bikes take 93 and thats it..

how many of you guys on here use 87 gas? i just would like to see more people using 87 before i make the big change (which would leave more change in my pocket ) - bobthebiker i take your word for it i just wanna see what others are doing

I would think 87 octane would be fine although I can't see that causing the starting problem. Do u have to choke much when cold starting? If it starts easy without choke when cold maybe it's a little rich.

yes i have to choke for it to work... now that you mention it that just sparked an idea in my head... my bike has sort of a sluggish zone from 1-4k rpm then it sorta becomes a rocket after 5k rpm... im gonna go check my plugs etc. see waht i can do about my air fuel mixture.. right now im set at 1 turn out on the fuel screws and 2 out on the air screws, maybe 1 1/2 on the fuel screws might do the trick

 

[cowboyup3371]

I use regular unleaded (85 here) on both of my gas-powered vehicles (bike and jeep, truck is a diesel) and my bike runs just fine. All you are doing is throwing away good money.

 

[GabrielGoes]

3.50 here for a galon of 93 - no joke and ive been paying that

 

[cowboyup3371]

Do a search on here about the gas requirements. Several have asked and realized it's unnecessary unless running a high-compression engine

 

[DimitriT]

87 is fine.

starting at 30F degrees is tough on these bikes.

You need to use full choke and even then it will need to spin a little.
The low temps also affect the battery.

At least yours has a kick starter. The 82's don't have that but I work
up on a hill so I have the option of bump starting it if I kill the battery.

I bet your garage is a bit warmer than 30F.

You mention its sluggish in the mid range.. sounds like those idle jets
may need a cleaning. That would also help with the cold starts I think.

 

[ChicagoBob]

I've had this problem before (Camping with a GS550, and after I packed up the tent and put out the fire, the bike wouldn't start, leaving me standing in the middle of forest on a 20 degree morning). I think it's because it it easier to flood the engine when it's been out in the cold for a long time, maybe because the spark is weaker when there's a greater load on the battery. I got going by swapping plugs and trying again.

No other solutions to offer, just commiseration.

 

[chuck hahn]

I gotta agree with Cowboy on the gas issue.I run the regular 87 octain and my bikes run just fine. I have put in the premium to see what the fuss was all,about and couldnt detect any difference at all in performance or mileage..why waste the extra cash is my motto too.

 

[GabrielGoes]

jeeze im using 87 now, i just turned the fuel screws aprox. half a turn out on each carb and half a turn out on the air screws, test rode it and the midrange- low range seem a bit less sluggish, i think this will help the startup... i left the bike out in really cold weather right now, im gonna try again in a few hours when the bike is cool

 

[81GS750]

Regular unleaded, 87, though I use mid grade from Valero, 91. I live close to a major Valero plant, and several of the engineers have told me that there is no real difference in 91 octane and 93 octane.

 

[81GS750]

(bike and jeep, truck is a diesel)

Make my own go juice for the Cummins Mmmmm, smells like fried turkey!

 

[1948man]

Was it colder when you left school than when you fired it up earlier in the AM? I was thinking it was maybe harder to start when the temp was a little warmer. If so, you might try a litte less choke when it's warmer. Just a thought.

 

[Steve]

Hey guys i was riding today it was 30 degrees, bike started up first kick on out the garage... so when i parked at school and wanted to go home the bike wouldnt start right away... i had to kick start about 6 times and than i had to play with everything to get her started, the electric starter turns the motor over like a beast too... i didnt like how she struggled to get going... is there a reason for all this and is there anything we can do to solve this? im stumped, carbs were full with fuel, 93 octane always, usually starts the second i touch the button or kickstart it even in the cold..

No idea why you feel the "need" to run 93. If your bike is basically stock, even if you have a header and pods, you should only need to run the RECOMMENDED fuel, which is 87 octane. Contrary to popular misconception, higher octane fuel ("premium") does not give you more power. In fact it has fewer BTUs per gallon than "regular" gas. Not only that, but it is harder to light and slower to burn. Even if the rest of the engine is "up to snuff", those factors might make it harder to start.

I would think 87 octane would be fine although I can't see that causing the starting problem.

See my comment above.

93 is totally unnecessary. regular unleaded would be just fine n your bike its not a high compression racing machine like the GSXR.

Agreed. Unless and until you toss in the high-compression pistons, 87 octane is just fine.

... are u sure about 87 gas being good? i just might start putting that in it would save me a TON of money but all my life i hear bikes take 93 and thats it. ...

What's that quote? RTM. That's right, Read The Manual.

... how many of you guys on here use 87 gas? i just would like to see more people using 87 before i make the big change (which would leave more change in my pocket ) - bobthebiker i take your word for it i just wanna see what others are doing
... im gonna go check my plugs etc. see waht i can do about my air fuel mixture.. right now im set at 1 turn out on the fuel screws and 2 out on the air screws, maybe 1 1/2 on the fuel screws might do the trick

I use 87 on ALL my vehicles. All three GSs, the Venture, the Wing and all the cages.

Do you have pods and/or pipe on your bike? If not, the fuel screw should be between 3/4 and 1 turn out and the air screw about double that.
If you do have pods and a pipe, start with the fuel screw between 1 and 1 1/4 turns out, the air screw will again be double that.

jeeze im using 87 now, i just turned the fuel screws aprox. half a turn out on each carb and half a turn out on the air screws, test rode it and the midrange- low range seem a bit less sluggish, i think this will help the startup... i left the bike out in really cold weather right now, im gonna try again in a few hours when the bike is cool

One thing that nobody has asked yet, so I am going to, ... when were the valves checked last? :-k

Our valves tend to tighten up with miles, and the recommended adjustment interval is 3-4,000 miles.
Tight valves will make it hard to start when cold.

.

 

[bobthebiker88]

good question. tight valves DO create problems with a motor and prevent running well.

 

[DanTheMan]

I always use 87 octane (85 in the western states) except in Vegas and downtown LA where I'll use the 89 or 91 due to the stop and go traffic and latent heat problem with that. That's the only time I've had my bike "ping" or preignite, and it's because of how hot the engine gets in that kind of abuse.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Good point Steve on the valves although I think we all beat that into him the last time so I'm hoping he actually did it.

 

[Steve]

Good point Steve on the valves although I think we all beat that into him the last time so I'm hoping he actually did it.

Either you have a better memory or you bothered to look up some of his previous posts.

Sorry, but if it's not posted in the current thread or in the sig, it probably didn't happen (in my book).

.

 

[Guest]

Yep def. want to make sure those valves are done. Mine are out of wack but i'm getting ready to do a full top end rebuild anyway.