Cold morning, won't start

[earlfor]

A simple extra step when cold....before touching the ignition, take the bike OFF the sidestand and keep it fully upright. Set the petcock to PRIme for a few seconds to be certain the bowls are full. Pull the choke ON fully and turn the key.

There is always a temptation to touch the throttle....just a bit.......but this will almost certainly not help.

You're right. Do not even put a hand on the throttle. Use the choke to regulate fuel and it should start right up.

Earl

[RobGS850L]

Ahhhhh..... The old fill up cyls 3 and 4 fuel bowls before starting trick eh?

[earlfor]

Ahhhhh..... The old fill up cyls 3 and 4 fuel bowls before starting trick eh?

It helps. ehehehehehehe :-)

E.

[jinxz]

i had starting problems just when it started getting cold this year,it started fine all summer. replaced the battery with a gel matt type ,problem solved, heck i started it day before yesterday and it was 28 degrees out. today 20 degrees and it fired right up, btw i think its colder in the shed where the bike is than outside, frickin metal sheds suck(lol)

[Thomas Kenny]

Your cams will love warmer oil on a cold day. At least if it starts let it warm up at the lowest rpm that it will still run at as the cold start is hardest on camshaft lobes. The dipstick sure worked in Alaska on cars and trucks, but would have to be tested under observation the first time on a motorcycle I admit.

[Guest]

I don't really know why my bike is so stubborn under 40F. It lites off fine, but simply won't idle at all, and quickly dies. I can't tell if its too much choke, and it's drowning the engine, or not enough choke..... I try all different choke positions, and generally after the 4th start-N-stall, it will stay running.

I don't think there is such a thing as too much choke (unlike cowbell)
Your bike will just idle higher and higher. It shouldn't stall.

[82Shafty]

I don't think there is such a thing as too much choke (unlike cowbell)
Your bike will just idle higher and higher. It shouldn't stall.

I know this is very old, but I have to agree that the song needed more cow bell.

I've had that SNL skit stuck in my head for some time now; perhaps too long.

[TheCafeKid]

*In best Chris Walken* I got a fevah, an the only presription, is morah cow bell! "

[p_s]

I don't think there is such a thing as too much choke (unlike cowbell)
Your bike will just idle higher and higher. It shouldn't stall.

There is something I don't understand. When you tune the pilot jet, you are basically adjusting the fuel-to air ratio to get the fastest idle. On stock CV carbs, the choke just opens up a circuit that adds more fuel. So why does that extra fuel make it idle higher when the engine is warmed up?

[TheCafeKid]

I may be completely off base, but i thought that was the AIR screw you adjusted anyway. On the VMs, which have two screws, the ones you tune most are the air screws. Letting more air in. Am i wrong?

[Steve]

There is something I don't understand. When you tune the pilot jet, you are basically adjusting the fuel-to air ratio to get the fastest idle. On stock CV carbs, the choke just opens up a circuit that adds more fuel. So why does that extra fuel make it idle higher when the engine is warmed up?

Because it also mixes in a bit of air with that extra fuel. It's not as much air as it would get normally, so it richens the total mixture.


Chisenhallw,
All of the above information is correct, but they are all addressing the electrical side of the cumbustion triangle. You need three things for the engine to run: 1) an appropriate mixture of fuel and air, 2) sufficient compression, 3) ignition, usually in the form of a properly-timed spark.
We will assume for the moment that you have a correct fuel mixture.
If there are no electrical problem that prevents the spark, that only leaves one item.
When is the last time the valve clearance was checked? Cold starting issues are a classic symptom of tight valves, especially the intake valves. Tight valves will affect the timing of the valves closing, effectively losing some compression. This usually only affects starting when cold. When the engine is warm, parts expand just enough to change the clearances enough to bring valve closing into a more favorable time.

Bottom line, make sure the battery is good, clean and tighten all electrical connections and adjust your valves.

Let us know what fixed it.

.