Winter Starting

[zbodan]

I'm riding to work on my bike this upcoming winter and I already am having trouble starting it at night.

The temperature lately has been 25-40 and my bike will turn over, but not catch.

My guess is the battery perhaps? How can I know if my battery needs to be replaced?

Also, I was suggested that changing my spark plugs to some cold-weather variant might help, if there are any.

Any thoughts?

Edit: Just for clarification, I do know it is the cold, because my bike started fine later when the next day when it was warmer.

I have thought of bringing a can of starting fluid, but having to open my airbox etc. every time I want it to start at night would be a pain; the air filter will filter out the spray, so I can't spray it right into the air intake, can I?

[Sunbeemer]

What weight oil is currently in your crankcase?
At those temps something starting with 10W (like 10W-30 or 10W-40) should be fine.

[towerworker]

No starting fluid!! (Unless you really want to spend some money on engine repairs)

A good battery and 10/40 oil in the crankcase. I used to ride mine down to 10 degree temps (stupid on my part cause I did have a truck) but no more. Mine cranked a tad slow but it would light off after a few revolutions. How old is your battery? If it's much older than 3 yrs it might be getting a bit tired.

Wayne

[omg1010]

zbodan, cold temp usually puts a strain on your battery and the symptoms you describe are signs of an aging battery. Suggest you get yourself the Odyssey PC680 as a replacement.

Brgds
Oliver

[zbodan]

Thanks for the help!

My battery came when I bought the bike and it had 2009 written on it. So it's not too old, but it's getting there.

I'm running 20-50W oil, so I'm going to drop the weight.

[Xdot]

My bike wouldn't start at all yesterday. Just chug, chug, chug, click, click, click. It's suddenly gotten quite cool here - high 20's at night - and I hadn't ridden since before Thanksgiving. I put it on a charger last night and it was nice and strong this morning.

Think about bike batteries. They are small so have less power available. These bikes have big engines with high-compression pistons. As large as some small cars. And electrochemical efficiency goes way down when temperatures drop. That's a lot to ask of a battery on a cold morning!

[fpgirard]

I had similar issues on a 3 year BMW battery. Got the Odyssey PC680 and have been happy with it so far. Its mounting height is a bit shorter but a small shim fixed that.

[R4R&R]

So far my batteries have lasted about three years, then they are unreliable in the winter. I guess they get tired and to cold temps makes it obvious. If it's over two years old, I would replace it. A thinner oil in the winter can help too, but the primary issue is the battery.

[Biff's R]

When i used Castrol Syntec 5W50 oil my bike started the easiest in the winter. I liked that oil the best, but I can get Mobil one for a lot less. The thinner oil will help on cold start up, but your battery needs a little love. Do you have a battery tender? I ran my OEM battery for 7 years but i kept it plugged in most of the time.