Need more cold spark...

[baco99]

i successfully replaced the plugs, last night.  used a gap of .7, per spec. the bike still takes a LONG time to start when cold.  and opening the choke does nothing.  i think it's getting gas since i can smell it.  My suspicion is that the coils are worn or the battery doesn't have the CCA to start the bike up. 

is there a brand/size of battery that has more CCA to give the bike more spark when cold?  the battery i have is about 3 months old and shows a full charge.  after about 10 tries with a portable charger hooked up, it will finally begin to show signs of life.  once started it works fine.  it starts better when hooked up to a car for a jump start. 

any help would be great!

[annguyen1981]

I have the same problem here in Western MA.

sometimes I drain the battery trying to start the GS, so I have to jump it from my car.

I, too, am thinking of finding a better CCA battery.

[The Buddha]

Both of you ... jet it. its gotta be jetted to run right on the coldest day of the year. No ifs ands or buts ... I know its a freaking PITA, but I test all my bikes on the coldest day of the year. if it flunks, I re do it.
It has to run OK on the hottest day and run OK on the coldest. I just did a vulcan 750 the same way. There was frost and ice hair on the thing at 7 am but I still got it to start first try and it had a dying battery.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Turd Ferguson]

Both of you ... jet it.

+1

-Turd.

[baco99]

i really don't know what you mean by "jet it."  i just rebuilt the carbs and replaced all the gaskets, o-rings, and needles with new ones.  once the bike gets started, it runs fine. 

if jetting were the problem, i wouldn't smell gas, would i?

[annguyen1981]

i really don't know what you mean by "jet it."  i just rebuilt the carbs and replaced all the gaskets, o-rings, and needles with new ones.  once the bike gets started, it runs fine. 

if jetting were the problem, i wouldn't smell gas, would i?

This should help you, and since you've already rebuilt the carbs, you should do just fine.  I, on the other hand, have never done any carb work, so that's why I haven't done this.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=13148.0

[baco99]

ugh.  i don't mind rebuilding the carbs, but getting the gas tank off is such a pain!


maybe i should just adjust the air needles.  i think those are screwed down all the way...

[baco99]

OK.  I need to bring this back because I think the issue is with spark, not gas.  When I hook the bike up to the car and jump start it, it fires after only 2 or 3 attempts.  It does NOT start with either a jumper back or the battery.  I know I need a battery, but can I get one with a higher CCA rating?  can the battery box be modified to hold a larger one?

[annguyen1981]

I have the same problem here in Western MA.

sometimes I drain the battery trying to start the GS, so I have to jump it from my car.

I, too, am thinking of finding a better CCA battery.

Here's an update on my situation...

Stupid me cleaned off the corrosion that was on the negative battery terminal.  Works like a charm now.

[baco99]

no corrosion here...   

[dgyver]

....
can the battery box be modified to hold a larger one?

Yes, but you will need a way to bend and weld metal. Also, you will be limited by the width of the subframe rails.

If you have a battery supply store near, take the battery box with you and see what will fit or be close, if you want to mod the box.

[baco99]

....
can the battery box be modified to hold a larger one?

Yes, but you will need a way to bend and weld metal. Also, you will be limited by the width of the subframe rails.

If you have a battery supply store near, take the battery box with you and see what will fit or be close, if you want to mod the box.

i might do this. i remember seeing SV650 batteries at Wal-Mart.  They are less expensive and only about 1" taller and 1/2" wider than ours.  i bet i could make it fit.

[annguyen1981]

i bet i could make it fit.

hmm....

Famous last words anyone?


j/k

Good luck man.

[Chuck]

You might have to lower the battery box to make it (a battery 1" taller) fit.  I don't know if there's 1" of clearance between the battery terminals and the seat.  You could do it by fashioning a extension bracket, if you have 1" of clearance below the battery box...  I like the rejet idea.

[Chuck]

Oh, and I don't think the larger battery will make you happy.  More CCA's don't really make more spark.  Have you checked the compression?  Worn valves or rings can make a hard starting situation like what you describe.

[baco99]

i'm gonna sound stupid, but ... how do i check compression?

[MarkusN]

With a special instrument.

It's a pressure gauge that you screw in the spark plug hole. Then you crank the motor over a few times. The gauge has a check valve that makes the instrument "store" the highest pressure reached. Can be bought for a coupla bucks. (Mine was roughly 20$ IIRC.)

[sledge]

I am with Chuck, a bigger batttery doesnt always mean a bigger spark. Its still delivering 12v regardless of its size and Ah capacity. First thing to do is take the battery to a auto-electrician, get it load tested and go from there.

[baco99]

With a special instrument.

It's a pressure gauge that you screw in the spark plug hole. Then you crank the motor over a few times. The gauge has a check valve that makes the instrument "store" the highest pressure reached. Can be bought for a coupla bucks. (Mine was roughly 20$ IIRC.)

cool.  i'll get one this week.

[Jarrett]

check and see if you've got one of these near you.  They have compression testers for dirt cheap. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/

http://da.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=compression