Cold Starts

[adidasguy]

My trick mentioned a while ago always works for me.
Try - wait 15 seconds, repeat. Usually starts 3rd time and almost always by 4th try. Battery gets warmed up.

Might also be an issue of condensation - foggy and damp here. Maybe outside in cold wind you get some condensation or even ice crystals inside. A couple tries blows out the moisture and things get a little warmed up just from turning over the engine.

[Badot]

Just a quick update in case someone else is having the same problem.

New AGM battery in, ran it for a couple weeks, and the first night that it got real cold I had the same issue (rode the day before so it's not like the charge was sapped slowly). Popped the old flooded cell back in that has been sitting on the floor without being charged after removing from the bike. Fired up on the first compression. I guess they just hate the cold (more than I would have expected).

[gsatterw]

Gotta love that LiFe battery. so. much. juice.

But I guess it doesn't get below 40 here. so.

Graham 

[Bluesmudge]

My LiFe battery sucks below 40 degrees. Even worse than a normal motorcycle battery. They are great when its warm out, but mine was causing me grief every cold morning until I started putting it on a tender.
Sometime adidasguy's trick would work but I don't have time for it most mornings. Battery tender after every ride ---> starts up first or second time, every time.

[adidasguy]

Suzi starts very well. My "trick" only takes maybe 30 seconds - never more than a minute. Phenix is a little more fussy but I have some basic maintenance due for him  like cleaning carbs (which I never did) and checking the valves (been about a year and 2000 miles since I built him).

Brisk plugs are a little cold blooded (longer spark path and higher internal resistance). Dave switched his to Iridium for the cold weather and will switch back when it stays above 45. I do plan to swap plug caps with ones that had the resistor removed.
Hoping for a good weekend of wrenching.