Does anyone know what I can do to help my GS start in colder (20-40F) temps? It did it fine last year but now if it dips below about 45 degrees I can't get it running. There is a high whine and then nothing. My oil light turns off immediately but will not turn back on if I let go of the start button--I have to wait about 2 minutes for it to light up again.

My SOB boss is going to have my head on a plate. 

Quote from: ralph13 on October 24, 2008, 04:16:17 AM
Does anyone know what I can do to help my GS start in colder (20-40F) temps? It did it fine last year but now if it dips below about 45 degrees I can't get it running. There is a high whine and then nothing. My oil light turns off immediately but will not turn back on if I let go of the start button--I have to wait about 2 minutes for it to light up again.

My SOB boss is going to have my head on a plate. 

Maybe a slightly thinner oil, or store the bike in the house when it's cold. 

Huh, this got me thinking as I'm in the North East and just started riding...meaning I don't want to stop just because it's cold 

How does this sound?  To me it seems the solution and I think I may pick it up.  Although, so far my 2006 500f (new) is starting like a champ in 40F weather...

Motorcycle Engine Heater
http://www.reiffpreheat.com/Motorcycle.htm


JC Whitney also has this: MAGNET-MOUNT ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

I imagine that above along with a battery tender should be enough to get a bike started...?

Rejet it. Richer = winter.
BTW the very very painful practice I have come up with on new to me bikes especially ... fine tune the jetting on the coldest day of the year ... yes it means wrencing and riding on the deathly cold days ...
Set it to run well on the coldest day of the year ... and usually it wont suffer too much when its very hot ... you ideally want to have it run on both extremes ...
Cool.
Buddha.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a really poor mechanical ability though, and don't think I would be able to rejet it myself.  I don't have the necessary tools either.

Is it possible I could find a dipstick heater that would work to keep the inside of the oil tank from getting too cold? I really don't want to put my bike away for the winter (or even Jan/Feb).

Today it was mild this morning (40-odd) and overnight, I had covered my GS with a tarp and space blanket. I think that might have shielded it from some of the cold air at night.

On the same general topic, what is a good way to protect my GS from the corrosion of road salt during snowy commutes? I have ridden through snow before in Tennessee, but we would only get substantial snow a couple times a year--I live incoastal New England now, and I think exposure to the salt will be frequent.

Also, a lot of people who don't ride keep suggesting I add fluid to my gas tank (forget what it's called-it's the kind people use in winter for their cars). My gut tells me nothing good will come of this--Thoughts?

If the problem is that the battery won't turn the motor over, but it used to, then maybe you need a new battery. Another trick would be to buy a cheap automotive battery, small trickle charger and some jump leads. Keep the battery at home and jump start the bike on the cold mornings, presumably when you come home its not as cold?
Probably good to turn it over a few times on the kick starter to loosen things up before starting. Oh! Thats right, those old fashioned PITA things were deleted years ago.

I run my last bike (which was a piddly 125 no less) thru the depths of winter through to summer with no mods at all other than a cover.  The bike was left outside every night (covered as I say) temps drop to -8 here (17F) thru the winter at times and anywhere between -8 and 1ish for months.

Other than black ice, I had no bother with winter.  I did buy a new battery at the start of winter and to be honest, this was due to the fact the old batter was knackered....thereafter, first time, every time - plenty choke if really needed and its good to go.

No need for anything else thus far for me....good luck.

Thanks fellas. Covering my bike has done wonders so far--I don't think it's my battery though; I had it replaced a mere eight months ago.

Road ice is tricky; I hate the stuff. I don't even notice it until I've already either missed it or gone right over.

I've been riding year round here in NE Ohio for 24 years now, the last eight winters on my 97 and 02 GSs.  I don't use any kind of heat to warm the oil or battery, I just park it in a garage that doesn't even have electricity.  The four Hondas and then 2 GSs have all fired right up most of the time in temps down to 20F.  When the bikes sat for more than a week or so in cold weather they became harder to start.  A time or two each winter it won't start and I jump it from the car and it fires right up and will stop and start all day after that and the next day too.

In cold weather the heavy oil takes most of the battery voltage to crank the starter motor leaving little to create spark.  That's the problem if nothing is wrong with the bike.  One of those Hondas was a CM400A that had a kick starter and I could crank the battery down with the electric starter till it just growled and didn't turn.  Then I would give it one kick and it would start, had enought spark to fire w/o the electric starter load.  A jump from the car does the same.

I did have an occasion last winter when the bike had been firing right up and all of a sudden it wouldn't fire.  If I closed the choke it tried to fire, turned out to be a very dirty air filter element and the new one I was going to put in it in the spring restored it to firing right up again.  Was sucking in too much fuel and flooding with the choke on and the plugged filter.  A few loud backfires was a clue.