She doesn't like cold weather. What will warm her up?

[jaimes-duran]

So I'm sure all of you know that an XS11 doesn't like cold weather. I haven't had my bike long( a little over a month). I have been doing a lot of work on it. I haven't gotten to take it out yet. It runs fine but is a pain to get started in the cold. It turns over until the battery dies! Then I have to jump it with the car. What can I do or change to make it start easier in cold weather. Winter is coming should I just put it in the garage until summer? Or is there something that will actually work?

[jaimes-duran]

By the way the bike is a 79 XS1100 special and thanks for any information it is greatly appreciated!

[WMarshy]

Are you using the enricher (choke) to start it? Have you tried cracking the throttle while it cranks? It shouldnt take that long to start, how long does the battery last cranking before it dies? Might think about getting a new one...

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Jaimes,

IS the battery an old one, or did you get a new one when you got the bike? Also, not riding it, just having it idle when working on it WILL drain the battery, the XS's charging system doesn't kick in properly until over 2500 to 4K rpm, and starting it drains the battery quickly. Also, IF the battery is weak, then it may NOT be providing the needed 10.5+ volts the TCI/Ignition unit needs to be able to fire the coils, and so it might turn over, but never fire...until like you say, you jump it with the car battery!

Do you have a battery charger? Put the battery on one overnight, then put it in the bike and try then. Also test the voltage of the fully charged battery, should be almost or slightly above 13 volts across the terminals.

Also, cracking the throttle while starting it is actually a bad thing, because it opens the butterflies, which drops the actual vacuum needed to draw the fuel up thru the CHOKE/Enrichener circuit, so it's getting leaner and can make starting even harder. Just use the Enrichener, and have you cleaned the carbs, the enrichener jet down in the float bowl...gets clogged easily, and will also prevent fuel flow if clogged!!
T.C.

[Geezer]

I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of the feed holes in the float bowls for the starter jets are plugged. These openings are tiny and often over looked on a carb job.

Geezer

[Codger]

Coil upgrade.

I used to have the same problem- then I switched out the stock coils for a set of Accel high output units- made all the difference- she starts hot or cold now.
As some of the gurus have stated it could also be carburetor related- but the swap worked for me.

[fredintoon]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So I'm sure all of you know that an XS11 doesn't like cold weather. I haven't had my bike long( a little over a month). - - -

Hi J-D,
how cold is cold in NC? My XS11SG plain hates to start when it's colder than 0ºC even with the car battery in it's sidecar.
But if you mean reluctant to start at 7ºC (that's my magic low number for out of town riding)
I'd say yeah, those other posts are right, the starting needs work.

[Crazcnuk]

Most bikes aren't designed to start below freezing. I guess they don't think many people ride below that.

I used to carry a 2nd battery, with a short set of 'booster' cables I made to boost mine at sub zero temps.

I would take the 2nd battery in the house with me at night, and put it on a trickle charger, so it was ready for the next day.

[MindWebs]

WHAT????

NOW you tell me!!!!!!!!

i rode my ninja last fall till it was staying at or below 28F
had to choke it when starting, but it ran fine.

so far i've been running my 11 and temps are at 30-45F
rear tire is a touch squirly (too cold for compound)
but i do have a very heavy right hand...

[yamahansolo]

cold natured my ass!!! mine is one of the best cold weather starters i have had!

i rode to work tonight and when i left it was 30 something out and blam first try it fired. same as yesterday.

i agree with tc no throttle action at all also you may need to turn your idle out just a smidgen and it'll enrichen it some. plus i have a sealed battery and they help alot!

[barberad]

My XJ hated anything under 40 and was a b_tch to start. I would go outside at about 10pm and fire it up so I could get it started at 4:30 am the next morning. Even priming the carbs didn't seem to help. Strangely, putting a new battery (sealed) in seemed to make all that go away.
Dan

[WMarshy]

cold natured my ass!!! mine is one of the best cold weather starters i have had!

i rode to work tonight and when i left it was 30 something out and blam first try it fired. same as yesterday.

i agree with tc no throttle action at all also you may need to turn your idle out just a smidgen and it'll enrichen it some. plus i have a sealed battery and they help alot!

I know its means something isnt quite right (dont care to fix it yet) but cracking the throttle ever so slightly is the only way I can get mine to start warm or cold... Otherwise I could crank it till it kills my battery.

[CatatonicBug]

I would suggest starting with the battery. Be sure it's a NEW one, properly charged. The sealed ones seem to be better (they better be, for the price!). I always have to use the choke (enricher) to start if it's been sitting long enough for the engine to cool down all the way, no matter what the temp is outside. However, it always starts, even in temps right around freezing.

If the battery doesn't completely solve the issue, be sure the enricher circuit is completely clean. Take the rod out (don't lose the detent balls/springs), and unscrew the plungers and clean underneath them. Be sure to get spray cleaner all the way from the jet in the bottom of the float bowl to the tiny holes in the carb throat where the butterfly touches them.

That jet in the float bowl is easily missed in a cleaning job, since it's not very obvious, but it's VERY important when starting. It's in the bottom, and tends to gather crud, so it gets clogged easily.

[D. P. Larmee]

Mine starts down to about 35*F with no problem. Below that, the starter clutch slips a bit. I can usually get it started after a few tries down into the teens. Below that, I resort to a 100 watt bulb on a timer under the oil pan so the oil is nice and warm in the morning when I have to leave.

[mro]

Cold ???

It's been down right chilly here but no problem with starting the XSes.
A low of 54 degrees might not seem cold tho to some of you guys

mro