It's cold out, will the bike still start?

[TheBrianJames]

So I made a video to show why FI is so great in cold weather. Also shows the benefits of using a battery tender when it is cold out. Enjoy! Sorry the audio is low, I forgot to turn it back up when making the video.

Here is the direct link

FZ6 Cold Weather Start Below Freezing - YouTube

[youtubevid]SIZyUREsB88[/youtubevid]

 

[Tagger]

hmm, not sure what it is i am supposed to see in this video ...

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Are you doing any cold weather riding?

 

[TheBrianJames]

It just shows that the bike will start up even at 23F (-5C) and warm up just fine. I ride year round in Colorado and my old carb bike had a lot of trouble when the temps dropped. One main point is not to ride the bike when it is cold out until the thermostat opens up.

 

[Tagger]

ah, ok ... well ... welcome to owning a fazer during winter then ... they tend to start just fine

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Welcome to the world of fuel injection.

 

[CavDoc]

Haha I don't have any problems starting mine either and it's not on a tender... But with 20 minutes each way in the warm, closer to 25 or 30 when I'm spotting for icy patches it tends to keep pretty well charged! :thumbup:

 

[iSteve]

I don't think FI makes that much of a difference if the engine is in good shape. I started my snowblower with three pulls last week and it was -3°f and had been sitting for nine months.

As long as there is fuel and spark a engine should start right up.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Most of our training bikes had carbs, with the exception of the Suzuki Tu250 which was FI. During the winter classes, Suzuki would start ride up and we had to struggle to keep the other bikes running. Keeping the choke out while the bike is running fouls up the plugs. Another reason why I like FI over Carb.

 

[iSteve]

I would never trade FI for a carb, but been driving cars, dirt bikes, snowmobiles and ATV's in the winter for over 30 years. Never had problems with carbs when it comes to starting if they're working right.

I will never buy another vehicle without fuel injected. I was just saying a engine that is in good shape should always start.

 

[n0other]

I would be surprised if the bike didn't start at temps as low as -50C, provided your battery still has the juice to crank it.

I have a diesel and start it at -28C no problems and diesels are loads more sensitive to temperature than petrol machines..

 

[TheBrianJames]

The next time it dips below 0F I will do a video to see if it struggles at all. My main concern is with oil flow in these temperatures. I don't think the oil in the bike is rated below 20F.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The next time it dips below 0F I will do a video to see if it struggles at all. My main concern is with oil flow in these temperatures. I don't think the oil in the bike is rated below 20F.

Per my OWNERS manual for my 07, Yamalube 10W30 is rated for 10F to plus 90F.


A synthetic oil(IE, Mobil 4T, full synthetic) should protect to even lower temps:

Mobil 1â„¢ Motorcycle Oils

A portion from the above link:

Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 and Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 4-cycle motorcycle oils

•Maximum shear stability to help resist viscosity shear down in high performance engines and transmissions
•Exceptional thermal stability to help resist oxidation and high-temperature degradation
•Outstanding protection against wear of engine and transmission components
•Enhanced lubrication to help maintain maximum power and acceleration over the life of the engine
•Optimized wet-clutch performance
•Excellent low temperature flow characteristics to help minimize engine wear during start-up

 

[Hellgate]

Back in the early and mid '80's I rode carb bikes year round ('84 to '88, finally bought a car in December of '87) in Colorado, that's all I had. They started up every time.