painful draining cold starts

  • pato
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painful draining cold starts

19 Nov 2006 16:51
#93254
hi
I have a kz650 78 that runs great when it is warmed up but it takes almost a full battery to get it to start.

the carbs are clean, the air filters are clean, new spark plugs and battery, dyna ignition ... the kick start does not do anything when cold so I use the electric starter for some 30 times and then it comes up alive with a drained battery

if the day is sunny and I leave the bike in the sun or if I put a heater in the garage pointing at the engine I may need 10 or 15 pushes of the electric start

I am in cold weather land, it's getting colder and I do not know what to do... hints anybody?
thank you

Post edited by: pato, at: 2006/11/19 19:52

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  • Sandy
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Re: painful draining cold starts

19 Nov 2006 17:03
#93257
Choke circuit?
:huh:
timing?
Did You have any problems putting the carbs back together when You cleaned them,or did You clean them?
1977 KZ1000 A-1

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  • pyxen
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Re: painful draining cold starts

20 Nov 2006 06:48
#93423
I've had a couple painful cold starts lately too..but I think I've just come to understand its the way it goes in cold weather :P

You could try synthetic oil to keep things a little looser (sp?) maybe? Do you keep your bike on a trickle charger overnight? That would keep it maxed out for a good jolt when you're ready to go..

Or get a heated blanket - make a shroud for your engine, and get an electronic timer so that it turns on an hour before you leave and warms the engine from the outside. ;)
84 KZ550-F2 LTD
93 ZR550-B4

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  • RonKZ650
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Re: painful draining cold starts

20 Nov 2006 10:28
#93480
Before I even read what kind of KZ you have, I thought KZ650. Every KZ650 I've ever owned is a bear to start cold. Thank goodness for kick starter on these.
321,000 miles on KZ's that I can remember. Not going to see any more.

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  • inline79
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Re: painful draining cold starts

20 Nov 2006 23:33
#93664
pato never says anything about the choke. Are you using the choke, and is it pulling all the plungers up fully?

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  • OneShoe50
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Re: painful draining cold starts

21 Nov 2006 05:04
#93681
By cold do you mean 50F or 30F? I know the combination my KZ1000 sitting for a week and a 30F morning make for a hard cold start. I usually kick it, until I get some indication it's ready to start with 3/4 choke and no additional throttle. And then wonder why the hell I'm trying to ride on a 30F day. :P

I agree with the other posts, check choke, timing as a basic start. If by chance the timing is advanced the engine will be hard to start when cold, I run mine dead up, no advance.

That's why we own these bikes, if it was easy, everybody would do it! :lol:
77 KZ1000A1 - Under going a psuedo ELR overhaul
79 KE175 (gone)
81 KZ550A2 (gone)
81 KZ750E (gone)

Sure it looks OK now, but wait until I really make it pretty, with some chrome and paint and some new tires and grips and the wiring. Don't forget the gearing, and the LED's and, and, and....

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  • kzwolfsr
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Re: painful draining cold starts

21 Nov 2006 12:16
#93797
I get the same probs with my bike but I only have my kickstarter working so I am always out there kicking away. My bike had a horibble starting prob when it would only start in temps above 40 and anything below that it would flood the plugs. But then a friend of mine turned out my air mix screws and put my sparkplug caps on the wires properly for me and now I have more faith in my bike to go anywhere
1979 KZ SR650, stock candy persimmon red and crossover pipes
1981 KZ 1000LTD with non stock and more comfortable handle bars and 4 into one V&H
Original man of the Caribbean

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  • OKC_Kent
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Re: painful draining cold starts

21 Nov 2006 12:56
#93808
WG would jump in about now and ask, "Do you have 12 volts at the coils?":)
Oklahoma City, OK
78 KZ650 B2 82,000+ miles

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