1125 Hard Cold Starts

[zdawg123]

Hey guys,

Still riding my 1125Cr here in West Texas and the morning/night temps have been around the 30's-40's lately. Three times now I have tried to fire it up around 7am for class or 11pm leaving work and the display screen flashes "CT COLD" and she won't fire. It will turn over, but it won't catch spark. Is there anything I can do to fix this? It's been making me nervous. Don't want to ride if I have to worry about my bike not starting. My volts are good, but after trying to turn it over several times, they start to drop quickly.

Ideas, comments, suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[xtreme6669]

Mine hates cold mornings too. Some times wont fire till the 4-5th crank

 

[zdawg123]

Side notes: I'm running HD Screamin Eagle 20W-50 synthetic oil in the engine and primary. Newly wrapped stator from Custom Rewind, an upgraded Mosfet Regulator, programmed ECM for the FMF pipe, k&n air filter, and...I think that sums it up.

 

[BurningExample]

I just got done putting in a EBR ECM, put the stock exhaust back on, put in a Mosfet VR upgrade, and a new K&N intake. It has been sitting in my garage for about a month now without starting and btw its 15 degrees tonight with a high of 25 tomorrow. I hope she starts as well.

 

[zdawg123]

It's hard to say, man. It hasn't been that cold here yet. My bike sits outside under a carport, so that doesn't help at all. What I may do is see about hooking a heat lamp up to it. That may work. Just got our 1st snow last night, so I don't have to worry about riding for a day or 2 lol. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

 

[d_adams]

Battery tender junior, Amsoil full synthetic. A heat lamp won't hurt.

 

[zdawg123]

I don't really have the battery tender option at work though, Dean. I get to work at 3pm and leave at 11pm. The temp has been dropping a significant amount the past week starting around 7pm. Is the HD Screamin Eagle 20W-50 synthetic I'm running not good enough? I would use the heat lamp at home. What I need is a garage!

 

[d_adams]

HD Screamin Eagle 20W-50 synthetic

Not 100% full synthetic. It's a blend. Also, if the temp stays below 70 degrees, you might switch to 10w-40.
Use the tender at home. I leave it on mine all winter, summer time it doesn't need it. If you have a HID kit, install a manual switch for the lights to eliminate that drain while starting the bike also. I need to do that to mine eventually, just never seems to be enough hours in the day to get it all done. Got 2 pipes built over the weekend though.

 

[njdevils1990]

Are there any codes on the bike? (hold toggle and mode while turning the key to the on position)

 

[zdawg123]

Switch to 10W-40 even though the manual says 20W-50 for these low temps? Just wanting to make sure I do this right. And no, no HID kit, but I am running H7 Silverstar bulbs.

I have not checked the codes yet. I'll have to do that. It snowed last night, so I'm not going to worry about it for a couple days.

 

[d_adams]

Yep, if it's only getting up to 50 or even 60 for a high temp, 10w40 would be fine. I think the manual states 40 degrees and lower for 10w40. Any true synthetic oil will perform better than the hd stuff.

 

[zdawg123]

Awesome. I'm going to switch over as soon as the snow melts and see how that goes. Thanks, Dean!

 

[Red Rock 1125]

Well, I cheat on the Buell and commute on the Spyder. I rode in some rain going to a Christmas party, it had stopped by 1030, a few snow flurries floating around on the way home. The next morning was dense fog and a thin layer of ice at ground level, the higher elevations on the mountain are snow covered. One of the strangest weather experiences...the desert.