[silversx80]

I stayed over at the GF's last night so I parked my bike outside. It was roughly 23-24* this morning when I went to start the bike. It turned over twice, fired several times and died. It isn't the first time that's happened but it hasn't happened more than 10 times since I bought the bike new. The odd part is that it would turn over on each subsequent try, sound like it wanted to fire but it never took. I tried about 5 times and then gave it some throttle to encourage it. When I did that, everything on the gauges went blank (back light still on) and when I let go of the starter and throttle the fuel pump primes and the gauges flipped on like I had just turned the key. I'm wondering if the TPS has something to do with that.

After about the 7th try I got the bike to start and I blipped the throttle just to make sure it wasn't yanking my chain. I let it warm up for a minute (I usually just get on and go) and noticed that there was quite a bit of water coming out of the exhaust; enough to puddle on the exhaust tip and to leave a spray on the ground. I never made note of something like that before.

I'm not worried since this is a first and probably won't be a recurring issue. I'm overdue for changing the plugs (15,000+ miles) and that will be done with trying to pach the radiator in the next few days. Just a bit curious is all.

 

[mavfan]

probably not that big of a deal, just a bunch of condensation in the pipe. did it rain?

 

[silversx80]

probably not that big of a deal, just a bunch of condensation in the pipe. did it rain?

No rain but that was my guess too. I parked early evening yesterday when the sun was still up. It was about 45* and no breeze. It's possible that leftover moisture in the exhaust that hadn't evacuated the pipes condensed overnight.

 

[Trambo]

Joe, how fresh is your oil, and what weight do you run? I know my K7 was a pain to start on the 20*-something mornings it was left outdoors. I was guessing the cold thickened the oil & made her hard to start.

 

[silversx80]

Joe, how fresh is your oil, and what weight do you run? I know my K7 was a pain to start on the 20*-something mornings it was left outdoors. I was guessing the cold thickened the oil & made her hard to start.

I changed the oil last weekend (the 7th) with Rotella 15W-40 and have been using that all winter. Never had an issue until this morning. It's possible though. I should've been using 5W or 10W anyway

 

[Trambo]

That's my guess. 15W seems a bit heavy for below freezing temps if you park it outside. Of course, you know oil weight opinions are as varied as oil brand choices. LOL

 

[silversx80]

That's my guess. 15W seems a bit heavy for below freezing temps if you park it outside. Of course, you know oil weight opinions are as varied as oil brand choices. LOL

Yeah, I think 15W is the recommended weight for 50*+ IIRC.

 

[Trambo]

Sounds right to me. I usually run a 5W in the winter for easier cold starts, and go to 15W in the summer.

And yeah... Rotella FTW!!! ;D