| Author | Message | ||
     Namibian |
Brought my orange pride'n'joy home Friday from Appleton. It sat in the enclosed trailer until 7:30 Sat AM @ +/- 20 deg F. Started VERY hard. OK, it's cold. However, would not hold an idle, had to play w/ throttle for @ 5 min & then it ran like sh*t until warm. When warm, no problems. Started right up, idled @ 1,050-1100 & ran fine. You do, by the way, have to feather the clutch w/ slow going, a real pain in the a$$. To the Buell gurus out there, is this normal? If not, what must be done to fix it? Thanks in advance, namibian Lost in NW IN | ||
| Two_buells |
my cold morning starting procedure. I start the bike with out touching the throttle and let it warm up for a min while I put my gloves on. I think you might need the TBS and timing reset and put a few miles on the bike to let it learn......JMHO..... | ||
| Javadog |
Mine was just like that, I thought I had bought a real turd. I got a Drummer muffler at around 400 miles, have around 600 miles now and the rough running at start up is getting better. At the 1000 mile service I want to make sure the timing, ignition and primary chain are all set up OK. I figure after break in, with proper timing set up and with synthetic oil the problem should be minimal. Oh, warm weather will help too. | ||
| Eor |
Even with the timing adjusted, the Uly is the most cold natured FI bike I've owned. I never take off until the bike has idled for a few minutes. | ||
| Superglide |
This is my first injected bike and I've been real happy on cold start up although I'm only at 40 degree's in the AM. The more you ride it the better it gets. I almost took the bike back the following day due to the hesitation/stalling and rough running but each day it seems to get much better. It will take at least 1000 miles if not 1500 to loosen up. I'm at 1800 miles currently. Best of luck! | ||
| Biker_bob |
I can speak to Harleys FI I know Buell's are different. If you started your Buell cold and only rode it up into the trailer, you probably had trouble starting it just because of that. On my 04 Ultra Classic I moved it in the garage by starting it and running for a few seconds, and it would barely start the next morning. I had to hold the throttle open to get it to fire at all. This may have been your problem. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I have an older version of FI on the 97' Electraglide and it always has started and idled easily no matter how cold. I used to ride that thing to work as low as 18 F. No problems at all. Always automotive 15W50 Mobil 1 Syn. year round. The 15W is for 15 weight in "W"inter. The Uly I have seems to start and idle just fine. Must have been set up properly or maybe I'm just lucky. Anyway, no riding now as we got 3 inches of white crap last night so I'll have to put the batteries on the tender. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Compared to my Ducati with FCR race carbs and no choke, the Uly is a breeze to start. Just put it in neutral, turn on the key, set the cut off switch to run and thumb the button. Then I put on my helmet and gloves, push the bike out of the garage and ride. Never a problem. | ||
| Al_lighton |
Never a problem here, but in San Diego, the coldest it has ever needed to start at was about 45 degrees. It does idle a bit rough until warmed up fully, but it has NEVER died while idling. Al | ||
| Chadhargis |
I rode to work Tuesday and when I left it was 38 degrees. Bike started and ran just fine. I typically always allow air cooled bikes to warm up a bit before I ride off, even in warm weather. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Chad, I do as well. It's my understanding that due to dissimilar metals used in construction if you don't let the engine warm up properly and/or get on the gas too hard too soon you can end up with some rocker box leaks. I always let a cold engine warm up a bit before heading out - then I ride gently for the first 10 miles or so to give the engine time to get fully warmed up. I've had excellent success that way and in many years of Sportster and Buell riding I've yet to have rocker box or cylinder gasket leaks. Regards, Jim in SB | ||
| Daves |
Yes, you want to let them warm up before you take off. All Buell and HD engines are this way. | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Every engine you will ever own will return better life to you if you let them warm up. That oil needs time to warm, flow , and coat parts. Also metal parts will grow and take up the extra clearance. Remember this is a warm up, not a HOT up. The drive train and suspension likes a little TLC time too! I just shake my head when I see people just jump on or in a vehicle, hit the key and drive off before their hand is barely off the key. I guess their time is more valuable than their money.  | ||
| Darrell_ks |
When I did my 1k service, the advisor recomended the 20-50 syn over the 10-40. Now that the weather has dropped to lows in the 20s instead of 30s, I have been reluctant to ride to work for fear of damaging the engine. My commute is only about 11 miles at around 45 mph. With a several minute warmup before the ride, would the engine get warm enough to burn off the water in that amount of distance? | ||
| Brucelee |
Shell Rotella Fully Syn 5W-40 will do the trick in that shorter ride, cold weather. | ||
| Thunderbox |
In cold temps you will not get the oil hot enough to burn off the condensation and other contaminants on that short of a ride. Oils are designed to emulsify water contaminates and hold them in solution to prevent puddling of water in the oil. You will need to do a longer ride at least once a week to keep water contamination from causing a problem. This is precisely why you should not be starting your bike in the winter in the garage once it has been stored. Remember to do a good distance of a drive prior to storage also. No doubt the 5W40 will be a better when it is cold but it will not get up to temp any quicker than the 20W50 does. To deal with the other question. If you start your bike and it's cold and you hear a buzzing sound coming from near the front of the engine your oil is too thick and the bypass in the filter is working hence the buzzing sound. If that is the case you need to use a better cold weather oil if you don't want your engine lubricated with unfiltered oil. Using 5W40 synthetic you should be quite safe in any temperature you would ride in. (Message edited by thunderbox on December 02, 2005) (Message edited by thunderbox on December 02, 2005) | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Darrell, Look at the chart on page 80 in your Uly owner's manual. Also look at page 86. Your oil is too thick for 20s temps. Also you will need to change your oil often with flushing included and as many long rides as you can work in. If it was my time, money, and bike, I would just wait until it,s warmer. Spend more time with the wife/woman friend! She may give you very nice and many presents! |
