rakon@aluxe.UUCP (kohler) (10/17/85)
I'd like to stretch my riding season to the first snowfall. I know how to stay warm, but on cold mornings I have trouble getting my '79 honda CX500 started. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions to keep me from saying heck with it and driving every day. Oh, one problem is no garage. thanks in advance, (as they say on the net) aluxz!rakon
niel@ihwpt.UUCP (M. N. Ransom) (10/18/85)
> I'd like to stretch my riding season to the first snowfall. I know how to > stay warm, but on cold mornings I have trouble getting my '79 honda CX500 > started. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions to keep me from saying > heck with it and driving every day. Oh, one problem is no garage. > > thanks in advance, (as they say on the net) aluxz!rakon I ride my bike year round in Nothern Illinois. Starting in cold weather can be a problem. Unlike you, I keep my bike in the garage at night though in the mornings the temperature is frequently -20 or so. My current bike is a V45 Sabre but previously I owned a CX500. About all you can do is keep the battery well charged (occasionally putting it on a charger at night is a good idea), keep the plugs clean (put in hotter plugs and use unleaded gas), and use no throttle when starting. With the CX500 I found that at temperatures below zero, the bike would briefly start then stall several times before staying started. A problem I've had with both the CX500 and V45 (and I suspect most newer bikes) is the crankcase ventilation hose ices up at temperatures below, say, -10 F. Not quite sure how to solve this except disconnecting the hose at the air cleaner seems to help. Good Luck, Niel Ransom
animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (10/18/85)
> I'd like to stretch my riding season to the first snowfall. I know how to > stay warm, but on cold mornings I have trouble getting my '79 honda CX500 > started. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions to keep me from saying > heck with it and driving every day. Oh, one problem is no garage. > > thanks in advance, (as they say on the net) aluxz!rakon After riding year-round in Chicago for about eight years, I've found that the following things are generally effective for me: **GENERAL IDEALISTIC SOLUTION** Ride the bike daily if possible, and take it out long enough to get it good and hot and fully charge the battery. This helps keep everything well-lubricated, the battery all the way up, and the gasoline nice and fresh. It's also often next to impossible. **PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS** Obviously, you should keep the battery fully charged. A battery will suffer significant loss though self-discharge in as little as a week, so if you only ride occasionally, invest in a trickle charger. I prefer the kind with the little harness that you can leave on the battery and plug in for charging. Some people say that charging the battery while it is connected to the bike will damage the solid-state components (ignition, computer monitor, trip computer, etc.), but this has never happened to me (aside--does a '79 CX have electronic ignition or points? If you have points, be sure to keep them adjusted perfectly; this helps cold starts a lot). You might also consider a higher-capacity battery if one will fit. The maintenance-free batteries like the Yuasa YuMicron CX (no relation) additionally tend to have lower self-discharge rates than conventional batteries. It also helps to be able to turn off all electrical stuff beyond the starter and ignition system. The big notable draw is the headlight (3-10A, depending on bulb), which is frequently hooked perpetually on by government fiat. It is very easy to add a switch to turn the headlight off while starting, and it is a very good idea. I also once saw an accessory that would delay headlight-on for ten seconds after power came on (you spliced it into the headlight power supply lead). Finally, the battery will put out more power if it's warm. If it comes out easily you might try keeping it indoors until you're ready to ride. I also saw a neat little stick-on battery heater at the local Kmart; I assume it ran off an extension cord. Another problem is that the oil thickens up in cold weather. Most people I know run a 20w50 oil like Castrol GTX; this stuff tends to be a bit stiff below 40 degrees. Try switching to a lighter multigrade like 10w40. As long as it's a multigrade and the top number is 40 or so it shouldn't thin out enough to cause a problem (though you might burn a little more--keep your eye on the level). Another possible solution is an electric dipstick heater, if you can find a place to plug it in. Gasoline acts quirky in cold weather, especially if you don't ride much. I make a point of avoiding alcohol fuels once the weather turns, because they tend to separate. Then you wind up with an alcohol-and-water glupt in the bottom of the carburetor, and that stuff won't burn for anybody. Also, gas just tends to get raunchy when it sits there, and tends to do so faster in the carbs than in the tank. Best bets: stick with a good, major brand gas without alcohol (known good: Shell, Amoco, Marathon; there may be others), add some gas stabilizer ("Stabil", you can usually find it at Kmart or your bike shop), and when you park, turn the gas off and let the bike run until it stops before shutting off the ignition. This makes sure that there is no gas in the carbs to separate or get raunchy before the next start. Remember to turn the gas back on and let it run for a couple seconds before trying to restart the bike. Stay warm! Dan Starr
hamilton@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (10/21/85)
>I'd like to stretch my riding season to the first snowfall. I know how to >stay warm, but on cold mornings I have trouble getting my '79 honda CX500 >started. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions to keep me from saying >heck with it and driving every day. Oh, one problem is no garage. no reason to stop after the first snowfall if the roads clear up. i've got a '78 CX500 and no garage, and have had few problems getting it started in sub-zero temps. the main thing is to keep the battery in good shape. i have more trouble when the bike has been idle for more than a day, so if you get snowed off the roads, be sure to start & run the engine a while each day. one winter i tried blowing warm air from a hair dryer into the air filter; i'm not sure it really helped. wayne hamilton U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL UUCP: {ihnp4,pur-ee,convex}!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!hamilton ARPA: hamilton@uiucuxc.cso.uiuc.edu CSNET: hamilton%uiucuxc@uiuc.csnet USMail: Box 476, Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: (217)333-8703
marauder@fluke.UUCP (Bill Landsborough) (10/22/85)
In article <822@aluxe.UUCP> rakon@aluxe.UUCP (kohler) writes: >I'd like to stretch my riding season to the first snowfall. I know how to >stay warm, but on cold mornings I have trouble getting my '79 honda CX500 >started. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions to keep me from saying >heck with it and driving every day. Oh, one problem is no garage. > >thanks in advance, (as they say on the net) aluxz!rakon I would first recommend a strong battery, good ignition, (points, plugs, etc.) and a good choke. Turn the choke on full and with NO throttle, push the starter. The bike in original condition is designed to start in cold weather like this. If it fails to start in 5 seconds or less then something else is wrong. If it "trys-to-and-almosts-starts" repeatedly, that indicates too rich. Turn off the choke and hold the throttle wide open and crank it. When it starts, hold it wide open until it starts to "clean out". I also agree with the guy who says thinner oil in another article. No need to stir molasses... Bill Landsborough