Bike doesn't start in cold weather. Anyone else?

[sam303]

I have a Tiumph Sprint ST 1050, a 2005 model. It's brilliant, but its one foible is that when it's cold - like less than 10 degrees celcius - it is reluctant to start. Instead of firing up, it will just go chug-chug-chug really slowly as if the battery is flat. However the battery right now is a) new and b) charged. Leave the bike till the afternoon when the day has warmed up, and it'll fire no problem.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Any of your bikes start even at minus temperatures?

[Hooli]

Only times I've had that has been a weak battery.

[daimatt]

As Hooli said, my first instinct is battery. As it's new it's either wrong for the bike or something else is up.

Have you checked your oil, maybe too much in the sump and it being thicker in the cold is causing too much drag on the moving parts? Just a thought

[toxgobbler]

Hooli said:

Only times I've had that has been a weak battery.

This, but do you store inside/garage/shed or outside? Maybe worth chucking a cover over it?

[Baryonyx]

My T595 is a slower to start when it's cold. Warm afternoon or evening? Goes almost first click. Colder morning, or late at night? It can be a bit lazier, but only of it hasn't been ridden already earlier in the day.

Mind you, it does have an aftermarket alarm running the battery down. I've bought a CTEK MXS 5.0 for winter, but I'll run the extension cables through to the back of the seat pod and use it as a matter of course from now on, I think. Mine had a new battery when I bought it as it had went flat at the dealership.

[michaeldouglas72]

Friend had one and it was always the battery. If the battery wassn't spot on it wouldn't go. Despite having a full service history the air filter hadn't been changed cause it was a tank off job but with new filter, iridium plugs and battery in tip top condition it was a good starter.

Right up until the rectifier went pop...that was replaced with £120 job and all sorted.

[Prof Prolapse]

toxgobbler said:

Hooli said:

Only times I've had that has been a weak battery.

This, but do you store inside/garage/shed or outside? Maybe worth chucking a cover over it?

A cover won't help if it's the cold. They lose cranking amps as the temperature lowers, so as Hooli says a tired battery may not produce sufficient to turn the engine at lower temps.

It could also be any number of other things of course. But similarly twice this has happened to me it has been battery.

[sjtscott]

sam303 said:

I have a Tiumph Sprint ST 1050, a 2005 model. It's brilliant, but its one foible is that when it's cold - like less than 10 degrees celcius - it is reluctant to start. Instead of firing up, it will just go chug-chug-chug really slowly as if the battery is flat. However the battery right now is a) new and b) charged. Leave the bike till the afternoon when the day has warmed up, and it'll fire no problem.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Any of your bikes start even at minus temperatures?

First stop your battery needs replacing.
You need one of these
http://www.motobatt.com/ AGM, mate added one to his 2008 Sprint ST, resolves the cold weather slow cranking.

[Nigel Worc's]

Rather than impulse purchases on the off chance they may help you need to find the cause.

Do you have any friends in the electrical/electronic line of work ?

In your situation I would measure the current drain whilst trying to start the bike, both in the colder conditions that seem to cause you problems, and the warmer conditions where you feel it starts better.

If you have less current flow when it is cold, then the battery is the issue, if it has more current flow when cold, then the load on the starter motor is higher, so the problem is mechanical.

HTH.

[InitialDave]

Poor connections to the battery/frame, and cables corroding inside the connectors, can cause this. An easy way to check is to use jump leads to "bypass" the wiring (using your fitted battery, not a second one as you would notmally jump with). If it fires stright up, it's a duff cable/connection giving too much resistance.