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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Cold weather engine question
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Message started by Savage = HD eater on 05/29/07 at 22:05:49

Title: Cold weather engine question
Post by Savage = HD eater on 05/29/07 at 22:05:49

For you folks that ride in the cold weather, do you have problems with your engine being extremely finicky? Mine starts and runs okay in anything above 70 degrees but anything less, it dies when I come to a stop. It's like it wants warm air only. Even when the engine is warm.

HELP!!!

??? ???

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by verslagen1 on 05/29/07 at 22:14:22

Your idle too low for the cold mornings, speed it up a bit. of course afternoons it going to be fast. ;D

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by Greg_650 on 05/29/07 at 22:53:03

Maybe could use one of those wind screens that 18 wheelers use in front of the radiator in cold weather. I really like the one's with the image of Taz too.

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by spike on 05/30/07 at 00:38:13

I don't have much of a problem till in the 30's and I'm running it hard. It seems the cold air running over the engine keeps it to cool and it dosn't warm up enough.

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by Greg_650 on 05/30/07 at 20:29:53

The other post was just a joke, but there was a reason behind it. Why do truckers try to keep their diesel engines warm by blocking the radiator? It ain't just for a Taz face.

First of all this is a thumper. An air cooled thumper. Part of this just might be an unfamiliarity with both those facts. Possible?

Thumpers are not as high tech as alot of the more modern engines on bikes these days. But they were pretty much the predecessor of an awful lot of other bikes on the road.

The Savage, and thumpers in general, tend to be quirky. Air cooling tends to make it cold blooded. Idles fine. Warms right up. Once moving it starts being difficult.

I suggest that you just leave the choke at the 1/2 way point while driving slow, and if you get going fast, then pop it all the way in. Then if you are going slow again, pull it back out one click. May even have to blip the throttle from time to time. Do that until the air temp gets warmer.

Thumpers...you either love 'em or leave 'em.

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by Kropatchek on 05/31/07 at 05:18:03

My engine does not start without the choke, cold or hot weather. Learn to live with the specifics of your engine.
Adjustments, if any, when the engine is at operating temperature (80 degr.C) and leave it alone.

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by mornhm on 05/31/07 at 06:00:58

I agree that adjustments to fuel/air feed should be made when the engine is warm, but I had no problem with my Savage running fine, even below freezing. (As a matter of fact one of the reasons for me selecting a different MC is because I got too cold riding my Savage.) I would say that some engines (the parallel twin 500cc in my wife's Kawasaki) are a little slower to warm up than others, but I don't think the Savage should have any problems running at temperatures well below 70.

HD eater - I think your MC needs some adjustment, it might be running too lean when running in cold air. (Probably running too lean in warm air too, it just doesn't die).

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by Savage = HD eater on 05/31/07 at 06:35:11

Thanks guys! I'll get it checked out soon by a mechanic. I won't take it back to a dealer --- they don't know anything about this bike!!! Do I just find a mechanic that knows bikes?

Title: Re: Cold weather engine question
Post by justin_o_guy on 05/31/07 at 06:50:58

Your best bet is to just hang out here, talk to people, try things & mess with that bike till you get it running right. The $$ you save will buy the tools & plenty O beer. The satisfaction of fixin it yerself? priceless. Get a service manual, Some folks have both , Clymers & Suzuki. Once this is ironed out, something else will show up later & you will be traipsing back to a mechanic. You might as well learn to do it. It really is fun once you get into it.