Cold Weather starting tricks?

[RockySnowbiker]

Anyone have any cold weather starting tricks? I have two booster packs and quick connect leads to the battery. But once it’s colder than -20 I seem to kill at least one booster pack before the bike will start. Once it’s been running I can stop for over an hour on cold days and it’s starts right up.

Definitely going to install a kickstart this summer.

Thinking about getting some kind of 12V battery heater and block heater of some kind that I can plug into my truck in the morning.

 

[SuperchargedWS6]

Kick starter to start when cold. Then electric start once warmed up. Raze ecu helped my bike a bunch as well. Can start my bike in -25C in 4 to 5 kicks.

 

[LUCKY 7]

my buddy stores his bikes in my garage when it gets stupid cold like it is now

 

[armascott]

Back in the day when I used to ice race we used to use a insulated tarp and a propane heater. We would throw the tarp over the bike and blow heat in there for about 15 minutes. The bikes would usually fire right up, or we would pull start them, but I don't that would be too good for your track.

 

[Bernoff]

Haven't tried in -20 yet. I will need a booster pack myself in that case. Lol

 

[DRD]

1) Put bike in heated garage
2) Drink rum and smoke cigars until it's warm enough to start
3) Drink more rum
4) Say screw it to riding in -20
5) Sit on bike and make motor sounds
6) Go inside and make passes at wife
7) Go to bed

 

[ferniesnow]

Yes, on the colder days, there are a lot of bike starting problems in the staging areas. I wouldn't want to be riding a snow bike in extreme cold.

 

[RXN]

My sled dont like cold weather starts either
I found it I pulled the plugs. Heated them with a torch, heated the cylinders. Put plugs back it would start better.

 

[Director]

Dirt bikes - dirt is associated with summer.. I've always wondered - my 450ktm isn't much for starting on a cool fall day, let alone winter..
Need to warm up the engine and battery b4 rolling it over - tarp and heater for a few mins..
Better to warm things up a bit then using more power i'd think..

Leave them noise makers in the garage till spring........

 

[Eldereldo]

Put bike so the engine is next to the exhaust on your truck, throw a tarp over it to make a tent around engine, run truck for 15 minutes, warms up bike engine enough to make an easy start.

 

[kingkris06]

i plow snow with my quad at my cousins place , 15min down highway quad is ice cold, even if it was just running. i either start quad in garage and leave it idle on trailer or i drop engine oil night before , and dump in warm right before first start up .

 

[Mike270412]

Put bike so the engine is next to the exhaust on your truck, throw a tarp over it to make a tent around engine, run truck for 15 minutes, warms up bike engine enough to make an easy start.

Need a rubber hose that fits over truck exhaust. We have a detachable neck trailer at work that has a Honda running a hydraulic pump. On cold days we preheat it by parking an idling pickup beside it with a hose on truck exhaust . Works great.

 

[Clode]

I dont have a bike, but I do have a 4-stroke sled, to aid in really cold weather I run a small heater the glycol plugged into my honda gen when I am going sledding, it makes a huge difference. Then everyone plugs their trucks into the generator while we go out. I put it in the box of the pickup, lock the tailgate and ensure the exhaust is clear of anything.

 

[geelak900]

Get a length of dryer duct and take it with you, collapses up real nice and small. Slip it over your truck exhaust and point it at the engine cases. Run the truck for 10-15 minutes and the bike should fire right up. We have been doing this with 100% success, it works very well and is super simple.

 

[Rene G]

Get a length of dryer duct and take it with you, collapses up real nice and small. Slip it over your truck exhaust and point it at the engine cases. Run the truck for 10-15 minutes and the bike should fire right up. We have been doing this with 100% success, it works very well and is super simple.

I’ve done this to start cars, and to warm light towers on location, works great

 

[Trukker]

Need a rubber hose that fits over truck exhaust. We have a detachable neck trailer at work that has a Honda running a hydraulic pump. On cold days we preheat it by parking an idling pickup beside it with a hose on truck exhaust . Works great.

My sidewinder didn't want to start on sled deck this weekend so we bought a flexible dryer vent hose and hooked truck exhaust to one end and slid over handle bars to thaw connections . Had it thawed in about 10 mins

 

[RockySnowbiker]

Switched to 0-40 engine oil in my bike this year. Starts ssoooo much better all the time. Over 60 engine hours now running that oil and no issues.