Toy Run & Dnepr cold-start problem

 

Last Sunday I took the Dnepr rig in the annual Vancouver Christmas
Toy Run. A beautiful fall day, not a cloud in sight. There must have
been at least 2000 motorcycles. Bikers riding back and forth, revving
their motors and listening to each other's Harleys. My SO rode in
the sidecar, bemused by the whole affair. Obviously a Guy Thing.
She had fun once we were under way though, waving to the spectators
lining the streets like she was the Queen of England.

I took only a few pix because my camera's batteries expired :-(
(sometimes I just can't think of everything).
See alt.binaries.pictures.motorcycles.

Afterwards we went to the Trev Dealey HD Dealership's Toy Run party.
I showed her a Boss Hoss trike, gleaming with chrome and shiny paint.
"How much does that cost?" "Oh, about $50,000." She shook her head
in disbelief. Women can be so practical; at times they just don't
get it.

Here's the problem, I tried to starting the bike at 9 in the morning.
Temperature was around 5 degrees C (41F) and kick as I might, it just
wouldn't fire up. I finally got it going by bump starting it downhill
(we live near the summit of a small (100 meter) urban mountain).

Well it's going to get colder than that this winter which is
the weather I bought this rig for. If I can't start it at 5C how
do I get it going at 0 or below? It's kick start only, and I won't
be able to bump it if the roads are slippery with ice or snow.

I wonder how the Red Army got their bikes going in the Russian winter.
It was 40 below at Stalingrad, and the cold might have froze the German
equipment but not the Soviets'.

What should I do, spray it with ether?

Any help appreciated,
TIA, SQ

 


Check the compression, battery and tune it.

Is the cranking healthy or anemic ?
Were the plugs wet or dry  after cranking ?
Is the timing correct ?
Is the choke doing anything useful ?

 


"Sean_Q_" wrote


As it almost has to be a mechanical choke, make sure it is fully
closing when pulling the cable. A slightly lighter weight oil
may help in the winter (motor will turn over a little faster), and
in the same vein, a magnetic engine heater can be had for
20 bucks or under.

 

83LowRider wrote:

I don't know what the Russians did but bush pilots in Alaska and Canada used
to drain the oil immediately after landing and take it some place warm, then
warm it up on a stove before they put it back when they're ready to leave.
I'm told that with synthetic oil this is no longer necessary.

 



Switching to synthetic sounds like a really good idea.
Not sure if there's any downside. I normally run Mobil 1
15-50 automotive from Walmart, which isn't all that expensive.
In really cold weather, maybe a 40 wt multi-vis synthetic,
possibly a diesel oil.