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Starting wows due to cold

G

Gravelrash

I have seen alot of starting problem threads lately and have just had that problem my self. I wanted to start mine last week to change the oil the temp was about -4 and she did'nt want to start the battery was as flat as a Witches *** after a couple of goes even with a power pack it would turn over fast enough but no start. So i looked up some old threads which said up grade battery change plugs fit trickle charger. So i,ve got the new parts but not fitted them yet but i was in the garage this morning and the temp is now about +3 now so i gave it a go and it started first time and i had not even recharged the battery so the bikes seem very sensitive to very cold conditions :pirate
 
The bikes aren't sensitive to the cold, it's the batteries that are. The battery needs to be at 100% to start these bikes correctly especially when cold. You need to keep your bike hooked up to an Optimate 3 Sp or Optimate 4

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OPTIMATE-4-12...14&_trkparms=72:1299|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1308

If you've bought std trickle charger and not a battery conditioner such as the Optimate then i'd advise you to take it back.

If you've got a new battery, which one have you got?
 
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Hi the point i was trying to make was it started fine on the old non recharged battery because the temp had increased
 
I would agree 100%, I fired up my baby yesterday +8c in the garage and she fired inside 3 seconds :D
 
I think that's what Legs is trying to say in his post, these batteries must be at 90% or greater charge state to actually start these buggers.

When the ambient air temperature drops below zero degrees celsius, for every degree you can wipe off around 10% - 20% of the battery charge state. (This is not a definitive guide)

Even an Optimate won't be able to put that kind of charge back in to the battery quick enough. Plus you'll have the battery plates being very reluctant to accept any kind of charge due to the cold temperatures.

If you need your bike for a daily commute then my only advice is to get a central heated garage.
 
I agree Amb, battery charge does suffer once temperatures get below 0 degrees celcius however a battery on charge with an Optimate will be constantly charged and voltage levels monitored to restore 100 % charge if the battery voltage does actually drop, so I don't get the bit about the Optimate not being able to put enough charge back into the battery quick enough :dunno
 
LEGS said:
I agree Amb, battery charge does suffer once temperatures get below 0 degrees celcius however a battery on charge with an Optimate will be constantly charged and voltage levels monitored to restore 100 % charge if the battery voltage does actually drop, so I don't get the bit about the Optimate not being able to put enough charge back into the battery quick enough :dunno
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who mentioned an Optimite :dunno
 
Even an Optimate won't be able to put that kind of charge back in to the battery quick enough. Plus you'll have the battery plates being very reluctant to accept any kind of charge due to the cold temperatures.

AMB did:lol
 
LEGS said:
I agree Amb, battery charge does suffer once temperatures get below 0 degrees celcius however a battery on charge with an Optimate will be constantly charged and voltage levels monitored to restore 100 % charge if the battery voltage does actually drop, so I don't get the bit about the Optimate not being able to put enough charge back into the battery quick enough :dunno
Click to expand...

Possibly not worded very well!!

The Optimate will have an output of .8 - 1.0A max and in effect yes the battery charge should be maintained at 100% by such a device.

However the amount of current drained by the starter motor/cranking the engine over in cold conditions can take the Optimate device several hours to restore, especially if the battery is cold too as the plates will be reluctant to hold/accept a charge or remain in a charged state.

What happens with most Optimates (And this bit annoys me) is that when they are coupled up to the bike they show the battery to be in a discharged state and after an hour or so they show it as optimised. When in true effect if you was to use a Midtronics battery tester on it you could clearly see that the battery is nowhere near 100% charged.

In short, what I'm trying to say is that with an Optimate alone in below freezing conditions you may never get the battery up to 100% charge state. They are not really designed to cope in those conditions.
 
I agree completely with amb67, the Optimate (and its like) is at best a trickle or low current charger , there is no way it can replace to 100% the charge pulled out of a bettery during cold cranking.

You could at worst slave you car battery to the bikes battery (with car engine running at 1500-2000 rpm), but this has the potential to damage the electronics , although would solve the bike's battery cold cranking problem.
 
However the amount of current drained by the starter motor/cranking the engine over in cold conditions can take the Optimate device several hours to restore, especially if the battery is cold too as the plates will be reluctant to hold/accept a charge or remain in a charged state.
Click to expand...

Isn't this what the Optimate is supposed to do!

What happens with most Optimates (And this bit annoys me) is that when they are coupled up to the bike they show the battery to be in a discharged state and after an hour or so they show it as optimised. When in true effect if you was to use a Midtronics battery tester on it you could clearly see that the battery is nowhere near 100% charged.
Click to expand...

Amb, are you not confusing the term Optimate as a general term for a battery charger / conditioner by stating "most optimates". My opinion is based on the Optimate 4, not some battery charger / conditioner from Aldi for example

In short, what I'm trying to say is that with an Optimate alone in below freezing conditions you may never get the battery up to 100% charge state. They are not really designed to cope in those conditions.
Click to expand...

Partly true in my opinion on a very highly discharged battery, however it will just take a few more cycles to restore a "low" battery to full charge.

I can see we are going to to differ on this AMB. My whole point in answering this thread started by Gravelrash is if these bikes are kept on an Optimate in the first place it eliminates any battery state of charge issues and hence starting concerns irrespective of how cold it is. We've all seen the threads on Sprag clutches disintergrating due to low battery voltage and hence poor starting techniques causing bikes to "kick back" upon starting, so by simply hooking this bike up to a £40 Optimate 4 each time the bike's stood, with all other things being correct and in full health, it should eliminate this potential problem
 
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As i said i did contect a power pack which did crank the bike over normally but it still would not start until the ambient temp was warmer
 
Agreed Legs, that's the beauty of the forum though, everyone gets to throw in their two pennies worth and we all learn from it in the process.

Basically I think we can sum up that you need an Optimate battery conditioner fitted at all times when not in use, you need a decent battery and you must follow the correct starting procedure or you'll becoming face to face with your sprag assembly.

(Personally - when my bike is off the road for a prolonged period I remove the battery and put it on my Optimate in the utility room)

Anyhow, I think we've milked this thread for all it's worth now, I'm off to get another glass of Merlot and hunt down bargain bits for our bikes on Flea Bay. :doug
 
Top bit of discussion on this thread AMB :thumbup , good hunting and njoy the merlot fella :biggrin
 
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