difficult cold starts

[steve]

my 82 starts really easily in summer but when the temps drop down to under 40F, I can have a lot of trouble starting.  It runs great when it finally does start.  It doesn't sit for days, just overnight so it seems the cold is the culprit.  Anything I can do or do I need to bring it in the house at night?
Steve

[ProfessorRex]

Check your battery, they tend to be weak when the temperature is cold (electrons moving slower... blah blah blah).  You may need to use a battery tender so it'll be nice and fully charged in the morning.

[Lucky]

also oil weight makes a huge difference, switch to 10-w40 in the winter

[bmeyer6472]

Mine's hard to start in the cold too - I've found that 3 -4 full twists of the throttle to squirt fuel down the intake, full choke and then idle position on the throttle when cranking does work, for my V anyway - I think these things all have their own personality! I agree that a full battery is a must - if mine's down at all, the bike backfires and is very hard to start from cold.   :P

[louthepou]

Synthetic oil is easier to move around when cold; that could help too.

Lou

[Paul_Jungnitsch]

I'm running 0W30 synthetic now in the Strom. Stays nice and thin in the cold, hoping I'll be able to ride the bike on and off all winter here in Lethbridge.

[Lucky]

Like bmeyer6472 said, these things tend to have their own personality, but i can tell you that after 3/4 choke, mechanicly your not doing anything.

i recently put a replacement set of carbs (83's) on my bike, and the choke never worked right. i could start the bike, but it took a lot of throttle twisting & once it caught, it'd idle very low then slowly cone up to 1200.  if i touched the throttle while it was cold it would die.

yesterday i pulled them & sprayed carb cleaner thru every passage. when you do this, carb cleaner should allways come out somewhere.  I found the air bleed tube well was clogged (this is the hole the brass tube in the top goes into)  carb cleaner sprayed in this well should come out the inside of the bowl.  it took a combination of blasts with the air hose, carb cleaner & careful work with a wire to clean it out. now she starts like a champ!

the starting system on these carbs are prone to blockage, but if you can keep 'em clean, they start well in all temps.

--Lucky

[steve]

Thanks again for the help!  You all are always the best source and always a big help.  I gave it three squirts and full choke this morning and it started right up! Of course I left an hour later than usual so maybe it just doesn't want to get so early!?  I will also put a bit lighter oil in soon but I know that didn't help last winter. Come to think of it, I did put in a new battery last spring too! 
Steve