Curvy cold starting trouble.

Originally Posted by leebex

Really? had to use tesco super unleaded on my old curvy this time of year until about feb/march time due to carb icing. ran a treat with that in the tank.

hmm, i think it may depend on the bike then? plus mine was restricted and persistently over fueling anyway so adding a richer fuel just made it worse for mine i s'pose...

in response to my previous comment, much to my annoyance the thermostat was completely fine, so i just stripped down the carbs, cleaned them, de-restricted them while i was at it (why the hell not?) changed the plugs and now shes running like a dream. i have no idea what was wrong with it but at least it works now!
i have found way more respect for the SV now its running on full power! kinda sucks its winter though XD

[Biker Biggles]

SV needs a battery with plenty of welly to start in the cold.For some reason I dont understand it seems to spin slower with the choke on as well,hence needing more battery welly.

Thought I'd bump this thread as it's getting even harder to start now. I'm not using the bike much at the moment, just short journeys and was wondering if the battery just isn't getting any charge while riding?

I also put some Oxford hot grips on a week ago, would this drain the battery a lot?

Anyway, it's bloody cold now in the mornings and so yeah it really is struggling to start, as said earlier in this thread my choke is of no use as it won't start with it on (half or full). It did eventually start after 6 or 7 attempts after resting the battery in between goes.

I just don't know it it's the battery (4 months old) or not and wonder if I should get a trickle charger. It sounds like the old carb SV650n is a bugger to start in winter though.

Not gloating but even covered in snow my curvycarby starts on the button. I have a few suggestions however.

How are the grips wired in? A relay is recommended to turn them on with the ignition. Having said that I'd expect the battery to be flat if the were on 24/7.

Get a multimeter on the battery and note voltages with the ignition off, on , running at idle, and revving at 6kish.

I cant tell you exactly what to expect but im going to go with 12.5 - 13v, then 12-13v, definately over 13v running perhaps 13.8ish and no more than 14 revving.

It does seem to vary depending on battery health, reg/rec health and general stator health, plus load and probably more as others will say. Classic things to look for is massive spikes in voltage revving which is the regulator part knackerd, or too low voltage which could be reg/rec or coil. If the voltage is way too high you may have already ruined the battery. You can also check AC volts off the engine, but I don't have any idea what you'd be looking for on an sv.

Just a few things I thought about. Perhaps someone will disagree but just trying to help.

[Spiderman]

I loved my curvy, i really did - till winter came about and this old routine had to start all over again. There is a fuel additive you can use that will help with cold starts, i forget what its called but i have one in my shed so if someone dont come up with the answer to this i'll have a look and post it again later.

I once rode to work on a 325cc engine as one side just refused to fire and work and left it to the other side to do it all, lol.

Originally Posted by Spiderman

I once rode to work on a 325cc engine as one side just refused to fire and work and left it to the other side to do it all, lol.

I was thinking about this today at work, how did it feel?

Originally Posted by rb8989

Not gloating but even covered in snow my curvycarby starts on the button. I have a few suggestions however.

How are the grips wired in? A relay is recommended to turn them on with the ignition. Having said that I'd expect the battery to be flat if the were on 24/7.

Hey rb. At the moment I have the hot grips wired direct to the battery but I'm going to get a piggy back lead and share the ignition fuse. They're definitely off when not in use so it's not draining the battery.

Really don't know if it is the battery though, I keep going back to this whole not starting with the choke thing (which I'm going to get a mechanic to look at next week). It will start in the morning straight away and run for 5 seconds but then die, then I struggle to start it thereafter. It turns over ok but won't fire up.

Fuel/air mix, carbs?

I dunno, I know little about mechanics. Just gonna have to get it looked at by a professional I guess.

Originally Posted by Spiderman

I loved my curvy, i really did - till winter came about and this old routine had to start all over again. There is a fuel additive you can use that will help with cold starts, i forget what its called but i have one in my shed so if someone dont come up with the answer to this i'll have a look and post it again later.

Cheers Spidey, sounds like something to look into.

So did you have similar probs to me starting up in winter?

[Biker Biggles]

Cheap multimeter----about £3 on Ebay.Buy one and test the system,then post your results and someone might be able to help you out.Anything else is pure guesswork.

Hey goodfella, the reason I was asking about the battery is I recently helped my mate out with his cbr, He said it was acting up ect and I found the battery was getting 20v when revved (ouch), anyway, replaced reg rec and cycled the battery but it was too late for the battery, it read the a strong 14.4v which is too high but you'd imagine it wouldnt matter too much. It turned it over but he said its usually faster. The bike would not start!

To me the bike was turning over fine but a new battery later and it fired right up. It turned over quicker with a decent battery and is running, rectifying and regulating fine now.

Anyway my point is that battery health could be a factor however I dont know much specifically about the SV!

Maybe check your jet sizes, pilot in particular. Some people increase the pilot jet in hope of either reducing or increasing overrun popping and all sorts. Perhaps its rich enough without the choke? Perhaps its lean with the dense cold air which needs more fuel than warmer summer air to keep the ratio consistent.

Gotta love engines..it could be anything, but we're with you all the way im sure!