conwest
Well-known member
Well, where do I start?!
Some of u may recall my post of a few months ago, in terms of how I was going to approach the much dreaded engine start after a long layoff. As many of us have gathered over the years, from this board and others, the fjr displays the awfully annoying trait of: will not f****** start. Particularly after a long cold winter.
Around here, the winter temps come on fast and furious by mid October. Hence, my machine is down for about 5 months, in an unheated garage: battery out; treated fuel; never is run; charge battery every 6-7 weeks. We shovel a lot of snow, too. Now, come March, I`m beginning to itch and I have got to go out to the garage and get the machine running...and it just doesn`t want to... not in the almost 5 years that I`ve had this thing... never had a problem with any other bike I`ve had (and I`ve had more than a few). After reading many posts here and other places, the generally accepted view is: the FJR floods at first attempt.
Over the last few years I adopted the throttle WFO approach. After one helluva lot of cranking, draining the battery, cursing yadda yadda yadda...it would finally start. But, it`s gotta be hard on that starter motor. I knew there had to be a better way, and there is. Gents and ladies, I do believe I have found the answer, at least in the cold regions of our land(s).
You see, I (like others) realize the bikes FI system design is at fault here. Namely, the FI is over- compensating for the data the computer receives from the sensors (air, coolant etc). In other words, it is dumping too much fuel in the cylinders thus snuffing out the spark/fire. After much thinking about this premise, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I went to CTC and purchsed a "Canadian Polar Pad"...essentially... a hydraulic reservoir heater. It`s a pad about 3x5 ", 250 watts and a heavy duty cord. Designed to be permanently attached to oil pans and the like (which I wasn`t going to do for a motorcycle and it`s once a year event), I affixed it to a piece of alluminum that I salvaged from the chassis of an old decommissioned Heathkit receiver. It has it`s own adhesive (peel and stick). Then I slid this baby between the pipes and the oil pan, alluminum side up. There was still some gap there so I had to prop it up with a small carpenters square so that it was tight against the pan surface...plug her in and keep watch over it for a while then intermittently throughout the day.
Once I determined it was safe, I left her alone. I let this baby do it`s thing overnight. When I got back in the morning, that engine was toasty warm...the oil pan was HOT. In the last few hours I set up a small ceramic heater on my shop stool and pointed it toward the rad to get that component and it`s contents warm. I threw my bike cover on and let things alone for another 3 hours. All totalled, the pan heater was working for 27 1/2 hours.
Eleven oclock rolls around and it`s showtime. Remove the portable equipment, install the freshly charged battery (still the original ) and btw, the whole bike is really warm now...still below zero outside though. Turn on ignition and...erererer....VVRROOOOOOOM. Nirvana! It has never started so easy at this time of year.
Sorry about the long post...just had to share the joy. :clapping:
Some of u may recall my post of a few months ago, in terms of how I was going to approach the much dreaded engine start after a long layoff. As many of us have gathered over the years, from this board and others, the fjr displays the awfully annoying trait of: will not f****** start. Particularly after a long cold winter.
Around here, the winter temps come on fast and furious by mid October. Hence, my machine is down for about 5 months, in an unheated garage: battery out; treated fuel; never is run; charge battery every 6-7 weeks. We shovel a lot of snow, too. Now, come March, I`m beginning to itch and I have got to go out to the garage and get the machine running...and it just doesn`t want to... not in the almost 5 years that I`ve had this thing... never had a problem with any other bike I`ve had (and I`ve had more than a few). After reading many posts here and other places, the generally accepted view is: the FJR floods at first attempt.
Over the last few years I adopted the throttle WFO approach. After one helluva lot of cranking, draining the battery, cursing yadda yadda yadda...it would finally start. But, it`s gotta be hard on that starter motor. I knew there had to be a better way, and there is. Gents and ladies, I do believe I have found the answer, at least in the cold regions of our land(s).
You see, I (like others) realize the bikes FI system design is at fault here. Namely, the FI is over- compensating for the data the computer receives from the sensors (air, coolant etc). In other words, it is dumping too much fuel in the cylinders thus snuffing out the spark/fire. After much thinking about this premise, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I went to CTC and purchsed a "Canadian Polar Pad"...essentially... a hydraulic reservoir heater. It`s a pad about 3x5 ", 250 watts and a heavy duty cord. Designed to be permanently attached to oil pans and the like (which I wasn`t going to do for a motorcycle and it`s once a year event), I affixed it to a piece of alluminum that I salvaged from the chassis of an old decommissioned Heathkit receiver. It has it`s own adhesive (peel and stick). Then I slid this baby between the pipes and the oil pan, alluminum side up. There was still some gap there so I had to prop it up with a small carpenters square so that it was tight against the pan surface...plug her in and keep watch over it for a while then intermittently throughout the day.
Once I determined it was safe, I left her alone. I let this baby do it`s thing overnight. When I got back in the morning, that engine was toasty warm...the oil pan was HOT. In the last few hours I set up a small ceramic heater on my shop stool and pointed it toward the rad to get that component and it`s contents warm. I threw my bike cover on and let things alone for another 3 hours. All totalled, the pan heater was working for 27 1/2 hours.
Eleven oclock rolls around and it`s showtime. Remove the portable equipment, install the freshly charged battery (still the original ) and btw, the whole bike is really warm now...still below zero outside though. Turn on ignition and...erererer....VVRROOOOOOOM. Nirvana! It has never started so easy at this time of year.
Sorry about the long post...just had to share the joy. :clapping:
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