too cold to start?

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:53 pm

I understand not starting it unless you're going to ride it, but is there a temperature that you consider "too cold" to start your GW?

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:56 pm

f1xrupr wrote:I understand not starting it unless you're going to ride it, but is there a temperature that you consider "too cold" to start your GW?

As long as the coolant in it is rated for the temperature your bike is being stored at (and it definitely should be!) you should be able to start your bike no matter the temperature.

If it is really cold, you might want to make sure you have synthetic oil, so that it isn't too thick when cold - or use an oil that has a low number before the "W" - i.e. 0W30 means the oil will be thinner in winter (the "W") so that it doesn't overpressurize the system and blow out seals.

RoadRogue · Post by **RoadRogue** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 9:47 pm

My rule is that if it is too cold to ride then it is too cold to start it.

Viking · Post by **Viking** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 11:09 pm

RoadRogue wrote:My rule is that if it is too cold to ride then it is too cold to start it.

I concur. The bike may be possible to start, but not giving it a good warmup just creates moisture inside and around the engine, which if not allowed to evaporate, can corrode and rust all kinds of things, with the exception of tupperware, which is safe from corrosion - but exhaust systems and aluminum are not. So, even though I could start it, I resist the temptation.

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 1:57 am

My worry is more about bodywork: In very cold temperatures, ABS is brittle. Hitting bumps that cause zero damage during summer months, can easily crack fairing and bodywork mounting points, causing hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:23 am

Just wondering. My brother has a 2008 Heritage Classic Harley (air head), and his info "suggests" that you should not ride it when the temp is below 40 degrees.

ct1500 · Post by **ct1500** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:55 am

Info from whom, Internet chatter or the owners manual?

702scottc · Post by **702scottc** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:37 pm

I haven't heard of a too cold to run temperature but I concur with the other postings. If you aren't going to warm it up and ride it then it's probably best to leave it on the battery tender and wait for warmer weather. I ride year round out here so I don't know from real cold...

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:42 pm

702scottc wrote:I haven't heard of a too cold to run temperature but I concur with the other postings. If you aren't going to warm it up and ride it then it's probably best to leave it on the battery tender and wait for warmer weather. I ride year round out here so I don't know from real cold...

LOL, come to the east side of the country, you'll find out what cold is LOL.

stuart.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 9:10 pm

Ok...I just talked to my brother-turns out that was a word of mouth kinda thing from a certain Harley guru/sect (?). I've never herd of any such before myself...just made me kinda think, because I ride sometimes when it's kinda chilly. I baby it when it's cold though. My anti freeze is 50/50, and my oil is synthetic.
Does someone have a owner's manual from a early 80s model, that can share what the coldest operating temp is on the oil viscosity chart?...thanks

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 9:20 pm

f1xrupr wrote:Ok...I just talked to my brother-turns out that was a word of mouth kinda thing from a certain Harley guru/sect (?). I've never herd of any such before myself...just made me kinda think, because I ride sometimes when it's kinda chilly. I baby it when it's cold though. My anti freeze is 50/50, and my oil is synthetic.
Does someone have a owner's manual from a early 80s model, that can share what the coldest operating temp is on the oil viscosity chart?...thanks

well, as per the repair manual for the 80-83 std, inter, and aspy's, it states that oil and filter should be changed every 8,000 miles, with the oil being between 10W-30 from temps ranging from +5*F to +85*F, and 10W-40 from temps ranging from +5* to over 100*F, and 20W-40 to 20W-50 from temps ranging from +30*F to over 100*F. so, there's a big difference between viscosities.

hope this helps ya.

stuart.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:08 pm

Hey, that's really good info! Wow, +5...you'd really have the fever bad to ride that cold! I'm running 20w50, so, +30 is plenty safe for me!

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:11 pm

f1xrupr wrote:Hey, that's really good info! Wow, +5...you'd really have the fever bad to ride that cold! I'm running 20w50, so, +30 is plenty safe for me!

lol, I have artic longjohns, I feel nothing. I ride even if the temps go down to +20*F.

and with this posting, im logging off for the night. sleep well everybody.

stuart.

HawkeyeGL1200 · Post by **HawkeyeGL1200** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:02 pm

I don't see any reason why you can't start your motorcycle at any (reasonable) temperature. If you're worried about oil pressure, you can always turn the engine over a few turns with the kill-switch set to off... and then after your oil pressure light goes out, flick it to run, and pull the choke in and let her roll.

I start both my bikes every few days whether I'm going to ride or not. I let them run until the cooling fan turns on and shuts off, turn off the fuel petcock and shut 'em down again.

I don't necessarily like riding when the temperature goes below freezing, but I have ridden on a few days when the temp was below 12 degrees (F) outside. The key is to keep your core warm, and then the rest of the body more or less takes care of itself. I do not own a heated suit, heated gloves nor heated grips. I'm just tougher than nails LOL (or dumber than a box of rocks)...

spiralout · Post by **spiralout** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 1:21 am

HawkeyeGL1200 wrote:The key is to keep your core warm, and then the rest of the body more or less takes care of itself.

Ya, if frostbite is taking care of itself.

On my 1500, it's all about my feet. The fairing pretty much keeps most of the cold wind off my torso, arms and hands. It's my lower legs and feet that get cold. I need to invest in some neoprene socks or something...

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 6:59 am

spiralout wrote:
HawkeyeGL1200 wrote:The key is to keep your core warm, and then the rest of the body more or less takes care of itself.
Ya, if frostbite is taking care of itself.
On my 1500, it's all about my feet. The fairing pretty much keeps most of the cold wind off my torso, arms and hands. It's my lower legs and feet that get cold. I need to invest in some neoprene socks or something...

go onto eBay and type "men's neoprene waterproof socks" into the searchbox, it will bring up a whole page of socks, shoes and boots.

stuart.

Keef · Post by **Keef** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 8:38 am

I start mine at least once a week. Let her run until she gets hot, and shut her down. I do not let it start
right off the bat though. She won't start with out the choke, so i turn her over a few times first. Mine is in a garage
and it don't get any colder than 30 any way down here.

And no I don't stay in the garage! lol

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 8:48 am

Keef wrote:I start mine at least once a week. Let her run until she gets hot, and shut her down. I do not let it start
right off the bat though. She won't start with out the choke, so i turn her over a few times first. Mine is in a garage
and it don't get any colder than 30 any way down here.

And no I don't stay in the garage! lol

that's not a bad idea of turning her over a few times before starting her up. it give the oil a chance to circulate before it starts. keeps all the vital parts lubricated on cold starts.

stuart.

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:57 am

Keef wrote:I start mine at least once a week. Let her run until she gets hot, and shut her down.

This is really a terrible thing to do to your bike. Read: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=24818

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:09 am

I pulled the oil temperature ranges from various owners manuals:

: GL1000 1975

: GL1000 1978

: GL1100 1982

: GL1200 1986

: GL1500 1989

: GL1800 2006 (2010 same)

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:11 am

WingAdmin wrote:
Keef wrote:I start mine at least once a week. Let her run until she gets hot, and shut her down.
This is really a terrible thing to do to your bike. Read: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=24818

I feel sorry for that bike in the photo. the owner should be left outside sitting on that bike for the winter so he'll know what it feels like to be "abandoned" in the cold and snow.

stuart.

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:14 am

WingAdmin wrote:I pulled the oil temperature ranges from various owners manuals:

GL1000 1975.gif

GL1000 1978.GIF

GL1100 1982.GIF

GL1200 1986.GIF

GL1500 1989.GIF

GL1800 2006.GIF

well, the only chart I can pull up and did are for the 80-83 GL1100 wings. not sure about what the other wings call for as I have no information on or for them, but im sure it cant be to far off from the gl1100's

stuart.

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:17 am

roadwanderer2 wrote:well, the only chart I can pull up and did are for the 80-83 GL1100 wings. not sure about what the other wings call for as I have no information on or for them, but im sure it cant be to far off from the gl1100's

stuart.

Try refreshing it - I had to re-upload the images (I got them out of order the first time).

roadwanderer2 · Post by **roadwanderer2** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:24 am

WingAdmin wrote:
roadwanderer2 wrote:well, the only chart I can pull up and did are for the 80-83 GL1100 wings. not sure about what the other wings call for as I have no information on or for them, but im sure it cant be to far off from the gl1100's

stuart.
Try refreshing it - I had to re-upload the images (I got them out of order the first time).

no, that's not what I meant, sorry, what I meant was what I typed in was for someone else that wanted to know about it, and I looked in the repair, maintenance section in my manual, read and typed what I found into a post reply. sorry for the confusion.

stuart.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:43 pm

Hey Wingadmin...I really like those numbers for the 1982, although mines a 1980. I running 20w50 Royal Purple car oil (which is also recommended for desiel engines), and the reason is, I replaced my crankshaft bearings, and couldn't find what I wanted. It's a long story, but when I got the bike, it had clumps in the oil...filthy, neglected, the nastiest engine inside and out, that I have ever worked on...they used it as a daily commuter for 98000? Miles, tried to replace head gasket, messed it up, let it set 6 years (some of which was outdoors with the timing cap off)...then, sold it to you know who for $400.00. I found the bypass valve (oil filter bolt) stuck open, and eat the bearings up (I found 1 half shell wore 009), but the crank polished up easy (400 grit favorable direction). On the big ends, it had brown and blue-couldn't get blue, so, I went back with brown and brown (0001 wasn't going to make much difference in the scheme of things), and since all of the oil passages are quite large, I use20w50. My oil pressure is phanomal, but I am careful at cold temps, because I don't want to do it again! I'll tell you this much for sure...I couldn't have done it without God leading me to this sight...huge help in a big way!!!...thanks to God, Wingadmin, ALL you posters!

too cold to start?

too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?

Re: too cold to start?