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Starting issues

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Old Dog 
#1 ·
Recently I have been having problems with getting my bike started, it turns over fine and has plenty of spark but it struggles to start and if its cold out it wont start at all.
 
#2 ·
Mine is a pita too start cold. I turn mine to prime wait for a few seconds, crank for5 seconds. Turn to on, then half choke then crank. She then will fire then stall. I then wait 5 or so seconds then crank on her again it will fire then I slowly crack some throttle then run full choke and let her warm up a few mins slowly dialing less and less choke........ I was starting mine with air temps in the teens when I rode her to work.. all I know is the is the worst carbed anything to start I have ever owned!
 
#5 ·
I just put a new battery in it, however it is a wet cell battery. I dont think its the battery, it acts like something else but im not sure exactly what. I did knock out the baffles and adjust the air fuel screws like everyone on this sight explained and its gotten alot worse.
 
#6 ·
The Air Fuel Supply Adjustment

Your trouble probably is the air fuel supply setting. If you have changed the back presure much you need to rejet or mess more with the settings to make it easy to start.
 
#11 ·
You should back them out. If you carefully screw them all the way in...do not use alot of force, till they seat, and back them out 2-1/2 turns each...that should be fine.

Are you runnning regular gas, and is it fresh? Do you use Seafoam?

I always had to use the choke to start a cold bike...I would hit the starter and pull back on the choke lever. . I only gave the starter 3 seconds to fire it up before I stopped , waited 5 seconds and tried again... Always started even in 15 degree weather by the 2nd try.

AGM batteries hold a charge longer, and iridium plugs provide a hotter spark....

Are you getting any backfires while trying to start it?

Hard to diagnose it without being there to hear it, but still sounds like a weak battery to me.

Buy a can of that ether starting fluid and see if you can coax her to fire up.

KM
 
#9 ·
#12 ·
I agree with KM. The wet cells usually put out 120 - 170 CCA and do poorly in cold weather. The agm batteries range from 190 - 220 CCA and coupled with iridium plugs makes cold weather starts a lot easier.
 
#14 ·
Welcome to the Vulcan. It is a biatch of bike, but fun if it runs. Im gonna try that hot coil mod I saw in here this year. Mine is the same as yours. Someone suggested I rebuild the starter too to minimize Amp draw and voltage drop. Vulcans have to have over 10 volts or they wont have a hot ebough spark to fire and run
 
#15 ·
I put a toggle switch on my headlight so that it would not come on during starting... I also recommend the iridium plugs, but if you have new properly gapped NGKs that should be ok, the starter does take a good bit of spark away from the plugs while cranking, so what others say about the iridiums seems good, I just don't have a lot of experience with them... I can't think of anything farther that has not been covered, other than "Good Luck"...
Have a good one...Old Dog...
 
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