Hard Starting!

[hueco]

1998 Tourer. 60,000 miles, desmogged. It has started being hard to start. Fresh gas. Choke on. Try to start. Nothing. Keep trying. After a few tries. Catches and runs a few seconds and dies. Keep trying. Runs a little more each time. After several tries. It stays running. Not stock petcock. Replaced it with a on/off petcock. It is cold here right now in this part of Tejas. Maybe she is just cold natured? Thanks for any input. Funny. Spell check replaced petcock with pet rooster.  hueco.  

[Valker]

Still sounds like incorrect choke use.

[Jess from VA]

The battery can be good enough to turn over, but not good enough to fire up.

When this happens due to the battery, the bike may fire up when you release the starter button (and the headlight goes off).

This has been my symptom when the battery is beginning to fade.

[Jims99]

I know it sounds stupid, but are you pushing down on choke lever hard enough? make sure linkage is moving. Sorry if you already know this, but surprisingly some don't realize. Don't need that often here in Fl.

[Pluggy]

Hueco, do you have a multimeter ro read the voltage at the battery?  Once the bike starts, the alternator should get the reading at the battery up around 14 volts.  This is enough power for the electrical system to work, so the cause of all this would not be the battery.  The battery may be weak, but if the bike runs and and makes usable voltage the problem likely lies elsewhere.

[ckahler]

"runs a few seconds and dies"
Sounds like a fuel issue. Durring that few second run time, I would spray fuel or starter fluid into the air intake and see if I could keep it running with quick shots of fuel at 1 second intervals. Rule out the electrical stuff.
Taking a voltage reading on the battery durring those few seconds it is running would also be a big clue as to electrical or fuel.

[gordonv]

Nothing wrong with the electrical, it runs.

Sounds to me like you don't know "Your" bike, each one is finicky, and requires a different method to start, cold, warm, or ?

I had one that almost always required a little chock to start, hot/cold, and then straight off once it starts running.

Another I would crank over. No start, apply full chock, once it sputters a little, I would use the throttle, and slowly back down on the chock.

Another, throttle only, none and crank, a couple of blips on the throttle, still no running, apply a little throttle till it's running, or turn the throttle off again. Any combination till I had it running.

Now, I but the chock fully on, crank, and once it's running slowing reduce till I like the rpm, start at 1500 to back to 1000 and off as I finish getting ready and ride off.

Has it been sitting? I love the Berryman B12, 1/2 can on my first fresh tank of the year, and the other half before storage and the last full riding tank of gas (and a long ride). Then marine sta-bil fuel additive for the storage.

[hueco]

Brand new battery. Volts at 14 plus when running. Choke all the way on.  Learned about that when I first got it. Fresh gas. Thanks for advice.

[Peteg]

I have little experience, but Gordon V pretty much explains the hard cold start issues I was having. My issues sound a lot like this issue. My VTX operating manual tells you to start the bike with the choke, then back off to set the fast idle until you finally get off the choke. When I backed off to set the fast idle on the Valk it immediately stalled. I read the owners manual for the Valk and it said to rev the engine maybe 1500-2000 rpms for a little bit until it will settled down and would run. It works great for my bike. It starts and runs first time every time, and I'm typically completely off the choke in less than a minute.

[Pluggy]

Hello again, Hueco.  Question: When you replaced the petcock, did you replace or reroute the fuel line?  Add an additional filter?  If YES, you may want to revisit the installation.  We know gravity gas feed works best when the hose is "straight and downhill".  My experience is extra hose on a Honda can cause a problem.

[9Ball]

Also look for kinked tank vent tubing...

[hueco]

Still sounds like incorrect choke use.

I am not too proud to admit. I pushed the choke lever all the way down. Then tried to start. As another user stated. I do not know my motorcyle. When I pushed choke down it always started. But. It has never been this cold.  Now. When very cold. I saw that choke would move toward open when I took pressure off.. So. Hold choke lever down manually with force all the way. Thanks.

[..]

Still sounds like incorrect choke use.

I am not too proud to admit. I pushed the choke lever all the way down. Then tried to start. As another user stated. I do not know my motorcyle. When I pushed choke down it always started. But. It has never been this cold.  Now. When very cold. I saw that choke would move toward open when I took pressure off.. So. Hold choke lever down manually with force all the way. Thanks.

It's always good to see the result of questions and answers. 

[Jess from VA]

Still sounds like incorrect choke use.

I am not too proud to admit. I pushed the choke lever all the way down. Then tried to start. As another user stated. I do not know my motorcyle. When I pushed choke down it always started. But. It has never been this cold.  Now. When very cold. I saw that choke would move toward open when I took pressure off.. So. Hold choke lever down manually with force all the way. Thanks.

One of my two Interstates requires me to hold the choke lever down to keep it choked.  It backs off after 2-3 seconds, every time, no matter the temp.  Though in warmer weather, it doesn't need to be on very long.  I can't really see it back off, but it does.  I never lubed the cable.

[h13man]

The choke needs to be pulled back toward you and yes its really resistant to the point you think you're going to break something. Replacing your plugs with NGK iridium helps with cold starts tremendously. BTW Honda suggests changing plugs every 8,000 mi. I've had 2 instances of plug failure just right after 10,000 mi. and yes it happened on cold starts.

[Jess from VA]

On the other hand, simple Nippon Denso plugs may last 50K miles with no problems at all. 

I never ran mine that far, but 20-25K easily and no problems ever and they come out looking tan (no carbon) and healthy.