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I guess it doesn't like the cold...


hellindustries

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We're having some unusually cold weather here in the UK, i know, i know... other places are colder :P

 

Fun things my 5th gen has been doing these last few days:

* Almost not starting due to the cold killing my battery
* Throttle freezing in place (that's a first for me!)
* Indicators barely working
* Very low idle on start
* Awful throttle response until warm

 

It's so cold that the clear plastic solar charging window on my bike cover has become so brittle it's cracked open in several places.

Winter wasn't this cold! I've now given up. Have arranged for a lift in to work tomorrow.

I've ridden through a few winters, and i'm a year-round rider except when there's ice on the roads, but it's rare that it gets this cold. 'Feels like' temps are down to -12c / 10.4f and i can agree that it DOES feel like -12c! At least it *should* be over by mid next week.

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Sounds like your 5th Gen's battery is about done, was it already weak before the cold weather arrived?  All of the symptoms you listed are battery related.

 

While the 5th Gen's PGM-FI ECU was pretty advanced for its time, I don't think they (Honda) included system voltage compensation for the coil dwell time (that sort of ignition control feature is a relatively recent development in both cars and motorcycles).  So if your 5th Gen has a weak battery that's causing lower than normal system voltage the standard coil dwell time commanded by the ECU will not charge the coils well enough to get a good spark at the plugs.

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  • Member Contributer

You should certainly consider a new battery as mentioned above. Regarding the throttle freezing: lubricate your cables with oil to push out all the moisture. Also consider lubricating your ignition with some graphite powder to prevent that from freezing up. If you are running a 10w oil, consider switching to 5 or even 0 for the cold weather, it makes a huge difference in cold starts. Also, my bike personally hates cold weather starting with 91 octane (95-96 RON for you) and is much happier with 87 (91-92 RON).

When these things are taken care of, your bike should be relatively happy starting in cold temperatures. I regularly leave work in the winter at -10°C and have gone through all these pains before so I've learned the hard way. :)

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I shall take the advice.

I've never lubed the cables, so that's needed!
I regularly lube the ignition and other bits.
I had suspected the battery, too. Guess it's time for another one.

The bike is usually all good unless the temp drops to below -5, only then do i have problems.
Be great if i had either a garage or even the luxury of a heated storage area!

Can't do anything about the lower octane of fuel, 95 or higher is all i can get.
Oil: I'm reluctant to change it for two reasons:

1. Oil & filter done in the last thousand miles
2. I can get 10-40 at work, but not anything 'special' like that. (Special being anything we don't sock in large amounts), so it'd cost me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Member Contributer

https://shoraipower.com/

this shall solve your battery problems, get the one slightly heavier duty that will be below the stock replacement on the search results page.

the part they say about the battery needing to "warm up" before starting is true, on the second crank you get full power.

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6 hours ago, thereisnospoon said:

https://shoraipower.com/

this shall solve your battery problems, get the one slightly heavier duty that will be below the stock replacement on the search results page.

the part they say about the battery needing to "warm up" before starting is true, on the second crank you get full power.


£200!

Bloody hell, that's expensive for a battery!

I think i'll stick to Varta at trade prices (hooray for working in a motorbike shop...), even if i have to change it once a year due to the cold.

I'd consider it if i was keeping the bike for at least several more years, but i plan to sell it mid next year for something (a lot) bigger (2014 Suzuki M1800R BOSS) But i'll totally consider a Shorai battery for that bike.

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