• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Cold weather starting

W

WynnD

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Aug 13, 2023
Messages
39
Location
Aurora Colorado USA
Last night it was 17 degrees (F) And at 9 AM I went to start my V100 and the temp had risen to 27 degrees by then. I leave the bike outside covered at night. Bike cranked quite nicely but wouldn't start and the ambient temperature gauge on the screen indicated 0 degrees (F). Is anyone aware of programming that prevents this? I went to breakfast and came back to temps over 40 degrees and the bike started right up. Quirk or just never going to be the bike I ride at temps below freezing? I don't know and I'm going out for a ride now.
 
Sounds like a temp sensor anomaly, just a fluke or happen every time? Ask the dealer techs there where the sensor is made.
Look into an electric blanket, batt operated.
I would think they would have that sorted out being from N Italy.
 
My Mandello won't report temperatures correctly below freezing. Instead of saying 30 or 31 degrees F, it will say -1 or -2 degrees F. It's like it gets confused about C or F right around freezing.

I hoped a software upgrade would fix it. But I'm at the current version and it's still wrong.

I've not had starting issues, but I park in a garage at home. I've left work with temperatures in the mid thirties and it starts just fine.
 
At low temperatures, motorcycle tires don't stick well. Below 30 degrees F, the available traction is very low. The bike did you a favor by not starting. Still it should have started, but the risk of riding at such low temperatures is high.
 
john zibell said:
At low temperatures, motorcycle tires don't stick well. Below 30 degrees F, the available traction is very low. The bike did you a favor by not starting. Still it should have started, but the risk of riding at such low temperatures is high.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the concern, but winter riding isn't new for me. Bare streets, but low temps are the norm in Denver most of the winter. We do get snow but it melts and evaporates fairly quickly here. We've lived here since 1987 and I've been seriously riding in winter since 1980 Retired now so I do have more choices. And a trip to Daytona Speed week is on my bucket list. (And I'd rather ride than fly or drive. Might have to trailer the bike to sane temperatures.) I'm still surprised that the V100 that starts so well would not start in 28 degree weather. My cranky R1100RT starts in 15 degrees, BARELY, but the ABS doesn't activate but I do have standard brakes on it.
 
TennesseeSmith said:
My Mandello won't report temperatures correctly below freezing. Instead of saying 30 or 31 degrees F, it will say -1 or -2 degrees F. It's like it gets confused about C or F right around freezing.

I hoped a software upgrade would fix it. But I'm at the current version and it's still wrong.

I've not had starting issues, but I park in a garage at home. I've left work with temperatures in the mid thirties and it starts just fine.
Click to expand...
did you try to switch the dashboard from °F to °C? anything changed?
 
I'll try °C this morning if the driveway is clear of ice. It rained last night, so I'm not confident the roads will be clear this morning.
 
Temperature should be about 30 degrees tomorrow morning when I start the bike for the Midweek Muffin Meetup. (BMW Club of Colorado.) Yea, I have a BMW too, but it's 25 years old. (And not as much fun to ride, but has better weather protection.) It will be interesting to see if I have any issues and if there are any, I will switch to Celsius and restart the computer and try again. It's really cranking quite good and I think it should start.
 
Checked my reading this morning. House outside air temp -3 C, car OAT -5 C and V100 0 C !
 
john zibell said:
At low temperatures, motorcycle tires don't stick well. Below 30 degrees F, the available traction is very low. The bike did you a favor by not starting. Still it should have started, but the risk of riding at such low temperatures is high.
Click to expand...
I suppose modern tires which have excellent grip when warm and tread compounds to enhance mileage as well as grip are more prone to reduced grip at lower temperatures than older tire designs. I grew up in eastern Washington near the Canadian border and took my bike out whenever the roads were dry regardless of temperature (back in late 1970’s and early 1980’s).

Regarding the temperature display and starting issues on the V100, I am now curious about my V85TT. If/when we have forecast for a cold night in Phoenix I will park in the driveway instead of the garage to see what its display shows and make sure it will start in the morning.
 
Vagrant said:
I bet modern radials have twice the cold/wet traction as compared to tires of twenty years ago.
Click to expand...
Not really, motorcycle tire compounds are formulated for increased grip, thus softer than car tires rubber. The newer tires may be better, but not that much better. I have hardware in an ankle due to riding at 27 degrees F.
 
I rode year round in Maine 45 years ago in ice and snow conditions, and have had some more similar experiences here in WNC in the last few years.
The tires have improved dramatically in that time, but cold pavement and cold tires can be an issue if you aren't familiar with the conditions, and how to deal with them.
 
Sounds like the same problem some Indian motorcycles had. Enough power to turn the motor but not enough to start. The solution was either use a trickle charger overnight, keep it somewhere warmer, or get a better battery. Most motorcycle companies don't use cold weather batteries since most people don't ride in freezing weather. I'd be willing to bet if you used a power meter you aren't getting enough Voltage to start the engine.
 
17° Fahrenheit is obviously below the freezing point of water and no matter how good your tyres are the co efficient of friction will be based on ice since its the lowest value that counts.
John is right, the bike did you a favour.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top