Trouble starting the bike when very very cold

Does anyone have any tips for starting the thundercat when its been left outside in the snow, just went to try and start it and it just kept on turning over but never fired up although it did cough a few times. all i was doing was holding the starter button with the choke lever down and a little bit of throttle. Any ideas??

Thanks in advance
Alex

Never start mine with any throttle. Not tried since the snow last week so may need to. Mines out under a cover as well.

My usual way is.
Ignition on. wait for fuel pump to stop ticking.
FULL choke on.
Starter.
Yoda, usually fires after about 2-3secs.

When i initially bought the bike i didnt have the choke all the way on so it did cause start up issues. And a flat battery once.

Regards Rich.

No throttle, full choke. Also if the battery isn't fully charged it could be a problem, turns OK but won't fire. In really cold weather the capacity of the battery is reduced and the extra effort required to turn a cold engine reduces the available power for the spark plugs.

When the white stuff stops falling tomorrow, I'm taking my battery out and getting it inside to charge - can't see myself going anywhere for sometime in this weather

Could also be down to a bit of carb icing due to the cold. ⛄

If mine been sitting a very long time I sometimes need fee attempts at bump starting it but other than follow the advice above.

Jtpt2007 wrote:Could also be down to a bit of carb icing due to the cold. ⛄

Carb icing happens when the engine is running, so not likely.

As others have said, full choke and no throttle is a good place to start. I often need a whiff of throttle as soon as it fires to keep it running.

Thanks for all the tips guys ill give it a crack tomorrow.

Carb icing can occur at any point as long as the air and carb intake temperature is low enough. How old is the fuel? I have also found old fuel can also create problems.

The fuel is less than a week old.

Fulll choke, no throttle. As it catches just a tickle of throttle...works for me the odd time I ride when it is properly cold

Agree with all the above, full choke, no throttle, press the starter, tickle the throttle when it fires up.

As others have said it may be worth whipping the battery off and get it on charge, (bike battery charger, not car), or invest in some form of trickle charge, optimate etc, I know this isn't practical if the bike is stored outside but is the best way to keep the battery in tip top condition, especially in this weather where the combination of the extreme cold and increased load needed to turn and start a cold engine can quickly lead to a dead battery.

Tried all your tips today and got the bike to start first time and stay on :-) thanks for all your help guys!

Good for u. Glad we could help.

BTW, started up mine yesterday. Sat outside for nearly 2 weeks under the cover. Did as above and started within 1/2 a second.

Rich.

My Cat started 1st try after 7 weeks inactivity in the garage...great bikes.

when my drive clears of snow I will see if mine starts!, might whip the battery out and charge it overnight first though, really makes a difference