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[dshuman]

Needing help from winter riders. I love riding all throughout the winter in all temperatures. however, my last two bikes, 2014 SG & my current 2016 CVO PS breakout, once temperatures drop below 40 degrees the bike barely turns over, and will not start. I have installed new batteries....seems to help for maybe a month, then not enough cold cranking amps start. when parked overnight in the garage I have it on the battery tender, but once it gets cold out that is no guarantee it will start. The bike does have automatic compression releases, but doesn't seem to help. sooooooooo frustrating!!!!!!  Instead of riding now I am writing this post.
Any help would be appreciated

[guppytrash]

battery tender?
Always plug into a battery tender and have never had a bike of any make or model that didn't fire right up.

[J.D.]

I believe the owner's manual used to recommend lighter weight oil (than 20w-50) in colder temps.

[dshuman]

I am using synthetic oil, and don't have a place to plug in at work.... I've never had this problem with my other bikes.

[Twolanerider]

Your temps aren't much different than mine in southwest Missouri.  Assuming all things are good there's no reason the bike shouldn't fire right up at temps colder than you're willing to ride.  If it's doing primarily after setting at work off a tender for eight hours I'd start off checking for any kind of power draw that might be pulling the battery down more than expected in that period of time.

[iski]

Would be worth a check on your battery tender.  Sounds like it is not working correctly.

[r0de_runr]

LiquiMoly 10W60 oil, start in neutral.

[Yellow09SERG]

Bike in neutral when try to start?

[backroad Mike]

Are you sure the automatic compression releases are working properly. Are you hearing them click open before you hit the start button?

As someone else mentioned. Make sure the battery cables are all tight and not corroded.

[SDCVO]

Definitely something wrong, should not be any issue starting in those temps

[FLSTFI Dave]

Mine have started in the teens with out issue.  Seems like battery is weak or the compression releases are not working.

[dshuman]

Thanks all.  I pulled the battery out and had it tested. It was only putting out 280 CCA instead of the 315 CCA specified on the battery.  The battery had only been through 1 winter.  I got a new battery and is starting fine today. I will see if this lasts a full winter.

[msdckelley]

Thanks all.  I pulled the battery out and had it tested. It was only putting out 280 CCA instead of the 315 CCA specified on the battery.  The battery had only been through 1 winter.  I got a new battery and is starting fine today. I will see if this lasts a full winter.

I have found the head light pulls a lot of voltage. Might want to consider installing a switch. Allows more power to starter. Also remember it takes a while for the charging system to help the battery recover, so short distance and low RPM will not help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[snowrider13]

No matter what the problem may be, I would help things out with a thinner oil, and also disengage clutch.

[timo482]

harley used to sell winter oil.. i have not ridden in the winter much the last 7 years or so.. [have not even looked for it in a long time..]  but when i did, id put in the light oil and have zero starting issues.

to

[Finster101]

harley used to sell winter oil.. i have not ridden in the winter much the last 7 years or so.. [have not even looked for it in a long time..]  but when i did, id put in the light oil and have zero starting issues.

to

Yeah but then I ran Nitro 70.

[ultrarider123]

Thanks all.  I pulled the battery out and had it tested. It was only putting out 280 CCA instead of the 315 CCA specified on the battery.  The battery had only been through 1 winter.  I got a new battery and is starting fine today. I will see if this lasts a full winter.

Hope that fixed the issues and it will last through this and many more winters.  I've had some issues with it sitting outside during the coldest days (25 for the high) and had one issue over those periods when Beauregard didn't want to start.  It was after it had been in the garage for a few days without the tender added.  Got home that afternoon and put it on tender overnight for the next day to work ride and no more starting issues...cold can kill a battery faster than a 44 Magnum....
I do have an option for sitting the bike inside at work and have taken advantage of it during the extreme cold days just so the battery isn't exposed day after day.

Side note:  Good for you in riding and attempting to ride all year round even in Kansas.  I see the posts from our good members up North about winterizing and putting the bike up for winter....dang those are some sad, sad words.  Not saying we don't have some bad weather days here in E. TN but not so many I have to store.

Good luck with the new battery....

[rayson56]

I have found that the "Deltran" Battery Tender Plus (not jr.) works the best for me. I have 5 of them and they work flawlessly.

[timo482]

i never put my bike away for winter till after i got into my 50's... even now i go out for a ride every so often..  one reason i do less of it is the problems i had with wiring in my 2000 road glide - the salt on the roads really eats at the connectors - and all the clean queen guys make fun of bikes that get ridden.   i just ignore them but fixing salt corroded electrical connectors started to really suck.

if I'm out riding with others ill take off down some gravel road i really like - the rest look like i pissed on there wheaties - in the 70's i lived on a gravel road - ride on gravel or don't ride - its no big deal...

about 12 years ago my wife and i rode through eisenhower tunnel with hard snow on both ends - the road was fine but there was no getting off to warm up till we got down - a foot of snow on both sides.

neither of us could do that now.....