cold weather starting

[mocr13]

I just got my donor 88 cr500 for my 500af,well I wanted to ride it and check it all out,and I cant get it to start,I have new 105 octane fuel with hp2,clean air filter and good spark,this is my first 500,so I dont know about there starting habits in cold weather,I know my old 98 cr250 you could kick till your leg fell off, if it was below 30 degrees outside it wasnt starting,soon as it got up to about 40 degrees it would fire right up! so does anybody know if this 88 500 would suffer the same problem? any help would be greatly appreciated as I want to start on my af but want to make sure the 500 motoer is good before mounting it Thanks Mocr13

[eyesky2002]

When its below 40 mine is a bitch. but will fire up. Generally I have to roll thru the starting procedure a few times; it wont's start, let it sit about 5 minutes. Go back to it, roll thru a couple of soft pushes, find a hard TDC... KICK and wham it fires.... Every time!

[Wheelie-Gene]

Each of my bikes has a different personality. After a learning process, I finally have a routine for the 500.

It can be cool in the shop, or down-right cold, it starts really easy.
W/o the decomp valve, it'd be impossible for this old man.

I snap the decomp, pull the choke, roll through the kicker 10 times, bring it up 'till the valve starts to spew (no f'ing w/finding TDC), and give it one good stab w/the throttle cracked.....it'll start 1st (and every) time. Seems more like kicking a wore-out 250.

I had issues w/my 480 also, so I added a valve to that one.
I don't have to do the choke/follow-through routine for that one. Just push the valve, pull the choke and row away. It'll light off in 4 or 5 swift kicks.

[thestuz]

i turn the fuel on
lean the bike onto ist left side till the handle bar touches the ground(or there about) then stand it back up (fuel should spill out the drain hose)
give it two medium priming kicks.
then give it a swift kick but dont let the kick start bottom out on the foot peg.

it always helps to drain your carby at the end of each ride. this ensures a fresh charge when you next try start it.
good luck, keep it posted.