Trouble with morning starts

NoQuarter

Hi All

I bought a Honda Hornet a couple of weeks ago, mostly for commuting. The problem is, it wont seem to start in the mornings with the cold. My initial instinct was the battery but there is plenty of juice in the battery in the mornings, I can spend up to 5 mins trying unsuccessfully to start it and only then the battery starts to drain. Then I could come home from work that evening (without charging the battery) and it will pretty much start on the button.

This leads me to believe the problem is something else? The cold most likely.

Has anyone any ideas or suggestions as to what I should do? It's very frustrating trying to start the bike in the morning and having to give up and get the bus!

Thanks

Cuddlesworth

What year is it? Do you know what a choke is?

NoQuarter

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

What year is it? Do you know what a choke is?

It's a 97. Yeah I've tried starting with the choke open, that's how I usually initially try start it but it still wont catch!

Robbknoll

Was having the same problems jan/feb. My battery needed a changing anyway but that didnt sort the problem. On particularly stubborn mornings i primed the bike for a couple of seconds first, usually started after a couple of goes. However i wasnt riding every day then, maybe every second/third day so the bike was usually lying there for a day or two in between in the cold.

szatan84

Put choke in max and give it some throttle when pushing starter. My Hornet starts every time like that.

zubair

I rem having to do something similar to szatan with my 250 hornet (presume yours is a 250 as it's a 97).

I think full choke was too much but with it turned half way and with a small turn of the throttle that would get it started.

Let us know how you get on as this could be caused by a few things.

Also, forget the bus and bump start until you're exhausted.

NoQuarter

szatan84 wrote: »

Put choke in max and give it some throttle when pushing starter. My Hornet starts every time like that.

This is exactly what I'm doing and sometimes it neeaaarrrlly starts but just doesnt quite get there!

zubair wrote: »

I rem having to do something similar to szatan with my 250 hornet (presume yours is a 250 as it's a 97).

I think full choke was too much but with it turned half way and with a small turn of the throttle that would get it started.

Let us know how you get on as this could be caused by a few things.

Also, forget the bus and bump start until you're exhausted.

Yeah mine is a 250! I've tried it with full choke and no choke so I'll try halfway.

I haven't bump started yet, what do I need to do?!

Kevin McCloud

Was the bike parked up for a period of time before you bought it?

NoQuarter

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

Was the bike parked up for a period of time before you bought it?

No it was in fairly regular use. I bought it from a friend who had it parked in a garage over night and he said it takes a bit of TLC to start it in the morning but my thinking is that as I have it parked out the back garden, it might be getting that bit colder!

Tempted to resort to blankets!!

zubair

NoQuarter wrote: »

Yeah mine is a 250! I've tried it with full choke and no choke so I'll try halfway.

I haven't bump started yet, what do I need to do?!

It's like a dimmer switch so find the sweet spot, same for the throttle. Also, is the choke definitely working, do you notice a difference in the revs when the motor is running with it open/ closed?

To bump start it, get it on to a slope or at least not uphill. While on the bike have it in 2nd gear with the clutch in, leg yerself down the road or get a push until you pick up some speed. Release the clutch and give it some throttle. Boom....

NoQuarter wrote: »

Tempted to resort to blankets!!

Forget about the blankets, you'll get it sorted. Just need to find out whats causing the problem. Had this problem on my 250 and got sorted... speaking of which... check the plugs

NoQuarter

zubair wrote: »

It's like a dimmer switch so find the sweet spot, same for the throttle. Also, is the choke definitely working, do you notice a difference in the revs when the motor is running with it open/ closed?

To bump start it, get it on to a slope or at least not uphill. While on the bike have it in 2nd gear with the clutch in, leg yerself down the road or get a push until you pick up some speed. Release the clutch and give it some throttle. Boom....






Forget about the blankets, you'll get it sorted. Just need to find out whats causing the problem. Had this problem on my 250 and got sorted... speaking of which... check the plugs

Thanks for the advice. Choke is definitely working, it revs much higher when the choke is open.

I may have to give it a bump start but god forbid it doesn't start, ill have to abandon the bike down the end of the massive hill next to me!

Might be worth popping it in for a service!

Skill Magill

NoQuarter wrote: »

This is exactly what I'm doing and sometimes it neeaaarrrlly starts but just doesnt quite get there!



Yeah mine is a 250! I've tried it with full choke and no choke so I'll try halfway.

I haven't bump started yet, what do I need to do?!

Remove clothing, put on a pair of runners, find hill, push like fúck holding in clutch in 2nd gear, release clutch when at top speed, jump on saddle, wind on throttle, come to shuddering stop, push back up hill and repeat.

irish snowblower

Start with a service, spark plugs and air filter at a minimum, if the milage is very high the compression may be getting low and leave it hard to start.

NoQuarter

Thanks, it was serviced last april apparently, is a yearly service advisable?

As predicted I got home around 7pm and it started first time with no choke or no throttle.

I'll try no choke or half choke tomorrow and ill prime it for a minute or two first. If that doesn't work ill leave the battery charging overnight on tuesday night and test it again wednesday.

Kevin McCloud

Sticking rings it may be suffering from, hope not.

irish snowblower

I dont want to contradict any earlier posts as I have never had a hornet but any bike I have ever had started best with choke only and no throttle as they are inclined to flood and if flooded it needs to be left to settle for some time before trying again.

NoQuarter

Got it started this morning with no choke and a little bit of throttle! Hopefully I have the knack to it now

CBRLizzie

I used to have a CBR250 that wouldn't start in the mornings in the cold. I used to make a hot water bottle first thing when I got up in the morning & pop it on the tank, under the cover while I got ready for work. My flatmate used to laugh at me, but hey, it worked, bike started & I didn't have to get the bus. When I got a shed built I never had a problem, it just didn't like the cold outside. Someone told me afterwards that if you park the bike on thick cardboard that works too, that they used to have the same problem with their Honda.

Wossack

could do what the brits did with their airplanes during the war, and light a fire under the engine to help warm it up

irish snowblower

NoQuarter wrote: »

Got it started this morning with no choke and a little bit of throttle! Hopefully I have the knack to it now

Well that showed me

NoQuarter

irish snowblower wrote: »

Well that showed me

Well you did say you never had a hornet

And tomorrow is another day...