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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | So today I went out and prepared my 2011 Vision for the day's ride into work. Haven't ridden her in over a week due to inclement weather here.
She has been on a battery tender (all of my bikes are)...
So... after getting her down the ramp from the shed; I tried to start her. She would turn over energetically and start to fire; and when I released the starter button...she would die.
I repeated this sequence almost five times; prolonging each engagement of the starter button and hearing her fire; then die.
I'm not used to holding a starter button in for up to 10 seconds; as the Victory Vision owner's manual states to do, until the bike starts.
Finally... and against every bone and fiber in my body; I was able to start her ONLY AFTER keeping the starter engaged while she started to fire; and she eventually caught.
Knowing that this is fuel injection; one leaves the throttle alone and let's the ECM (or ECU...however you want to refer to it) control the fuel mixture at start up.
How many of you have starting issues in the cold with the 106cc Vision engine? This morning it was only 40 degree's here....
Edited by willtill 2011-10-04 7:30 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | take it to the dealer and have them check the flash. About 3 seconds at best and she'd fire so you might have an issue that can be easily corrected. Mine sits out in the outside all year 'round and she's started down to 11 degrees. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | This thing has an adaptive logic ECM and it needs to "see" different riding conditions in order to adapt. If this is your first major weather change since owning the bike it should just be temporary. If you ride all year round in exteme conditions, it may do this again. Even after it finally starts, it may run rough that first day as it settles in. I went through this with my '08 and once I figured it out, I was ready for what to expect with big changes in the weather or altitude and planned accordingly. Once it has seen all four seasons, it should be good to go. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | Good Lord! This thing has a soul! Well...
...OK and thanks for the insight and advice varyder and SongFan... I'll see how she acts tomorrow morning. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | where in mary-land are you? where did you get your bike? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | I'm a mile east of Arundel Mills and I purchased from Chesapeake Cycles in Annapolis.... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | okay. Are you a member of theVMC? I live s. of Richmond, got my bike at the now defunct Catlins in Chesterfield, so I have to go to Victory of Southern Maryland, good folks over there. Good thing is, a Vic doesn't go bad often, unlike the other brands. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | varyder - 2011-10-04 9:20 PM
okay. Are you a member of theVMC? I live s. of Richmond, got my bike at the now defunct Catlins in Chesterfield, so I have to go to Victory of Southern Maryland, good folks over there. Good thing is, a Vic doesn't go bad often, unlike the other brands.
Heard of the VMC but not a member. I go my own way; don't like baggage such as a club... but still like meeting up with folks at opportunistic times... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | My Vision regularly sees temps in the 20's throughout the winter. Never had a problem starting due to cold. When it snows, I park the bike in a heated garage. After about 3 weeks of not running it can take 2 or 3 hits of the button to get her going. |
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Tourer
Posts: 599
New Mexico | I've seen similar problems in temps <30deg. I usually leave the key on for 15 -20 seconds to let the battery warm a bit and get the juice flowing.
Also pressurize the fuel system a couple of times before trying to start, with the bike off the kick stand and upright.
And keep enough gas in tank so is always at least 3/4 full in the winter.
Lastly, crank that baby the full 10 seconds.
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Cruiser
Posts: 249
Phenix City AL. | Just a thoght, how mutch gas did you have in the tank? If I only have100 miles till walking on the fuel display, my vision will be a pain to start unless I take it off the side stand, and start it upright. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | willtill - 2011-10-04 10:27 PM
varyder - 2011-10-04 9:20 PM
okay. Are you a member of theVMC? I live s. of Richmond, got my bike at the now defunct Catlins in Chesterfield, so I have to go to Victory of Southern Maryland, good folks over there. Good thing is, a Vic doesn't go bad often, unlike the other brands.
Heard of the VMC but not a member. I go my own way; don't like baggage such as a club... but still like meeting up with folks at opportunistic times...
totally understand as I've yet to be at a meet or a ride and I've been a member for about 3 years, but sometimes it gets me 15% off at dealers.
Edited by varyder 2011-10-05 7:48 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 162
Northern NJ | My 2009 VV is sometimes hard to turn over. Colder temps make it more challenging. I'll have Zack look at it next time I need a big service. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | jb.hatch - 2011-10-05 8:32 AM
Just a thoght, how mutch gas did you have in the tank? If I only have100 miles till walking on the fuel display, my vision will be a pain to start unless I take it off the side stand, and start it upright.
I always keep the tank full (fill up at the end of the day). |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| VMC is not worth the money....
You could have a bad battery or a weak fuel pump. I whould grab a 10mm wrench and check to see how thigh the cables are
Then I would get the dealer to check the fuel pump. |
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Tourer
Posts: 576
, IA | u flooded it while rolling it out of storage area |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1109
| I went through something similar my first cold weather start. Bike was fine the next day. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1365
Central Maryland | Well, It seemed to start better today although it was only 49 degree's. I don't think I flooded it rolling it out of the shed, otherwise that would happen EVERY morning LoL! |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| Have your battery load tested. +1, 2 on check battery cables for tightness. Run some injector cleaner through her too. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | willtill - 2011-10-06 11:58 AM Well, It seemed to start better today although it was only 49 degree's. I don't think I flooded it rolling it out of the shed, otherwise that would happen EVERY morning LoL! It will learn. I have an 08 and went through the same learning process. It learned and now behaves nicely. But even still, on an exceptionally cold day, like in the 20s, it still is reluctant to do a hands free start. If I hear it firing but not really catching hold, I crack the throttle ever so slightly and it will pick up and run. If you do that, let go of the throttle as soon as it starts. If it sputters and stalls, that is a good thing. That is the learning experience that the computer remembers.
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 21
London, KY | You know....my Visions have always started well no matter what the weather....can NOT say the same for my 69 year old body. Seems like I have trouble starting when we have our first cold day here in Kentucky. I think the cool nights let me sleep better and my ECM ( Early Consciousness Mode) is reluctant to let me leave a warm bed. I do know that the ECM can be changed by the smell of fresh coffee and bacon! The only recalibrating on the VV's that I have noticed was a little knocking on the '08 when first starting out in cold weather...and quickly corrected within 1-3 minutes. I live in a very hilly area and I am positive this was due to the load. Sold the '08 to Todd in Nashville and took over the wife's '09 after she felt it just did not fit her well...and I am as happy with the '09 as I was with the '08. Best thing I did to the '09 was change the exhaust to dual glasspacks...great combination of looks and sound that makes HD owners (I have a Softail also) look away 'cause 106ci just plain sounds badder! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 51
REXBURG IDAHO | Put some better spark plug wires on and it will start better. Conquest are great. |
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Tourer
Posts: 457
Green Bay, WI United States | At the Tomahawk Fall Ride this year I had the fuel light go on just as we pulled into town on the parade. After our walk about town after the parade we went to leave. I started my bike on the kick stand to warm up a bit and it would not run. Turned it off until I had my gear on, set it up-right and started and it ran fine. Got me to the Shell station .25 mile away (93/non-ethonal). I think that because the fuel pump is mounted on the right side of the bike it starves if on the kick stand and started with a low fuel level. I do notice that it takes a bit more turns to start in the cold weather but I just "rock" the throttle a little bit to give it some attention. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Mine will stall sometimes too while on the kickstand if the fuel light came on before I stopped. I can get 50+ miles with the light on though. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 79
Michigan | Mid to low 40s in the morning here lately. She cranks a little longer but usually with start / stop one time. THe 2nd crank time is usually 3 seconds and she is good to go. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | fired right up at 29 degrees here in CVA... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 79
Michigan | I held the starter for just a little longer this am. She fired right up. 35 degrees. I must have been too quick yo release it previously. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | Years ago during my second winter with my classic - I had the same, similar, problems and for many days, weeks, months, nothing changed except hard to start in the morning. I changed out the plugs, which were quite black, sooty like at around 15,000 miles. Helped a bit better, but the best bang for the no $ and time spent was cleaning the IAC valve. Don't know where the gunk comes from, but the valve had some gunk on it and not really smooth feeling through its motion. Cleaned it with some brake cleaner, and a Q-tip and now starts pretty easily at any temp. Lately, though, it seems to be getting hard to start. May need to go back and revisit it. |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | We have a competition on another forum to see who can ride in the coldest weather.....I got second place with -9 last year.
It turned over a bit slower then usual.....and it turned over 4 or 5 times.......but it started just fine. Usually my bike hits on the 2nd or 3rd time. |
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What the hell! Is this another "hard to start" in cold weather bike?