So who was cold this morning?

Pigeon Reaper

I think it's safe to say winter has finally arrived the past few weeks. This morning was pretty cold. Hope no one had any moments involving ice.

KTRIC

I chickened out and left the bike at home

Slaanesh

26 miles, 26 long long cold miles.

comer_97

my back wheel went on safari momentarily coming up to a roundabout this morning, i was going about 20kmph so no bother. took it easy on the way in though (considering i'm on a moped that is very easy)

Eye

just getting ready to head to work now myself and i have to say i'm not exactly relishing the thought of the 23km drive on open roads
really must see about investing in heated grips.

Steffano2002

Was a little upset when I saw all the white stuff everywhere this morning... But had no choice...

My dilemma is that I have to keep revving like crazy because I have no carb heaters and if the revs are below 3/4000 RPM the engine cuts off... And we all know what revving like crazy on ice does, don't we? :rolleyes:

art

Steffano2002 wrote:

Was a little upset when I saw all the white stuff everywhere this morning... But had no choice...

My dilemma is that I have to keep revving like crazy because I have no carb heaters and if the revs are below 3/4000 RPM the engine cuts off... And we all know what revving like crazy on ice does, don't we? :rolleyes:

You should have put a video of that on youtube! :eek:

Bought myself a mask and neckwarmer yesterday - I felt colder yesterday as it happens - and that helped loads, today I wasn't bad at all (though I was sort of wrapped up to look like the Michelin man!)

Garibaldi

And there's snow forecast for tomorrow. Yay!

Might be a good day to pull a sicky. 94kms of snowy riding doesn't sound too appealing. Unless you're Santa. Wait a minute...red bike, check, beard, check-ish, jolly laugh, check, fat, no. Jebus, that was close.

Pigeon Reaper

If there's snow lying tomorrow I'm leaving the bike at home. Huskies anyone?

ambro25

Steffano2002 wrote:

My dilemma is that I have to keep revving like crazy because I have no carb heaters and if the revs are below 3/4000 RPM the engine cuts off

Same here...-ish: probably not as high as 3/4k, but I'll top your dilemna with having to rev and an auto/belt transmission :eek:

Thankfully it's only 6 miles in city centre. Toasty warm tho' (I'm still more used to winters back home at -15ºC in the day).

madrab

KTRIC wrote:

I chickened out and left the bike at home

lucky you changed your sig then

yeah i took the easy way out this morning when i started to slip as i was walking to the garage i quickly reconsidered

Luckycharm

Yep freezing same prob - on the way in come down from the hills and bike always dies on me so end up on the side of the road for a few mins on cold mornings till it warms up again to restart.

Steffano2002

Garibaldi wrote:

Might be a good day to pull a sicky. 94kms of snowy riding doesn't sound too appealing. Unless you're Santa. Wait a minute...red bike, check, beard, check-ish, jolly laugh, check, fat, no. Jebus, that was close.

Nearly p!ssed myself!

Steffano2002

Pigeon Reaper wrote:

If there's snow lying tomorrow I'm leaving the bike at home. Huskies anyone?

I'm going for it either way! Even if it takes me 2 hours to make it in to work! It's the principal you see... I refuse to surrender to bad weather!*

*I sound all brave but I'll probably chicken out if it's really bad...

Steffano2002

ambro25 wrote:

Same here...-ish: probably not as high as 3/4k, but I'll top your dilemna with having to rev and an auto/belt transmission :eek:

Thankfully it's only 6 miles in city centre.

Now that's hardcore!

I also have around 6 miles to travel but it took a massive 40 minutes this morning! The roads were actually fine (just wet) for most of the way but when I came off the M1 at the Coolock/Santry roundabout and found myself on the white stuff at 50km/h the aul' training wheels came out on either side pretty fast (i.e. my legs)!

Silverfish

My heart broke for all those on bikes this morning - stopped at the lights with this poor lad beside me with his hands in his armpits, I felt like saying 'Throw the bike in the boot, I'll give you a lift'.

Steffano2002

KTRIC wrote:

I chickened out and left the bike at home

madrab wrote:

lucky you changed your sig then

Yeah, what happened to the old "bikes aren't just for summer" speech?

Steffano2002

Silverfish wrote:

My heart broke for all those on bikes this morning - stopped at the lights with this poor lad beside me with his hands in his armpits, I felt like saying 'Throw the bike in the boot, I'll give you a lift'.

Ahhhh! That's nice of you!

If you see me stopped at the lights in cold conditions you'll see me bent over the fuel tank with my hands either side of the engine block!

Paparazzo

Some snow while passing through Finglas thismorning at about half 9. The roads were fine except for the bus lane.
I reckon tomorrow the bike will be left at home if the forcast is anything to go by.

Dr4gul4

KTRIC wrote:

I chickened out and left the bike at home

Very disappointing dude even i took the dragstar out this morning and blasted my way in to work.. i found the roads to be ok.

Paparazzo

Easy to get your feet on the ground with a dragstar though.

Steffano2002

Well, it's raining right now so hopefully the temperatures will stay above 0°C tonight and riding conditions will be safe tomorrow!

Fabritzo

I headed out this morning too, it was pretty bad though, kept forgetting to turn off the indicators I was so busy keeping it straight. There was time for a little fun though!just to test the traction of course.

It's looking ok for tomorrow, it's just wet out, 2 degrees and there a breeze there.

Dr4gul4

w00t snow lets see how much traction i have ... remember folks take it easy out there

Garibaldi

Just when I was thinking "Man, that goddamn weather forecast is *never* right!" (it was a bit damp, but nothing else when I left the house), the temperature plummetted, and the Heavens opened (sleet) from Rathcoole, all the way into town. Instant fogged visor and a layer of snowy mush do not a happy Garibaldi make. I really missed the heated grips today.

Slaanesh

Garibaldi wrote:

Just when I was thinking "Man, that goddamn weather forecast is *never* right!" (it was a bit damp, but nothing else when I left the house), the temperature plummetted, and the Heavens opened (sleet) from Rathcoole, all the way into town. Instant fogged visor and a layer of snowy mush do not a happy Garibaldi make. I really missed the heated grips today.

I was the same, hit the trim road and it opened with big thick flakes of snow. Roads were fine though. Although the back wheel did a little shimmy as I accelerated onto the Navan road, that could've just been RAW POWAH though

Dr4gul4

im alive and well in case any of you were wondering

KTRIC

Dr4gul4 wrote:

im alive and well in case any of you were wondering

Good for you

*pats Dr4gul4 on the back

saobh_ie

Steffano2002 wrote:

If you see me stopped at the lights in cold conditions you'll see me bent over the fuel tank with my hands either side of the engine block!

Was doing the same myself yesterday morning. Other than chilly fingers at one point it was complelty uneventful ride. Well, apart from the van that tried to squish me but that happens every day. lol

Luckycharm

Well I live at the base of the dublin mountains and the place was covered in Snow. Had to use the stabilisers (my feet) on the way down. Closer got to town it was just very wet but bike managed to cut out 4 times on me this morning - very annoying it really does not like the cold anyone know anyway of preventing this?

ambro25

Luckycharm wrote:

Well I live at the base of the dublin mountains and the place was covered in Snow. Had to use the stabilisers (my feet) on the way down. Closer got to town it was just very wet but bike managed to cut out 4 times on me this morning - very annoying it really does not like the cold anyone know anyway of preventing this?

All same here (am in D16 at base of Mountains myself - 'bout 2 inches this morning, didn't put me off - Go n00bs! I say ).

For past 3 days, bike starts like a charm every morning, I leave it to warm up for a good 10 mins, it works fine all the way to the Yellow House pub, then dies everytime I stop after that (if I don't keep some revs, just above the auto clutch bite point).

I've put it down to windchill on engine (icing carbs?) as I'm driving, but I still don't get it - it's a yamaha 125 power plant, so it's not supposed to fear wet/cold, is it?!?

I'm gonna try taping over most of the air intakes tomorrow AM

Pigeon Reaper

don't block the air intakes. Only way to solve carb icing is to rev the nuts out of it to heat the carbs up.

ambro25

I don't intend to block them entirely.

The engine is entirely encased in a plastic cover-type thingy, and it's usually plenty warm enough... enough for the cooling fan to come on at the end of a 6 mile commute into town, even right up to last week.

So, the carbs appear to ice up "so much" since Monday as to cause firing probs, because it must be "that much" colder than previously. By deduction, I can only put it down to too much cold air getting into the intakes (only way 'into' the engine/bay I can see) - so the idea is to reduce (not stop) the amount of cold air getting in, to "restore" the balance.

(could be totally wrong/making a fool of myself of course :rolleyes: )

'Tis the bike btw-

(oh... and the big side scoops are for show only)

Pigeon Reaper

Well if you blow up at the yellow house give me a shout

Hotblack Desiato

Pigeon Reaper wrote:

don't block the air intakes. Only way to solve carb icing is to rev the nuts out of it to heat the carbs up.

Spoken like a true internet mechanic :P revving the bike means MORE freezing cold air being sucked through the carbs, making them colder. If your idle jets are the first to freeze then revving it may keep it going, but what if your main jet then starts to freeze? Also makes controlling the bike on slippery winter roads more difficult.

I've posted the answer on here often enough :rolleyes: but here goes again - in order of preference:
1. Carb heaters - water or electric - if they are fitted on UK/Irish spec bikes but not on yours cause it's an import
2. Silkolene Pro-FST fuel additive - Mountjoy Motorcycles should have it
3. Warm the bike up well (get choke off asap though) before riding off, to build up heat in the engine which helps keep the carbs warm
4. If carb icing does strike, stop and turn off the ignition for a couple of minutes and let engine heat thaw them, do NOT leave the bike idling and do NOT rev it.

Luckycharm

Live in Ballycullen always cuts out somewhere along Firhouse road or around the blue haven. Normally turn it off and live it idle for a couple of mins and it is fine then. Guy in Delaneys says that the cold air gets in when coming downhill which cuts it off Rarely cuts off on the way home which is pretty flat until I get near home and it would be sitting idle all day in the cold.

Hotblack Desiato

Luckycharm wrote:

Normally turn it off and live it idle

Which? You'd be better off turning off the ignition, so no cold air is being sucked into the carb, and let engine heat do its thing.

Sounds like a bad case though, try the fuel additive.

ambro25

Much thx, Sir ninja900

'thought as much, which is why I was proposing to temporarily reduce the amount of air getting in. On reflection, might not do the whole carburation a lot of good, what with potential for reducing fuel/air mix and whatnot.

So I guess I'll take a stop/shut-off and have a 'whil-u-wait' fag instead :rolleyes:

echomadman

If you cant find silkolene pro fst, halfords have stuff for getting water out of fuel that does the same job, its in a purple bottle usually near all the slick50/oil treatment/engine flush stuff.
Been using it the last few weeks on the sv (which is a nightmare for carb icing) with minimal problems.

remember that this cold damp dense air is leaning out your mixture, so raising your idle will help stop the bike from stalling at junctions. i've the sv dialled up to idle at 2k for the moment as any lower and it tends to surge and stall at idle.

Pigeon Reaper

Depending on the bike keep revs up high at lights etc can prevent it from cutting out. Carb heater are the only way to prevent icing but reving helps to genetrate heat at lights and should create enough of a vacum to keep it running. Some bike do differ. I can show Ninja this on a small Jap 250 I have which suffers from carb icing. Warming up the bike before riding should be done as a matter of course but carb icing can still occur on motorways ect when large amounts of cold air are cooling the carbs. Switching off the ignition will help as this removes the venturi vortex and allows the carbs to warm up. However if the bike is stuttering cutting out at lights switching off each time becomes a pain. Reving the bike should create more heat when at a standstill to overcome the cooling effect of venturi thus preventing the bike cutting out. By holding the bike at a few revs higher than normal it's not going to cause the carbs to ice but will allow the temp to rise. It's all pretty simple physics.
I wouldn't recommend upping the idle speed unless you drop it back once the weather improves. Just thinking on an Auto you can't raise the revs with the throttle so you'll need to play with the idle but this is not ideal and with tranmission on the scooter it may not be wise.

Echomadman the SV should have carb heaters as standard for UK/Irish models. You might want to check they work. My own one has been a bit rough the past two days but certainly isn't even near cutting out.

echomadman

Nah pigeon reaper the carb heaters are working, it broke my heart last winter and i stripped and rebuilt the entire fuel system, i think its my limerick-ennis commute thats the problem its all along riverbanks and marshy land, so theres always large amounts of moisture in suspension in the air. Its been fine this winterwith the idle turned up and a small amount of that fuel additive if i notice it starting to ice up the idle jets.
It needs a plug change too, i suspect this will clear it up more, its just too cold to be working on the bike out in the yard at the moment

murphaph

well i ache all over today. eft clonsilla at 5.30am yesterday and it seemed a little snowy bt ok. made it all the way to marlay park along a very slushy m50 before coming off in my work carpark! the tdm is bloody heavy.

Steffano2002

murphaph wrote:

well i ache all over today. eft clonsilla at 5.30am yesterday and it seemed a little snowy bt ok. made it all the way to marlay park along a very slushy m50 before coming off in my work carpark! the tdm is bloody heavy.

So is the Bandit 600 which also cut out on my work carpark the other morning! I sympathise...

Luckycharm

Well I got a puncture on the way home yesterday, pumped it up on the way home. Was going to pump it up on the way in and then drop down to get repaired this evening. Get to Petrol station, pump not working. Go on a bit then bike dies on me- could not get it restarted. So ended up pushing it with a flat back tire about 2 and half miles to bike shop I was wrecked and then only had to walk another few miles furhter on to work as it is around the world to get a taxi there.
With all the heavy gear on - boy was I sweating when I finally got into work!!

Dr4gul4

Dragstar ( the thunder tank) still going strong here things were a bit hairy this morning leaving the estate, it's a down hill run to a right hand turn and it was damn slippy. but we overcame all problems, and after a few blips of the engine she warmed up perfectly