[Guest]

Thank you to all who may respond-

I own a 1995 Daytona 900 and have no mechanical skills. Yes, you can laugh now. The issue I've been having is with cold starting my bike. It recently sat, without running/being turned on, for a two month period. When I tried to start it up, it wouldn't turn over. All my lights are working, and you can here the starter winding it's little heart out. I've been told that it may be the ignition coil(s). When I tried to push start the bike, it worked and the bike ran like it's supposed to. I even cut the engine off after riding for a short period and tried re-starting the engine...everything went according to plan and the bike fired right up.

Is replacing the ignition coil(s) the remedy to my problem, or is there something else I need to worry about? :???:

 

[idahotb]

Conrad-
Sure doesn't sound like the coils to me. They wouldn't keep it from starting if it runs okay after it get warm. First thing I would suspect is the battery. The starter will spin on a low battery, but if the computer isn't getting nominal voltage, it won't start. I don't know about the Daytona, but the other early T3's had weak sprang clutches, which had a tendancy to shatter when trying to start them with a weak battery; and you have to split the case to replace them. I am not saying that's your starting problem, but that it's a problem you don't want to have.

Hope that helps, and let us know.

 

[jimmyj900]

The issue I've been having is with cold starting my bike. It recently sat, without running/being turned on, for a two month period.

I'd look at the battery first. If you haven't had a trickle charger on it then that would explain your starting problem.

A good battery discharges at a rate of about 1% per day and after 2 months you'd be down to 40% of charge. At that level the battery plates start to sulfate and you loose capacity rapidly.

To check it, fully charge the battery. It takes about 7 hours to fully charge a drained 14 Amp-Hour battery at a 2 Amp charge rate, so don't short your charging time and don't use a charger with more than a 2-amp charge rate.

Batteries charge on two levels: Surface charge and deep charge. The deep charge determines the stored energy capacity and the surface charge determines the instantaneous peak voltage.

After charging, let the battery sit for 6-12 hours (12 hours is better) so the surface charge can be absorbed and the voltage readings become meaningful.

With the ignition turned off or the battery out of the bike, measure the battery voltage and compare it to the table below.

%Charge ...Voltage
-------------....----------
100 ...........12.73
90 ............12.62
80 ........... 12.50
70 ............12.37
60 ............12.24
50 ............12.10
40 ............11.96
30 ............11.81
20 ............11.66
10 ............11.51

If the measured voltage is in the 70% to 80% range, either try charging the battery again or replace it.

----------------------------
NOTE: These voltages are for a standard lead-acid battery. AGM and gel batteries will produce different results, so consult the manufacturer.
----------------------------

Anyhow, a weak battery might not spin the starter fast enough to lock up the sprag (starter) clutch and this can damage the earlier sprags in a very expensive manner.


Also, the fuel in the carbs will turn to cra*p in a couple of months causing extremely hard starting because the volitile components evaporate.

If the bike doesn't run worth a da*mn at an idle without the choke on, it means your pilot jets are dirty and need cleaning.

Do the battery first and get back to us. :wink:

Jim

 

[tealetm]

I've been throug the same thing with my S3. I'd almost put money on the fact that its your battery even though you might not think so. I scratched and pounded my head for a long time- twice- trying to figure out why the bike wouldn't start. Turns out the battery was going and its been fine since then

 

[tealetm]

Oh, and don't be fooled if you pull the plugs and see a spark and immediately think the battery is good. It still might be a bad battery.

 

[Wombat]

I went through exactly the same problems with my TBS after it sat for a few months.
Even though it was on a battery tender and battery voltage tested OK, I had trouble starting it, but once it was running all was fine.

Of the bikes that I own or have owned over the past 4-5 years, the battery in the Triumph is the smallest capacity.
With that in mind, it doen't take much for the battery volts to drop if the motor does not fire up first time.

I replaced the 3 year old OEM battery with an Interstate brand AGM battery.

The first time I hit the starter button, the starter spun so much quicker and the motor started so much faster that it almost scared me.

Bottom line: If your battery is more than a few years old and it has been just sitting there (sulfating itself to death), a new battery is worth buying.