Cold Starts

coombes1 · 03-02-2011, 04:04 PM

How well do your machines start in the cold?

I was having a heck of a time with my kids machine - (Horizontal 125) getting it running when the climate wasn't perfect. I changed the plug about a week or so ago and it starts up without the choke when it's -5 or -17 degrees and it starts very quickly.

The guy I bought it from said to not bother trying to run them in the winter. Seems to work good for me...I still need the bushing for the swingarm but I ordered some as well as possibly trying the hockey puck DIY method.

Cal25 · 03-02-2011, 04:16 PM

Thereare alot of fake NGK plugs out there. Might have been you case as well.

coombes1 · 03-02-2011, 04:24 PM

It was definitely not an NGK when I pulled it. I thought a plug was a plug before I started educating myself on this stuff. While I wouldn't call myself clueless on the works of these things, I think Naive would sum it up well.

mizke · 03-02-2011, 06:15 PM

most times when you run into a problem with the way it runs its the plug. they are quick, easy and cheap so buy a few of them as spares and when you go riding if its away from the house. always bring a back up plug and a socket set, oh and some tire plugs..

Weldangrind · 03-03-2011, 01:20 AM

Glad to hear the new plug sorted it out for you. Waynev says that you need to increase main jet size to run properly in cold weather, so it would be wise to keep an eye on the plug.

Is your kid's machine a 125 dirt bike? If so, you can find swingarm bushings at your local Honda dealer. They tend to keep all of the bushings in one box, so it's easy to sort through and find a match.

coombes1 · 03-03-2011, 09:48 AM

Its an ATV. It appears slightly larger than the 110s but it might just have larger wheels and tires, everything else from the 110 seems to be a match.
The bushings I bought were under $4.00 each so I could just take one to the local shop before installing for comparison. I did email them before with no reply. Honestly, they are a bunch of sphincters there and I would rather burn my money in most cases rather than give it to them but there aren't many options around here. I also spent a bunch of time digging through bins at the local cycle salvage.

As a note - even though I bought some bushings, I don't expect they will last for a long time, I just bought them to get up and running again. I will try the name brand dealers out.

Weldangrind · 03-03-2011, 11:18 AM

Can't recall if we discussed this in another thread, but UHMW is a good option. It's cheap, and it's easy to drill.

waynev · 03-03-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Can't recall if we discussed this in another thread, but UHMW is a good option. It's cheap, and it's easy to drill.

Yep, and didn't TurboT say he used hockey pucks to make his.

Weldangrind · 03-03-2011, 11:38 AM

Somebody might have, but not TurboT. He was considering something like that, but so far we just installed stock replacements.

03-02-2011, 04:04 PM	#1
coombes1 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Peterborough, ON Posts: 26	Cold Starts How well do your machines start in the cold? I was having a heck of a time with my kids machine - (Horizontal 125) getting it running when the climate wasn't perfect. I changed the plug about a week or so ago and it starts up without the choke when it's -5 or -17 degrees and it starts very quickly. The guy I bought it from said to not bother trying to run them in the winter. Seems to work good for me...I still need the bushing for the swingarm but I ordered some as well as possibly trying the hockey puck DIY method.
	0

03-02-2011, 06:15 PM	#4
mizke Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: austin, tx Posts: 1,452	most times when you run into a problem with the way it runs its the plug. they are quick, easy and cheap so buy a few of them as spares and when you go riding if its away from the house. always bring a back up plug and a socket set, oh and some tire plugs.. __________________ 200cc beast replica,carsoli cdi,performance coil,fmf powercore 2,uni air filter,hour/tach meter,jetted mikuni carb,msr bars,moose racing grips,yz250f clutch perch,D.I.D chain
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03-03-2011, 01:20 AM	#5
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Glad to hear the new plug sorted it out for you. Waynev says that you need to increase main jet size to run properly in cold weather, so it would be wise to keep an eye on the plug. Is your kid's machine a 125 dirt bike? If so, you can find swingarm bushings at your local Honda dealer. They tend to keep all of the bushings in one box, so it's easy to sort through and find a match. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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03-03-2011, 11:18 AM	#7
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Can't recall if we discussed this in another thread, but UHMW is a good option. It's cheap, and it's easy to drill. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

03-03-2011, 11:38 AM	#9
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Somebody might have, but not TurboT. He was considering something like that, but so far we just installed stock replacements. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

03-02-2011, 04:16 PM	#2
Cal25 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Terrell and Grapevine Tx. Posts: 1,585	Thereare alot of fake NGK plugs out there. Might have been you case as well.
	0

03-02-2011, 04:24 PM	#3
coombes1 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Peterborough, ON Posts: 26	It was definitely not an NGK when I pulled it. I thought a plug was a plug before I started educating myself on this stuff. While I wouldn't call myself clueless on the works of these things, I think Naive would sum it up well.
	0

03-03-2011, 09:48 AM	#6
coombes1 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Peterborough, ON Posts: 26	Its an ATV. It appears slightly larger than the 110s but it might just have larger wheels and tires, everything else from the 110 seems to be a match. The bushings I bought were under $4.00 each so I could just take one to the local shop before installing for comparison. I did email them before with no reply. Honestly, they are a bunch of sphincters there and I would rather burn my money in most cases rather than give it to them but there aren't many options around here. I also spent a bunch of time digging through bins at the local cycle salvage. As a note - even though I bought some bushings, I don't expect they will last for a long time, I just bought them to get up and running again. I will try the name brand dealers out.
	0