Slow Cranking and backfire
 

I have been having some trouble starting my 98 VTR (It seems that the battery just had a low charge). At first I thought that the 35 degree weather had something to do with it since it hadn't been started in about 2 weeks. So I hooked a jumper box to it and tried to start it and it cranked fine and then backfired. So I let off and then tried to start it again and it started then backfired again. I rode the bike around for a while and left it running enough to charge the battery. But when I tried to start it this morning it seemed dead. Does this just seem like a battery issue? WHat made it backfire?

Backfired how? Through the carbs or through the cans?

And how old is your battery? If it's low on acid/charge at all it's gonna cause some problems and manifest oddly.

As well, what are you charging at? If you've got a bad/failing R/R it can prematurely wreck your battery/bike and cause some problems elsewhere on the bike.

I've got some problems with starting at 6am when it's cold out because I'm running waaaay rich right now so that could be another problem. Check out the "Carb Set Up" thread. A member on here (Mike "8541Hawk") set up a really good instruction to set up your carbs.

Another thing to think about is the spark plug temperature. They all have ratings and stock they come as in the middle of the heat range. You can get hotter plugs if necessary, but the stock one covers a pretty good spectrum if the carbs are set up properly.

it seemed it was through the cans. Im going to check the fluid in the battery and see what it looks like. How would I know if I have a bad R/R

Whoopsies; brain fart. We've got sealed batteries. So if there's a problem with the battery then it comes down to replacing it.

R/R will blow gauge lights in first stages and then destroy much more valuable parts after the problem gets worse. It's a known problem with our bikes and it's quite an easy fix.

The way you wanna check that is by checking the charging voltage at idle and at various rpms.

I think in lesser cases they just undercharge... I you have a voltmeter it's easy to see how it's doing. Just test the voltage at different RPM's to make sure it's within the ideal range.

Backfire could also mean that your coils/plugs aren't firing every cycle... but check the R/R first.

Your battery is dead and needs replacing. Simple as that.