Slow Start-up; after warm-up starts fine
 

Hello. :)

SuperChicken IV is now cranking-over more slowly than usual. (SuperHawks usually crank-over fairly quickly--usually two-to-three turns of the starter, and within a second or two.) My VTR, however, takes longer to start-up, until the time that it is at operating temperature, at which time it starts with no extra cranking.

Things that I think that it is NOT:
Spark Plugs: Just had the plugs replaced with OEM high-output Iridium plugs that were gapped per Honda, at a local Honda Service Center.
Battery?: Just replaced the battery with a new BikeMaster DLFP-14ZS Lithium-Ion battery with 240 CCA. It might be a little underpowered for my JE high-compression pistons, but that does not explain why the VTR starts as usual after reaching operating temperature.
Plug Wires and Caps/Suppressors: They were replaced during plug-change, so that eliminates that possibility.

Any ideas why the VTR takes longer to crank-over at start-up, but cranks over fine once the VTR reaches normal operating temperature? I sometimes have to twist the throttle to get it to start at first, whereas, that is not the case once the VTR arrives at normal operating temperature.

Thanks. :cheers:
--Professor Chaos

Battery.

Thanks. I'll look into that. I'm beginning to suspect that Lithium-Ion batteries and JE high-compression pistons are a bad match. I don't think that 240 CCA on a Lithium-Ion battery (version 1.0) create the same starting-power as 240 CCA on a glass-mat (AGM) battery. Also, I think that Lithium-Ion batteries suck in colder weather (50 degrees F to 60 degrees F).

cheers, :cheers:
--Professor Chaos

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...5b201262c7.jpg
Tail of the Dragon, Labor Day Weekend, 2005 (image by Killboy.com)

240 cca is 240 cca. Doesn't matter what type of battery, if its rated at that, it should do that. Weather or not that's enough for your higher compression motor is the question at hand IMO. These types of batteries do not perform 100% when cold. I have one in my Duc. Next couple times you try, turn the ignition on and let it on for at least a minute before you crank. This allows it to "warm up" before use.
Did you set the manual cct's? If so, how did you set tension? I've seen too tight cause start issues.

Probably a Defective Battery
 

Thanks for the ideas.

I am using automatic chain tensioners (the updated version) instead of manual CCT's, so there is no need to adjust them, and they have offered no trouble to this point. The man who built the engine recommended automatic cam chain tensioners, since everything might go "kablooey" with a faulty initial adjustment with manual CCT's. The newer, revised, VTR cam chain adjusters are not known to be prone to radical failure, like the first generation tensioners were. (They were redesigned and produced by a different vendor.)

Tensioners aside, I suspect that, in this case, there is a defective Gen.1 Lithium-Ion battery, whatever the CCA factory-rating is for the battery. (The rating is only a number printed on the label, not a measurement of actual current produced.) I bought the battery on "Evil Bay," so there might be shenanigans going-on with a battery that was returned earlier to the vendor who then re-sold it.

Also, i live in Florida and do not feel comfortable with a battery that is prone to catch on fire at surrounding temperatures of around 170 degrees F. (The battery is located right under the VTR seat, and right above the rear cylinder, which generates heat that radiates upward.) I feel better trying a Yuasa YTZ14S glass-mat battery rated at 230 CCA as a troubleshooting procedure. If nothing else, it will will save $125+ in trouble-shooting charges at the local dealership. (I plan to eventually switch to a glass-mat battery, anyway.)

Even so, before ordering a glass-mat battery, I'll try your suggestion about letting the battery "warm-up" for a minute-or-so. It will possibly let me know what's going on, even before I buy a new battery.

I'll likely sell the Lithium-Ion battery and battery charger, if the battery proves to be OK. The bike still starts, but it just takes longer to crank-over at cold-start: It runs like a finely-tuned beast at operating temperature, steady idle and all. Strangely enough, the long-start doesn't seem to drain the battery noticeably, so maybe you are right about the battery "warm-up" procedure.

Thanks.
--Professor Chaos

Would you elaborate on the “newer, revised VTR cam chain adjusters”.
I would like to know the details of an improved/fail safe cct.

Could easily have that battery load tested to confirm or deny. @ work I have one that will display/print actual cca. You very well could have got a defective unit. I personally think if there was an issue with that style battery in hot climates, it would be well known by now.

Front tensioners fail from lack of oil. I'm definitely not here to critique your choice. It's a free world.

The issue was a simple engineering problem: Since my engine produces 19.11% more power than the stock engine, I simply needed to upgrade the battery for at least 20% more crank than the stock unit.

I first tried to install a Yuasa YTX20A, because it produces 310 CCA. However, that battery cannot be installed in the VTR battery compartment, because the battery is too wide, and the battery compartment of the VTR cannot be cut without compromising road-spray protection: the under-tail and battery compartment are integrated by design into the under-tail assembly in a way that protects the battery from being exposed to road-spray. Fortunately, since I ordered the Yuasa YTX20A through "Wally's" (Walmart), it was easy to return for a refund.

Consequently, the solution to the cold-start, slow cranking issue was to upgrade the battery for an increase of more than 20% in cold-cranking amps. I did so by installing an off-brand (Banshee) Lithium-Iron battery that produces 330 CCA. It fits into the battery compartment, no modifications necessary. The battery comes in almost identical dimensions to the OEM battery, but with considerable savings in weight, and a considerable boost in cold-cranking amps.

Whether or not the Lithium-Iron battery is the new answer for motorcyclists, it _was_ the answer to my particular problem.

Thanks for the help. :cheers:

--Professor Chaos