As you have probably already realised this hot starting `characteristic` is well-known and there are reports and owner posts about it all over the forums.
As far as i know no one has ever pinpointed a definitive cause and solution to the problem but there have been several theories, ideas and changes folk have made to their machines in an effort to fix it one of which was the careful adjustment of the valve clearances. I`m sceptical on the effectiveness of what that alone would achieve.
These lethargic cranking events usually happen after a restart when the bike has only been ridden a mile or two or after the engine has been stopped immediately after a cold start - mine seems to have mild symptoms of the problem but does do it accasionally. It seems to have improved as its got more miles on it and the slow cranking - when it does happen - is only just noticeable now, earlier on in the bikes life the electronics would abort the starting attempt completely presumably after the battery voltage dipped to a certain level (with associated bogus warning messages on the TFT).
Does your bike exhibit the problem regularly?
If it does you could be the ideal candidate to prove - or disprove - the effectiveness of whether valve clearances are a factor, if it improves starting on your bike after adjustment then we could say it does help.
The problem is that the issue is so random and unpredictable as to when its going to happen that effective diagnosis make it difficult to find a solution.
The MHTX16 has has good reviews on here and has eliminated this hot start issue for at least a couple of folk who post here.
Was it so bad that you couldnt carry on with the trip?
That sounds like an extreme case of the issue, sometimes giving the battery 10 minutes to recover or a jump start and the bike bike will fire right up like nothing happened..
Cheers for your reply, it means a lot, thanks!
The first time it happened was on my second ride out when I bought it, as you say, only 2 miles down the road to fuel up and had to phone the RAC for a jump! A couple of checks and changed the battery for a like for like (naively). Like I say the new battery was fine through winter and Scotland, however it had another hissy fit in the Peak District a couple of weeks after Scotland and then fired back up after 20 minutes as others have mentioned.
Changed the oil to Motul 7100 5w40 which brought the volts up from a consistent 12.4v to a consistent 12.7v when the bike is not running and done a few tests two days before Europe and all was great! Reports of 13.2v on the Hybrid so this seems to be the way forwards on the issue, but all comes down to the CCA I believe...
Flying down the autobahn a few days later from the oil change (must have covered 200 miles without stopping) quick pitstop and that's then the issues re-emerged at the fuel station - reading 12.4v which is considered a half change. Must be these weak batteries
As you have probably already realised this hot starting `characteristic` is well-known and there are reports and owner posts about it all over the forums.
As far as i know no one has ever pinpointed a definitive cause and solution to the problem but there have been several theories, ideas and changes folk have made to their machines in an effort to fix it one of which was the careful adjustment of the valve clearances. I`m sceptical on the effectiveness of what that alone would achieve.
These lethargic cranking events usually happen after a restart when the bike has only been ridden a mile or two or after the engine has been stopped immediately after a cold start - mine seems to have mild symptoms of the problem but does do it accasionally. It seems to have improved as its got more miles on it and the slow cranking - when it does happen - is only just noticeable now, earlier on in the bikes life the electronics would abort the starting attempt completely presumably after the battery voltage dipped to a certain level (with associated bogus warning messages on the TFT).
Does your bike exhibit the problem regularly?
If it does you could be the ideal candidate to prove - or disprove - the effectiveness of whether valve clearances are a factor, if it improves starting on your bike after adjustment then we could say it does help.
The problem is that the issue is so random and unpredictable as to when its going to happen that effective diagnosis make it difficult to find a solution.
The MHTX16 has has good reviews on here and has eliminated this hot start issue for at least a couple of folk who post here.
Was it so bad that you couldnt carry on with the trip?
That sounds like an extreme case of the issue, sometimes giving the battery 10 minutes to recover or a jump start and the bike bike will fire right up like nothing happened..
Cheers for your reply, it means a lot, thanks!
The first time it happened was on my second ride out when I bought it, as you say, only 2 miles down the road to fuel up and had to phone the RAC for a jump! A couple of checks and changed the battery for a like for like (naively). Like I say the new battery was fine through winter and Scotland, however it had another hissy fit in the Peak District a couple of weeks after Scotland and then fired back up after 20 minutes as others have mentioned.
Changed the oil to Motul 7100 5w40 which brought the volts up from a consistent 12.4v to a consistent 12.7v when the bike is not running and done a few tests two days before Europe and all was great! Reports of 13.2v on the Hybrid so this seems to be the way forwards on the issue, but all comes down to the CCA I believe...
Flying down the autobahn a few days later from the oil change (must have covered 200 miles without stopping) quick pitstop and that's then the issues re-emerged at the fuel station - reading 12.4v which is considered a half change. So, it must be the battery?!
I'll contact Motobatt for a refund on the one I bought in November, so wish me luck.
Yes, hopefully my local tech can finetune the values if the new hybrid if it doesn't work.
Thanks again
good luck!
