Having trouble starting in cold weather

2nd Gen having trouble starting in cold weather

Hi Guys, I am new to the site and a fairly new VFR owner. I appreciate any help with my recent dilemma...
my 87 vfr700 runs great once I get it started, and it will start right up in normal to warm weather. However in cooler weather and cold weather it takes cranking it over for a while until I can get it to turn over. Now I am at a higher altitude then sea level, about a mile high. Also my choke doesn't start engaging at all until it is 3/4 of the way on the red line even though the choke lever will go passed the red line. Is this normal for my altitude and the cold weather? will I maybe need a carb adjustment?
-Really appreciate any feed back, been having to leave the charger on sometimes because battery starts to drain quickly when it doesn't turn over right away.

Also.. not sure if this is related but my fuel tank is not getting vented properly. I have also been meaning to replace the fuel filter asap.

-Thank you everyone.

 

Welcome to the site. People in the know should jump in here and offer their opinions on what is your problem. Sounds to me like the choke is not functioning as it should and no doubt, the carb will need some adjustments if you have gone from sea level to the mile high club. But don't take my word for it cause I am only speculating. What I am really good at is fixing my bike to make it a challenge for a mechanic to undo what I did wrong.

 

Welcome!!

My 87 700 has the same trouble here at 600 ft MSL. Have you tried adjusting the idle? It's an easy way to get it going, readjust once running. It isn't the ideal solution but it works like a charm for me.
It's located under the tank on the left side. Try rolling the adjust screw to open a little and it should start right up!

 

thanks for the feed back guys. havent tryed adjusting the idle before starting then readjusting once started. It may be that the choke will have something to do with this.. i just noticed that the choke lever is not engaging at all now which leads me to believe it may have been loose before. Regardless of the choke issue this started happening when it got cold out, weather the choke was or was not fully functional at that time im not sure.

 

Best not to open the throttle at all while cranking.

Start by using a minimum of enrichment (choke) and only increase while cranking a bit at a time to avoid flooding plugs with fuel.......if the choke is working right.

If the choke circuit pickup tubes are clogged, something very common, you're too lean for proppa starting and need to wire-probe the lengthy of the tubes to a depth of about 55mm to clear them out.

 

hmm i see. Well just took bike in to get valves adjusted, will have the carbs checked for adjusting and have em check out my choke since all of the stuff is off the bike anyways. thanks for pics.

 

These are notoriously cold-blooded machines. I too put my VF on a battery charger after a cold ride, because I know how much cranking it took to get her started. Squirrelman's idea of slow opening the choke can help. My bike always starts right up first touch, then wants to die about 15 seconds later. It totally dies if I try to open the throttle. So my best tactic has been to -- contrary to Squirrelman, although his technique has worked on other bikes and avoids flooding -- full choke, prime it with a brief throttle twist (I'm on gravity-fed carbs) or two, and press the button. Above 35 degrees, it works like a charm; shes ready for throttle and/or gentle riding after about 45 seconds of idling. Below that and there's a lot of drama and prayers for the starter motor. If you flood it, open the throttle all the way to start it. That's all I got, and good luck!