Bike slow to start when not warm

[iltl32]

'05 620 Dark with 6,100 miles on it.  New spark plugs, belts, fuel filter, valves adjusted.  Battery shows healthy and fully charged on the tender.

When I try to start the bike cold (as in 60-70 degrees F) the engine will crank for a while and it takes a few tries of hitting the starter before it will actually start up.  Best I can describe is that it sounds "tired".  If the bike is already warm (over 100 degrees F) or was running recently this problem does not happen.  If bike is sitting for more than a few hours the problem occurs.  Seems to get worse the longer the bike sits.

The fast idle lever has no effect until the bike actually starts up.

Any ideas?

[memper]

*comment removed because it was not helpful. sorry

[Speeddog]

I'd suspect a fault with the engine temp sensor, or possibly air temp sensor.

What are the valve clearances that it was set to?

[iltl32]

I had the valves done by a mechanic so I'm not sure.  I assume they were set correctly.  He said they weren't too far off and only replaced 2 shims so it doesn't seem like any major changes were made.

The engine temp (or oil temp?) which runs to the dash seems to work OK.  It shows the correct temp.  Not sure about the air temp sensor.  How would I test that?

[DarkMonster620]

I had the valves done by a mechanic so I'm not sure.  I assume they were set correctly.  He said they weren't too far off and only replaced 2 shims so it doesn't seem like any major changes were made.

The engine temp (or oil temp?) which runs to the dash seems to work OK.  It shows the correct temp.  Not sure about the air temp sensor.  How would I test that?

you will need a diagnostic tool . . . to be able to read what the sensor is reading, compared to a thermometer at home . . .

[Buckethead]

I'd check your battery connections, specifically where your POS connects to the starter and where your NEG connects to the frame. They tend to corrode, which makes for a pretty weak connection, which makes for pretty crappy starting.

[Howie]

Could you explain what you mean "sounds tired''?  If the bike cranks slow start with charging and load testing the battery.  The Tender is just telling you the battery is charged, not good.  A load test shows that.

[iltl32]

By tired I mean it's slow and sounds like it's having a hard time turning over.  When it does start the idle is really low for a few seconds and sometimes it stalls back out.  But once the idle evens out it runs fine.

[iltl32]

Regarding the battery connections: when I took the battery out I felt like I had to unscrew the terminal screws, but when reinstalling it there doesn't seem to be anything threaded for those screws to screw into.  They just kind of went straight in.  Is there supposed to be something for them to screw in to?

[Buckethead]

Should be little square nuts that fit inside the terminals to hold the connections tight.

If those aren't there, then you're probably not getting a great connection to the battery, which could absolutely cause your issues.