well i know mine starts hard when it is cold what about you guys, do you have to run with the choke on for almost 10 min


john

 

al i did with my 400ex is park it by the woodstove when i'm done riding and then get it going in the morning and let it arm up my 400ex for about 1/2 and it starts right up. gas heaters work good

 

Maybe jetting prob, mine is jetted and fired up good last week when it was 0!!! When it started I went to half choke and ran it for 2 minutes and shut the choke off, it seemed great.

 

I think its the nature of the 4 strokes to be harder to warm up in the cold.The oil sitting in the crank must be thick like molasses after a cold night.I think thats why all snowmachines are 2 strokes.

 

The Rancher is better starter in cold weather than the Recon. The REcon is cold nature even when its warm.

 

Greetings,

You got that right about the Recon -- it is very cold-blooded. I never seem to get the choke off until I start rolling.

The 450ES comes with a carberator heater. Its much easier to start and warms up much faster. But in cold weather it can take a handred yards in 1st gear before it will shift up. I suspect its a matter of getting the oil warmed up and circulating.

 

I still haven't figures it out completely. It's almost like the less throttle you give it the more apt it is to start...eventually.

 

Recently having sold my polaris, I purchased a new KTM 300 exc for myself, a DR 350 for my Wife, and a new XR 80 for my 9 year old son. His XR was indeed, IS indeed hard to start the colder it gets, valve adjustment can be the culprit, be sure your valves are adjusted to within spec, i have yet to adjust his after break in. My four year old rides a fourtrax 70. THAT machine would start if it were 6 feet undergrounnd, absolutley NEVER fails to start.
Again, make sure valve clearance is in spec it makes a different in starting.

 

Been there. Those ES models do not like to shift out of first gear when the engine is cold (98's anyway).

Never really had a problem starting one. Two pumps on the primer-full choke and it would fire up. When it was really cold judicious throttle application was required to keep it running. It never left me stranded in the cold.

Unless the choke cable froze (which happened more than once)

 

Always have been, prolly always will be...

I turned the pilot jet out a little on my EX it helped quite a bit.