Hello everyone.
I may have answered this question myself, but wanted some input to.

I have an 07 fxdl, and my bike does not start unless i jump it. The engine turns over and eventually kills the battery pretty quick. I live in NC and it gets down around 40 deg lately and I'm wondering if putting 20w50 in my engine at this time of year (not synthetic) is the reason it wont crank. The owners manual reccomends two other kinds of oil for colder temperatures. Should I just swap it out, and forget about it? Or is there something else I should take a look at. Also, it did this last year in the fall/winter to. Thanks!

 

I live in NC (Ft Bragg Area) and ride all year, using Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 for oil, trans, and primary in a 07 FXDB. I havent had any problems in 3 three years of doing this.

 

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Bike sitting outside? Battery ever charged with a trickle charger? Does the bike actually run until the battery dies after jump? If the bike cranks and runs normally during warmer weather (without maintenance) then it sounds like a battery issue to me (not holding charge as long during cold temps). If it were me, I'd get myself a multimeter (preferably digital) and monitor the re-charged battery before crank and after. Good luck.

 

+1 what Tomcat said above. Your oil has nothing to do with the bike not starting. Also, we need more details although this sounds like a weak battery that's not holding a charge.

 

It's kept in a garage, and a tender on it every night. I have no trouble starting it in spring/summer and rarely keep it on a tender in that time. The bike starts a little easier depending on how warm it is in the garage when I pull out the bike in the morning. I will check it with my meter when I get home today, as it has not been hooked up to the tender all weekend so that should give me a good idea.

 

Is there issues with keeping a bike on a battery tender when not riding? I always keep mine on a tender and haven't yet had an issue. Just curious.

 

I also live in NC in the western part and I keep my bike in an enclosed trailer with a battery tender on it. It takes an extra bit to start when cold. I leave the tender on it till it idles. I usually have to give it an extra twist on the throttle before I turn it over. I have a carb and not EFI. Usually cranks on the 2nd time and holds idle.

Check you battery under a load to see if it is holding. Then check your connections and cables.

 

None that I know of. I asked this question to determine if there was something other than a jump-start or the bike's charging system used to boost the battery back to cranking order after being drained.

Rather puzzling that this has happened only with cold temps (2 years in a row). The only other thing I can think of would be corrosion on the battery post(s), vapor lock or a gas additive for winter storage.

 

 

It sure doesn't sound like an oil issue anyway. I would look at the plugs first and wonder why it takes longer to kick over. it could be that your local gas bar is adding more alcohol this time of year and your bike doesn't like it!