Gotta question for the S&S Super E folks. Starting in cold weather is no problem, 3 squirts and enricher up and she starts in a couple of tries every time. The issue that I'm having is in cold weather after having ridden and the engine cooling back down. I was out tonight and by the time I was ready to leave it was probably in the low 40's high 30's. The engine was cool to the touch but, not ice cold. I crank and tried all kinds of different things and she wouldn't start. I sat for a while and tried to start with no squirts and she started, I pulled up the enricher to get a high idle and then tried to ride off, she back fired and quit. I let her sit for a minute and started up again and again applied the enricher to get the high idle. I say for a couple of minutes and then rode off, she ran rough till I shut the enricher off. Once things got good and warm the bike rode fine.

What the heck is the proper sequence for starting in cold weather on a warm or not so warm bike with the S&S carb? I had one on my old Heritage and it seemed that it was much easier to start in cold weather than this one. That bike had cams and a SE ignition. This bike is stock except S&S and mufflers. Cold weather makes fuel injection seem pretty cool (no pun intended).

It's a 1988 FLHTC.

 

When mine has trouble I just crack the throttle a little and hit the start button.
That has worked every time so far.

 

I hold the throttle open a bit and hit the starter. No enrichener.

If its stone cold I twist the throttle a couple of times first and repeat as above. Enricheners can foul plugs if over-used IMO.

 

your intake is leaking from the seals

 

I feel pretty sure that the seals are perfect. I had it apart in the summer and I made darn sure they were in great shape. Personally, I think that I have been flooding it. It is bloody easy to foul the plugs with the S&S carb but, in two motorcycles with an S&S in the last four years I only really fouled one plug one time. I rode on one cylinder for about five miles and the plug started firing and all was good. I just went out to the garage after the bike has sat for 2.5 hours. Two twist of the throttle, hit the starter and hole the throttle slightly open and she fired right up. That's about the same situation that I was in earlier today. I think the enricher really only needs to be used at the first start of the day and then it really doesn't need it at all for the rest of the day.

When you're riding with a bunch of guys on new Harleys and gold wings they have little patience for guys on old Harleys that don't want to start and are cold natured.

 

That has been my experience.

 

that is the reason all my evos are strokers - i just wave as i go by

 

I used to use the enrichment for 1st start only and at times had problems with too much fuel and hard starting. I don't use it at all anymore just 2 twists and bang she fires right up... sometimes I do have it slightly cracked open while cranking and again no problems...

 

Exactly the same for me, two throttle squirts, no choke, pops right over. When starting cold, I use the throttles friction lock to hold the idle at about 1100 rpms for a few minutes to warm up the engine.

 

I don't have an electric starter on my EVO Softail, but I do have a Shorty E. My procedure for a cold start involves opening the enricher and kicking the motor through one revolution with the ignition off. I then close the enricher and kick it through one revolution. I bring it up on compression, open the throttle a quarter turn, turn on the ignition and kick her to life.
I use the same procedure on cool starts except I use one full shot of accelerator pump instead of the enricher.

Back when I had an electric start, I had it wired so that I could rotate the motor using the starter without the ignition circuit being hot. It served the same purpose as kicking it through without the ignition circuit being hot.