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Coolant heater for cold starts??

Thistledoo

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Anyone done this? This am bike temp showed 10F as where we ride I have to keep the bike in an enclosed. Cranked over fine but no fire. Just wouldn’t go. A small rercurculation heater I can plug in would be ideal. The old apex and nytro had a kit I remember but not sure I have room. Not a lot of working room on this FE350

I looked at a flat pad oil pan style heater but I believe heating coolant and the cylinder would be way better. Any one done it or ideas??

Thx guys
 

Chadx

♫ In the pow again. Just can't wait to get in..
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Feb 2, 2010
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If you have electric 120v access like it sounds, just put a 1500 watt electric heater blowing on it an hour before you start it. Then no extra weight on the bike.
 

dooman92

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Mar 1, 2010
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Cold

Again, if access to 120v, try a hair dryer directed at cylinder for 10-15 minutes. Works great with or without cover on bike. With cover, I've seen coolant temps of 70 degrees after 15 minutes or so.
 
M
Jan 14, 2004
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Did it start with a boost? My kids Apex used to crank when it was cold but not fire but always started with a boost.

M5
 

Thistledoo

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I boosted it and got a propane heater on the bike and a hour later got it going. But not doing this every time as there has to be a better way. Need a small recuirc heater with 3/4” nipples to tie in and I’m sure that would work great. Nobody has done this hey? Seems the smallest they make is a one inch nipple style which is just too big. I don’t have a garage so that’s not a option. Will live in the enclosed trailer and we can have cold nites when it clears off.
 

wwillf01

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I had an Arctic cat one I plumbed it in an older bike with a tunnel cooler... It worked great
..

Sent from my Z999 using Tapatalk
 
M
Jan 14, 2004
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I don't know all that much about that bike but if it has a kick start kit available that's what I would do. You can almost always kick it over when its cold even when the e start wont work. I used to kick start my KTM for the first start of the day same with my buddies WR it would never start on the E start if we left the bikes out.


M5
 

Chadx

♫ In the pow again. Just can't wait to get in..
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FYI, you don't need it to circulate. Any heat source, whether applied to your radiator fluid, engine block, oil, etc. will propagate throughout the engine and coolant via conduction. I apply heat, via an electric heater, to one part of the block and in short order, my temp gauge will show temps rising and that probe is on the opposite side of the engine up in the thermostat.

Heat moves to cold. Apply heat to any portion of the engine and the entire engine, oil, coolant warms. Plus you don't have to carry around your heat source (circulating antifreeze heater and plug) 100% of the time you ride. Plus you don't have yet another cut hose and hose clamps which is one more point of failure. Plus you said room is tight so an on-board solution could be finicky. Plus since you would have to run an extension cord to your trailer anyway for your solution, also carrying a little cheap fan-driven electric heater and setting it beneath your bike isn't really any extra work.

If you still decide that an on-board plug in heater is what you want, a non-circulating heater or a block heater (they have magnetic ones) will do the same job. No need to circulate.

For anyone that the electric heater solution sounds good, just set a heater pointed either under your bike or on a crate next to it pointed right at the engine. Even if you have an engine blanket, there is a gap by the exhaust pipe. Set it on the pipe side and point it in the gap in your engine blanket plus some of the heat will be hitting your radiators. Plug it in when you first get up and by the time you are ready to go in 30 to 60 minutes, it will start up just fine.

If you are trailering a long ways to a place without electricity and in an enclosed trailer, when do the heater at home before you leave, start the bike and let it warm up to operating temp. Since you are in an enclosed trailer away from wind, the engine will start way easier at trailhead even if an hour or two away.
 
Last edited:

jrlastofthebreed

It seemed like a good idea at the time
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I havn't seen any 12v heaters that would put out enough juice to do anything. But my hack is simple and easy. Use a dryer vent (or something similar and collapses up) on the exhaust of the truck and put it on the cylinder. Takes 5-10 min at 0F but works great. Basically i can thaw out 2 bikes by the time we are dressed and unloaded.
 
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