mpg ?

[richard100t]

When its really cold (for riding) like maybe under 30f I plug in my electric space heater & set it next to the oilpan on the kickstand side for 10 to 15 minutes. The difference is night & day...well the bike wont start when its really cold without doing this. It does still have the original battery though Anyway after said amount of time the bike starts up & runs as well as it does in the warmer weather.

 

I think the air cooled engine runs really well in the cold almost like it enjoys it.

[Ryland3210]

When its really cold (for riding) like maybe under 30f I plug in my electric space heater & set it next to the oilpan on the kickstand side for 10 to 15 minutes. The difference is night & day...well the bike wont start when its really cold without doing this. It does still have the original battery though Anyway after said amount of time the bike starts up & runs as well as it does in the warmer weather.

 

I think the air cooled engine runs really well in the cold almost like it enjoys it.

 

That's good for a quick warmup.

 

Mine runs well in cool weather also. I think it is on the rich side anyway, so the cool air injested gives it a mild supercharging effect, and the extra fuel is there to take advantage of it. However, MPG's go down.

[tmcafe]

If Dave's bike is stored indoors, he could do what I used to when I had to keep my car outside during the cold winters of the 1970's. I opened the hood, draped a blanket over the engine, and put a 60 watt light bulb under the oil pan on a timer set to turn on an hour before I needed to drive the car. It made a remarkable difference.

 

I'll bet that would make a great deal of difference under the sump, even if the bike is outdoors. If indoors, the blanket would probably not be necessary, but it wouldn't hurt, either. Much less wasted fuel or cold running engine. The cost for the electricity used is negligible. Matter of fact, I'm going to resume doing that myself on those cold days I expect to ride. Sorry I didn't think of it earlier.

It's all in the temperature and elevation. On short trips at 25 deg F your bike isn't even warming up yet. It takes a good 10-15 miles of steady riding to warm it up fully. On your short trips, in cold weather, the mileage will be the worst. For a two mile trip, I wouldn't ride the bike. You really aren't doing it any good, as condensation builds up in the engine/oil, then doesn't get hot enough to evaporate. Short trips are the worst. You may want to consider alternative transportation, IMO.

I would expect those who've made Greg's "Swiss cheese" mod to the cush drive wedges to experience significantly enhanced rear tire lifespans,

Very interesting points. Don't know about Dave in sunny SoCal, but my bike stays overnight in a garage with no heating, so in the morning the oil temp is whatever is outside. I'd go for the lightbulb thing, although technically there's no power in the garage (I'm using a cord from the dryer plug in the basement). A lightbulb won't hurt the landlord, I guess , being that I've replaced burned out bulbs in common areas several times. I'm also tempted to at least inspect the cush drive and give it a good preventive dose of silicone lube, unless the rubber is already hardened and ready for Greg's Swiss-cheese fix. And yes, perhaps I should only take the bike out for longer rides, or make the short commute long enough for the engine to warm up.

[Ryland3210]

Very interesting points. Don't know about Dave in sunny SoCal, but my bike stays overnight in a garage with no heating, so in the morning the oil temp is whatever is outside. I'd go for the lightbulb thing, although technically there's no power in the garage (I'm using a cord from the dryer plug in the basement). A lightbulb won't hurt the landlord, I guess , being that I've replaced burned out bulbs in common areas several times. I'm also tempted to at least inspect the cush drive and give it a good preventive dose of silicone lube, unless the rubber is already hardened and ready for Greg's Swiss-cheese fix. And yes, perhaps I should only take the bike out for longer rides, or make the short commute long enough for the engine to warm up.

 

You could offer to reimburse the landlord for the power consumption. Let's see, if it's a 100 watt bulb, that's about a penny an hour! If you did it every day, thirty cents a month. No worries, mate. Furthermore, the battery will put out a lot more power if it's warmed up a bit while the thinner oil gives it less work to do. 'Course there's the ride home, and figuring out how to do the same thing for the trip back. Usually, it's the start in the early morning that is the worst case.

[dlaing]

I like it! My bike could be a hybrid of sorts!

A 300W heat lamp or halogen lamp for ten minutes under the sump might do the trick.

I rarely start the bike below 45F.

The mountains here get colder, but the bike is already running.

If you could heat the inside that might work even better.

Anybody want to invent and or market an electric heated dipstick?

Or fairing lowers that could block the wind with the flip of a flap?

[Guest ratchethack]

Anybody want to invent and or market an electric heated dipstick?

You're somewhere around 60 years behind the curve, Dave.

[dlaing]

You're somewhere around 60 years behind the curve, Dave.

Where can I buy one that fits our bike, John?

[Skeeve]

Where can I buy one that fits our bike, John?

 

Not certain, but I'd start by looking at JC Witless' website. They wouldn't have anything specifically Guzzi, but among all their generic stuff might be something adaptable.

[dlaing]

Forgive my ignorance of heated dipsticks.

I always thought a heated dipstick was a forum member that lost their cool discussing global warming

No sign of them at JC Whitney with a keyword search.

No sign at eBay either.

In any case, I live in SoCal, so I shall just tweak my cold engine mapping until the bike runs rough when cold then back it back just enough rich that it smooths out again.

[raz]

No sign of them at JC Whitney with a keyword search.

No sign at eBay either.

Try "block heater" and you'll get plenty of hits @ebay.

[Ryland3210]

Forgive my ignorance of heated dipsticks.

 

In any case, I live in SoCal, so I shall just tweak my cold engine mapping until the bike runs rough when cold then back it back just enough rich that it smooths out again.

 

Personally, Dave, I never liked the heated dipstick, and never used them because I was concerned that the wattage concentrated in that small a volume would reach temperatures that might fry the oil and ruin it's properties.

 

Block heaters that are spliced into the lower radiator hoses of liquid cooled engines work great. I've used them at up to 800 watts to preheat my car engines 20-30 minutes before starting, once again, back when the winters were cold.

 

In the case of the air cooled Guzzi, unless you can find a cartridge or band heater, such as are used in the plastic molding and die casting industry that will conduct heat directly into the metallic structure of the block, my recommendation is to stick with the light bulb or convection heater mentioned earlier. By the way, I would be concerned about a 300 watt heat lamp. If close to the bike, it might raise surface temperatures high enough to peal paint or damage plastic. A mere 60 watt bulb can generate quite a bit of heat underneath the sump, especially if you drape a blanket over the bike to contain the heat so it helps warm the cylinders directly as well. Maybe 100 at the most?

[dlaing]

Blanket plus light bulb could be an accident waiting to happen

Although there must be some lamps safe enough to use with a blanket.

Maybe if Pete Roper could add heating coils to the sloppage sheet.

You are right about the dangers of a high wattage bulb, but it too is doable.

It might need some testing to keep long term temperatures from exceeding much above 100C.

Again a safe lamp is needed.

A leaky fuel line could be catastropic

[Ryland3210]

Blanket plus light bulb could be an accident waiting to happen

Although there must be some lamps safe enough to use with a blanket.

Maybe if Pete Roper could add heating coils to the sloppage sheet.

You are right about the dangers of a high wattage bulb, but it too is doable.

It might need some testing to keep long term temperatures from exceeding much above 100C.

Again a safe lamp is needed.

A leaky fuel line could be catastropic

 

Point well taken on the blanket on a bike inside an enclosed space. BTW, I did not intend that it should be all the way to the ground where it could trap fumes. Gasoline vapors are denser than air, and will "fall" to the ground in still air. There was little risk with a bulb under a car sump and blanket over the engine, with plenty of ventilation outdoors when I used to do it.

 

A 60 watt bulb does not get all that hot, and even if gasoline drips on it, a spark or open flame is needed to ignite it. A spark generated by a loose connection in the bulb socket could do it. A commercially available fixture rated "explosion proof" would eliminate that risk factor. An incandescant bulb, with its lower efficiency than a halogen would be better because it makes more heat and less light. If there is leaking gas, any heater with a connection that can potentially permit a spark is risky. The convection heater at a distance with forced ventilation as part of the picture would be safer.

 

If you ever want to take a shortcut to long term testing of this kind of behavior, here is a method: Since most phenomena like this exponentially decay to final value the change with time will initially be linear, then will show a bend in the curve if you plot it. Plot the data versus time. At some point it will become apparent what value it will finally attain without having to plot forever.

[Guzzi2Go]

There was a documentary on TV over here recently, where they've shown what's flammable and what not. Neither gasoline, nor diesel did burst in flame when poured over a hot electric plate (the ones you have on an electric stove). However, the break fluid did.

 

Draw your on conclusions out of this one.