My Indian Scout Bobber Wont Start (Cold Start Issue)

[@timthorn7491]

Soooo incredibly helpful. You turned my bad day into a great day. Works like a charm now. Thank you!!

[@nj7634]

Glad we could help

[@wesleyredmond3464]

Had this happen this morning 33 degrees I was so mad ! I thought something else was wrong THANKS for the info.

[@chip251]

Very Helpful Thank you. Primed 5x and started right up. 🙏🏻

[@astemirdyshekov1863]

Thank you for the useful information. I am experiencing a similar issue with my Scout Sixty. I plan on replacing the battery with one that has higher CCA and also changing the oil to a lower viscosity, such as 10w60. The OEM oil is too thick, similar to honey in cold weather.

[@user-us1hx2cx3j]

I can't believe this issue has not yet been fixed by Indian. I had a 2015 Scout with this issue AND the starter failed twice. I dispute it is just "a small problem". Japanese bikes with advanced technology simply do NOT fail like this. Woeful.

[@joeyork9891]

Yup my 18' bobber does it too

[@billsinclair313]

Just mount a blow dryer on the bike, wire it in, aim at the motor. Then you have a pre-warm routine for a few minutes then it will start. There are some pretty blow dryers out there that would look sick mounted to the bike. Plus it helps keep you warmer on those cold days, built in heater.

[@EdwinKua]

I have a Scout. I have the same problem but I think I found a solution. First change to lithium battery. Second, the priming method youve shown is also necessary. The third step is to sit on the bike prior to ignition, rock the bike forward and backward to the point you can hear fuel slashing in the tank. Only then, press the ignition.

[@guitarist595]

My bobber did this this winter. Battery voltage was 11before cranking, the fuel pump prime and the starter was to much draw at low voltage so it wasn’t getting enough juice to the starter, fuel pump, spark plugs etc. got a battery tender and voltage vent back to 12.5 and it never happened again

[@chumbervic104]

what kinda tender did you get? I guess low and slow is better. my bobber did that yesterday so I am thinking of getting 12 volt with .75 amp

[@mattwuk]

I'm a bit late to the party but, the battery in my 2016 died in late autumn a few months from being brand new, the OEM batteries are junk to start with, great tip with the priming and I'll bear this in mind, I live in Northern UK so will definitly be using this trick.

[@brettsarff6739]

Mechanic for 20 + years get a battery with a higher cold crank Amp rating it will compensate for the electrical draw in the cold

[@davepritchett]

Ohio guy here... 2020 Bobber left me stranded at work this morning. 30 degrees out. Always on a trickle charger at home in garage. Dealer upgraded the battery as well. Knowing these are hard starting, I primed it twice with no luck. I guess 4 times should of been my next try. I did multiple 2x though.

[@sonalsood361]

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing. I bought a brand new Scout and I don’t know it dosen’t star in below 30 weather and was really sad. It’s 50 degree here now. I’m going to start it, hopefully i do not have to prime it.

[@michelleblanchard6786]

Thank you so much for sharing that bit of knowledge. I’m going to try that right now before looking into the lithium grease spray mentioned in another video posted. 🙂

[@Wolfox360]

The problem of cold start and why you use a richer mixtures is because the cylinder walls are condensating the fuel/air mixture. This bike has a low stroke compare to the bore and I think a single spark plug, (I'm sure next evolution will be double) pkus with open Exhaust there isn't much back pressure, so all the mixture is just going away. I never had issues with my bike to experiment this, but maybe if you put a restriction on the pipe, like a flap, this might keep more mixture in the cylinder helping the start up. Or just get a warm blanket and put it on the bike before using it. Hahahaha

[@bartoszbaranowski604]

Oh. thought it was just me. What I do. When I have a cold start after time, it wont engage, just quickly cycle prime bid red one on and off and trigger it second time with some twist. Booms to life.

[@michaelkurzewski2937]

My previous bikes didn't have that issue at all. 3 times cheaper Yamahas and Honda's never stalled on cold start. From that video I consider myself lucky. ISB 20 2020 starts in 3-4 go 8n below freezing point conditions. However I must challenge you on this one. It's only after a night meaning on first go this happens. Then I go somewhere, leave the bike for like 2h. Then it starts beautifuly the first attempt. And its even colder as its outside, not the garage. I also found that it's better on E5 than E10 (euro fuel) meaning 99oct vs 95oct. Thanks for this video. I now know I'm not alone. I'll try to get it tuned as I did change exhaust as well. Will let you know if that helped

[@chuckswayzee]

same issue with a 2015 scout, what sucks is the cranking kills the battery

[@jrlara9460]

Thank you so much!! This is exactly what I was going through. Great info!!

[@nj7634]

Glad we could help!

[@jasonshortphd]

That looked more like you put on an aftermarket exhaust and didn’t update the tune. The engine wasn’t getting enough back pressure. Did you remove the O2 sensors? The ECU can adjust for cold air through the use of the air sensors. If you don’t put the bike on a tender during the normal part of the year, you are still losing battery % off the top. 1-2% per week when you don’t ride. My rule is if the bike sits for a week, it goes on the tender. The problem with that loss is that adding a tender later doesn’t fix the problem. Remember these are lead acid batteries. If you want a more permanent fix go with Lithium Ion batteries (and do NOT use the same tender!).

[@nj7634]

The bike still had O2 sensors and never had the issue before it got cold. Of course living in Michigan never helps. I got a battery tender which helped.

[@Anunnaki1821]

Took mine about 20 primes before starting on a original battery, was in the storage 5month winter in a non heated garage. I guess the factory CCA battery doesnt like cold.

[@deweyx0xx]

This is a common problem on Scouts. The starter is not turning over fast enough to start the bike. I can hear that. The stock battery in some Scouts is a made in China piece of garbage guaranteed to fail within a year at the most. Likewise the starter in some Scouts is a made in India piece of garbage with a similar lifespan. Change them both. Use a Yuasa battery and an Arrowhead starter and you'll be golden for years.

[@snowmanrainmaker]

I've had the same problem all's I did was charged my battery up to Tip Top charge and it works great

[@markmcsheffreysr6890]

Is there a fuse on start er

[@Bobby_Lupo]

I had the same issue with my bobber, got me a battery tender and it never happened again.

[@howdy627]

I put a small electric oil heater next to the engine, the oil needs to be warmed up ,

[@loganmurphy2195]

Dude, thanks so much for this video On my second winter now with my 2019 and anything below 37 and yeah a bitch to start. Going to try this over the next couple of days.

[@loganmurphy2195]

just did my test like 15 min ago, 4 primes on the fuel injection and she started right up first time at 31f after sitting in 22f over night outside, no cover. Thanks again mate.

[@loganmurphy2195]

@Travis Harper The fuel injector swithch, the red one, flick it on, let it cycle. do that two or three times, that puts enough fuel in the chamber to ignight when it is cold

[@loganmurphy2195]

@Travis Harper well there is an idiot light when gas is low

[@justind.7925]

This faulty start actually caused my Bobber60 odometer reset to ZERO so be careful. When I told my service mechanic I was told this is a common occurence.

[@nj7634]

@@justind.7925 That’s super odd. I don’t have this bike anymore but definitely good information for anyone else with a scout!

[@justinnyc8673]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5-4Zo2Ea9-HjNEsi=1Gqd8LMYmSVVrhUl​ That's the link to the actual video of my faulty start and odometer resetting to zero. @nj7634

[@howard...1143]

Parking position on ignition key setting will also flatten the battery… 🤷‍♂️

[@Thatbobberlife]

Mine only tries once. If it fails to start then it just clicks. Take my car to work and try again later when it's warm and starts up. I only get one shot. Pretty sure it's just a weak stock battery.

[@danezynda3703]

Mine is the same. I literally get one, maybe two tries, and then it just clicks. But my battery still reads fully charged. It will do that on the charger even

[@Justmil69]

Same here only have one change after that just a click sound …

[@yasslogh]

It’s 3 am now and in thinking about trying it🤣

[@yasslogh]

I guess we’ll need a space heater in the garage 🤣 unbelievable!

[@joeyork9891]

It seems to only do it when oil is cold. Once bike is warm no problem

[@aaronsalinas518]

Smart battery, iridium spark plugs. Then you are golden.

[@xaviermuniz9109]

Did you use a tender?

[@nj7634]

Do have one on the bike for the winter and it does seem to help along with the extra priming.

[@BlueJ502]

Your not giving it enough time to prime

[@matt2735]

Get a lithium ion battery, stock battery sucks in the cold.

[@trackday627]

The Scout battery should show close to 12.5V if it's fully charged. Here's a link to some tips and background info on the best way to keep the battery charged. If you use an automotive trickle charger it may not bring the Scout AGM battery back up to full charge if the battery has been run dead. A good AGM charger has a desulphating phase that has been shown to significantly help recharge a dead AGM battery. www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/self-help/article/KA-01248/ Here is the recommended battery charger - www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/shop/maintenance/battery-care/2830438/?pfm=Search For those of you who may let your bike sit in an unheated garage in the winter and primarily just start your bike in the garage periodically without burning through your tank of fuel, consider getting some winter grade fuel to help with starting below or near freezing.