Super difficult to start when cold

[al_pritchard]

I still haven’t been able to overcome my hard to start issues.

Set up:
2003 GPR
AirSal Extreme 80 / 40mm stroke
PHBG 21
96 main
262 AU needle jet
50 idle
60 start
40 slide
W7 needle 2nd from top
Premix 32:1 94 octane
B10ES plug gaped to .020 / .508mm

Antigravity AG-801 Lithium Ion Battery, 240 cranking amps

Very strong spark.

No air leaks

Still dialing in the idle, when cold it’s around the stall point. Once it warms up it’s still a little low but will idle

When cold, it is extremely hard to start off the starter. The reason for the antigravity battery is the stock speck battery would crank the bike but go flat very fast.

Cold start - With the choke on, crank the bike with the throttle closed. no love. After one or two tries cranking the bike with the throttle just cracked open - to when you hear the sucking sound. It will try to start. Let it sit for a moment and try again with no love. 3 or 4 attempts with a short 30 second brake it will attempt to start. You see the tachometer jump up as it tries to start. Finally you can get it to start.

It bump starts very easily after 2 or 3 failed start attempts. Drop it into 3rd and a short push down the drive and away you go.

When it’s hot it starts right away. Like when you stall it at a light. . But even after sitting for 30 min it goes back to it’s temperamental starting.

Any thoughts?

[jkv357]

A very good Ducati race tuner I knew found that high octane fuel makes some engines more difficult to start.

If you don't think you need 94 octane - try 91 and see how it does.

For idle mixture, I have found that riding a while, adjusting the idle mixture to get the highest RPMs, then going about 1/8 turn richer give a nice idle and a smoother transition from idle to mid-throttle.

EDIT: Is a #10 plug stock? Seems like it may be slightly cold.

Also, it's possible the 32:1 ratio may be contributing to the starting issue. Do you feel you may be able to go with less oil?