Motorcycle Repair: Keeping an engine warm for cold starts, kawasaki 750, posessions

Question
    I love being on my bike...Though I dont have a chopper, I am happy with what I have, as it means I am riding...when the bike will let me
    I have a 1982 Kawasaki 750 CSR (air-cooled) and though old, it is all I can afford as I am on SSDI and limited to the value of my posessions in order to retain my lifelong medicinal needs.  Anyway, I had an electric start put in as I am not a tall guy, and kickstarting it is quite a challenge...The problem I have is because it sits outside and South Dakota (where I live) is very notorious for varied temps, my battery will die long before it kicks over...Even when it does, I had to hold down the electric start to keep the momentum going...I recently had the valves adjusted as they said they were too tight, but I am still having hard start problems. I once had to actually heat the block with a hairdryer to get the oil flowing (Im guessing) to start it...However, when it did, it was the best start Ive known that bike to ever have. Regardless, I would like to think I can travel to work or wherever, turn off the motor and let the bike set for a few hours with the confidence it will start, as I will not always have access to...either a battery to jump off of or,...well...a hairdryer...I cant afford to invest greatly into such an old bike, or think Im paying for "repairs" when it doesnt seem to work, and feeling ripped off, but I cannot have a much higher value bike due to my restrictions.Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.  thank you

Answer
Hi Chris.

Start by making sure that the bike is tuned up properly and the carbs are properly synchronized.  These are critical things when running the engine and are more critical when starting the bike up first thing.

If there is no problem with any of that, then hook up an electric blanket and wrap it around the engine.  There are some that are made for motor vehicles available through the JC Whitney catalogue www.jcwhitney.com that will work very well for your needs.  Also get a cover for the bike.  This will help to retain some heat when left overnight.

Let me know how it goes.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON