Engine shut off and hard start problems

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sirreal1

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Recently I've had two problems that are intermittent and I'm not sure what is wrong.
Problem 1: When the bike is running and I put it in 1st gear to go the engine quits...but the kickstand is UP. Sometime it will even go into first gear for a few moments and then the engine quits as I try to go. The kickstand switch looks fine and the spring is strong and it extends all the way out when I put the kickstand up. I don't know why it's doing this.

Problem 2: After running the bike a while then shutting it off for 15-20 minutes then trying to start it, it just turns over fast but won't fire. I work all the switches including the kickstand switch, the kill switch (which I never use) and the clutch switch and after trying to start it 3-5 times it eventually starts. When it does start, it runs rough for a few seconds and does not respond well to applying throttle to rev it up for those few seconds. Also yesterday while riding on the highway at about 70 mph, I went to accelerate a bit to catch my buddy and the engine shut off for a moment. It threw me forward for a second or two then started back up on its own and I kept riding.
This only happened the one time but it is a concern.

If any members have experienced either or both problems, I would sure appreciate some feedback. I take excellent care of my bike and I have never had any problems whatsoever. It always started very quickly and the engine never quit like it did yesterday that one time. Throttle response is smooth and steady.


Info on my bike:

>2008 FZ1 29000 miles
>cat gutted and fitted with aftermarket muffler. AIS is blocked inside the AIRBOX to reduce the "popping" when i put on the DanMoto muffler.
>NO other mods done as the bike is currently under YES Warranty
>oil changed Mobil1 4T and filter every 3000 miles
>use only Chevron 87 Oct gas and never let it get near empty
>spark plugs have about 14,000 miles on them but the first set I changed when I bought the bike with 15,000 miles looked still good.
>also changed coolant when I bought the bike and used Yamaha coolant to refill it so it has about 14,000 miles on it now.
>air filter changed when I got the bike too...used stock Yamaha filter so it now has 14,000 miles on it...check it periodically and still looks pretty clean.
>I don't ride the bike hard...it has never been near redline since I bought it. I do accelerate pretty hard at times but never had it about 9-10,000 rpm at most. Most riding is cruising on highway at 70ish so about 5000 rpm.
>bike is kept spotlessly clean and lubed and never ridden in rain or wetted to wash it except a couple times I got caught in the rain going home.

Can't think of anything else relevant at this time...



Thanks for any feedback.
Glen
 
Thanks for the reply Evitzee. The fuel lines were checked recently when I checked the air filter. The bike runs smoothly while accelerating and cruising and if it was a fuel problem I think I would notice some roughness or bogging at times but it doesn't. The problem seemed to be electrical as the bike simply shut off completely for that moment as if someone had hit the kill switch then turned it right back on again.

I have tried to re-create both problems at home in my garage with the bike on the center stand and running and in/out of gear. So far it is running perfect...go figure. I guess I will keep riding and see if either problem arises again...although it's not too comforting to think one could get stranded on some desolate highway at night.
 
if its shutting off completley meaning no gauges or anything i would probably check the negative battery cable connection and the main ground to the bike on the frame somewhere. this could be loose causing it to intermidently lose connection
 
reignman said:
if its shutting off completley meaning no gauges or anything i would probably check the negative battery cable connection and the main ground to the bike on the frame somewhere. this could be loose causing it to intermidently lose connection
Click to expand...

Definitely. Sounds like loose battery connections--although it usually won't crank fast if the connections are loose and it needs a large draw. Check/test the battery.
 
Your first step should be checking if you have any codes. If you dont know how do a search, the info is on this site.
I would probably be thinking like you, clutch, neutral safety or kill switches.
You can bypass the clutch switch by simply unplugging it ( you will need to be in neutral to start the bike )

Some people have had issues with corrosion inside the kill switch. Have you opened it up an looked at it ? I've seen some people mention to always use the key to stop the engine and always leave the kill switch on run. Personally I think that is a horrible idea because corrosion can build up an the contact surfaces. Flipping the switch on and off constantly helps prevent corrosion from forming on those surfaces.

Quite a few people have had issues with loose or bad connections with the wiring harness / ECU connections. Try unplugging and cleaning ALL of those.
Electrical parts cleaner and a tiny dab of dielectric grease on ALL connections . Some have used wd40 on those connections and report good results.
Try running the bike with the tank up and wiggling ALL the electrical connections and see if you can find the issue. Check the fuel pump connects too.

Good luck !
 
Thanks for the reply super googan. I think you are probably on the right track with the kill switch. I never use it...rather use my key. In attempts to start the bike when it turned over but wouldnt fire up...friends and I cycled the Kill switch a number of times. We also jiggled the clutch wires and cycled the side-stand switch. I tried to re-create the two problems at home...running the bike on the center stand but couldn't get any failures with either. I suspect it could be the vibration in the handlebars and lack of use of the kill switch. A friend also tells me they are notorious for going bad or causing problems even if they are not used.

I guess I will ride and see what happens. Thanks !
 
hi

Hi everyone, I had the same issue which kept bothering me for a while. I checked this thread last week and checked my battery connections. I found it loose, so tightened up and now it runds perfect. Thank you everyone for this thread.

MM
 
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