FJR repeatedly dies while riding at highway speeds

[worldbound4now]

Vehicle: 05FJR ABS, I am the single owner and have performed all maintenance except for valve clearance adjustments (dealer done).

Events: During a playful two day ride in TX hill country, on both days, my FJR died on me in a successive pattern. The first event was about 20 miles after topping the tank off. Riding at highway speeds of 70-80mph, the engine died for about 1 second then bump-started itself. Within about 0.5 miles it did it again but for a few sends more of pause. Shortly after that it died again but this time I decellerated in 5th gear down to about 30mph then pulled in the clutch and off to the shoulder. I switched the kill switch off, opened then closed my fuel cap, explained to my riding partner what happened, and made an attempt to restart the bike without issue (purred like a kitten). We rode about another 100 miles to our campsite without issue. The bike ran great.

Next day, pretty much the exact same scenario except this time it was after burning off the first full tank and 3/4 of the way through the next tank of fuel (so not on the same tank of fuel nor with a full tank). The same thing happened but this time I played a bit and checked out things with more detail. Here is what I noticed:

Tach, spedometer, digital dash, and powered accessories were still registering or operating without a glitch - so no interruption at the ignition switch.

No warning lights were on (the engine was being driven by the rear wheel)

I moved the throttle with great variability and it was unresponsive until the engine restarted. At which point, if the throttle was more open than what matched my speed, the FJR took off like a rocket like it would if I whacked the throttle wide open while riding normally.

When the engine dies, there is no perceived taper period. Instant off then instant on. No gradual loss of power. No noted misfiring. No backfire when restarted while still rolling. Instant off then instant, abrupt on.

Both events yielded a sudden short pause, then two or three more pauses that were a little longer until I had to pull off of the road. Then the bike restarts without issue.

 

[zzzzip]

What extras have you added to the bike--- as in electrical, or power Commander etc.?

 

[ionbeam]

Do you get a check engine light? What code(s) are stored in Diagnostic history? Have you done *anything* to your FJR recently like maintenance or battery?

'Light Switch' type failures are typically electrical, sputtering and weak performance is usually fuel delivery related.

 

[worldbound4now]

After arriving safely home, I entered the diagnostic menu on the FJR.

Diag code 01 - TPS range is 17-102 (not too bad and the TPS recall work was done)

code 02 - atmospheric pressure matched that of my riding buddies FJR which was sitting behind my bike.

code 03 - Ranged from 0-3 while cranking the engine over. Steady 0 while not cranking engine over

code 05 and code 06 - the bike was cool so the coolant temp and the intake temp matched exactly at 34

code 07 - ranged from 0 (no wheel turning) to 321 (spinning wheel by hand)

code 08 - 0.6 volts - acceptable for the upright position of the lean angle cutoff

code 09 - fuel system at 11.8 volts

code 20 - displayed on or off on a dozen or so tests of kickstand on or off. With kickstand off and me bumping switch with my heel the switch was a steady off.

code 21 - displayed neutral as ON or OFF appropriately when into or out of gear

code 60 - no malfunction (00)

code 61 - cycled between 15, 21, and 30. This has never been cleared, so the 15 may have been when the TPS recall was done, 21... I'm not sure why code 21 (coolant temp sensor) other than maybe an issue when the valve clearance check was completed... and code 30 because I laid the bike down, activating the tip-over kill switch.

code 62 - displayed 03, which I then cleared the historical codes after reading and testing all.

Code 70 - 0

Code 30 and 31 - I did not pull the plugs, but running the test did activate the check engine light.

Code 36-39 - all injectors were heard actuating

Code 48, 50, 51, and 52 all activated their respective relays appropriately.

So.... where do I go from here? Thank you all for your feedback and questions.

Worldbound4now

 

[worldbound4now]

What extras have you added to the bike--- as in electrical, or power Commander etc.?

No power commander. Autocom communication system, HID headlights, heated grips, heat troller for jacket, accessory power outlet (not being used at the time of the event).

The only new change to the bike was me replacing my Autocom Pro 7 sport with a new autocom Logic system. No rewiring. It used the same bike power lead. Otherwise... no recent changes..

Edit : Oh, and I almost forgot... Barbarian jumper mod done in 2005. No issues since 2005.

 

[worldbound4now]

Do you get a check engine light? What code(s) are stored in Diagnostic history? Have you done *anything* to your FJR recently like maintenance or battery?

'Light Switch' type failures are typically electrical, sputtering and weak performance is usually fuel delivery related.

No check engine light until after I had pulled in on the clutch and stopped at the roadside, letting the RPM drop to 0. No sputtering or weak performance. Instant on and instant off. I wish it was a fuel delivery issue but fear an electrical gremlin.

Edit: Datel voltimeter read a stedy 14 volts until I came to a stop and RPM was down to zero.

I'm pleased that you're in on this discussion. Over the years, you seem to be one of the best at helping other forum members out with electrical issues (yeah... I'm kissing your *** because I need you)

 

[wfooshee]

I would lift the tank and check some connectors under there. Gen I bikes have one major harness connector just behind the steering head under the tank. Make sure it's clean and not showing signs of heat damage. Can't really tell you anything specific to look for circuit-wise, but if something's cutting out, that's a good place to start looking for damged connections.

 

[McRide]

Simple things first...

Try tightening the threaded battery cables... the threaded nuts that hold the cable ring onto the battery.

They can loosen just enough so the cable ring intermittently looses contact with the battery terminal and the engine shuts down.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

Make sure the side stand switch is clean. Could be a potential problem.

 

[BwanaDik]

I would lift the tank and check some connectors under there. Gen I bikes have one major harness connector just behind the steering head under the tank. Make sure it's clean and not showing signs of heat damage. Can't really tell you anything specific to look for circuit-wise, but if something's cutting out, that's a good place to start looking for damged connections.

+1 I seem to remember a thread around here about how one of the big connectors finally had enough dirt and corrosion in it to cause problems. Definitely a Gen I bike. The thread had photos of the connector too. Haven't a clue how to search for it, I don't think the original thread was about the connector. Maybe somebody else will remember it

 

[worldbound4now]

I would lift the tank and check some connectors under there. Gen I bikes have one major harness connector just behind the steering head under the tank. Make sure it's clean and not showing signs of heat damage. Can't really tell you anything specific to look for circuit-wise, but if something's cutting out, that's a good place to start looking for damged connections.

+1 I seem to remember a thread around here about how one of the big connectors finally had enough dirt and corrosion in it to cause problems. Definitely a Gen I bike. The thread had photos of the connector too. Haven't a clue how to search for it, I don't think the original thread was about the connector. Maybe somebody else will remember it

I remember this post as well and addressed the issue about 6 months ago. I pulled the noted couplers apart, cleaned them with electrical contact cleaner spray, and re-assembled with no incident. I will recheck these couplers this week though.

 

[worldbound4now]

Simple things first...

Try tightening the threaded battery cables... the threaded nuts that hold the cable ring onto the battery.

They can loosen just enough so the cable ring intermittently looses contact with the battery terminal and the engine shuts down.

I will try to check the battery cables when I get home. IF the battery terminal comes loose, wouldn't the gauges stop working and the dash go blank during the power loss?

Make sure the side stand switch is clean. Could be a potential problem.

I'd considered this as a higher probability source. The switch isn't too expensive, but I may just pull it out of the circuit and see if the problem persists. Great ideas. Keep them coming!

 

[HotRodZilla]

I had a Honda VTX do something similar over a period of time until it finally quit running. It ended up being loose ground wire connection from the Power Commander. However, since you don't have a PC, you're gonna have to search it out.

Bad connectors, the kickstand switch, or a bad ground somewhere. Maybe a short in your Kill switch.

 

[RossKean]

Dirty kill switch? Shoot it with some contact cleaner and exercise it a bunch of times. Unfortunately, you won't know if that is the fix until it happens (or doesn't happen) again. I wish things would die completely when they go. Makes it much easier to troubleshoot.

Ross

 

[wfooshee]

I think it's unlikely to be the sidestand switch as it's normally open. To kill the engine it would have to be shorting momentarily. Unless there is frayed wiring, I don't see that happening.

The White/blue wire from the ignition switch carries the sidestand switch ground to the ECU, so that's a whole 'nother wire to check on. If that one is rubbed somewhere and gets grounded, the ECU will think the sidestand's down.

The kill switch is a better candidate. A kill switch that opens up will shut the motor off without affecting gauges.

 

[Bustanut joker]

It might be afraid of high speeds and shuts itself down

 

[dan]

It might be afraid of high speeds and shuts itself down

Hey Bustanut joker! Your a funny guy. Which one are you in the picture? The *** or the other ***?

 

[beemerdons]

It might be afraid of high speeds and shuts itself down

Hey Bustanut joker! Your a funny guy. Which one are you in the picture? The *** or the other ***?

On the TV show he played the one on the left, in the Broadway play he was the one on the right!

 

[HotRodZilla]

It might be afraid of high speeds and shuts itself down

Hey Bustanut joker! Your a funny guy. Which one are you in the picture? The *** or the other ***?

On the TV show he played the one on the left, in the Broadway play he was the one on the right!

In real life he likes to be the one in the middle! Wait...What, exactly, were we talking about?