Engine dying "problem". I'm a moron...thankfully.

[SatchelHopkins]

On a ride the other day, I had to back into a parking space. When my bars hit full right lock the engine died. So I cranked it back up and bumped it to full right lock again and it died again. I mean the millisecond that it touched lock. It was really weird. I finished my ride thinking that I would have to look into this.

What was on my mind was that this was the first ride since installing some barbacks. They, of course, reduced the slack on the throttle cables and electrical cables. So my thoughts were that either I have bound up my electricals or that at full lock I was pulling on the throttle cables enough to cause a problem, though that didn't make sense as it should really just rev up the engine if that were the case. Plus after looking it seemed that everything had enough slack.

After hooking my GS-911 up to it to monitor all of the real-time values for the handlebar mounted switches, I proceeded to bend and tug on all of the cabling. Nothing changed on the readout. Turning bars to full lock, no change. What the heck? So, I figured I'd flip the switches the other way, try again, and see if they change in the other direction. Yep, that's it. It turns out that with the barbacks installed, when I go to full right-hand lock, it would barely bump my kill switch against my tank bag just enough to kill the engine but not to see the switch physically flipped over to the off position. Good grief. Thankfully nothing was really broken.

 

[omega man]

OM

 

[paul_f]

I think that most of us have done something that when we look for causes and define the problem, we grin and slap our heads.

 

[scott9999]

On a ride the other day, I had to back into a parking space. When my bars hit full right lock the engine died. So I cranked it back up and bumped it to full right lock again and it died again. I mean the millisecond that it touched lock. It was really weird. I finished my ride thinking that I would have to look into this.

What was on my mind was that this was the first ride since installing some barbacks. They, of course, reduced the slack on the throttle cables and electrical cables. So my thoughts were that either I have bound up my electricals or that at full lock I was pulling on the throttle cables enough to cause a problem, though that didn't make sense as it should really just rev up the engine if that were the case. Plus after looking it seemed that everything had enough slack.

After hooking my GS-911 up to it to monitor all of the real-time values for the handlebar mounted switches, I proceeded to bend and tug on all of the cabling. Nothing changed on the readout. Turning bars to full lock, no change. What the heck? So, I figured I'd flip the switches the other way, try again, and see if they change in the other direction. Yep, that's it. It turns out that with the barbacks installed, when I go to full right-hand lock, it would barely bump my kill switch against my tank bag just enough to kill the engine but not to see the switch physically flipped over to the off position. Good grief. Thankfully nothing was really broken.

Congratulations! You now qualify as a full fledged member of the Moron's Anonymous club. The club membership includes well renowned idiots who ride Beemers, who make really moronic mistakes working on their bikes. Unfortunately, the membership rolls are just that, anonymous. So is our club contact information. Just be assured that there are literally 1000's of us in this club, and you can join too, if you can .. um ... find us.

Glad that it was an easy resolution. I'd probably have been hip deep in Tupperware and wiring harness by the time I figured it out.

 

[m_stock10506]

Ah, the kill switch..... one summer I took my fairings off at a gas station when I could not get the bike restarted. Was going to put a jumper into what I thought was a failed side stand switch. My sleeve accidentally caught the kill switch when I was dismounting. Doh!

 

[SatchelHopkins]

Guys, thanks for making me feel better about being in the club. We should get t-shirts made or something.

 

[rogerc60]

Ah, the kill switch..... one summer I took my fairings off at a gas station when I could not get the bike restarted. Was going to put a jumper into what I thought was a failed side stand switch. My sleeve accidentally caught the kill switch when I was dismounting. Doh!

Geez. If I caught my sleeve on the kill switch on my oilhead I'd probably rip the end of the sleeve off before moving the switch. That bugger is hard to move.

 

[HSVPhil]

Way to self-diagnose your pilot-error problem, Mitch. I could just tell it was the On/Off switch on the handlebar. Give it some Milk of Magnesia, and all will be Relieved.

 

[100rider]

Yep, there are those that have and those that will. I fall into the prior. Of course my wife got a real good laugh at my expense.